Benjamin "Ben" Jackson is a fictional character played by

Michael Craze Michael Craze (29 November 1942 – 8 December 1998) was a British actor noted for his role of Ben Jackson, a companion of the Doctor, in the long-running BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He played the part from 1966 ...

in the long-running British

science fiction television Science fiction first appeared in television programming in the late 1930s, during what is called the Golden Age of Science Fiction. Special effects and other production techniques allow creators to present a living visual image of an imaginary ...

series ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...

''. A seaman in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

from 1966, he was a companion to the

First First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...

and

Second Doctor The Second Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He was portrayed by actor Patrick Troughton. While the Troughton era of ''Doctor Who'' is well-remembered by fans an ...

s and a regular in the programme from 1966 to 1967. Ben appeared in 9 stories (36 episodes). ''The War Machines,'' the character's first appearance, is the only one of his stories to exist fully in the BBC archives.

Character history

Ben first appears in the First Doctor serial ''

The War Machines ''The War Machines'' is the ninth and final serial of the third season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in 4 weekly parts from 25 June to 16 July 1966. The serial is set in 1960s London ...

'', when he meets

Polly Polly is a given name, most often feminine, which originated as a variant of Molly (a diminutive of Mary). Polly may also be a short form of names such as Polina, Polona, Paula or Paulina. People named or nicknamed Polly Female *Caresse Crosby ...

and

Dodo The dodo (''Raphus cucullatus'') is an extinct flightless bird that was endemic to the island of Mauritius, which is east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. The dodo's closest genetic relative was the also-extinct Rodrigues solitaire. The ...

in a

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

nightclub called the ''Inferno''. An

Able Seaman An able seaman (AB) is a seaman and member of the deck department of a merchant ship with more than two years' experience at sea and considered "well acquainted with his duty". An AB may work as a watchstander, a day worker, or a combination ...

in the

, serving aboard , Ben is feeling depressed and angry because he has been posted to barracks for six months' shore leave while his ship is deployed to the

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greater A ...

. Polly and Dodo try to cheer him up. When another patron accosts Polly in the club, Ben comes to her rescue. Eventually, Ben and Polly aid the Doctor in his battle against the rogue

artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is intelligence—perceiving, synthesizing, and inferring information—demonstrated by machines, as opposed to intelligence displayed by animals and humans. Example tasks in which this is done include speech re ...

known as WOTAN. Afterwards, when Ben and Polly bear the Doctor news of Dodo's decision to stay in 1966 and try to return Dodo's key to the

time machine Time travel is the concept of movement between certain points in time, analogous to movement between different points in space by an object or a person, typically with the use of a hypothetical device known as a time machine. Time travel is a w ...

, they accidentally get carried away in the

TARDIS The TARDIS (; acronym for "Time And Relative Dimension In Space") is a fictional hybrid of the time machine and spacecraft that appears in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' and its various spin-offs. Its exterior ap ...

. It is implied that these events occur on the last day of Ben's shore posting: in ''

The Smugglers ''The Smugglers'' is the completely missing first serial of the fourth season in the British science fiction television series '' Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 10 September to 1 October 1966. In this serial ...

'', he pleads, "make sure that I get back by teatime, Doctor. I've got to get back to my ship by tonight." Ben is a salt-of-the-Earth kind of fellow, dependable and faithful, but prone to become suspicious when kept in the dark or not understanding what is going on. In

The Power of the Daleks ''The Power of the Daleks'' is the completely missing third serial of the fourth season of British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', and which was first broadcast in six weekly parts from 5 November to 10 December 1966. It is ...

Ben reveals that, as a child, he lived opposite a brewery. He is very attached to Polly—whom he considers

posh Posh is an informal adjective for "upper class". It may also refer to: Entertainment * ''Posh'' (album), a 1980 album by Patrice Rushen *"Posh!", a 1968 song from the musical ''Chitty Chitty Bang Bang'' * ''Posh'' (2006 TV series), a 2006 Philipp ...

, nicknaming her "Duchess"—and appoints himself protector of both her and the Doctor. He is present with Polly when the Doctor regenerates for the first time, and continues to travel with the Second Doctor. During his travels with Polly and the new Doctor, he encounters

Dalek The Daleks ( ) are a fictional extraterrestrial race of mutants principally portrayed in the British science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who''. They were conceived by writer Terry Nation and first appeared in the 1963 ''Doctor Who'' ...

Cybermen The Cybermen are a fictional race of cyborgs principally portrayed in the British science fiction television programme '' Doctor Who''. The Cybermen are a species of space-faring cyborgs who often forcefully and painfully convert human beings ...

and

Macra Macra is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Cuneo in the Italian region Piedmont, located about southwest of Turin and about northwest of Cuneo. Macra borders the following municipalities: Celle di Macra, Marmora, Sampeyre, San Dam ...

, and meets the Doctor's next companion,

Jamie McCrimmon James Robert McCrimmon, usually simply called Jamie, is a fictional character played by Frazer Hines in the long-running British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. A piper of the Clan MacLeod who lived in 18th-century Scotland, ...

. Eventually, the TARDIS finds its way back to 1966 London (in ''

The Faceless Ones ''The Faceless Ones'' is the mostly missing eighth serial of the fourth season in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in six weekly parts from 8 April to 13 May 1967. In this serial, the Sec ...

'') on 20 July—the very day Ben and Polly had left (although about a year had passed for them). They decide to remain behind to resume their lives without disruption, leaving the Doctor and

Jamie Jamie is a unisex name. It is a diminutive form of James or, more rarely, other names. It is also given as a name in its own right. People Female * Jamie Anne Allman (born 1977), American actress * Jamie Babbit (born 1970), American film and te ...

to travel on. What happens to Ben after his return to

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...

is unclear. The Doctor seems to think that Ben will become an

Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...

and that Polly will look after Ben, but it is not clear if this is a prediction or simply wishing them well. In the audio story ''The Five Companions,'' an older Polly tells the Fifth Doctor that she and Ben are still together. in ''

Death of the Doctor ''Death of the Doctor'' is a two-part story of ''The Sarah Jane Adventures'' which was broadcast on CBBC on 25 and 26 October 2010. It is the third story of the fourth series. A cross-over story with ''Doctor Who'', story involves UNIT informing ...

'', Sarah Jane Smith mentions that Ben is working with Polly in India and "running an orphanage there." Ben and Polly appear in the 2017 ''Doctor Who'' Christmas special " Twice Upon a Time", portrayed by

Jared Garfield ''Hollyoaks'' is a British television soap opera that was first broadcast on 23 October 1995. The following is a list of characters that appeared in the serial in 2015, by order of first appearance. All characters were introduced by executive pr ...

and

Lily Travers Lily Annabelle L. Travers (born 1990) is an English actress. Her films include '' Late Shift'' (2016) and ''Viceroy's House'' (2017). She joined the main cast of the ITV historical drama ''Victoria'' (2019) for its third series. In 2017, Traver ...

respectively. The episode's plot involves the events of ''

The Tenth Planet ''The Tenth Planet'' is the partly missing second serial of the fourth season in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 8 to 29 October 1966. It was William Hartnell ...

''.

Other appearances

In the spin off short story "Mondas Passing" by Paul Grice (in the anthology '' Short Trips'') which takes place in 1986, it is revealed that Ben and Polly have gone their separate ways and married other people. Ben meets a divorced Polly again with the help of the Second Doctor in 1999 ("That Time I Nearly Destroyed The World Whilst Looking For a Dress" by Joseph Lidster, published in '' Short Trips: Past Tense''), where the two admit their love for each other. Big Finish audios have recently 're-cast' Elliot Chapman as Ben Jackson in various audio releases. One of these- ''The Forsaken''- the TARDIS lands on an island off the coast of Japan during the Second World War, where they actually meet Ben's father shortly before Ben's conception, ensuring that the time travelers stay on the island so that they can make sure Ben's father gets home.

List of appearances

Television

;Season 3 *''

'' ;Season 4 *''

'' *''

'' (Episodes 1-4, 6) *'' The Highlanders'' *''

The Underwater Menace ''The Underwater Menace'' is the half-missing fifth serial of the fourth season in the British science fiction television series '' Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 14 January to 4 February 1967. In this seri ...

'' *''

The Moonbase ''The Moonbase'' is the half-missing sixth serial of the fourth season in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 11 February to 4 March 1967. In this serial, the Secon ...

'' *''

The Macra Terror ''The Macra Terror'' is the completely missing seventh serial of the fourth season in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 11 March to 1 April 1967. In this serial, th ...

'' *''

'' ;Series 10 *" Twice Upon a Time"

Novels

;

Virgin Missing Adventures The ''Virgin Missing Adventures'' were a series of novels from Virgin Publishing based on the British science-fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which had been cancelled in 1989, featuring stories set between televised episodes of the pro ...

*''

Invasion of the Cat-People ''Invasion of the Cat-People'' is an original novel written by Gary Russell and based on the long-running British science fiction television series '' Doctor Who''. It features the Second Doctor, Ben and Polly. Plot Earth has been invaded twice: ...

'' by

Gary Russell Gary Russell (born 18 September 1963) is a British freelance writer, producer and former child actor. As a writer, he is best known for his work in connection with the television series ''Doctor Who'' and its spin-offs in other media. As an a ...

;

Past Doctor Adventures The ''Past Doctor Adventures'' (sometimes known by the abbreviation ''PDA'' or ''PDAs'') were a series of spin-off novels based on the long running BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' and published under the BBC Books imprin ...

*'' The Murder Game'' by Steve Lyons *''

The Roundheads ''The Roundheads'' is a BBC Books original novel written by Mark Gatiss and based on the long-running British science fiction on television, science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It features the Second Doctor, Ben Jackson (Doctor Wh ...

'' by

Mark Gatiss Mark Gatiss (; born 17 October 1966) is an English actor, comedian, screenwriter, director, producer and novelist. His work includes writing for and acting in the television series ''Doctor Who'', '' Sherlock'', and '' Dracula''. Together with ...

*''

Dying in the Sun ''Dying in the Sun'' is a BBC Books original novel written by Jon de Burgh Miller and based on the long-running British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It features the Second Doctor, Ben, and Polly. Synopsis Los Angeles, 1947 ...

'' by

Jon de Burgh Miller Jon de Burgh Miller is an author most associated with his work on a variety of spin-offs from the BBC Television series '' Doctor Who''. He is also co-owner of and regular reviewer on the Shiny Shelf website. Work Miller's first published fict ...

*'' Ten Little Aliens'' by Stephen Cole ;

Telos Doctor Who novellas The Telos ''Doctor Who'' novellas were a series of tie-in novellas based on the long-running BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', officially licensed by the BBC and published by Telos Publishing. Each novella was published in t ...

*'' Wonderland'' by

Mark Chadbourn Mark Chadbourn is an English fantasy, science fiction, historical fiction, and horror author with more than a dozen novels (and one non-fiction book) published around the world. Born in the English Midlands from a long line of coal miners. he g ...

Short stories

*"Mondas Passing" by Paul Grice ('' Short Trips'') *"That Time I Nearly Destroyed The World Whilst Looking For a Dress" by

Joseph Lidster Joseph Lidster is an English playwright and screenwriter, best known for his work on the '' Doctor Who'' spin-off series ''Torchwood'' and ''The Sarah Jane Adventures''. Biography His debut work was the audio play '' The Rapture'' for Big Finis ...

('' Short Trips: Past Tense'') *"Pluto" by Dale Smith ('' Short Trips: The Solar System'') *"Do You Dream in Colour" by

('' Short Trips: The Ghosts of Christmas'') *"The Slave War" by

Una McCormack Una McCormack (born 13 January 1972) is a British-Irish academic, scriptwriter and novelist. She is the author of ''The Baba Yaga'' (2015) and ''The Star of the Sea'' (2016), two books in the ''Weird Space'' series from UK science fiction publish ...

('' Short Trips: The Quality of Leadership'')

Comics

*"The Tests of Trefus" by

David Brian Brian James Davis (August 5, 1914 – July 15, 1993), better known as David Brian, was an American actor. He is best known for his role in ''Intruder in the Dust'' (1949), for which he received critical acclaim and a Golden Globe nomination. ...

(''Doctor Who Annual 1968'') *"World Without Night" by

(''Doctor Who Annual 1968'') *"Food for Thought" by

Nicholas Briggs Nicholas Briggs (born 29 September 1961) is an English actor, writer, director, sound designer and composer. He is associated with the BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' and its spin-offs, particularly as the voice of the Dale ...

and

Colin Andrew Colin may refer to: * Colin (given name) * Colin (surname) * ''Colin'' (film), a 2008 Cannes film festival zombie movie * Colin (horse) (1905–1932), thoroughbred racehorse * Colin (humpback whale), a humpback whale calf abandoned north of Sydney, ...

(''

Doctor Who Magazine ''Doctor Who Magazine'' (abbreviated as ''DWM'') is a magazine devoted to the long-running British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. Launched in 1979 as ''Doctor Who Weekly'', the magazine became a monthly publication the followi ...

'' 218–220)

Audio stories

*'' Resistance'' (adventure related by Polly) *''

The Three Companions ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'' (adventure related by Polly) *''

The Forbidden Time ''The Companion Chronicles'' is a sci-fi audio series produced by Big Finish, detailing adventures usually featuring the Doctor, as told by various former companions of his, with only one further voice actor taking part in the narration. It b ...

'' (an adventure related by the characters Polly & Jamie) *''

The Selachian Gambit ''The Companion Chronicles'' is a sci-fi audio series produced by Big Finish, detailing adventures usually featuring the Doctor, as told by various former companions of his, with only one further voice actor taking part in the narration. It b ...

'' (an adventure related by the characters Polly & Jamie) * '' The House of Cards'' (an adventure related by the characters Polly & Jamie) In 2015, Elliot Chapman joined Big Finish in the role of Ben. He performed the role in a number of Companion Chronicles and Early Adventures until the end of 2019.

References

External links

Ben Jackson on the BBC's ''Doctor Who'' website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, Ben Doctor Who companions Fictional people from London Fictional sailors Male characters in television Television characters introduced in 1966 Fictional Royal Navy personnel simple:Doctor Who companions#Ben Jackson