Polly, sometimes called Polly Wright in spin-off material, is a fictional character played by

Anneke Wills Anneke Wills (; born Anna Katarina Willys, 20 October 1941) is an English actress, best known for her role as the Doctor Who companion Polly in the long-running BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. Biography Wills's father, ...

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 ...

''. She is a young woman from the year 1966 and was a companion of the First 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. Polly was a regular in the television program from 1966 to 1967. Polly appeared in 9 stories (36 episodes). The only serial featuring Polly which is currently complete in the BBC archive is her first, ''

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 ...

''.

Appearances

Television

Polly first appeared in the First Doctor serial, ''

'', where she plays the role of Professor Brett's secretary. Brett develops the

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 ...

known as WOTAN, and Polly meets the Doctor (

William Hartnell William Henry Hartnell (8 January 1908 – 23 April 1975) was an English actor. He is best remembered for his portrayal of the first incarnation of the Doctor in ''Doctor Who'' from 1963 to 1966. In film, Hartnell notably appeared in '' Brig ...

) 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. ...

( Jackie Lane) when they come to investigate it. Polly befriends Dodo and takes her to a

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, 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 dow ...

nightclub called the Inferno, where they meet Ben Jackson (

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 ...

) and try to cheer up 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 Fr ...

sailor. When Polly is accosted by another patron in the Inferno, Ben comes to her rescue. Eventually, Ben and Polly aid the Doctor in his fight against WOTAN when the computer tries to take over the world. Ben and Polly inform the Doctor of Dodo's decision to stay in 1966, and 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 a ...

when they try to return Dodo's key to the time machine. Polly, in contrast to Dodo, is a more sophisticated and hip young woman of the 1960s — vivacious, attractive, and alternately shy and aggressive. She and Ben make an odd couple but she is receptive to Ben's protective urges, and he in turn finds her elegant and

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 Phili ...

, giving her the nickname "Duchess". Polly is present with Ben when the Doctor regenerates for the first time into a new form (

Patrick Troughton Patrick George Troughton (; 25 March 1920 – 28 March 1987) was an English actor who was classically trained for the stage but became known for his roles in television and film. His work included appearances in several fantasy, science fiction ...

), and they continue to travel with him. In '' The Highlanders'' (1966–67), Polly and Ben are joined on the TARDIS by Jamie McCrimmon (

Frazer Hines Frazer Simpson Frederick Hines (born 22 September 1944) is an English actor. He began his career as a child actor and appeared in ''A King in New York'' (1957) with Charlie Chaplin. He later played Jamie McCrimmon in ''Doctor Who'', appearing i ...

). 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 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 as the Doctor and Jamie travel on. Polly was never given a last name in the series. According to production notes, she was meant to be Polly Wright, but this was not used in case it would be confused with earlier companion Barbara Wright. In ''The Faceless Ones'', a double of Polly is named Michelle Leuppi; an apparent mishearing of this and misinterpretation of the context led to some reference works giving Polly the last name of "Lopez". Anneke Wills suggested the name "Bettingham-Smith", after one of her friends. In the

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 ...

novel '' Invasion of the Cat-People'' 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 ...

, Wright is expressly given as Polly's last name, as it was supposedly given in Gerry Davis's character breakdown and audition script sample when, as story editor, he and producer

Innes Lloyd George Innes Llewelyn Lloyd (24 December 1925 – 23 August 1991) was a Welsh television producer. He had a long career in BBC drama, which included producing series such as ''Doctor Who'' and ''Talking Heads''. Early life and career Fo ...

created Ben and Polly in 1966. What happens to Polly after her 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 not certain. The Doctor seems to think that Ben will become an Admiral and that Polly will look after Ben, but it is unclear if this is a prediction or simply wishing them well. In ''

The Sarah Jane Adventures ''The Sarah Jane Adventures'' is a British science fiction television programme that was produced by BBC Cymru Wales for CBBC, created by Russell T Davies, and starring Elisabeth Sladen. The programme is a spin-off of the long-running BBC ...

'' story ''

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 ...

'' (2010), Sarah Jane mentions that Polly is now working at an orphanage in India with Ben. On 23 July 2017, the first trailer for the 2017 Christmas special episode, " Twice Upon a Time", was shown during the 2017

San Diego Comic-Con San Diego Comic-Con International is a comic book convention and nonprofit multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California since 1970. The name, as given on its website, is Comic-Con International: San Diego; but it is ...

, revealing the return of Polly alongside David Bradley as the First Doctor. She was portrayed by Lily Travers.

Other media

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.While in the short story "That Time I Nearly Destroyed The World Whilst Looking For a Dress" by Joseph Lidster (in the Big Finish Productions anthology '' Short Trips: Past Tense''), it is shown that by 1999 Polly is divorced and has an estranged son named Mikey. However, She and Ben meet again at the end of that story and admit their love for each other.

List of appearances

Television

;Season 3 *''

'' ;Season 4 *'' The Smugglers'' *''

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 ...

'' *''

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 ...

'' (Episodes 1–3, 5–6) *'' The Highlanders'' *'' The Underwater Menace'' *''

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, ...

'' *''

'' (Episodes 1, 2, & 6) ;Series 10 *" Twice Upon a Time"

Novels

;

*'' Invasion of the Cat-People'' by

;

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 impri ...

*'' 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 (TV series), Sherlock'', and ''Dracu ...

*'' Dying in the Sun'' by Jon de Burgh Miller *'' Ten Little Aliens'' by Stephen Cole ; Telos Doctor Who novellas *'' Wonderland'' by Mark Chadbourn

Short stories

*"Mondas Passing" by Paul Grice ('' Short Trips'') *"That Time I Nearly Destroyed the World Whilst Looking For a Dress" by Joseph Lidster ('' 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 ('' Short Trips: The Quality of Leadership'')

Comics

*"The Tests of Trefus" by David Brian (''Doctor Who Annual 1968'') *"World Without Night" by David Brian (''Doctor Who Annual 1968'') *"Food for Thought" by Nicholas Briggs and Colin Andrew ('' Doctor Who Magazine'' 218–220)

Audios

*'' Resistance'' *'' The Three Companions'' *'' The Forbidden Time'' *''

The Five Companions The Five Companions is a Big Finish Productions audiobook based on the long-running British science fiction television series '' Doctor Who''. It is free to subscribers and released with '' Army of Death''. Plot Five of the Doctor's former com ...

'' (with the

Fifth Doctor The Fifth Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He is portrayed by Peter Davison. Within the series' narrative, the Doctor is a centuries-old alien Time Lord from ...

) *''

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 ...

'' *'' The House of Cards'' *''The Light at the End'' (cameo) *''The Yes Men'' *''The Forsaken'' *''Lost and Found'' *''The Mouthless Dead'' *''Falling'' *''The Bonfires of the Vanities'' *''The Plague of Dreams'' *''The Night Witches'' *''The Outliers'' *''The Morton Legacy''

References

External links

Polly on the BBC's ''Doctor Who'' website
{{Doctor Who companions, 1, 2 Television characters introduced in 1966

Polly Polly is a given name, most often feminine, which originated as a variant of Molly (name), Molly (a diminutive of Mary (name), Mary). Polly may also be a short form of names such as Polina (given name), Polina, Polona (given name), Polona, Paula (g ...

Female characters in television

Fictional secretaries