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| Ben and Polly | |
|---|---|
| Doctor Who characters | |
 Anneke Wills and Michael Craze, as Polly and Ben respectively | |
| First appearance | The War Machines (1966) |
| Last appearance | Twice Upon a Time (2017) |
| Portrayed by | Ben:
|
| Voiced by | Ben: Elliot Chapman Polly:Anneke Wills |
| Duration | 1966–1967, 2017 |
| In-universe information | |
| Full name | Benjamin Jackson Polly Wright[a] |
| Species | Humans |
| Occupation | Ben: Navy seaman Polly: Research assistant |
| Affiliation | First Doctor Second Doctor |
| Home | Earth |
| Home era | 1966 |
Benjamin "Ben"Jackson andPolly, sometimes calledPolly Wright in spin-off material, arefictionalcharacters played byMichael Craze andAnneke Wills, in the long-runningBritishscience fiction television seriesDoctor Who.
Ben and Polly, both from the year 1966, werecompanions of theFirst andSecond Doctors. The duo was a regular in the television program from 1966 to 1967, appearing in 9 stories (36 episodes). Only one serial featuring the pair, their first appearance inThe War Machines, is currently complete in theBBC archive. However, all but two of theirmissing stories (The Smugglers andThe Highlanders) have seen DVD release, with both official animation and photo reconstructions utilizing the original surviving audio filling in the gaps. The characters returned in the 2017Christmas special "Twice Upon a Time", portrayed byJared Garfield andLily Travers.
Ben and Polly first appeared in the First Doctor serialThe War Machines, where Polly plays the role of Professor Brett's secretary.[2] Brett develops theartificial intelligence known as WOTAN, and Polly meetsthe Doctor (William Hartnell) andDodo (Jackie Lane) when they come to investigate it. Polly and Dodo became friends and she takes her to aLondon nightclub called the Inferno, where they meet Ben Jackson, aRoyal NavyAble Seaman serving aboardHMS Teazer.[3] Polly and Dodo try to cheer Ben up. 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 totake over the world. Ben and Polly inform the Doctor of Dodo's decision to stay in 1966 and accidentally get carried away in theTARDIS[2][4] when they try to return Dodo's key to thetime 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 andposh, giving her the nickname "Duchess".[5] Polly is present with Ben when the Doctorregenerates for the first time intoa new form (Patrick Troughton), and they continue to travel with him. InThe Highlanders (1966–67), Polly and Ben are joined on the TARDIS byJamie McCrimmon (Frazer Hines). Eventually, the TARDIS finds its way back to 1966 London (inThe Faceless Ones) 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.
What happens to the duo after their return toEarth is not certain. The Doctor seems to think that Ben will become anAdmiral and that Polly will look after Ben,[3] but it is unclear if this is a prediction or simply wishing them well. InThe Sarah Jane Adventures storyDeath of the Doctor (2010), Sarah Jane mentions that Polly is now working at an orphanage in India with Ben.
Ben and Polly appear in the 2017Doctor Who Christmas special "Twice Upon a Time", portrayed byJared Garfield andLily Travers respectively. The episode's plot involves the events ofThe Tenth Planet.[6][7]
In thespin-off short story "Mondas Passing" by Paul Grice (in the anthologyShort Trips) which takes place in 1986, it is revealed that Ben and Polly have gone their separate ways and married other people. In the short story "That Time I Nearly Destroyed The World Whilst Looking For a Dress" by Joseph Lidster (in theBig Finish Productions anthologyShort Trips: Past Tense), it is shown that by 1999 Polly is divorced and has an estranged son named Mikey. However, Polly and Ben meet again at the end of that story and admit their love for each other.
During March 1966 the BBC began researching cadet recruitment in theRoyal Navy, as background for a proposed recurring character.[8] On the 15th of that month the original outline forThe War Machines (at that time untitled) was drafted by Pat Dunlop, and included a sailor named Richard, intended to becaome a regular companion to replace the departingPeter Purves (Steven).[9][10] In re-writes this character was renamed Ben, with the companionDodo (who took part in the whole story in this outline) now being written out half way though script—and her role given to a new character, Polly.[9] These changes seem to have been made by the 21st.[11] The two characters were conceived to be more down-to-earth than previous companions, and would provide contrast to one-another.[12]
A spring 1966 internal document described Ben as a "realist, down to Earth, solid, capable and cautious. Inclined, on occasions, to be shy. [...] He is slow to anger but somewhat thick-skinned about his cockney accent."[13]
Both Anneke Wills and Michael Craze had been cast in the roles of Polly and Ben by at least the 4 May 1966, with Craze sending some of his own biographical ideas toInnes Lloyd on that date.[14] The casting was made public in a press release on 20 June.[15] Unable to find immediate accommodation in London Craze moved temporarily in with Wills andMichael Gough for six weeks where they got to know one-another.[16]
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 to avoid confusion with the Doctor's earlier companionBarbara Wright.[citation needed] InThe 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".[17][18] In theVirgin Missing Adventures novelInvasion of the Cat-People byGary Russell, Wright is expressly given as Polly's last name, as it was supposedly given inGerry Davis's character breakdown and audition script sample when, as story editor, he and producerInnes Lloyd created Ben and Polly in 1966.[19]
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