Theory:Timeline - Ben & Polly

This page lists appearances of Ben Jackson and Polly Wright in the order in which they experienced them. This timeline is based upon observations of the Doctor Who universe and the events that occur during each of these stories. From these observations we have attempted to build a concise timeline. It is assumed, much like its TV story counterparts that for each novel, comic story and audio series their published/numbered order is the order they occur in. This does not apply to short stories which are often ambiguous about their placement. There are also many gaps between stories.

The layout of this timeline is in part based on the observations on Doctor Who Reference Guide and Doctor Who - The Complete Adventures, as well as information in Lance Parkin's AHistory which allow us to make observations on placement of stories, such as Doctor Who Reviews, The History of Doctor Who, The Discontinuity Guide, Clive Banks Databank, the Big Finnish forums, The Whoniverse and the Divergent Universe forums. None of these sources should be used solely as a source or considered a "true" timeline for stories.

Additionally there are statements on the back of Virgin Missing Adventures and BBC Past Doctor Adventures novels that state between which TV stories the novel takes place between. These can be used to narrow the field, and should be viewed as the only placing for these novels.

Travels with the First Doctor

 * TV: The War Machines
 * After assisting the First Doctor in battling WOTAN and the War Machines, Ben Jackson and Polly Wright board the Doctor's TARDIS while attempting to return the Doctor's spare key.


 * TV: The Smugglers
 * Ben and Polly take their first journey in the TARDIS, and the Doctor accepts their company.


 * AUDIO: The Bonfires of the Vanities
 * Set immediately after The Smugglers.


 * COMIC: Food for Thought
 * Ben is wearing his sailor outfit from The Smugglers.


 * PROSE: Ten Little Aliens
 * The Doctor comments that he shall soon feel a whole new person, referring to his upcoming regeneration.


 * AUDIO: The Plague of Dreams


 * AUDIO: Falling
 * An older Polly recalls how this was her last trip in the TARDIS before The Tenth Planet.


 * TV: The Tenth Planet
 * The TARDIS lands at the South Pole. During an encounter with the Cybermen, the Doctor collapses. With much of his life force having been absorbed by the planet Mondas, the Doctor begins to regenerate into his next incarnation.

Travels with the Second Doctor

 * TV: The Power of the Daleks
 * Set immediately after The Tenth Planet, with the Doctor adjusting to his new body as he faces the Daleks on Vulcan.


 * AUDIO: The Light at the End
 * Whilst leaving Vulcan, the Doctor, Ben and Polly briefly encounter an apparition of a Charley Pollard from an alternate timeline.


 * COMIC: The Chameleon Factor
 * The Doctor has only just regenerated, and is mourning the loss of his old signet ring.


 * PROSE: Pluto
 * Set shortly after The Power of the Daleks, with Ben finally accepting the Doctor's change of appearance.


 * AUDIO: The Curator's Egg
 * The Doctor's memory is still hazy after his regeneration, setting this shortly after The Power of the Daleks.


 * PROSE: The Sour Note


 * PROSE: The Dream Masters


 * COMIC: The Tests of Trefus


 * PROSE: Only a Matter of Time
 * References are made to the Doctor's recent regeneration.


 * PROSE: Planet of Bones


 * PROSE: When Starlight Grows Cold
 * The Doctor claims this is the first time the TARDIS has ever managed a short hop.


 * COMIC: World Without Night


 * PROSE: H.M.S. TARDIS


 * PROSE: The King of Golden Death


 * PROSE: The Feast


 * AUDIO: Lost and Found


 * PROSE: Invasion of the Cat-People
 * Three weeks have passed since The Power of the Daleks.


 * PROSE: The Murder Game
 * The Doctor creates a temporary sonic device, and resolves to begin work on a permanent version when he gets back to the TARDIS, leading to the creation of the sonic screwdriver.


 * PROSE: Dying in the Sun
 * Ben and Polly are well adjusted to the Second Doctor, setting this shortly before The Highlanders. The Doctor says that he has not been in America for some time, setting this before Wonderland as well.


 * PROSE: Wonderland
 * The Doctor unlocks a door with a prototype sonic screwdriver, setting this after The Murder Game.

Joined by Jamie

 * TV: The Highlanders
 * The Doctor, Ben and Polly meet Jamie McCrimmon, who joins them aboard the TARDIS.


 * TV: The Underwater Menace
 * Set immediately after The Highlanders, with Jamie marvelling at the sight of the TARDIS interior.


 * TV: The Moonbase
 * Set immediately after The Underwater Menace. Ending leads directly into The Macra Terror.


 * TV: The Macra Terror


 * PROSE: Something at the Door
 * Ben and Polly are showing Jamie around the inside of the TARDIS.


 * PROSE: The Slave War


 * AUDIO: Resistance
 * Set between The Macra Terror and The Faceless Ones.


 * AUDIO: The Mouthless Dead


 * AUDIO: The Three Companions: Polly's Story


 * AUDIO: The Forbidden Time


 * AUDIO: The Selachian Gambit
 * Jamie and Ben refer to the events of Resistance.


 * AUDIO: House of Cards
 * Jamie refers to the events of the The Selachian Gambit.


 * AUDIO: The Yes Men
 * The Doctor is trying to return Polly and Ben to 1966, setting this shortly before The Faceless Ones.


 * AUDIO: The Forsaken


 * AUDIO: The Night Witches
 * The last time the Doctor attempted to teach his companions how to fly the TARDIS, they landed in New Houston, setting this after The Yes Men.


 * AUDIO: The Outliers


 * AUDIO: The Morton Legacy
 * Despite the events of The Feast, Ben and Polly claim this is their first visit to London in their past, suggesting this takes place before The Roundheads.


 * COMIC: Card Conundrum


 * PROSE: The Roundheads


 * TV: The Faceless Ones
 * Having landed on the day they left, Ben and Polly decide to remain behind at Gatwick Airport.

After the Doctor

 * COMIC: The Love Invasion
 * In 1966, Ben proposes to Polly.


 * PROSE: Do You Dream in Colour?


 * PROSE: Curriculum Vitae
 * Set "a few years" after Polly stopped travelling with the Doctor.


 * PROSE: Graham Dilley Saves the World
 * Polly attends a cricket match with her husband in 1981.


 * PROSE: Mondas Passing
 * Ben and Polly reunite in 1986.


 * PROSE: That Time I Nearly Destroyed the World Whilst Looking for a Dress
 * Set in 1999. After marrying other people and becoming both widowed, Ben and Polly reunite.


 * AUDIO: The Three Companions
 * Polly meets the Brigadier and Thomas Brewster in 2009.


 * AUDIO: The Five Companions
 * An older Polly meets four other companions and the Fifth Doctor.

Unplaced

 * COMIC: The Choice
 * Ben and Polly, the latter of whom is wearing his sailor uniform, kidnapped by Adam Mitchell among companions of the Doctor but are soon freed by Frobisher. Leads into Endgame.


 * COMIC: Endgame
 * The first eleven Doctors rescue their companions from Adam and.


 * COMIC: The Meeting