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 Finish 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 informing the Doctor of Dodo's decision to stay behind, Ben and Polly board the TARDIS while attempting to return the Doctor's spare key, leading directly into The Smugglers.


 * 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. Time briefly becomes distorted.


 * 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 Crumbling Magician
 * Ben and Polly have been travelling with the Doctor for some time now, and the Doctor has been making comments about his body "wearing thin" often. The Doctor agrees to take Allie Kay with him in the TARDIS until they can find him a suitable home.


 * AUDIO: The Plague of Dreams
 * The time distortions are revealed to be caused by the Daleks trying to invade the First Doctor's timeline and prevent his regeneration at the South Pole. The Player is able to prevent the Daleks' victory, setting things up for The Tenth Planet.


 * AUDIO: Falling
 * Ben and Polly are woken up in the night by a nightmare. 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.


 * TV: Twice Upon a Time
 * Ben & Polly are seen in a recap of The Tenth Planet: Episode 4.

A New 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 almost immediately 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.


 * COMIC: Supremacy of the Cybermen Prologue: The Second Doctor
 * In an alternate timeline created by Rassilon and the Cybermen, the Doctor is partially converted into a Cyberman during The Moonbase.


 * TV: The Macra Terror


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


 * AUDIO: The Yes Men


 * AUDIO: The Home Guard
 * The Doctor recalls the events of The Yes Men. Polly still has short hair, setting this shortly after The Macra Terror.


 * PROSE: The Slave War


 * AUDIO: Resistance
 * Set between The Macra Terror and The Faceless Ones. The Doctor has only recently regenerated.


 * AUDIO: The Mouthless Dead


 * AUDIO: The Three Companions: Polly's Story
 * Set between Resistance and The Faceless Ones.


 * 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 Forsaken


 * AUDIO: The Night Witches
 * The Doctor is teaching his companions how to fly the TARDIS, and they recall the events of 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
 * Jamie has started to consider the TARDIS to be home, setting this late in his early travels.


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

After the Doctor

 * AUDIO: Sleeper Agents
 * Set directly after The Faceless Ones, in July 1966.


 * COMIC: The Meeting
 * Ben and Polly attend a meeting of the Doctor's past and future companions. They appear as they did in the 1960s.


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


 * PROSE: Do You Dream in Colour?
 * Polly and Ben are not a couple.


 * 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.


 * ( REFERENCE )
 * By late 2010, Ben and Polly are running an orphanage in India together. They are contacted by Sarah Jane Smith. (TV: Death of the Doctor)


 * ( FRAMING SEQUENCE )
 * AUDIO: The Forbidden Time
 * Set in 2011. Ben and Polly are not a couple, but are still very close friends. Ben runs a pub.


 * AUDIO: The Five Companions
 * An older Polly meets four other companions and the Fifth Doctor. She is married to Ben, setting this after The Forbidden Time.


 * AUDIO: Falling
 * Ben and Polly are moving house.


 * WC: Farewell, Sarah Jane
 * Ben and Polly attend the funeral of Sarah Jane Smith.

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.


 * AUDIO: The Penumbra Affair