Ben Jackson

Benjamin "Ben" Jackson was a Cockney sailor on the Royal Navy ship HMS Teazer. He met Polly Wright in the Inferno nightclub shortly before accidentally leaving with the First Doctor in his TARDIS. He and Polly travelled with the Doctor into his second incarnation, where they were soon joined by Jamie McCrimmon.

Early Life
Ben was born in 1942 (MA: Invasion of the Cat-People) and grew up opposite a brewery. (DW: The Power of the Daleks) He mentioned he once had a headmaster who "got nicked for not paying his bus fare." (DW: The War Machines)

In 1956, at the age of fourteen, he sneaked aboard his father's ship. When he was found out, the Captain promised him a job when he was fifteen (which was four months away). (MA: Invasion of the Cat-People)

Prior to Travelling in the TARDIS
He was depressed because he was stuck on a six month shore posting while his ship patrolled the West Indies. He spent most of his nights at the Inferno night club. (DW: The War Machines)

Travelling
Ben was practical and a realist. It took him a while to believe that the TARDIS really travelled through time and space. He was also the most sceptical when the Doctor regenerated, believing that the new incarnation was an impostor. It took a Dalek recognising the Doctor to finally convince Ben of the truth.

He was sensible enough to realise that taking on a Cyberman with a screwdriver would be a big mistake, and managed to dazzle one with a film projector before killing it. Ben also worked out that the Cybermen were avoiding radiation, and helped devise a plan to destroy them using the Snowcap Base's reactor fuel rods. (DW: The Tenth Planet, The Power of the Daleks)

Though they came from different backgrounds, Polly, whom he nicknamed "the Duchess", and Ben became good friends during their travels. They trusted each other, and their relationship was punctuated by good-natured teasing and banter. They complemented each other well, making a good team. When Polly created a chemical potion to kill the Cybermen on the Moonbase, Ben found the practical application of it - using fire extinguishers to deliver Cocktail Polly. (DW: The Moonbase)

Throughout his journeys, Ben never lost sight of his desire to return home, and to his ship, the Teazer. Before leaving, Ben and Polly insisted that they would stay if the Doctor needed them. The pair departed from the Doctor at the same time, having discovered they had arrived back on Earth on the very same day they left. (DW: The Faceless Ones)

Life After the Doctor
Ben was taken home to meet Polly's parents, but they were shocked by him. (BFA: The Five Companions)

On New Year's Eve 1986, Ben and Polly were once more reunited. Their relationship had not lasted and they had gone on to marry other people. (ST: Mondas Passing) In 1999, the Second Doctor helped Ben meet Polly once more. Reunited, Ben and Polly admitted their love for each other (ST: That Time I Nearly Destroyed the World Whilst Looking for a Dress). They eventually embarked on a successful marriage. (BFA: The Five Companions). In 2010, Sarah Jane Smith stated that Ben and Polly were running an orphanage in India. (SJA: Death of the Doctor)

Personality
Ben was practical and a realist. It took him a while to believe that the TARDIS really travelled through time and space. He was also the most sceptical when the Doctor regenerated, believing that the new incarnation was an impostor. It took a Dalek recognising the Doctor to finally convince Ben of the truth. (DW: The Power of the Daleks)

Ben was clever. He never shirked danger or action. He was sensible enough to realise that taking on a Cyberman with a screwdriver would be a big mistake, and managed to dazzle one with a film projector before killing it. Ben also worked out that the Cybermen were avoiding radiation, and helped devise a plan to destroy them using the Snowcap Base's reactor fuel rods. (DW: The Tenth Planet)

Ben might have been headstrong and impetuous, but he proved to be mentally weaker than his companions when they faced the hypnotic processing of the Macra. However, he did struggle to fight it, and failed to report Jamie for having taken an official's keys. (DW: The Macra Terror)