Ben Jackson

Ben Jackson was a cockney sailor on the British Naval Ship HMS Teazer. He met Polly in the Inferno nightclub, shortly before accidentally leaving with the Doctor in his TARDIS.

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

In 1956, at the age of 14, he snuck abord his father's ship. (MA: Invasion of the Cat-People)

Prior to Travelling in the TARDIS
He was initially depressed because he was stuck on a 6 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
Though they came from different class backgrounds, Polly, who 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, and created a good team. Whilst 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. When the opportunity arrived, Ben left with Polly. But before leaving, the pair insisted that they would stay if the Doctor needed the two of them. (DW: The Faceless Ones)

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

Ben was clever, and never shirked danger and 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. This aside, he did struggle to fight it, and failed to report Jamie for having taken an official's keys. (DW: The Macra Terror)

Ben and Polly both departed from the Doctor at the same time. (DW: The Faceless Ones)

Life After the Doctor
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 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) In 2010, Sarah Jane Smith stated that Ben and Polly were running an orphanage in India. (SJA: Death of the Doctor)