Companion Stats: Ben Jackson and Polly Wright

Names: Ben Jackson and Polly Wright
Actor/Actress: Michael Craze and Anneke Wills
Doctor/s: First and Second
Years: 1966 - 1967

Coming in right at the end of the Hartnell era, Ben and Polly traveled with the Doctor, and were the first companions to help the Doctor through his regeneration. The two intuitive and brave citizens of the swinging 60s were swept off in the TARDIS by accident, in The War Machines and stayed on until The Faceless Ones, one season and one Doctor later.

Episode Ranking

1. The Tenth Planet (9.5/10)
2. The War Machines (9/10)
3. The Moonbase (9/10)
4. The Highlanders (9/10)
5. The Power of the Daleks (8/10)
6. The Macra Terror (8/10)
7. The Smugglers (7.5/10)
8. The Underwater Menace (6/10)
9. The Faceless Ones (5/10)

These average out to make...                                                                            7.89/10

With a range of...                                                                                                  4.5

We can also break this down into meaning Ben and Polly starred in...

4 Amazing Stories (9+/10)
2 Great Ones (8+/10)
1 Good One (7+/10)
1 Okay One (6+/10)
1 Bad One (4+/10)

In my opinion Ben and Polly are at their best in their debut, The War Machines, where they show their bravery and resourcefulness, displaying their suitability as companions.

Here is a graph showing the performance of Ben and Polly's run:

The red line represents their average (7.89/10). Click to enlarge.

Comparison

We can see the young pair come in at third place in terms of quality of episodes:

1. Vicki Pallister - 8.08/10
2. Steven Taylor - 8/10
3. Ben Jackson and Polly Wright - 7.89/10
4. Susan Foreman - 7.7/10
5. Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright - 7.65/10
6. Dodo Chaplet - 7.5/10

And again, at third place, with consistency! Remember the lower the consistency the better!

1. Dodo Chaplet - 2.5
2. Steven Taylor - 3
3. Ben Jackson and Polly Wright - 4.5
4. Susan Foreman - 5.5
5. Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright - 8
6. Vicki Pallister - 8

These results could differ (extremely so in Steven and Dodo's case) when I finally get round to reviewing the missing Hartnell episodes, so these standings are temporary.

Join us in two days time for the review of the Season 4 finale, The Evil of the Daleks!