|
Ben Jackson (Michael Craze)
His attitude towards the second Doctor, however, is very different. Ben does not seem to accept the change from a serious old man to what he regards as a clown; as a result he is more argumentative. Ben's experience as an able seaman in the merchant Navy makes him tough and resourceful. He is quite able to hold his own in a fight and equally can tackle problems that require practical knowledge or where available resources are scanty. Ben is used to taking orders, so if someone in a uniform tells him to do something, Ben will probably do it with little or no argument. He will argue a point forcefully and insistently even if his efforts are to no avail. And if he cannot win by direct argument he will try to think of another way of achieving an objective. Initially wearing his blue sailor's uniform with bell-bottoms and cap emblazoned 'HMS Teazer', Ben quickly adopted fashionable civvies for his adventures with the Doctor. He wears either a striped shirt or polo-neck and v-neck pull-overs with slacks. Ben has fair, sandy hair and hazel eyes. He habitually drops his "H's" in his speech and uses Cockney rhyming slang; the Doctor finds this difficult to understand. Ben gets on well with Polly, often calling her Duchess.
   |
Ben is an arrogant, impertinent Cockney sailor who met the first Doctor in 1966 while on a shore posting: his ship had just sailed to the West Indies for six months. He regards the Doctor very much as captain of the TARDIS and treats him with respect.