Sergeant Benton

Doctorwhocharacter


name=Sergeant Benton
series=Doctor Who
affiliation=UNIT
Second Doctor
Third Doctor
Fourth Doctor
race=Human
planet=Earth
era=20th century
start= The Invasion
finish= The Android Invasion
portrayed=John LeveneDarren Plant (The Time Monster)

Sergeant Benton is a fictional character in the British science fiction television series "Doctor Who", played by John Levene. He was the senior NCO of the British contingent of UNIT (United Nations Intelligence Taskforce), an international organisation that defends the Earth from alien threats. He appeared semi-regularly on the programme from 1969 to 1975, and was eventually promoted to the rank of Warrant Officer Class 1, holding the post of Regimental Sergeant Major.

Character history

Benton first appeared in the Second Doctor serial "The Invasion" (1968), where he was a Corporal in UNIT. By the time of his next appearance in "The Ambassadors of Death" (1970) he had been promoted to Sergeant and quickly formed a close working relationship with the Doctor, Captain Mike Yates and Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, the latter usually calling first for Benton when an order needed to be carried out. Benton's tour in UNIT also coincided with the tenure of the Third and Fourth Doctors as its Scientific Advisor and his promotion to WO1 came in "Robot" (1974).

During his time with UNIT, Benton faced several alien invasions and also the schemes of the renegade Time Lord known as the Master. Benton was always a down-to-earth example of a British infantryman and non-commissioned officer, reliable, uncomplicated and with a good dose of common sense. When the Doctor asked him if he was going to comment that the TARDIS was bigger on the inside than on the outside (since everyone did), Benton's classic reply was, "Well, that's pretty obvious, isn't it?" Despite not understanding the specifics of what the Doctor was doing or any of his explanations, Benton always took the Doctor at his word and trusted him implicitly.

Very little is known of Benton outside of his UNIT duties, other than the fact he has a younger sister and is apparently fond of ballroom dancing. In fact, his first name was never revealed in the television series. Benton was loyal, not just to the rank but also to the people he worked with, and was willing to disobey orders to help them (in "Invasion of the Dinosaurs", he allowed the Doctor to knock him out and "escape" after the Doctor was falsely accused). He flirted briefly with Jo Grant, the Third Doctor's assistant, and also Sarah Jane Smith, but neither appeared to get beyond good natured bantering.

Benton's last on-screen appearance was in "The Android Invasion", where he was last seen being knocked out by his android duplicate. In "Mawdryn Undead", set in 1983, he was said by the retired Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart to have left the British Army and become a used car salesman.

As one of the most popular recurring supporting characters in the television series, Benton is often listed as a companion of the Doctorcite book
last = Haining
first = Peter
authorlink = Peter Haining
coauthors =
title = Doctor Who: A Celebration - Two Decades Through Time And Space
publisher = Virgin Publishing Ltd
date = 1983
pages = pp. 94-95
month =
isbn = 0-86369-932-4 ] and indeed is listed as such on the official BBC "Doctor Who" website.cite web
last =
first =
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Companions
work = Doctor Who: Classic Series Episode Guide
publisher = BBC
date = 2007
url = http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide/companions/
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2007-09-14 ] However, he does not fulfil the traditional companion's role of regularly accompanying the Doctor on his travels. Furthermore, at least one other character serves as a recognised companion to the Doctor on each of his encounters with Benton.

Other appearances

The prologue of the Virgin Publishing novelisation of "The Power of the Daleks" by John Peel revealed that Benton did return to UNIT at some point and became a commissioned officer with the rank of Lieutenant (OF-1). In 1986, he led a UNIT team to Antarctica to clear up the mess left in the wake of the Cybermen's failed attempt to drain Earth of its energy ("The Tenth Planet").

John Levene reprised the role of Benton in the spin-off video video "Wartime", produced by Reeltime Pictures in 1987. This finally established a first name for Benton: John, just like the actor who played him. John Levene and Terrance Dicks actually determined this during UNIT's early 1970s heyday, though it was not used in any official production before "Wartime" [Lyons, Steve and Chris Howarth, "The Good Soldier" "Doctor Who Magazine" #230, 27 September 1995, Marvel Comics UK Ltd., p. 44 (interview with John Levene).] . The name "John Benton" has subsequently been used in many spin-off novels and other fiction.

Benton will make his first appearance alongside the Sixth Doctor in the forthcoming charity novel Time's Champion, the last novel concept by Craig Hinton before his death, and completed by his friend Chris McKeon.

List of appearances

Television

;Season 6
*"The Invasion" ;Season 7
*"The Ambassadors of Death"
*"Inferno";Season 8
*"Terror of the Autons"
*"The Mind of Evil"
*"The Claws of Axos"
*"The Dæmons";Season 9
*"Day of the Daleks"
*"The Time Monster";Season 10
*"The Three Doctors"
*"The Green Death";Season 11
*"Invasion of the Dinosaurs"
*"Planet of the Spiders";Season 12
*"Robot" ;Season 13
*"Terror of the Zygons"
*"The Android Invasion"

Video

*"Wartime"

Audio drama

*"The Blue Tooth" (adventure related by the character Liz Shaw)

Novels

;Virgin Missing Adventures
*"Dancing the Code" by Paul Leonard
*"The Eye of the Giant" by Christopher Bulis
*"The Scales of Injustice" by Gary Russell

;Past Doctor Adventures
*"The Devil Goblins from Neptune" by Martin Day and Keith Topping
*"The Face of the Enemy" by David A. McIntee
*"Deep Blue" by Mark Morris
*"Verdigris" by Paul Magrs
*"Rags" by Mick Lewis
*"Deadly Reunion" by Terrance Dicks and Barry Letts

;Eighth Doctor Adventures
*"The Eight Doctors" by Terrance Dicks
*"Genocide" by Paul Leonard

;Independent Novels
*Time's Champion by Craig Hinton and Chris McKeon

hort stories

*"Brief Encounter--Listening Watch" by Dan Abnett ("Doctor Who Magazine Winter Special 1991")
*"Prisoners of the Sun" by Tim Robins ("Decalog"; parallel universe version of Benton)
*"The Switching" by Simon Guerrier ("")
*"An Overture Too Early" by Simon Guerrier ("")
*"UNIT Christmas Parties: Christmas Truce" by Terrance Dicks ("")

Comics

*"The Man in the Ion Mask" by Dan Abnett and Brian Williamson ("Doctor Who Magazine Winter Special 1991")
*"Target Practice" by Gareth Roberts and Adrian Salmon ("Doctor Who Magazine" #234, 17 January 1996

References

ee also

*United Nations Intelligence Taskforce
*List of Doctor Who supporting characters

External links

* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide/companions/page13.shtml Sergeant Benton on the BBC's "Doctor Who" website]