Sergeant John Benton is a

fictional character In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, Play (theatre), play, Radio series, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or b ...

in the British

science fiction television Science fiction first appeared in television programming in the late 1930s, during what is called the Golden Age of Science Fiction. Special effects and other production techniques allow creators to present a living visual image of an imaginary ...

series '' Doctor Who'', played by John Levene. He was the senior NCO of the British contingent of

UNIT Unit may refer to: Arts and entertainment * UNIT, a fictional military organization in the science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' * Unit of action, a discrete piece of action (or beat) in a theatrical presentation Music * ''Unit'' (a ...

, an international organisation that defends Earth from alien threats. He appeared semi-regularly on the programme from 1968 to 1975, and was eventually promoted to the rank of

Warrant Officer Class 1 Warrant may refer to: * Warrant (law), a form of specific authorization ** Arrest warrant, authorizing the arrest and detention of an individual ** Search warrant, a court order issued that authorizes law enforcement to conduct a search for eviden ...

, holding the post of

Regimental Sergeant Major Regimental sergeant major (RSM) is an appointment that may be held by warrant officers class 1 (WO1) in the British Army, the British Royal Marines and in the armies of many other Commonwealth and former Commonwealth nations, including Austral ...

Character history

Benton first appeared in the

Second Doctor The Second Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the BBC science fiction television series '' Doctor Who''. He was portrayed by actor Patrick Troughton. While the Troughton era of ''Doctor Who'' is well-remembered by fans ...

serial '' The Invasion'' (1968), when he was just a

corporal Corporal is a military rank in use in some form by many militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. The word is derived from the medieval Italian phrase ("head of a body"). The rank is usually the lowest ranking non- ...

in UNIT. By the time of his next appearance in ''

The Ambassadors of Death ''The Ambassadors of Death'' is the third serial of the seventh season of the British science fiction television series '' Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in seven weekly parts on BBC1 from 21 March to 2 May 1970. Written by Trevor Ray, ...

'' (1970) he had been promoted to Sergeant and quickly formed a close relationship with the Doctor, Captain Mike Yates and

Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart Brigadier Sir Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart, generally referred to simply as the Brigadier, is a fictional character in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', created by writers Mervyn Haisman and Henry Lincoln and p ...

, 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 Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute'' Places * 3rd Street (disambiguation) * Third Avenue (disambiguation) * Hi ...

and

Fourth Doctor The Fourth Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He is portrayed by Tom Baker. Within the series' narrative, the Doctor is a centuries-old alien Time Lord from the ...

s as its Scientific Advisor, and his promotion to WO1 occurred immediately prior to ''

Robot A robot is a machine—especially one programmable by a computer—capable of carrying out a complex series of actions automatically. A robot can be guided by an external control device, or the control may be embedded within. Robots may be ...

'' (1974–75). During his time with UNIT, Benton faces several alien invaders, including the

Cybermen The Cybermen are a fictional race of cyborgs principally portrayed in the British science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who''. The Cybermen are a species of space-faring cyborgs who often forcefully and painfully convert human beings ...

, the

Dalek The Daleks ( ) are a fictional extraterrestrial race of mutants principally portrayed in the British science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who''. They were conceived by writer Terry Nation and first appeared in the 1963 ''Doctor Who ...

s, and the

Nestene The Autons are an artificial life form from the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' and adversaries of the Doctor. They were originally created by scriptwriter Robert Holmes for Jon Pertwee's first serial as the Doctor, ' ...

forces. He had many run-ins with the renegade

Time Lord The Time Lords are a fictional ancient race of extraterrestrial people in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', of which the series' main protagonist, the Doctor, is a member. Time Lords are so named for their command ...

known as the Master. Benton was always a down-to-earth example of a British

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and m ...

man and

non-commissioned officer A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is a military officer who has not pursued a commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority by promotion through the enlisted ranks. (Non-officers, which includes most or all enli ...

, being reliable, loyal, uncomplicated and possessing a good dose of

common sense ''Common Sense'' is a 47-page pamphlet written by Thomas Paine in 1775–1776 advocating independence from Great Britain to people in the Thirteen Colonies. Writing in clear and persuasive prose, Paine collected various moral and political arg ...

. When the Doctor asked him if he was going to comment that the

TARDIS The TARDIS (; acronym for "Time And Relative Dimension In Space") is a fictional hybrid of the time machine and spacecraft that appears in the British science fiction television series '' Doctor Who'' and its various spin-offs. Its exterior ...

was bigger on the inside than on the outside (since everyone else has), Benton's classic reply was, "Well, that's pretty obvious, isn't it?" Aside from the regular companions and the Brigadier, Benton is the only recurring character in the classic series to travel in the TARDIS. While 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. 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 ''Invasion of the Dinosaurs'', simply titled ''Invasion'' in Part One, is the second serial of the 11th season of the British science fiction television series '' Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in six weekly parts on BBC1 from 12 Janua ...

'', he encouraged the Doctor to knock him out and "escape" after the Doctor was falsely accused). He even willingly offers himself as a test subject for the Doctor's psychic-scanner, remarking that unlike the Doctor, he is expendable (''

Planet of the Spiders ''Planet of the Spiders'' is the fifth and final serial of the 11th season of the British science fiction television series '' Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in six weekly parts on BBC1 from 4 May to 8 June 1974. It was Jon Pertwee's fin ...

''). 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. He flirted briefly with

Jo Grant Josephine "Jo" Grant, later Jo Jones, is a fictional character played by Katy Manning in the long-running British science fiction television series '' Doctor Who''. Jo was introduced by Barry Letts and Terrance Dicks in the first episode of ' ...

, the

Third Doctor The Third Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the BBC science fiction television series '' Doctor Who''. He was portrayed by actor Jon Pertwee. Within the series' narrative, the Doctor is a centuries-old alien Time Lor ...

's assistant, and also

Sarah Jane Smith Sarah Jane Smith is a fictional character played by Elisabeth Sladen in the long-running BBC Television science fiction series ''Doctor Who'' and two of its spin-offs. Sarah Jane is a dogged investigative journalist who first encounters alien t ...

, but neither appeared to get beyond good-natured bantering. Benton's last on-screen appearance in the series was in '' The Android Invasion''. In ''

Mawdryn Undead ''Mawdryn Undead'' is the third serial of the 20th season of the British science fiction television series '' Doctor Who'', which was originally broadcast in four twice weekly parts on BBC1 from 1 to 9 February 1983. The serial is set in an En ...

'', set in 1983, he was said by the retired Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart to have left the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gur ...

in 1979 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 Companion may refer to: Relationships Currently * Any of several interpersonal relationships such as friend or acquaintance * A domestic partner, akin to a spouse * Sober companion, an addiction treatment coach * Companion (caregiving), a caregive ...

of the Doctor and indeed is listed as such on the official BBC ''Doctor Who'' website. However, he is not always listed as such -

John Nathan-Turner John Nathan-Turner ('' né'' Turner; 12 August 1947 – 1 May 2002) was an English television producer. He was the ninth producer of the long-running BBC science fiction series '' Doctor Who''. He was also the final producer of the series' fi ...

's book ''Doctor Who: The Companions,'' for instance, excludes Benton. Benton is one of the few adult characters to have also been portrayed by child actors in the pre-2005 "classic era" of ''Doctor Who'', to wit: baby Darren Plant in '' The Time Monster'' and adolescent Steven Stanley in the direct-to-video '' Wartime''.

Other appearances

The prologue of the

Virgin Publishing Virgin Books is a British book publisher 90% owned by the publishing group Random House, and 10% owned by Virgin Group, the company originally set up by Richard Branson as a record company. History Virgin established its book publishing arm ...

novelisation A novelization (or novelisation) is a derivative novel that adapts the story of a work created for another medium, such as a film, TV series, stage play, comic book or video game. Film novelizations were particularly popular before the advent of ...

of ''

The Power of the Daleks ''The Power of the Daleks'' is the completely missing third serial of the fourth season of British science fiction television series '' Doctor Who'', and which was first broadcast in six weekly parts from 5 November to 10 December 1966. It i ...

'' by John Peel revealed that Benton did return to

at some point and became a

commissioned officer An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service. Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer, or a warrant officer. However, absent conte ...

with the rank of

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

(OF-1). In 1986, he led a UNIT team to

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest co ...

to clear up the mess left in the wake of the

's failed attempt to drain

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surf ...

of its energy (''

The Tenth Planet ''The Tenth Planet'' is the partly missing second serial of the fourth season in the British science fiction television series '' Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 8 to 29 October 1966. It was William Hartn ...

''). John Levene reprised the role of Benton in the spin-off video '' Wartime'', produced by

Reeltime Pictures Reeltime Pictures Ltd is a British film, television and video production company and a distributor of the films of other companies, founded in 1984 by Keith Barnfather. As well as producing corporate and business television, it has made a number ...

in 1987. This finally established a first name for Benton: John, just like the actor who played him. Levene and

Terrance Dicks Terrance William Dicks (14 April 1935 – 29 August 2019) was an English author and television screenwriter, script editor and producer. In television, he had a long association with the BBC science-fiction series ''Doctor Who'', working as a ...

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 ''Doctor Who Magazine'' (abbreviated as ''DWM'') is a magazine devoted to the long-running British science fiction television series '' Doctor Who''. Launched in 1979 as ''Doctor Who Weekly'', the magazine became a monthly publication the follo ...

'' #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. In 2013, Levene reprised the role again for the Big Finish Companion Chronicle ''Council of War'' (set some time after '' The Green Death'') and reprised the role in 'UNIT: Assembled' (2017) alongside Richard Franklin as Mike Yates. Benton appears alongside the

Sixth Doctor The Sixth Doctor is an incarnation of The Doctor (Doctor Who), the Doctor, the protagonist of the BBC Science fiction on television, science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He is portrayed by Colin Baker. Although his televisual time ...

in the unlicensed fan fiction novel '' Time's Champion'' by Chris McKeon, based on notes by

Craig Hinton Craig Paul Alexander Hinton (7 May 1964 – 3 December 2006) was a British writer best known for his work on various spin-offs from the BBC Television series '' Doctor Who''. He also wrote articles for various science fiction magazines, an ...

List of appearances

Television

;Season 6 *'' The Invasion'' (Episodes 1 – 2, 3 (voice only) & 5 – 8) ;Season 7 *''

'' (Episodes 5 & 7) *''

Inferno Inferno may refer to: * Hell, an afterlife place of suffering * Conflagration, a large uncontrolled fire Film * ''L'Inferno'', a 1911 Italian film * ''Inferno'' (1953 film), a film noir by Roy Ward Baker * ''Inferno'' (1973 film), a German ...

'' ;Season 8 *'' Terror of the Autons'' (Episodes 1, 2 & 4) *''

The Mind of Evil ''The Mind of Evil'' is the second serial of the eighth season of the British science fiction television series '' Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in six weekly parts on BBC1 from 30 January to 6 March 1971. In the serial, the alien ...

'' (Episodes 2 – 6) *'' The Claws of Axos'' *''

The Dæmons ''The Dæmons'' is the fifth and final serial of the eighth season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in five weekly parts on BBC1 from 22 May to 19 June 1971. In the serial, the alien ...

'' ;Season 9 *''

Day of the Daleks ''Day of the Daleks'' is the first serial of the ninth season of the British science fiction television series '' Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 1 to 22 January 1972. It was the first of four Third Doctor serial ...

'' (Episodes 1 – 2 & 4) *'' The Time Monster'' (Episodes 1 – 4 & 6) ;Season 10 *'' The Three Doctors'' *'' The Green Death'' (Episodes 4 – 6) ;Season 11 *''

'' *''

'' (Episodes 1 & 2) ;Season 12 *''

'' ;Season 13 *'' Terror of the Zygons'' *'' The Android Invasion'' (Episodes 2 – 4)

Video

*'' Wartime''

Audio drama

*''The Blue Tooth'' (adventure related by the character

Liz Shaw Elizabeth "Liz" Shaw is a fictional character played by Caroline John in the long-running British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' and its spin-offs. A civilian member of UNIT, an international organisation that defends Earth fro ...

) *''The Doll of Death'' (adventure related by the character

) *'' The Magician's Oath'' (adventure related by the character Captain Mike Yates) *'' Find and Replace'' (adventure related by the character Jo Grant) *''

The Rings of Ikiria ''The Companion Chronicles'' is a sci-fi audio series produced by Big Finish, detailing adventures usually featuring the Doctor, as told by various former companions of his, with only one further voice actor taking part in the narration. It b ...

'' (adventure related by the character Captain Mike Yates) *''

Council of War A council of war is a term in military science that describes a meeting held to decide on a course of action, usually in the midst of a battle. Under normal circumstances, decisions are made by a commanding officer, optionally communicated ...

'' (starring John Levene and Sinead Keenan) *'' The Scream of Ghosts'' (full cast audio with John Levene as Benton)

Novels

;

Virgin Missing Adventures The ''Virgin Missing Adventures'' were a series of novels from Virgin Publishing based on the British science-fiction television series '' Doctor Who'', which had been cancelled in 1989, featuring stories set between televised episodes of the p ...

*''

Dancing the Code ''Dancing the Code'' is an original novel written by Paul Leonard and based on the long-running British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It features the Third Doctor, Jo and UNIT. It takes place before the Virgin Missing Adve ...

'' by Paul Leonard *'' The Eye of the Giant'' by

Christopher Bulis Christopher Bulis is a writer best known for his work on various Doctor Who spin-offs. He is one of the most prolific authors to write for the various ranges of spin-offs from the BBC Television series ''Doctor Who'', with twelve novels to his name ...

*''

The Scales of Injustice ''The Scales of Injustice'' is a Virgin Missing Adventures original novel written by Gary Russell based on the long-running British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It features the Third Doctor, Liz Shaw and UNIT. Plot The Doct ...

'' by

Gary Russell Gary Russell (born 18 September 1963) is a British freelance writer, producer and former child actor. As a writer, he is best known for his work in connection with the television series '' Doctor Who'' and its spin-offs in other media. As an ...

;

Past Doctor Adventures The ''Past Doctor Adventures'' (sometimes known by the abbreviation ''PDA'' or ''PDAs'') were a series of spin-off novels based on the long running BBC science fiction television series '' Doctor Who'' and published under the BBC Books impr ...

*''

The Devil Goblins from Neptune ''The Devil Goblins from Neptune'' is a BBC Books original novel written by Martin Day and Keith Topping (developed from an original idea by Day, Topping and Paul Cornell) and based on the long-running British science fiction television series ...

'' by

Martin Day Martin Day may refer to: * Martin Day (writer), British screenwriter and novelist * Martin Day (fighter), Japanese-born American mixed martial artist * Martin Day (architect), Irish architect and builder See also * ''Martin's Day ''Martin's Day' ...

and

Keith Topping Keith Andrew Topping (born 26 October 1963 in Walker, Tyneside) is an author, journalist and broadcaster. He is most well known for his work relating to the BBC Television series '' Doctor Who'' and for writing numerous official and unofficial ...

*'' The Face of the Enemy'' by David A. McIntee *''

Deep Blue Deep Blue may refer to: Film * '' Deep Blues: A Musical Pilgrimage to the Crossroads'', a 1992 documentary film about Mississippi Delta blues music * ''Deep Blue'' (2001 film), a film by Dwight H. Little * ''Deep Blue'' (2003 film), a film us ...

'' by Mark Morris *''

Verdigris Verdigris is the common name for blue-green, copper-based pigments that form a patina on copper, bronze, and brass. The technical literature is ambiguous as to its chemical composition. Some sources refer to "neutral verdigris" as copper(II ...

'' by

Paul Magrs Paul Magrs (pronounced "Mars"; born 12 November 1969) is a writer and lecturer. He was born in Jarrow, England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its ...

*''

Rags Rag, rags, RAG or The Rag may refer to: Common uses * Rag, a piece of old cloth * Rags, tattered clothes * Rag (newspaper), a publication engaging in tabloid journalism * Rag paper, or cotton paper Arts and entertainment Film * ''Rags'' (1915 ...

'' by Mick Lewis *'' Deadly Reunion'' by

and

Barry Letts Barry Leopold Letts (26 March 1925 – 9 October 2009) was an English actor, television director, writer and producer, best known for being the producer of ''Doctor Who'' from 1969 to 1974. Born in Leicester, he worked as an actor in theatre, ...

;

Eighth Doctor Adventures The ''Eighth Doctor Adventures'' (sometimes abbreviated as EDA or referred to as the EDAs) are a series of spin off novels based on the long running BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' and published under the BBC Books impr ...

*''

The Eight Doctors ''The Eight Doctors'' is a BBC Books original novel written by Terrance Dicks and based on the long-running British science fiction television series '' Doctor Who''. It was the first of the Eighth Doctor Adventures range and features the Ei ...

'' by Terrance Dicks *''

Genocide Genocide is the intentional destruction of a people—usually defined as an ethnic, national, racial, or religious group—in whole or in part. Raphael Lemkin coined the term in 1944, combining the Greek word (, "race, people") with the L ...

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

Short stories

*"Brief Encounter—Listening Watch" by

Dan Abnett Dan Abnett (born 12 October 1965) is an English comic book writer and novelist. He has been a frequent collaborator with fellow writer Andy Lanning, and is known for his work on books for both Marvel Comics, and their UK imprint, Marvel UK, sinc ...

(''

Winter Special 1991'') *"Prisoners of the Sun" by Tim Robins ('' Decalog'';

parallel universe Parallel universe often refers to parallel universes in fiction, a self-contained separate world, universe or reality coexisting with the real world, which is used as a recurring plot point or setting used in fantasy and science fiction. Parallel ...

version of Benton) *"The Switching" by

Simon Guerrier Simon Guerrier (born June 1976) is a British science fiction author and dramatist, closely associated with the fictional universe of '' Doctor Who'' and its spinoffs. Although he has written three ''Doctor Who'' novels, for the BBC Books range ...

('' Short Trips: Zodiac'') *"An Overture Too Early" by Simon Guerrier ('' Short Trips: The Muses'') *"UNIT Christmas Parties: Christmas Truce" by Terrance Dicks ('' Short Trips: A Christmas Treasury'')

Comics

*"The Man in the Ion Mask" by

and Brian Williamson (''

Winter Special 1991'') *"Target Practice" by Gareth Roberts and

Adrian Salmon Adrian Salmon is a comic book artist and illustrator from England. Biography Salmon's early work included the series "The Cybermen" for ''Doctor Who Magazine'' and "Judge Karyn" for the '' Judge Dredd Megazine''. He then spent time working on ...

(''Doctor Who Magazine'' #234, 17 January 1996)

References

External links

Sergeant Benton on the BBC's ''Doctor Who'' website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Benton, Sergeant Television characters introduced in 1968 UNIT personnel Recurring characters in Doctor Who Fictional corporals Fictional military sergeants Fictional British Army personnel Fictional warrant officers British male characters in television