| The Invasion - The
Android Invasion |
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 When Benton first appeared on Doctor Who,
no one realised that he would be considered a companion but his role may have
started small but it grew in popularity until he became one of the most popular
characters on the program during that time.
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| The Invasion |
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Benton was a
very competent member of the British branch of the newly formed United Nations
Intelligence Taskforce (UNIT) which is under the command of
Brigadier
Lethbridge-Stewart. He was initially seen as a Corporal but he rose in the
ranks as the show progressed. First as Sergeant in "The
Ambassadors of Death"
and throughout the remainder of the Third Doctors era. He was then promoted to
Warrant Officer during the Fourth Doctor's story "Robot"
and then again to Regimental Sergeant Major in "Terror
of the Zygons".
His
capabilities impressed all, and he showed great stamina
and was very practical when faced with the many varied problems.
It was because of this that the
Brigadier singled him out for special duties and this included
the watching of a strange electronics firm which is where
he had his first encounter with The Doctor who was then in his
second
incarnation ("The
Invasion").
Steadfast and
doggedly loyal to both The Doctor and to the Brigadier he was ever dependable
and could be counted on in moments of crisis. He was unflinchingly courageous
and would always be right in the foreground fighting the variety of strange
alien invaders, crazed scientists and natural menaces that UNIT was faced with.
He was the impeccable right hand man to both of them and his ability to command
and to gain loyalty in the troops was very evident and he would be the first to
be called upon for help.
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| The Dæmons |
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He had an amiable good humour and cheerfulness
both on and off duty and was portrayed as a nice and honest man. Despite his
working class background he was well liked by both his junior's and senior's
and was also well thought of by
Jo Grant
and then
Sarah
Jane Smith. He was always concerned for the safety of anyone who was put in
his care and he was especially devoted to Jo and would always try to protect
her.
His outlook on life was very much down to Earth and even
though he did not really fully understand The Doctor he
was rarely phased by anything. Like during his first time
in The Doctor's TARDIS, when UNIT HQ came
under attack by Omega's Gell Guards. As Benton is looking
around the console room in amazement The Doctor comments
'Well Sergeant, aren't you going to say
that it's bigger on the inside than it is on the outside
- everybody else does!' for which Benton replies 'It's pretty
obvious isn't it? Anyway nothing
to do with you surprises me anymore Doctor' ("The
Three Doctors").
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| The Three Doctors |
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During
his time with UNIT he was hypnotised by
The
Master, an android duplicate was made of him by the Kraals in their
attempt to invade the Earth and he was also temporarily
transformed back into a baby by
the effects of the crystal of Kronos. After "The
Android Invasion" he did
not appear again in the series. However it was not until
a much later story that
the Brigadier revealed that he had left UNIT to become a
second hand car salesman ("Mawdryn Undead").
It has often been said that the British Army is
the best in the world because it has the best non-commissioned officers in the
world. If this is the case then one of the best examples must be the type of
man portrayed as Benton. |
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Sergeant Benton
(1968 -
1975) |
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| John Levene |
| Born in 1941 in Salisbury, as John Words,
at the age of 21 he left home to work in a mens clothing store in London.
During this time he signed on at an agency who supplied walk on actors. Using
the acting name John Levene various television parts included Adam Adamant
Lives, Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?, Z Cars and
Doctor Who where he played the part of a Cyberman and a then again as a
Yeti. He was then offered the part of Benton a small part in the 1968 story
"Invasion". Despite not having any formal training it was because of the
character's popularity that he was asked to recreate the role as a UNIT regular
from the 1970 story "The
Ambassadors of Death". On leaving Doctor Who he
gave up acting as a career to set up his own company specialising in conference
presentations. He has also worked as an entertainer on cruise liners and has
now emigrated to the USA where he has returned to acting under the name John
Anthony Blake. He however, returned to the role of Benton in the 1988 Reeltime
Pictures video production Wartime. |
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