Doctor Who - The Smugglers
"The Smugglers" was a four-part serial, first broadcast on BBC TV between 10 September 1966 - 1 October 1966. It was written by Brian Hayles, and directed by Julia Smith. It starred William Hartnell as the Doctor, Anneke Wills as Polly, and Michael Craze as Ben Jackson.
The Doctor, Ben and Polly walk off a beach and into a figurative hornet's nest. A frightened Churchwarden, Joseph Longfoot, speaks in riddles, and is killed after they leave the church. The Innkeeper and the local Squire don't like strangers, and arrest Polly and Ben for Longfoot's murder. The Doctor, meanwhile, is kidnapped by pirates. Ben and Polly escape to the church crypt, where they meet Blake, the Revenue Man. The Innkeeper and the Squire are smugglers. The Squire is tricked into revealing his secrets to the villainous Captain Pike. Slaughter of the villagers seems inevitable as smugglers and pirates alike seek after the cursed treasure of the dead pirate Avery. And only the Doctor knows the secret of its location!
It's sad that "The Smugglers" - the last William Hartnell historical and his penultimate story - is absent from the BBC Archive, save for a few clips. The location footage looks wonderful from the limited production photographs available. The extensive use of various Cornish landscapes and buildings adds a real depth and credibility to the story; the beach scenes, in particular, look wonderful, as do those aboard the Black Albatross. Even the studio interiors of the church and the crypt look exquisite. The authenticity this achieves is essential, especially as "The Smugglers" is Doctor Who's own version of Treasure Island.
Brian Hayles's second script for the series is a fairly simple, swashbuckling tale. But it oozes charm in bucket loads. Yes, there's a fearsome pirate captain with a spike in place of a hand, with underlings who make plenty of aaarhs. There are secret tunnels, a dead pirate's curse and a buried treasure, complete with a cryptic riddle as to its whereabouts. With factors such as these, Hayles knows he can't avoid the clichés of the genre, so he doesn't pretend this is anything else, and accordingly provides us with a good old-fashioned escapist adventure. Previous historical adventures were primarily educational; the intent was to inform the audience of a particular culture ("The Aztecs") or a particular event ("The Crusade"). Some stories took a light-hearted approach, applying comedic license ("The Romans") but were all fundamentally a history lesson wrapped in a story. But in "The Smugglers", we've just got a plain old adventure, with the historical setting largely incidental.
The story is filled with magical moments - Pike's interrogation of the Doctor, and the latter's attempts to gain the upper hand (and avoid being tortured) is one such example; the conversation between the Squire, Pike and Cherub as they connive away is another. All of the dialog has a rich feel to it, and there's a wonderfully sparkling exchange between the Doctor and Kewper as they play their card game whilst being held prisoner on the Black Albatross.
As with the previous story, it's hard to believe William Hartnell was ill during the making of this one. He seems as lively as ever, giving a great performance. Whether the Doctor is playing trickery with cards or refusing to leave the villagers because of his moral obligations, he's an absolute delight.
Anneke Wills and Michael Craze continue to impress, making Polly and Ben an excellent team. They're both vibrant and enthusiastic, and have resourcefulness and loyalty rolled into one. I love the scene when they escape from the local gaol by taking advantage of the native superstitions. However, it must be said that Ben's constant moaning about returning to his ship/barracks does grow tiresome after a while. You're having an adventure in time and space, mate - enjoy it!
Michael Godfrey is marvelous, relishing his lines as Pike, and maintaining a ruthless and bloodthirsty determination. Paul Whitsun-Jones is also excellent as the Squire, a corruptible man, but one who won't resort to murder and redeems himself at the end. George A. Cooper as Cherub makes a memorable villain, and John Ringham, although a tad overly theatrical as Blake, makes a good ally. Some of the roles are a bit overacted however, the pirates Jamaica and Gaptooth in particular.
What hurts the story is the complete lack of incidental music - which would have added to the proceedings greatly - its slow pace, and the rather lackluster climax. The resolution is the arrival of Blake and the militia in a "Calvary saves the day" fashion, and the shoot-out isn't as exciting as it might have been. Also the idea that all of the locals assume Polly is a "lad" because her hair's pulled back and she's wearing trousers is laughable! I'm guessing there must have been an outbreak of very poor eyesight back in the 17th century...
These quibbles aside, "The Smugglers" is great fun. It's a rip-roaring, atmospheric tale that, due to its historical setting, benefits from the costumes and location filming. A lovely and endearing story.
3 / 5 stars
The Doctor, Ben and Polly walk off a beach and into a figurative hornet's nest. A frightened Churchwarden, Joseph Longfoot, speaks in riddles, and is killed after they leave the church. The Innkeeper and the local Squire don't like strangers, and arrest Polly and Ben for Longfoot's murder. The Doctor, meanwhile, is kidnapped by pirates. Ben and Polly escape to the church crypt, where they meet Blake, the Revenue Man. The Innkeeper and the Squire are smugglers. The Squire is tricked into revealing his secrets to the villainous Captain Pike. Slaughter of the villagers seems inevitable as smugglers and pirates alike seek after the cursed treasure of the dead pirate Avery. And only the Doctor knows the secret of its location!
It's sad that "The Smugglers" - the last William Hartnell historical and his penultimate story - is absent from the BBC Archive, save for a few clips. The location footage looks wonderful from the limited production photographs available. The extensive use of various Cornish landscapes and buildings adds a real depth and credibility to the story; the beach scenes, in particular, look wonderful, as do those aboard the Black Albatross. Even the studio interiors of the church and the crypt look exquisite. The authenticity this achieves is essential, especially as "The Smugglers" is Doctor Who's own version of Treasure Island.
Brian Hayles's second script for the series is a fairly simple, swashbuckling tale. But it oozes charm in bucket loads. Yes, there's a fearsome pirate captain with a spike in place of a hand, with underlings who make plenty of aaarhs. There are secret tunnels, a dead pirate's curse and a buried treasure, complete with a cryptic riddle as to its whereabouts. With factors such as these, Hayles knows he can't avoid the clichés of the genre, so he doesn't pretend this is anything else, and accordingly provides us with a good old-fashioned escapist adventure. Previous historical adventures were primarily educational; the intent was to inform the audience of a particular culture ("The Aztecs") or a particular event ("The Crusade"). Some stories took a light-hearted approach, applying comedic license ("The Romans") but were all fundamentally a history lesson wrapped in a story. But in "The Smugglers", we've just got a plain old adventure, with the historical setting largely incidental.
The story is filled with magical moments - Pike's interrogation of the Doctor, and the latter's attempts to gain the upper hand (and avoid being tortured) is one such example; the conversation between the Squire, Pike and Cherub as they connive away is another. All of the dialog has a rich feel to it, and there's a wonderfully sparkling exchange between the Doctor and Kewper as they play their card game whilst being held prisoner on the Black Albatross.
As with the previous story, it's hard to believe William Hartnell was ill during the making of this one. He seems as lively as ever, giving a great performance. Whether the Doctor is playing trickery with cards or refusing to leave the villagers because of his moral obligations, he's an absolute delight.
Anneke Wills and Michael Craze continue to impress, making Polly and Ben an excellent team. They're both vibrant and enthusiastic, and have resourcefulness and loyalty rolled into one. I love the scene when they escape from the local gaol by taking advantage of the native superstitions. However, it must be said that Ben's constant moaning about returning to his ship/barracks does grow tiresome after a while. You're having an adventure in time and space, mate - enjoy it!
Michael Godfrey is marvelous, relishing his lines as Pike, and maintaining a ruthless and bloodthirsty determination. Paul Whitsun-Jones is also excellent as the Squire, a corruptible man, but one who won't resort to murder and redeems himself at the end. George A. Cooper as Cherub makes a memorable villain, and John Ringham, although a tad overly theatrical as Blake, makes a good ally. Some of the roles are a bit overacted however, the pirates Jamaica and Gaptooth in particular.
What hurts the story is the complete lack of incidental music - which would have added to the proceedings greatly - its slow pace, and the rather lackluster climax. The resolution is the arrival of Blake and the militia in a "Calvary saves the day" fashion, and the shoot-out isn't as exciting as it might have been. Also the idea that all of the locals assume Polly is a "lad" because her hair's pulled back and she's wearing trousers is laughable! I'm guessing there must have been an outbreak of very poor eyesight back in the 17th century...
These quibbles aside, "The Smugglers" is great fun. It's a rip-roaring, atmospheric tale that, due to its historical setting, benefits from the costumes and location filming. A lovely and endearing story.
3 / 5 stars