PRODUCTION CODE

CC

 

WRITTEN BY

BRIAN HAYLES

 

DIRECTED BY

JULIA SMITH

 

RATINGS

4.5 MILLION

 

RECOMMENDED 

PURCHASE

'THE SMUGGLERS'

AUDIO CD (ISBN 0-563-53504-0) RELEASED IN MAY 2002.

 

CLICK TO ENLARGE IN COLOUR

  

BLURB

When the TARDIS lands on a remote and wild stretch of the Cornish coast, its occupants little realise that they have arrived in the 17th century. The Doctor, Ben and Polly soon discover to their cost, however, that these are far from hospitable times. The local Squire is at the head of a plot to offload contraband, whilst a long-rumoured hoard of stolen treasure has drawn attention to the village church. Inadvertently stumbling upon this web of deception and double-crossing, the time travellers are rapidly propelled into danger. 

 

 

BBC ARCHIVE

ALL FOUR EPISODES ARE MISSING.

 

The Smugglers

10TH SEPTEMBER 1966 - 1ST OCTOBER 1966

(4 EPISODES)

 

 

                                                       

 

 

The Smugglers presented William Hartnell with one last chance to have fun as the Doctor. Abounding with hook-handed pirate captains, treasure hunts and companions pretending to be wizards, this four-parter sees writer Brian Hayles trade the daring experimentalism of The Celestial Toymaker for the safety of truism.

 

There is remarkably little here in terms of plot – for the most part Hayles’ story revolves around several antagonistic factions of hackneyed smugglers and pirates, whose numbers include an erstwhile pirate turned clergyman and a black buccaneer whom, for some reason that continues to elude me, the production team thought it was appropriate to call ‘Jamaica.’ It’s so nonchalantly offensive that it’s actually amusing.

 

Furthermore, after a wonderfully-handled introduction in the preceding War Machines, the Doctor’s new swinging 60s companions, Ben and Polly, are led a little astray. The first episode opens with great energy as the pair struggle to accept that they’ve travelled in space, let alone in time, but within minutes Polly is convinced of the truth and even Ben comes round to the idea far quicker than I feel is in keeping with his typically sceptical, grizzly character.

 


On a more positive note, John Cura’s telesnaps – which are best enjoyed sequentially when listening to the BBC Radio Collection’s surviving soundtrack – betray the fact that The Smugglers actually looked quite good on screen. A wallow in cliché may not make for an enthralling tale, but it does at least give rise to convincing pirate ship sets and stock ship footage; a plausible beach; and a credible churchyard.

 

If viewed as an attempt at blithe melodrama then The Smugglers is really quite harmless. Its CD release is certainly not something that I’d urge anyone to rush out and buy, but for the completists amongst us it stands as a last hurrah for the comic side of Hartnell’s Doctor; a light breeze before the oncoming storm.

 

Copyright © E.G. Wolverson 2006

 

E.G. Wolverson has asserted his right under the Copyright, Design

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