The Smugglers (TV story)
The Smugglers was the first serial of season 4 of Doctor Who.
Strangely, it was the first story of season 4's broadcast schedule, but the last story of the season 3's production block. Like Robot and Terror of the Zygons after it, it was a story that was "held over" from one season to the next in order to give the production team a little bit of a "cushion" against the pressures of production.
It was narratively notable for being Ben and Polly's first journey in the TARDIS and furthers the development of their characters as opposites to each other. While The War Machines had depicted Ben as sullen and Polly as vibrant, The Smugglers establishes Ben as a sceptic and Polly as a believer. In the same way as it takes Ben a significant time in The Power of the Daleks to admit that the Second Doctor is, in fact, the Doctor, here, he takes the better part of episode one to believe that he's travelled back in time. At the same time, it also showed the way in which the two characters could effectively work together to solve problems.
The story also contains an unusual amount of coarse violence, which resulted in the only surviving clips of the serial. The ABC took exceptions to a few scenes and edited them out — and then preserved those edits rather than broader episodes. So although it is mostly missing, a tiny flavour of the production has been retained. Additionally, the fact that the production unusually featured actual location filming in Cornwall attracted the enthusiasm of at least one amateur filmmaker. Footage exists of some of the location work, giving modern fans a further glimpse into the costuming and make-up of the serial.
As of 2020, the story remains completely missing from the BBC Archives.
Despite the fact that The Smugglers was a ratings failure and is ill-remembered by modern audiences, it was given a boost by the BBC Wales team in 2011. It was elevated to the status of a loose sequel to The Curse of the Black Spot, since it tells the story of how the Black Albatross — crewed by Avery's former mates — went looking for the gold and treasure that Avery was hauling in the Fancy.
Synopsis
The TARDIS arrives on the coast of seventeenth-century Cornwall — much to the astonishment of Polly and Ben. Pirates led by Captain Samuel Pike and his henchman Cherub are searching for a hidden treasure, while a smuggling ring masterminded by the local squire is trying to off-load contraband.
The Doctor inadvertently learns, from churchwarden Joseph Longfoot (who is subsequently murdered), a cryptic rhyme that holds the key to the treasure's whereabouts. He is then kidnapped.
Although he escapes, the Doctor is eventually forced to tell Pike the rhyme's meaning — it refers to names on tombstones in the church crypt — and the treasure is uncovered. At this point, the militia arrives, summoned by revenue officer Josiah Blake. A fight ensues in which Pike and many of his men are killed and the rest taken prisoner. The Doctor and his companions meanwhile slip back to the TARDIS.
Plot
Episode 1
The Doctor is shocked and angry to discover Ben and Polly inside the TARDIS, as they innocently try to return a TARDIS key. Ben and Polly are confused and doubtful about the Doctor's stories of time travel and his lack of control of this machine. The Doctor bars Ben from touching the controls and, on landing, shows them the scanner and tells them not to leave until he has run his checks. Bemused, they obey him.
They are shocked to leave the TARDIS and find themselves in a cave adjacent to an ocean beach. The Doctor says he cannot take them back to London, which Ben takes as a refusal. Polly is excited about these events, but Ben is anxious to get back to his Navy barracks. They go along a path up the cliffs in search of a bus or train, but the Doctor is worriedly amused at the prospect of convincing his new companions where and "when" they might be. Polly suspects that they may be in Cornwall.
Ben spots a church at the top of the cliffs, and the Doctor guesses they may have arrived sometime after the sixteenth century but before the Victorian period. As they look around, a man with a flintlock pistol in his hand accosts the three travellers, mistaking Polly (in her 1960's trouser-suit) for a boy. The Doctor is able to convince him that they are innocent travellers and asks him to direct them to a place of shelter. He introduces himself as Joseph Longfoot, the churchwarden, yet he is still suspicious of them and asks if they know Avery or Pike. The Doctor insists that he doesn't and, in order to gain more trust, resets the churchwarden's dislocated finger. The grateful man directs them to an inn and warns the three to keep to themselves there, and also entrusts the Doctor with a riddle: "This is Deadman's secret key, Ringwood, Smallbeer, Gurney." The Doctor is confused, but as a storm is coming on, the travellers depart. Ben and Polly want to go back to the TARDIS but are precluded by the high tide. After the churchwarden retires inside, a large, muscular sailor emerges from behind a tombstone and goes inside the church.
Jacob Kewper, landlord of the inn, sends stableboy Tom to give a message to the churchwarden regarding a "delivery" expected soon. Soon, the Doctor and friends, soaked from the rain, arrive at the inn to an unfriendly, suspicious welcome from Kewper. They are told that the inn is full, but when they mention Longfoot, Jacob becomes more accommodating.
A drunken Longfoot is confronted by a sailor named Cherub, who calls the churchwarden an old shipmate of the Black Albatross. Cherub has come for knowledge of Captain Avery's gold. Sobered, Longfoot refuses to give up knowledge of the gold. Cherub asks who the old man and his two lads (Ben and Polly) were, suspicious they may be involved in some way. Cherub kills Longfoot and decides to pursue the three travellers.
Tom reports back to Kewper about Longfoot's death and is sent out to fetch the squire. Cherub, now with three sailors, finds the Doctor and his companions at the inn and threatens them, demanding more information. Cherub grabs the Doctor, and Ben is knocked out after attempting to intervene. The men kidnap the Doctor and haul him into a cart. Polly calls for Kewper, who attempts to calm Polly and says the squire will sort everything out, though this doesn't stop Polly from worrying about the Doctor. The squire arrives, but instead of helping Polly find the Doctor, he questions the strangers about their origins and demands information.
Cherub and the cart arrive at the coast, where the Doctor is put on a small rowboat and rowed out to sea. When Ben comes to, he and Polly refuse to give any information as to their origins. The squire, suspecting them to be guilty of the murder of Longfoot, arrests them.
Cherub and the Doctor arrive on the Black Albatross, where they are led into the Captain's quarters. The captain introduces himself as Captain Pike. When Cherub says the Doctor will not speak, Pike slams his hook on the table and says he will be forced to tell what he knows.
Episode 2
Pike reveals that Longfoot, Cherub, and himself were all shipmates under the now deceased Captain Avery. He accuses Longfoot of stealing Avery's gold, stating that the plunder rightfully belongs to the trio. Pike believes that the Doctor is somehow embroiled in the plot, and Cherub begs Pike to allow him to torture the Doctor.
Ben and Polly find themselves in the village Gaol, guarded by Tom. Ben is distraught, still eager to report back to his ship in the 1960s, whilst Polly seems caught up in the adventure — until she sees a rat. They are unable to convince Tom that there are other strangers in town (Cherub and the sailors were unseen by other inn patrons) and that it was they who killed Longfoot. Polly hits upon the idea of exploiting the superstitions of the locals to try to escape.
Jacob Kewper locks up the inn, heads to the harbour, and rows out towards the Black Albatross.
The Doctor appeals to Pike as a "gentleman", and bargains to be treated more civilly. He states that if he helps them, he should receive a share of the treasure. After they toast over wine, Jamaica enters to inform Pike about a rowboat approaching. The Doctor is brought to the galley for food and wine whilst Cherub is sent to meet the visitor.
Ben and Polly make a straw doll, and Polly, or "Paul" as Ben refers to her, pretends to be in a trance. The couple scare Tom into thinking that the Doctor is a warlock and that they are apprentices. Ben convinces Tom that Polly has been possessed by the Doctor and has made a voodoo doll that controls Tom and that the only way to free him from this jeopardy is to release them from prison. Ben and Polly decide to investigate the church for any evidence regarding Longfoot's death.
Kewper is brought before the Captain to discuss business, having bribed Cherub. Kewper reveals that he, Longfoot, and the squire are smugglers. Pike, in turn, threatens Kewper by revealing his true name, and that he and his men killed the churchwarden; Kewper trembles at being before Pike. Pike and Cherub leave to find the squire, preferring to do business directly with him, suspecting that it may be a trap. The Doctor is brought back, and he and Kewper are guarded by Jamaica.
Ben and Polly venture into the church crypt and try to work out the circumstances of Longfoot's murder, to no avail. As they give up and decide to find the TARDIS, one of the tombs opens to reveal a secret passage, and they hide as a cloaked man emerges. Ben knocks him out and ties him up. Polly decides this may be the murderer and goes to find the squire to show him and prove their innocence. Soon, the bound man tells Ben he is Josiah Blake, the king's revenue officer. The passageway is further evidence against the churchwarden and the smugglers whom Blake is trying to arrest. Ben is pleased to hear the passage leads to the beach, and leaves a protesting Blake to investigate.
Pike and Cherub visit the squire, planning to get information about the smugglers' stash. The squire unwittingly reveals the church to be a relay point, but before they can talk further, Polly is dragged in by a manservant and is horrified when she recognises Cherub.
Kewper, regretting his decision, tells the Doctor what has happened to his friends and the danger the village is in from Pike and his men. The Doctor plans to escape, but when asked how he plans to do so, the Doctor loudly asks Kewper if he wants to play cards.
Meanwhile, the squire and his new friends have heard Polly's story, but Pike has twisted the story in his favour. The only thing Polly's story has done is confirm they were the last people to see Longfoot alive — further aiding the story of their guilt. The men decide to visit the crypt to see who Ben has captured, suspecting it might be a revenue officer.
Ben has returned after discovering that the passage leads back to where the TARDIS is, but his joy is cut short as the squire, with Pike and Cherub, arrives, gun in hand, along with their prisoner, Polly, who has been bound and gagged.
Episode 3
Ben recognises Cherub as well, but Pike dismisses his accusations. Blake calls out and is released after the three villains decide he is not an immediate threat and, in fact, can be used to their advantage. Blake is convinced by them to take Ben and Polly into custody as suspected smugglers.
On the ship, the Doctor tells Kewper's fortune using playing cards, watched by a curious Jamaica. Jamaica asks for his fortune to be told, and Kewper uses the distraction to knock him out. The Doctor and Kewper decide to go to the squire to tell him of the innocence of Ben and Polly and the presence of Pike.
Outside in the graveyard, Pike and Cherub flatter the squire into revealing a tomb that contains one of the smugglers' stashes of booty. He and Pike arrange to meet the next night, and fires will be lit for a signal. Cherub overhears and heads off on his own. Pike and the squire go off to discuss payment.
Blake has forced Ben and Polly to the stables at the inn where, to their surprise, he removes Ben's ropes and gag, saying he would rather trust their word than the squire's, and Ben unties Polly. Blake says he suspects the squire, but has no proof against him, and hopes to gather enough men to prevent what he believes will be a transaction in the next night or two. The Doctor meets up with them, to the huge relief of Ben and Polly, but Kewper is known to Blake. Upon seeing Blake, Kewper suspects he has been lured into a trap by the Doctor and leaves but is pursued by Blake.
Pike is enraged at Jamaica for the escape of the Doctor and Kewper, and Jamaica tells him they went to see the squire. Pike decides to move the plan ahead and to do it during the daytime so as to surprise the squire. One group will collect the smugglers' stash, while he and Cherub will hunt for Avery's gold. Pike kills Jamaica for his foolishness but finds that Cherub seems to have left the ship.
When the Doctor tells Blake about Pike's plans and surmises that he will also sack and burn the village, Blake departs to gather men and arms. The Doctor is glad to hear of the passage to the TARDIS from the church crypt but insists that they stay to try to prevent the destruction of the village. Knowing the clue to Avery's gold, the Doctor leads his friends back to the church, hoping to locate the treasure as a bargaining chip. As Tom watches them go, Cherub emerges from hiding and threatens him to tell where they are heading.
The squire is horrified to hear from Kewper about his playing into Pike's hands, but on hearing of Avery's gold, they decide to find it themselves. Knowing that Pike and his men will head for their stash, they aim to lay a trap for them by placing armed men on the route that the squire handed to Pike. They ride off towards the church to seek the gold.
The Doctor, Ben and Polly are searching the graveyard for clues but eventually realise the riddle reveals names on tombstones, and they head to the crypt. Ben shows them the secret passageway entrance, then they find markers for Ringwood, Smallbeer, and Gurney — three names from the rhyme. The Doctor thinks it would be more helpful if there were four names.
The squire and Kewper arrive to discover the church door ajar and hope that it is the Doctor rather than Pike and his men. The Doctor is about to reveal the answer to the riddle, but Kewper bursts in and threatens violence. The squire bristles at this and wants to work with the Doctor. As the two argue, Cherub enters secretly and his knife flies through the air and meets Kewper's back, while a shot from his pistol rings out as Polly screams.
Episode 4
The squire has been wounded by Cherub's shot, and Cherub demands the secret of Avery's gold. Polly insists on helping the squire, but while Cherub seems to agree, he grabs her and holds his pistol to her head threatening to shoot unless the Doctor shares the riddle.
Meanwhile, Blake is still riding towards the militia outpost.
The Doctor, playing for time, reveals the rhyme told to him by Longfoot. Cherub recognises the four names as members of Avery's crew — he reveals the fourth name to be Deadman. The squire recalls Avery's curse and regrets having pursued the treasure.
Pike and his men land in force, and Pike sends one man to find Cherub. Pike goes to the church, his men following and opens the sarcophagus containing the silks, spices, and rum of the smugglers' stash. His men begin hauling the goods to the shore as Pike enters the church.
Blake has finally collected his force, and they are on the way back to the village.
Pike finds Cherub holding the Doctor and friends along with the Squire and confronts him about deserting the ship. Cherub says he did all this for the captain, which Pike finds dubious. Cherub raises his gun to Pike, but it is quickly parried, and the two duel with cutlasses.
Outside, the crew are becoming ill-ordered and start helping themselves to rum, and crewman Gaptooth tries to restore order. He sends two crew members back to the shore for their behaviour.
Using the fight as a distraction, the Doctor sends Ben and Polly down the secret passage while he waits for Blake. Pike is eventually victorious and runs Cherub through. He turns to the Doctor, who offers Pike a new agreement to reveal where the gold is.
Meanwhile, the two crewmembers on the beach find the cave, the TARDIS, and the entrance to a tunnel.
The Doctor offers to take no treasure, so long as the village is spared, and the squire is moved. Pike says he must keep his crew "happy", and resists. The squire argues that Pike seems to find it difficult to keep control of his crew and goads him into proving their obedience and his command.
In the tunnel, almost at the TARDIS, Polly injures her foot but insists that Ben return to fetch the Doctor.
Blake and his men sight the church and divide into two groups: one will head to the church, the other will take the passage from the beach to the crypt.
The Doctor finds the fourth name on a tombstone, and Pike is incredulous as all four men died at sea. The names, says the Doctor, were changed by the churchwarden, and a flagstone is at the intersection of the four names. Pike removes the slab and, reaching deep inside, discovers the treasure. As he does so, gunshots are heard outside. The pirates, drunk with rum, are easily overtaken by Blake's men, while others retreat into the church.
Polly is attacked by the two sailors and tries to escape back into the tunnel. She is caught, but Ben hears what's going on and is able to overtake one of them as the sailor approaches. He finds Polly and fights the second man as Blake's men arrive; Blake shoots the sailor, killing him. As his men flood the tunnel, Ben follows Blake whilst Polly returns to the TARDIS.
There is pandemonium in the crypt as Blake's men fight the pirates. Pike grasps at the treasure, then threatens the Doctor for leading him into a trap. Ben, Blake and his men arrive and take to the fight. Ben tries to take the Doctor away, but he insists on helping the squire. The squire has enough strength to help fend off Pike's hook as Blake fires the fatal shot, ending Pike. Ben and the Doctor slip away whilst the squire is aided by Blake. He regrets never being able to thank the Doctor.
Finding Polly, the three enter the TARDIS and leave. Suddenly, the interior of the ship is freezing cold, and the Doctor announces they have arrived at the coldest place in the world.
Cast
- Dr. Who - William Hartnell
- Ben Jackson - Michael Craze
- Polly - Anneke Wills
- Churchwarden - Terence de Marney
- Cherub - George A. Cooper
- Jacob Kewper - David Blake Kelly
- Tom - Mike Lucas
- The Squire - Paul Whitsun-Jones
- Spaniard - Derek Ware
- Captain Pike - Michael Godfrey
- Jamaica - Elroy Josephs
- Blake - John Ringham
- Gaptooth - Jack Bligh
Uncredited cast
- Pirate Daniel - Les Clark
- Extras - Steve Kirby, Tony Madison, Harry Tierney, Ricky Lansing, Roy Stanton, Leslie Bates, RCF Care
- Cabin Boy - John Jose
- Double for Dr. Who - Gordon Craig
- Pirates - Richard Courtney, AR Serle, Malcolm Attmere, Dennis Symons, Philip Williams
- Pirate Rowers - Terry Hawes, Ted Rogers
- Squire's Manservant (Birch) - Raymond Bales
- Double for Dr. Who's hands - Albert Ward
- Double for Blake - Derek Ware
- Double for Kewper's Corpse - Terence Connolly
- Soldiers - Richard Courtney, AR Serle, Malcolm Attmere, Reginald Hitchin, Christopher Newman, Allan Matthews, Charles Mitchell, Philip Williams, William Thomas, John Weaver, FW Stoker
- Stunt Pirates - Buddy Windrush, Ian McKay, Fred Windrush, Valentino Musetti, Mike Horsburgh
- Stunt Militiamen - Bill Weston, Malcolm Douglas, Terry Walsh, Brian Mulholland, David Newman
- Pirates - George Charles, Tony Madison, Gary Wyler, Ray Marioni, Peter Day, Leslie Bates, Terence Jones
- Militiamen - Hugh Fraser, John Guest, Bill E Raynor, Daniel Sinclair, David Pelton, Alan Lesley, Roland Robinson, Leonard Kingston (all DWM 321)
Crew
- Assistant Floor Manager - John Hansen, Tony Gilbert, Maggie Saunders
- Costumes - Daphne Dare
- Designer - Richard Hunt
- Fight Arranger - Derek Ware
- Film Cameraman - Jimmy Court
- Film Editor - Colin Eggleston
- Make-Up - Sonia Markham
- Producer - Innes Lloyd
- Production Assistant - John Hobbs
- Script Editor - Gerry Davis
- Special Sounds - Brian Hodgson
- Studio Lighting - Cyril Wilkins
- Studio Sound - Leo Sturgess
- Theme Arrangement - Delia Derbyshire
- Title Music - Ron Grainer
References
Foods and beverages
- Ben drinks some beer.
- The Doctor refuses brandy when in the presence of his new companions; as soon as he is having a private conversation with Pike he eagerly accepts what he assesses is a particularly fine Madeira.
- The smugglers smuggle rum, silks, tobacco and brandy.
- The Doctor mentions Victorian restoration.
Individuals
- Ben tells the Doctor that he has had enough of "home movies".
- Pike compares Avery to the pirate Morgan.
- Blake is the king's revenue officer.
- Ben tells Polly to "'ave a butcher's" at one of the graves.
- Ben bets the Doctor that they have landed in Fitzroy Square.
- Cherub mentions Davy Jones.
- The manservant's name is Birch.
Popular culture
- Polly lays down some clear ground rules with Ben, saying that she has no intention of playing "What's-his-name?" Watson to Ben's Sherlock Holmes.
Story notes
- The end of this story leads straight into the next, The Tenth Planet.
- The 2006 short story The Three Paths retcons this, allowing further stories featuring Ben and Polly as companions of the First Doctor to be told prior to the Doctor's regeneration. It gives breathing space to such stories depicting or referencing these extended adventures such as Food for Thought, Ten Little Aliens, Five Card Draw and Smoke and Mirrors.
- The 2017 The Companion Chronicles release The Bonfires of the Vanities has the TARDIS arriving at Antarctica only for the Daleks to attempt to prevent the Doctor's regeneration by having them appear at 1950s Lewes instead, allowing for further adventures for the First Doctor, Ben and Polly.
- The title sequence film is used to represent the space/time vortex as seen on the TARDIS scanner screen in episode one, with the story title, writer's credit and episode number captions overlaid in black on the swirling patterns.
- No episodes of this four-part story exist in the BBC Archives.
- Telesnaps for all four episodes survive.
- This is the only televised Doctor Who story to have no incidental music whatsoever.
- The second of six Doctor Who scripts to be written by Brian Hayles and his last not to feature the Ice Warriors.
- Polly is the only female character in this story. Anneke Wills pointed this out in the DVD commentary of The War Machines and remarked that she was rather annoyed about it. This occurs again in The Moonbase, after which the next story to have a situation like this was the Fourth Doctor story The Sontaran Experiment in which Sarah is the only female character.
- As a result of splitting the TARDIS prop apart for The Massacre, a major refit was initiated in response to the show's ever-increasing requirements for location filming away from the confines of the studio. Location filming had now become commonplace and meant that transporting the prop in its complete form was difficult and knowing that it would be required at the bottom of a cliff on the Cornwall coast for this story. The refit would ensure that the prop could now be disassembled and flat packed for transportation. This then resulted in changing the whole geometry of the prop, making it no longer square in plan view, but slightly rectangular. Another knock on effect to this was that the roof was remade slightly wider, overhanging at the front and rear, while it under hung on the two sides and only just balanced on the top of the structure. The prop height also needed to be cut-down during location filming for The Smugglers, as it was too high to fit in the cave chosen for its landing sequence.
Ratings
- Episode 1 - 4.3 million viewers
- Episode 2 - 4.9 million viewers
- Episode 3 - 4.2 million viewers
- Episode 4 - 4.5 million viewers
Myths
- For the fight between smugglers and Revenue men in episode four, so few stuntmen were used that they had to play multiple roles achieved by means of frantic behind-the-scenes costume changes. (Although Terry Walsh, one of those involved, recalls the scene being shot in this way, in fact, the ten stuntmen under the direction of fight arranger Derek Ware, of whose HAVOC organisation they were members, played only one role each.)
- The wording of the rhyme revealing the treasure's location changes from episode to episode—apparently depending on how well William Hartnell remembered his lines. (In fact, Hartnell recites the rhyme correctly both times he must do so, in Episodes 3 and 4. It is Terence de Marney's Longfoot who fluffs his lines when the rhyme is first said in Episode 1.)
- A test regeneration was filmed during production of this story. (This was an April Fools' joke in Doctor Who Magazine.)
Filming locations
- Nanjizal Bay, Cornwall (TARDIS lands on beach)
- St Grada Church, Grade, Cornwall (Church)
- Trenethick Barton, Cornwall (Squire's House / Pub)
- Bonny Mary, Newlyn, Cornwall (DEMOLISHED) (Boat)
- Bosistow Cliffs, Nanjizal, Cornwall (Soldiers marching to beach)
- Church Cove, Cornwall (Kewper takes small boat to Bonny Mary)
- Trethewey Farm, Cornwall (Doctor Kidnapped)
- Riverside Studio 1, Hammersmith, London
Production errors
- In episode 1, Terence de Marney playing the Churchwarden fluffs the riddle to the Doctor. Instead of the names "Ringwood, Smallbeer, Gurney", de Marney says "Smallwood, Ringwood, Gurney".
- In episode 4, Gaptook refers to the pirate Daniel as "David" in one scene.
Continuity
- Upon finding he has been unwittingly joined by Ben and Polly, the Doctor muses to himself: "Oh dear, all this distraction! And I really thought I was going to be alone again." He had previously thought he would be without companions after Steven Taylor briefly left him at the conclusion of TV: The Massacre and had considered returning to his own planet. (On that occasion, his expectations of solitude were similarly cut short by the unbidden arrival of Dodo Chaplet aboard the TARDIS and Steven's return shortly thereafter.)
Home video and audio releases
- Australian "censor" clips from Episodes 1, 3, and 4, as well as on-location behind-the-scenes footage, can be found on the DVD collection Lost in Time.
- The soundtrack to this story was released with linking narration by Anneke Wills on 6 May 2002. It was re-released on 4 August 2011 as part of the box set Doctor Who: The Lost TV Episodes - Collection Three.
Audio release
The Lost TV Episodes - Collection Three
External links
- The Smugglers at the BBC's official site (including photonovel)
- The Smugglers at RadioTimes
- The Smugglers at BroaDWcast
- The Smugglers at the Doctor Who Reference Guide
- The Smugglers at Shannon Sullivan's A Brief History of Time (Travel)
- The Smugglers at The Locations Guide
