The Smugglers Episode 1

The one where Ben gets his kit off...

Doctor Who had been off-air for a couple of months, and when Season 4 kicked off with The Smugglers, the production team was kind enough to put a quick recap at the start of episode 1 to remind viewers that new companions Ben and Polly had (forcibly) boarded the TARDIS.

Ben and Polly don't seem too put out by the fact there appears to be an entire futuristic control room inside a police box. Ben wonders where "all this came from", but that's pretty much it. The Doctor explains (very quickly and freely, it has to be said) that his TARDIS is a time and space ship, and although Ben in particular does not believe the Doctor, the architectural and scientific impossibility of the dimensionally transcendental police box just gets glossed over.

It's easy to forget that Ben and Polly don't really know each other very well at this point. They've spent time together briefly in the Inferno Club, and obviously spent some time together between the penultimate and final scenes of The War Machines episode 4, but for most of the preceding story, Polly was in a trance. The main connection these two plucky youngsters have is what we must assume is a mutual attraction, seeing as they had agreed to meet for lunch in The War Machines. There's nothing explicit in the script, but I'm assuming boy and girl fancy each other, and now they find themselves thrown together in this crazy escapade with the white-haired old man.

"All this distraction," mutters the Doctor as the three of them exit the TARDIS. "And I really thought I was going to be alone again..." What does he mean by this? Is he disappointed that he won't be alone, or pleased that Ben and Polly have come along, to save him from being alone? It's hard to tell, but seeing as we've never seen the Doctor travelling alone on screen, I'm assuming he's quietly pleased to have the company. Judging by the amusement and glee with which he regards Ben and Polly's reactions to arriving on a 17th century Cornish beach, he's enjoying seeing the magic of his life through the eyes of innocents again! Plus, that one line suggests that he and Susan didn't always travel together, which doesn't quite work with the assumption that he left his home planet with his granddaughter. Then again, he could be referring to that brief moment in Bell of Doom where he's left alone by a stroppy Steven, before Dodo barges in.

Polly enters into the spirit of adventure rather more easily than Ben, who grumps around desperately wanting to get back to his ship (either I'm missing something or this directly contradicts what he said in The War Machines, that his ship was in the West Indies and he had a shore posting for six months - so why does he so urgently want to get back to a ship that isn't there?). Polly runs around on the beach squealing "Weeeeeeeee!" and putting on a Cornish accent, while Ben insists on believing it's still 1966 and he has to get back to London. It's an interesting contrast in their characters, carried through from their introductory scene in The War Machines where Polly's trying to cheer Ben up ("Any time you want a bit of brightness in your life, come to Pol!").

The trio make their way towards a church in the distance ("I can foresee oodles of trouble!" the Doctor predicts), where they meet Joseph Longfoot, the pistol-wielding churchwarden. I love Terence De Marney's (sadly short-lived) performance as Longfoot. Writer Brian Hayles manages to paint an interesting back-story for him in a very short time, and De Marney plays him as a man who is very proud of his newfound life as a Christian (the word of God touched him late in life, he says), but whose history as a mate aboard a pirate ship catches up with him. The lengthy scene between Longfoot, the Doctor, Ben and Polly is lovely to listen to, and his demise at the hands of Cherub later on is felt more keenly by the viewer thanks to the hard work put in by both actor and writer.

Incidentally, Terence De Marney met a sadly gruesome end aged just 63 when, in May 1971, he fell in front of the westbound underground train at Kensington High Street. Reports from the time describe it as an accident, but a more recent account claims De Marney had been suffering ill-health for years, and jumped rather than fell. A sad end for an actor who gives a beautiful little performance here.

There's a real atmosphere of danger throughout the episode, whether it's down to the ever-present rumble of thunder in the distance, or the cast of largely unlikeable and unfriendly characters who the Doctor and friends meet. Innkeeper Jacob Kewper is initially very frosty toward our rain-soaked heroes until they mention they are "friends" of Longfoot, at which point he's all sweetness and light, providing hot food, drink and a change of clothes (there's one telesnap showing Michael Craze shirtless: this is convincing evidence that this lost episode needs to be found immediately).

Ben's constant moaning about the predicament they find themselves in does get a little wearing, until Polly tells him they'll have to "like it or lump it", at which point he totally changes his outlook and begins to enjoy himself, commenting on the quaint pub and the vintage ale. This suggests Ben is influenced by Polly's opinions, and that his naturally cynical mood is in some way buoyed by Polly's effervescence. Again, it's a nice continuation of their first encounter, and how one complements the other.

Ben's good to have around, because as soon as killer Cherub turns up at the inn and starts threatening the Doctor, he's right at his side: "Get your filthy hands off him, mate!". Sadly, Cherub's men render Ben unconscious (he actually bleeds from the head too), casts Polly aside and kidnaps the Doctor, taking him to a ship called The Black Albatross, which is moored in the bay.

By the end of the episode, the Doctor is the prisoner of a bunch of pirates, led by the hook-handed Captain Pike, Ben and Polly are to be sent to the Assizes for not coming clean about who they are to the local Squire, and all three of them are suspected of murdering poor old Joseph Longfoot the gentle churchwarden!

This episode is teeming with incident and character, a stark improvement on Brian Hayles' last effort (The Celestial Toymaker). It has some glossy location footage, strong guest performances, the beginnings of a very intriguing and dangerous dual storyline, and, judging by John Cura's telesnaps, some lovely set and costume design. A wonderful start to the new series!

First broadcast: September 10th, 1966

Steve's Scoreboard
The Good: There's some great guest characters, notably Terence De Marney's ill-fated Joseph Longfoot.
The Bad: Ben's incessant moaning gets annoying after a while.
Overall score for episode: ★★★★★★★★★☆

NEXT TIME: Episode 2...

My reviews of this story's other episodes: Episode 2; Episode 3; Episode 4

Find out birth/death dates, career information, and facts and trivia about this story's cast and crew at the Doctor Who Cast & Crew site: http://doctorwhocastandcrew.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/the-smugglers.html

The Smugglers soundtrack is available on BBC CD. Find it on Amazon - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Doctor-Who-Smugglers-Radio-Collection/dp/0563535040