The Smugglers Episode 3

The one where the Doctor, Ben and Polly explore a graveyard...

Episode 3 of The Smugglers is somewhat inconsequential, so I'll start off by addressing the whole dating issue that surrounds this story. It's stated a number of times that this is the 17th century (ie, somewhere between 1600-1700), but in order for the references to Henry Avery and his treasure to work, this has to be set in the 18th century. Avery went missing in 1696, and it is thought he died sometime in the next two or three years (it's not actually known where and when he died), so The Smugglers surely has to be set after that.

Henry Avery actually appears in The Curse of the Black Spot 45 years later, which is apparently set in 1699. He's still alive and well here, although he does "go missing" from history when he and his crew disappear into the stars aboard the Siren's spaceship. That's all bunkum though, and really does not help the dating dilemma in The Smugglers at all!

The scenes with the Doctor and Kewper trying to outwit Jamaica aboard the Black Albatross are lovely, and allow William Hartnell to weave his charming spell over proceedings. His game with the playing cards sucks Jamaica in, but the whole ruse results in Kewper rendering the ship's mate unconscious, which is something I don't believe the Doctor should sponsor.

Wouldn't it have been much closer to type if writer Brian Hayles had the Doctor using Jamaica's superstition as a weapon against him (as Ben and Polly do to Tom in episode 2), and swap the fisticuffs as Ben's solution? Ben is very ready with his fists and it would have been much more realistic to have him wallop Tom, and the Doctor use the playing cards to trick Jamaica into releasing them.

Ultimately, the Doctor is responsible for Jamaica's demise at the hooked hand of an enraged Captain Pike, who is not best pleased to find the captives gone. Jamaica's death is graphic and hard-felt, as he is essentially a sympathetic character just trying to do his best. His death seems needless and gratuitous, but such is the world these cut-throats live in. It's good to be able to see a clip of the death thanks to the Australian censor cuts too. Pike's half-regretful "Fare thee well, Jamaica" as he wipes the blood off his blade with a lace hankie still haunts me. Performance-wise, however, Jamaica is no great loss, as Elroy Josephs' diction throughout is troublesome.

It's great to have Ben and Polly reunited with the Doctor, and their exploration of the churchyard is a nice set-up. Polly and Ben hunt for the oldest gravestone they can find, a game I often play when I'm exploring churchyards myself, and it's when they go back down into the crypt that the Doctor recites the ode whispered to him by Longfoot in episode 1. It's often claimed that Hartnell recites the poem incorrectly, but this isn't true - it's Terence De Marney who got it wrong in the first place in episode 1, and Hartnell gets it right here. I'm not sure what the discovery of the three tombstones for Ringwood, Smallbeer and Gurney actually achieves, but it sounds like a fantastic name for a Dickensian solicitors', don't you think?

The episode ends in the violent style to which we're accustomed during this story, with Cherub stabbing Kewper, and a shot ringing out as Polly screams her way into the end credits. It's not the most engaging of episodes, but the characters remain rich and the story diverting enough to hold the attention. The lavish location filming in Cornwall really adds to the atmosphere of the piece, with various characters mounting horses and galloping off along country lanes. It'd be super to actually see it all.

First broadcast: September 24th, 1966

Steve's Scoreboard
The Good: Fine-costumed men riding horses, or firing pistols, or rowing boats ashore, all on location in Cornwall. It sounds great, and looks gorgeous from the telesnaps. Also, Jamaica's death scene provides real pause for thought amid the running around.
The Bad: I feel Brian Hayles is running on the spot a bit in this episode.
Overall score for episode: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆

NEXT TIME: Episode 4...

My reviews of this story's other episodes: Episode 1; Episode 2; 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