Story #28 "The Smugglers"

Season

4

Writer

Brian Hayles

Book/CD

 X

Episodes

4

Director

Julia Smith

Vid

 X

Story code

CC

Producer

Innes Lloyd

DVD

Episode Details

Episode

DR MM:SS

TX dd/mm/yy

RPT TX dd/mm/yy

In BBC Archive

1

24:36

10/09/1966

N

2

24:27

17/09/1966

N

4

23:37

01/10/1966

N

Cast Details

Regular Cast

William Hartnell (First Doctor) , Micheal Craze (Ben Jackson) / Anneke Wills (Polly)

Guest Cast

George A Cooper (Cherub) / Micheal Godfrey (Captain Pike) / Paul Whitsun-Jones (Squire) / Terence De Marney (Churchwarden) / David Blake Kelly (Jacob Kewper) / Mike Lucas (Tom) / Derek Ware (Spaniard) / Elroy Joseph (Jamaica) / John Ringham (Blake) / Jack Bligh (Gaptooth)

Synopsis

Arriving on the Cornish Coast in the 17th Century, a seemingly harmless message from a church warden leads the TARDIS crew into a confrontation with some Pirates. The Doctor has to persuade Customs and Excise Officers to help him defeat Captain Pike, who is in league with the local Squire, before sentence is passed on Ben and Polly, who have been framed for the murder of the now dead Church warden...

1. All four episodes of this serial are considered missing. As usual, the soundtracks and telesnaps survive, along with bits of Australian censor footage.

2. "The Smugglers" was the first story to feature major location shooting. All previous location shots had been conducted at locations around London, but substantial portions of this story were filmed in Cornwall.

3. This was the last story filmed in the third season's production block, although it was intended to be held over until the beginning of the fourth season. During filming, the production team realized that William Hartnell's health had deteriorated beyond the point where he could continue to work. Many months' discussion about replacing Hartnell finally came to a head, and Innes Lloyd decided not to renew Hartnell's contract. It is unclear if Hartnell was contractually obliged to appear in The Tenth Planet or if he agreed to do so after being informed of Lloyd's decision.

4. On initial airing, this story posted the lowest audience figures, at an average of 4.48 million viewers per episode, since the show had started. It would remain the least-watched story in Doctor Who history for twenty years, until The Trial of a Time Lord: The Mysterious Planet aired in 1986 and posted an average of 4.35 million viewers per episode.
   
   Order the Smugglers CD via our BBC Audio Page
   Order the Smugglers book via our shop