| THE SMUGGLERS by Brian Hayles |
| Story 28 Synopsis: The TARDIS lands on the beach, the Doctor bemused at his new guests. Ben and Polly are sceptical that they're not in 1966, even when they guess they've arrived in Cornwall. They shelter in a church, where the Doctor is given a rhyme by the churchwarden. After they leave, he is knifed in the back by a bald pirate. The travellers move to an inn, where the Doctor is attacked and spirited away, and Ben and Polly are accused of murdering the churchwarden. The Doctor is taken on board the Black Albatross, where Captain Pike is seeking Avery's gold. The Doctor stalls, and is thrown in the brig. The innkeeper, Kewper, makes his way to the boat to warn Pike, but realises he is out of his depth, and he too is imprisoned. Pike goes to the mainland to meet the Squire. Ben and Polly find a man called Blake, who is investigating a local smuggling ring. The Doctor and Kewper make it back to land, but Kewper is one of the smugglers, and the Squire is their ringleader. The Doctor starts to decipher the churchwarden's rhyme as the key to Avery's gold. The Squire is shot, and begins to regret trying to deal with Pike. The Doctor finds Avery's gold, but is shot by Blake, who is able to squash the smuggling. The Doctor, Ben and Polly return to the TARDIS, which next takes them to the coldest place in the world... |
| Review:- From swinging London back to historical Cornwall, and a maritime mystery for the Doctor... This, one of the last historicals, is an overlooked oddity, giving a first chance to see Ben and Polly off their own patch, ahead of the Doctor's imminent demise in The Tenth Planet. It's almost a return to the original style of historicals, set in the vague past, with no intention to make a point about history. The story has a simple moral message - that money is the root of all evil, whether it's the Squire and his smuggling operation, or bad Captain Pike and his hunt for Avery's gold. For once, the Doctor is quite pro-active, seeking to ensure that Pike does not profit at the expense of the lives of the local villagers. Similarly, the Squire is affected by moral conscience when he realises that there is a greater price to pay. Fortunately, the Doctor and his friends find a hardy local ally in the Revenue Man, Blake. A firm match for the Squire, he is able to provide the firepower to bring down the smugglers. In their first adventure in a new time and place, Ben and Polly fare quite well. It helps that Ben has a maritime background already, which is played for all its worth, and the doubleplay over "ships" is well written. The Doctor is able to outwit his captor on the Black Albatross, and deduce the secret of the location of Avery's gold. He also manages to shame the Squire with his undoubtedly lack of avarice. And he makes sure his new friends come to no harm, despite initial misgivings that his loneliness has been interrupted. On the whole, a neglected story, but worth taking the trouble to investigate. |
| Disclaimer: I have read the novelisation. |