The Smugglers is often seen as one of the "most Story that ever exist", I don't think I ever see somebody say they actively dislike it or anything, just that they find it dull, which I get to some extent.

Personally speaking, while I rate it perhaps a bit too high, I genuinely think this one deserves much more Credit to its Name, even if the lack of Visuals do hurt this one. I mean, Julia Smith's Directing (which can be seen via behind the Scenes reel in color no less!) seem to make the Story much more dynamic. That said, I think all of our three leads actually bring their A-Game to the Story and continue the rather fresh feeling that the previous Story brought with it.

I think the Writing is quite a clever one, even if some of its Humor would improve with seeing the Reaction of the Character at times. I still think it has a lot of charm and while some of our Supporting Cast aren't as good as in other Hayles Stories, they do still bring quite a few Things to this little Pirate Tale. I do also argue that despite only really writing one Pure Historical, Hayles does a great Job with this one outing, even if he obviously doesn't hit the same Highs as the King of Pure Historicals.

In Short: I actually love the Smugglers. Is it perfect? Oh no, the lack of Visuals can be felt here sadly, some Characters have not much to do here and the Telesnaps are certainly on the weaker Side. It still does its Job well and continues the great new-found Energy we have with this new Trio. A fun story certainly and definitely one of my personal Highlights of the Hartnell Era, I find it super underrated!

The Smugglers has never been a story I’ve had much of an opinion of.  It’s one of fandom’s forgotten lost stories.  It isn’t Power of the Daleks.  It isn’t Fury from the Deep.  It’s falls in the slightly odd Season 4 which is neither one thing or the other.  As a season opener it certainly doesn’t feel like what we’re used to now with modern publicity and big, brazen launch stories like Asylum of the Daleks or The Impossible Astronaut.  But it doesn’t even feel like what the classic series usually gave us (at least in its later years) such as the first story of a new Doctor or new companion.  The Smugglers just happens.  No fanfare.  No returning monster.  We sort of have new companions in Polly and Ben, being as this is their first trip in the TARDIS after the events of The War Machines, but this story demonstrates how, in it’s early days, Doctor Who was a serial.  Audiences didn’t really know how many episodes a story would last for.  I’m not even sure they would have known that The War Machines was the ‘end’ of Season 3.

The Smugglers is a genteel story, aside from the bloody violence, which meanders through its plot with very little drive or determination.  There are no real surprises and a couple of the characters are fairly bland – Blake, the King’s Revenue Man played by John ‘Tlotoxl’ Ringham being the worst offender.  Pike is a cut price Captain Hook and the other pirates are fairly clichéd although there is fun to be had with Cherub and the greedy Squire.  Cherub is a vicious piece of work, knifing people in the back and betraying Pike.  The Squire is an interesting character who is quite happy to fall in with the pirates for monetary gain but baulks at the prospect of violence and bloodshed.  The part at the end where the Doctor determines to ensure the Squire is safe is an interesting character beat for the Doctor.
What is enjoyable about this story is how strong the three regulars are.  Hartnell shows no signs of the fatigue which was supposedly setting in leading to his departure from the series in the next story.  He is wonderful in the scenes where he and Kewper are outwitting Jamaica with fake fortune telling and his enigmatic hints that sometimes superstition may hold a grain of truth is another interesting slant on the Doctor’s character.  Anneke Wills and Michael Craze as Polly and Ben are two of the most underrated companions the series has had, although I think that in recent times there supposed blandness has been massively re-evaluated thanks to the availability of the audio soundtracks for their largely missing episodes and for fandom’s growing ability not to rely on the ‘wisdom’ of its elders who were always quick to tell us that The Tomb of the Cybermen was an absolute classic and that The Underwater Menace was an embarrassment simply because no one could refute their views.  Ben shows instant loyalty to the Doctor (he says ‘you’re the guvnor’ more than once) and has a great rapport with Polly.  Polly, for her part, shows brain to match Ben’s brawn and her idea of using fake witchcraft to escape from captivity is inspired.  She does, unfortunately, slip into distressed damsel a few times although some of these occasions are believable character traits such as her fear of rats.

As historicals go, this one is more about style than substance.  As we know, historicals were being phased out around this time due to their unpopularity with the viewers and this was the penultimate trip into pure history only to be followed by The Highlanders three stories later (which ironically introduces one of the series best loved companions).  We don’t meet any historical figures in this story and it isn’t set during any significant historical event.  The two historicals prior to this were The Gunfighters (dramatising the Gunfight at the OK Corral and featuring historical luminaries such as Wyatt Earp) and The Massacre of St Bartholomew’s Eve (again dramatising a true event and featuring historical figures).  The Smugglers isn’t even very specific with its dating, preferring to have a vague ‘17^th Century’ setting.  It is far more concerned with the romantic notion of smugglers and pirates popularised by tales such as Treasure Island and Doctor Syn.  (I have an interesting personal relationship with Doctor Syn as it is a series of books my father tried to encourage me to read when I was younger but they never appealed and just sat on my bookshelf until given away to a jumble sale.)

The Smugglers’ link to The Curse of the Black Spot is its other interesting aspect.  I had some debate with myself as to when this story should be placed in relation to the Series 6 adventure.  Lance Parkin has dated The Smugglers to c1696 (based presumably on the last known sighting of Captain Henry Avery).  The Curse of the Black Spot is dated, very specifically, to April 1st 1699 by the prequel released on the BBC website (and subsequently on the DVD box set).  As AHistory had been released prior to Series 6, Black Spot is obviously not included and I had assumed (without researching the actual history) that The Smugglers must be set after Black Spot to allow for the pirates to be searching for Avery’s lost treasure.  However, as Avery disappeared from historical record in 1696, it is quite feasible that The Smugglers is set in 1696 or maybe 1697/98 prior to Black Spot with Pike’s crew searching for the treasure and us merely learning about Avery’s true fate three years later in 1699.

The parallels between the two pirate crews are also quite interesting.  They are all fairly generic and faceless – two of the pirates in The Smugglers don’t even get names until late into Episode 3 and 4; Avery’s crew are only really named in the credits.  There is a bald headed pirate in both crews and a black pirate in both.  The portrayal of Jamaica is of its time, but it can’t be said that Dancer in Black Spot is any more politically correct as he is dispatched fairly early in the episode after Amy’s swashbuckling catches him on the hand and he succumbs to the Siren.

I enjoyed The Smugglers, but more in a gentle Sunday afternoon teatime drama than any edge of seat dramatic tension.

Thworping through time and space, one adventure at a time!

“THE SMUGGLERS: HISTORICAL ACCURACY, PIRATE TREASURE, AND A SLOWLY SINKING STORY”

The Smugglers kicks off Doctor Who’s fourth season with a return to the historical format—one that had defined much of the First Doctor’s era but was quickly falling out of favour. Written by Brian Hayles, this adventure marks the last pure historical story of the Hartnell era, as well as the penultimate story for William Hartnell himself. While Hayles proves he can craft a convincing historical setting filled with equally believable characters, the story itself suffers from a sluggish pace, repetitive plotting, and a lack of narrative drive.

There is, however, a nice sense of symmetry in how this serial opens. Ben and Polly’s reaction to the TARDIS interior mirrors Ian and Barbara’s shock in An Unearthly Child, with the Doctor once again annoyed at having unwanted passengers aboard his ship. Unlike their 1963 predecessors, though, Ben and Polly adapt fairly quickly to their predicament, allowing the story to waste little time establishing them as proper companions.

BEN AND POLLY TAKE THE SPOTLIGHT

With The Smugglers, the focus shifts onto the new companions, Ben and Polly, as they adjust to time travel and take a more active role in the adventure. Their dynamic is well-established here, with their friendship and teamwork becoming one of the story’s highlights. Ben, in particular, proves his worth early on, stepping up when they’re thrown into jail and handling himself well under pressure. Polly, while not as central to the action, still gets her moments to shine, and it’s refreshing to see both of them quickly become capable travellers rather than simply being dragged along by the Doctor.

As for the Doctor himself, Hartnell once again does a fantastic job with what little material he’s given. He brings his usual excitement to the historical setting, clearly relishing the opportunity to play the part of an 17th-century rogue. He works well alongside the guest cast, though his role in the narrative feels somewhat reduced compared to his earlier historical adventures.

PIRATES, SMUGGLERS, AND A DASH OF DANGER

One thing The Smugglers does well is its setting. The BBC excels once again in production design, successfully transporting the viewer to 17th-century Cornwall. The extensive use of location filming outside of London lends an air of authenticity, making the serial feel more grounded. The rugged coastal backdrop, combined with the use of an old church, underground tunnels, and a pirate ship, provides a strong visual foundation for the adventure—even if it’s tragically lost to time.

The guest characters generally feel authentic to the period, with plenty of rough, grizzled smugglers and pirates. Michael Godfrey makes for a solid villain as Captain Pike, exuding menace in both voice and manner. Cherub, his violent and ruthless right-hand man, also stands out. Elroy Josephs’ role may be small, but as the first Black actor with a prominent speaking part in Doctor Who, it’s a noteworthy moment in the show’s history, even if his character is ultimately forgettable.

A RETURN TO DARKER STORYTELLING

One of the more interesting aspects of The Smugglers is its return to a darker tone, something the later Hartnell era was increasingly known for. There’s a fair amount of violence in this serial, with multiple deaths spread throughout the four episodes. The treasure hunt sequence in Part Three is a particularly strong section of the story, featuring riddles, hidden passages, and an escalating sense of urgency that evokes the best pirate films. Part Four ramps up the tension even further, with Pike and Cherub’s final confrontation and the frantic race for Avery’s treasure providing a much-needed jolt of excitement.

Unfortunately, while these moments work well, they arrive too late to salvage the overall pacing of the serial. The climactic battle sounds thrilling, but being entirely missing, it’s difficult to fully appreciate its impact.

A STORY ADRIFT AT SEA

While The Smugglers succeeds in crafting a believable historical setting, it struggles when it comes to storytelling. Hayles’ script spends far too much time meandering, filled with conversations that don’t necessarily push the narrative forward. The plot itself feels like it’s running in circles for much of the runtime, only really gaining momentum in the final episode.

The biggest issue is that the serial seems more interested in immersing us in the time period than in telling a compelling story. While historical accuracy is great, it doesn’t mean much if the narrative itself isn’t engaging. The lack of real twists, turns, or surprises makes much of the serial feel monotonous, and in a reconstructed format, it becomes even harder to maintain interest.

Adding to the issue is the guest cast. While they certainly sound the part, many of them lack distinct personalities, making it difficult to tell some of them apart—especially when combined with heavy pirate accents. Aside from Pike and Cherub, most of the characters are fairly forgettable, which makes the long stretches of dialogue-heavy scenes even more of a chore to sit through.

📝VERDICT: 5/10

While The Smugglers offers strong world-building and a promising setting, it fails to deliver an engaging or dynamic story. Ben and Polly’s strong introduction and the atmospheric locations help, and there are moments of tension and adventure that work well, particularly in the latter half. However, the sluggish pacing, repetitive dialogue, and lack of narrative drive make the serial feel like it’s treading water rather than sailing towards an exciting conclusion.

As a result, The Smugglers ends up as a largely forgettable adventure—one that lacks the intrigue and dramatic weight of earlier historicals like The Aztecs or The Massacre. It’s a shame that Hartnell’s last historical doesn’t make a stronger impression, but as a transition into the new era of Doctor Who, it at least serves as an important stepping stone for Ben and Polly’s development.

Another slow and lost serial.

A meandering, pointless story that only breaks from its dullness to be racist