#28 (4.1 - 4.4): The Smugglers.

The Doctor is menaced by pirate Cherub (George A. Cooper)

4 episodes. Running Time: Approx. 97 minutes. Written by: Brian Hayles. Directed by: Julia Smith. Produced by: Innes Lloyd.


THE PLOT:

Realizing that they still have the Doctor's key, Ben and Polly follow the old man into the TARDIS... at the very moment it dematerializes. Though stunned by the impossible interior dimensions, Ben dismisses the Doctor's claim that they are traveling in time and space. When the ship lands, he and Polly disembark...

Only to find themselves in 17th century Cornwall, where they take refuge with anxious church warden Joseph Longfoot (Terence De Marney). After the Doctor fixes Longfoot's dislocated finger, the man directs the three to an inn - but not before confiding a secret: "This is Deadman's secret key: Smallwood, Ringwood, Gurney."

Unbeknownst to them, the exchange has been witnessed by Cherub (George A. Cooper), a member of a ruthless crew of pirates headed by Captain Pike (Michael Godfrey). After Cherub kills Longfoot, he and his shipmates kidnap the Doctor, determined to get him to share the dead man's secret. Meanwhile, Ben and Polly find themselve under arrest for the church warden's murder, held captive by the corrupt squire (Paul Whitsun-Jones) preparing to do business with Captain Pike...


CHARACTERS:

The Doctor: Hartnell, whose health issues were worsening and who was likely running down at the end of the production block in any case, has more line fluffs than usual - But he's otherwise on pretty good form, as the Doctor uses his wits to navigate the situation. I particularly enjoyed the scenes between the Doctor and Captain Pike, as he shamelessly flatters the captain and plays to the villain's ego. The story also demonstrates how far the Doctor has come morally; he refuses to flee when Ben advises it, insisting on a "moral obligation" to make sure the pirates do not devastate the village. Can you truly picture the imperious old man from An Unearthly Child doing the same?

Ben: His first reaction to the TARDIS essentially mirrors Ian's, as he scoffs at the claims of time travel right up to the instant he is confronted with the 17th century church warden. After being separated from Polly for most of their introductory story, Ben spends most of this story in her company, which helps to establish the team dynamic between them. They continue to enjoy teasing each other, but Ben's protectiveness toward her is clear.

Polly: In contrast to Ben, who is quick to complain about their predicament, she decides to enjoy the adventure, declaring it "exciting," even as they sit in jail. Enthusiasm is largely her guiding trait, as she cheerfully jumps into every situation - often without pausing to think first, such as when she decides to go to the Squire in Episode Two. She has no evidence of her own innocence, and no real plan other than to accuse Pike and Cherub as "villains" when she sees them. She just more or less assumes that since she's in the right, everything will go her way. As in The War Machines, the contrast in personality between Ben and Polly helps to keep both characters engaging.


THOUGHTS:

I have a soft spot for The Smugglers. When I got back into Doctor Who, roughly twenty years ago now, I learned of the missing stories and sent away for the Loose Cannon reconstructions. The original Loose Cannon recon of this story was both my first reconstruction and my first Hartnell story - and while it took me an episode or so to settle into the format, I ended up thoroughly enjoying both the story and the characterization of the First Doctor.

In many ways, it was an ideal story to start with. Shot at the end of Season Three, but aired as the start of Season Four, The Smugglers' opening scenes are carefully crafted to serve as a quick re-introduction to the series, with the core concepts (the TARDIS, the Doctor's lack of control of its flight, and the time/space travel) all neatly explained to an incredulous Ben and Polly in the opening minutes. It is a bit of serendipity that this was shot before the decision was taken to replace Hartnell, as that allows the established Doctor to reintroduce the series alongside new, younger companions, just before the changeover.

The Smugglers is generally not considered one of the better missing stories, being a minor historical adventure yarn that openly pilfers elements from both Robert Louis Stevenson and Daphne Du Maurier's Jamaica Inn. As silly as it seemed for characters to mistake Vicki for a boy in The Crusade, it's downright hilarious when Anneke Wills' Polly is mistaken for one here. "See Paul? The curvy one with the long blonde hair, the wavy eyelashes, and the perceptible - ah - 'Dalek bumps?' Very boyish, isn't he?"

Despite, and in part because of the silliness, I still find The Smugglers enormous fun. The guest characters are almost all varying shades of corrupt, with each group trying to beat the others to the treasure, and that provides an entertaining rogue's gallery.  Performances range from standard to quite good, with George A. Cooper's Cherub cutting a particularly vicious figure.

The final episode is the weakest, as the various plots and ploys descend into an all-too-predictable fight scene. This is even worse in a missing episode, as the generic grunts, gunshots, and battle noises don't translate well to either still reconstruction or audio form. Even so, I continue to enjoy The Smugglers, and I suspect the story's reputation would improve if any of the episodes were to be discovered. It's certainly not the best of Doctor Who - but it's better than its repuation, as well as being worthwhile as a final chance for William Hartnell to shine in the title role.


Overall Rating: 7/10.

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#24 (3.30 - 3.33): The Celestial Toymaker.

Steven is forced into a deadly game against 

the deceptively sinister Cyril (Peter Stevens)

4 episodes: The Celestial Toyroom, The Hall of Dolls, The Dancing Floor, The Final Test. Running Time: Approx. 98 minutes. Written by: Brian Hayles. Directed by: Bill Sellars. Produced by: Innes Lloyd.


THE PLOT:

The TARDIS materializes in the world of the Celestial Toymaker (Michael Gough), an immortal whose existence centers around games.  The Doctor wants to return immediately to the TARDIS - But the Toymaker makes it vanish, and transports the Doctor away for good measure.

He challenges the Doctor to the Trilogic Game, a game of intelligence and concentration.  At the same time, he tells Steven and Dodo that they can recover the TARDIS, but only by winning a series of games against his own creations.  The games appear simple enough - Blind Man's Bluff, a form of musical chairs, a hunt for a key, a trip around a dancing floor.  But each game has a deadly twist, and the Toymaker's minions don't play by the rules.

Oh, and there's a final twist.  Steven and Dodo must win their games before the Doctor wins his.  Otherwise, they will all be trapped in the Toymaker's realm forever!


CHARACTERS:

The Doctor: The Doctor encountered the Toymaker once before, and wisely fled before the immortal could ensnare him in his trap. This time, his curiosity gets the better of him; when the Toymaker blacks out the TARDIS scanner, he can't help but go outside to see where they have materialized. He has confidence in his companions' abilities, but can't help but try to warn them about the Toymaker's traps - which leads to him being rendered mute and invisible as punishment. Hartnell isn't in much of the story, disappearing midway through the first part and only returning for the last half of the last part.  He is terrific in his scenes opposite Michael Gough, however, the two actors convincing us that these are two towering intellects pitted against each other.

Steven: With the Doctor sidelined, Steven takes center stage again. Fortunately, Peter Purves again shows himself more than able to carry the show. His performance makes tangible Steven's frustration at being stuck playing "kids' games" while the Doctor is fighting for his life, and the way his anger boils over when the Toymaker's minions cheat makes you believe that he's an inch away from resorting to outright violence. There's certainly a threat in his voice when he forces Joey the Clown in Episode One to don a genuine blindfold to navigate the blind man's bluff course - "Fairly, this time," and he shushes Dodo's protests that the obviously terrified clown is going to fall by telling her, "It's them or us."

Dodo:: In an odd dichotomy, I actually think Jackie Lane is much better in this story than in The Ark - but that Dodo, the character (such as she is), is even worse. Lane is convincing enough portraying Dodo's childlike enthusiasm and compassion for the Toymaker's creations... But at the same time, the character becomes officially Too Stupid to Live. After three episodes of the Toymaker's creations cheating at every game, she still disregards Steven and nearly loses the final game by falling for Cyril (Peter Stevens)'s fake injury. Not to mention the bit in Episode Two, where after it's established that all but one of seven chairs is deadly, she decides to just plop her butt into a random chair without even trying to come up with an alternative. At this point, she's making Susan look as useful as Barbara by comparison!

Celestial Toymaker:: Michael Gough is unsurprisingly excellent. Episode Four exists in its entirety, allowing us to see the calm and poise he brings to the Toymaker. He smiles with nearly every line, a smile that never touches his eyes. We get a hint of the sadness that must underly the character's existence, when he complains to the Doctor about how bored he is with his world and his creations. The story has its flaws, but the Toymaker's sole television appearance, in a mostly missing serial, nevertheless shows why he was considered worthy of a potential return in the 1980s, and why Big Finish have brought the character back in several audio stories.


BEHIND THE SCENES:

Any discussion of this story would be incomplete without noting the circumstances of its production. This became the first story of incoming producer Innes Lloyd - after it became the final straw for outgoing producer John Wiles. Whether or not Hartnell's deteriorating health was evident at this point seems uncertain, but it is widely acknowledged that he became much more difficult to work with after Verity Lambert left, and he and Wiles apparently got on like a house on fire.  If you want that house to burn to the ground, and then want to burn the ashes afterwards.

Wiles saw The Celestial Toymaker as an opportunity to solve the problem of a troublesome leading man. The Toymaker would discorporate the Doctor, who would come back at the end played by a different actor. The BBC overruled this, extending Hartnell's contract for the remainder of Season Three, and this appears to have led to Wiles' resignation.

I tend to think it worked out pretty well all-around. The Celestial Toymaker is too offbeat a story to be much of an exit, and Hartnell's role in it is too insubstantial - His replacement in a story he's barely in would feel like a cheat. Hartnell himself still had some very good performances left in him. And as much as I enjoyed most of John Wiles' run of stories, he didn't seem to have a unique vision for the show; he basically made Verity Lambert's Doctor Who, only a bit darker and more adult-pitched. Innes Lloyd's tenure is more uneven in terms of quality, but he did have a distinct vision for the series, one that helped to secure its future.


THOUGHTS:

The Celestial Toymaker's reputation in fandom has bounded up and down over the years. When aired, it was not terribly well-received by the public, with much of the audience actively disliking its "silliness." Over time, it became regarded as a lost classic. Then, in more recent years, its reputation has again plummeted, with detractors complaining about repetitive storytelling and dismissing the serial as "four episodes of watching Steven and Dodo playing silly games."

In fairness, the complaints are valid. The first episode is intriguing, tidily introducing the story and the stakes and giving us a quick first game that sets the structure. Episode Four - the one existing episode - does a strong job of bringing the story to a close. Unfortunately, the middle episodes... pretty much do nothing. Steven and Dodo play deadly games; the Toymaker's creations cheat, and ultimately defeat themselves in doing so; the Toymaker gloats to the Doctor and advances his game. If the first episode was ever recovered, the story would be fully releasable at that point - You could almost seamlessly cut from Part One to Part Four without noticing anything was missing!

For all of that, I still mostly enjoy this story. I have a fondness for weird, vaguely surreal stories, so this one is well-positioned to connect with me. I'll admit that my patience wanes at times during the middle episodes, but even they deliver a few strong moments. The deadly chair game in Part Two creates a hint of tension. The dancing floor in Part Three seems like an interesting set piece, though it's so visual in nature that it's hard to be sure based on audio or still-frame reconstructions. And Dodo gets a rare good moment when she observes to Steven that the Toymaker's creations keep failing "through doing something silly and human."

Meanwhile, I think Parts One and Four are quite good. The visual aspect is constrained by budget and unimaginative direction (the Toymaker's realm is a too obviously a mostly-bare BBC studio), but there's enough cleverness in the storytelling to engage. Part Four also gets a big boost from Peter Stevens' sneering, childishly despicable Cyril, who manages to briefly upstage Michael Gough's Toymaker.

So while it's far from the masterpiece it was once regarded as, I think it's equally far from the disaster some now label it. This would be better as a 3-parter, or even as a 2-parter... But I find enough to enjoy to recommend it anyway.


Overall Rating: 7/10.

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