The Smugglers

In the serial, the Doctor (William Hartnell) and his new travelling companions, Polly (Anneke Wills) and Ben Jackson (Michael Craze), arrive in seventeenth-century Cornwall and find themselves involved in the search for Captain Avery's hidden treasure while a smuggling ring masterminded by the local squire attempts to off-load contraband. The Smugglers is one of the programme's last purely historical stories. Story editor Gerry Davis commissioned Hayles to write the scripts; the atmosphere reminded him of the Doctor Syn novels. The serial is Hartnell's penultimate in the leading role; his contract was renewed for one final serial. Smith was the second woman to direct Doctor Who, and cast several guest actors with whom she had previously worked. Her familiarity with Cornwall led to extensive location shooting in the area in June 1966, and the episodes were recorded in Riverside Studios in July. The Smugglers received an average of 4.5 million viewers across the four episodes, a decrease from its predecessor; the third episode set a new low for Doctor Who, with 4.2 million viewers. Reviewers lauded the direction and performances, particularly Hartnell's, though some found the story derivative and reliant on caricatures.