| abstract | - It was narratively notable for being Ben and Polly's first journey in the TARDIS, and furthers the development of their characters as opposites to each other. While The War Machines had depicted Ben as sullen and Polly as vibrant, The Smugglers establishes Ben as a sceptic and Polly as a believer. In the same way as it takes Ben a significant time in The Power of the Daleks to admit that the Second Doctor is in fact the Doctor, here he takes the better part of episode one to believe that he's travelled back in time. At the same time, it also showed the way in which the two characters could effectively work together to solve problems. The story also contains an unusual amount of coarse violence, which resulted in the only surviving clips of the serial. The ABC took exceptions to a few scenes and edited them out — and then preserved those edits rather than broader episodes. So although it is mostly missing, a tiny flavour of the production has been retained. Additionally, the fact that the production unusually featured actual location filming in Cornwall attracted the enthusiasm of at least one amateur filmmaker. Footage exists of some of the location work, giving modern fans a further glimpse into the costuming and make-up of the serial. Despite the fact that The Smugglers was a ratings failure and is ill-remembered by modern audiences, it was given a boost by the BBC Wales team in 2011. It was elevated to the status of a loose sequel to The Curse of the Black Spot, since it tells the story of how the Black Albatross — crewed by Avery's former mates — went looking for the gold and treasure that Avery was hauling in the Fancy.
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