Polly (Anneke Wills) cradles the unconscious Ben (Michael Craze), watched by the innkeeper Jacob Kewper (David Blake Kelly) and the Squire (Paul Whitsun-Jones) in Episode 1 of The Smugglers (1966).
Patrick, Mike and I loved doing the historical stories,” says Anneke Wills, remembering her Doctor Who co-stars Patrick Troughton and Michael Craze with affection. “As actors, I think it’s much more interesting to ‘do’ history. Patrick absolutely adored doing the historical ones. It was such fun for him, dressing up and using outrageous accents.”
The regular cast’s enjoyment of monster-free adventures was short-lived. In late 1966 and early 1967, Doctor Who was undergoing momentous changes as William Hartnell, the show’s leading man, was replaced by Patrick Troughton. The cast wasn’t the only thing that was transformed. “As far as I can remember,” says Anneke, “they dropped the historicals because Doctor Who was considered by the high-ups at the BBC to be science-fiction: that’s what they wanted and that’s what they thought the audience wanted. Especially with Pat coming in new, they stuck to what worked – when in doubt, give him the Daleks.