THE STORY
The TARDIS arrives on the coast of seventeenth century Cornwall - much to the suprise of the Doctor's new travelling companions, Ben and Polly. Pirates led by Captain Samuel Pike and his henchman Cherub are searching the area for a hidden treasure, while a smuggling ring headed by the local Squire is attempting to offload contraband. The Doctor inadvertantly learns from the churchwarden, Joseph Longfoot, a riddle that is the key to the treasure's whereabouts. He is then captured by Pike's men after Longfoot is murdered.The Doctor manages to escape, but is eventually forced to tell Pike the rhyme's meaning - it refers to names on tombstones in the church crypt - and the treasure is uncovered. At that point ,however, the militia arrive, having been alerted by Revenue officer Josiah Blake. A fight ensues in which Pike and many of his men are killed and the rest taken prisoner. The Doctor and his companions slip back to the TARDIS.
CAST:
Dr Who (William Hartnell), Polly (Anneke Wiles), Ben Jackson (Michael Craze), Churchwarden (Terence de Marney), Cherub (George A. Cooper), Jacob Kewper (David Blake Kelly), Tom (Mike Lucas), Squire (Paul Whitsun-Jones), Spaniard (Derek Ware), Captain Pike (Michael Godfrey), Jamaica (Elroy Joseph), Blake (John Ringham), Gaptooth (Jack Bligh).
FACTS:
Captain Pike has a metal spike in place of his left hand.
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The title sequence film is used to represent the space/time vortex as seen on the TARDIS scanner screen in episode 1, with the story title, writer's credit and episode number captions overlaid in black.
No episodes of this story are known to exist.
OTHER FORMATS:
The First Doctor Novelisations
Back to the First Doctor Programme Guide
Back to 'The War Machines'. Forward to 'The Tenth Planet'.