Smuggler

a thrilling mix of sea battles, sword fights, and cliff-top confrontations

^{Review – Laurence Marcus}

Smuggler was an exhilarating action-adventure series that aired on Sunday afternoons, produced by Harlech Television. Set in 1802 during the Napoleonic Wars, the series unfolded against the rugged backdrop of the West Country. It starred Oliver Tobias as Jack Vincent, a former naval officer turned smuggler, who operated with a Robin Hood-like sense of justice. Jack’s independent smuggling activities put him at odds with both local criminals and the authorities, earning him the ire of rival gangs and the watchful eye of the law.

And whilst Jack is menaced by rival smugglers, customs men, traitors and vengeance seekers from a mysterious past, he does have some allies to help him; His accomplice, Honesty Evans (Hywel Williams-Ellis - Dramarama), who Jack rescues from a shipwreck in the opening episode, lives by cheek and the ability of his light fingers. Meanwhile, Sarah (Lesley Dunlop – May to December, Emmerdale), the mistress of Morton Hall, adds both intrigue and a touch of romance to Jack’s life.

Born in Zürich, Switzerland, Oliver Tobias is the son of the Austrian-Swiss actor Robert Freitag and the German actress Maria Becker. He came to the United Kingdom at the age of eight and trained at East 15 Acting School, London. In 1968, he appeared in the original London production of Hair and in the early seventies he became popular as Arthur in the TV series Arthur of the Britons. Peter Weir then directed him in the TV series Luke's Kingdom, in which Tobias played Luke Firbeck an Englishman who, in 1829, emigrates to Australia with his father and siblings to settle on a land grant in New South Wales. In 1978, he starred as Tony Blake in The Stud, a steamy drama in which the wife of a wealthy businessman hires Blake to run her club and to satisfy her nymphomaniac demands. The film helped revitalise Joan Collins' career, but Tobias later claimed that his role ruined his.

With Smuggler he was trying to shake off the image. "I've been hung-over for two years with the other image. Nowadays I refuse to go into nightclubs and discos." He insisted that the image of him portrayed in The Stud couldn't have been further away from the truth. "I'm keen on my motor bike and I make model aircraft as a hobby. I also sail a lot. I like fencing too. I practice a lot even when I'm not in a series like Smuggler." It's no wonder that one newspaper, reviewing the series, described Tobias as 'a nifty fellow with a sword.'

Speaking of his character, Tobias said, 'He is not a [traditional] hero, but he doesn't like injustice and there was a lot of it about in the early 18th century. Ordinary people were crippled by taxes and kept in poverty while the rich flaunted their wealth. Jack is trying to put a few things right. He is just the sort of anarchic hero I like. He's a loner fending off rival smugglers who are completely crooked, customs men, soldiers and all sorts of people.'

In the 18th century, something like half the population of Britain was believed to be involved in smuggling. It was reported that a speaker in the House of Commons once asked the MPs present to raise their hands if they were carrying a silk handkerchief, and most hands went up - at a time when the import of these were forbidden. During a large period of that century, the government raised taxes to finance expensive wars abroad. All trade with France became illegal, but smugglers brought in huge quantities of French wines and Brandy which were in great demand. Smuggled goods came into the country by sea and landed all around the coast in little coves and inlets where customs officers' boats were unable to follow.

A headstrong loner, Vincent eludes revenue officers along the coast of England and frequently finds himself entangled in the espionage war between England and France. The show is well-paced, with a mix of drama, romance, and action and an air of mystery with Tobias delivering a strong performance as the charismatic and morally complex hero who, it is later revealed, is a forsaken hero of the British Navy.

However, Smuggler didn’t romanticize all those involved in the trade. The series introduced the brutal and well-established Kemble Gang, led by the sinister brothers Silas and William (played by George Murcell – Hell Drivers, and Simon Rouse – The Bill), who ruled their territory through violence.

Smuggler is an all-action show with plenty of sea battles, cliff-top dramas, sword fights and skulduggery. Filming of the series took place around Bristol and along the rugged coastline near Minehead. The most daring scene that Tobias played had Vincent galloping on horseback over the cliff-tops in pursuit of his leading lady, who is also galloping at breakneck speed. He rides level, then jumps across, pulling her to the ground but managing not to roll down to the sea. Two stuntmen failed before Tobias tried and succeeded.

While some critics, such as Maureen Paton of the Daily Express, felt that Tobias took his role too seriously, resulting in a brooding performance, she conceded that Smuggler was entertaining “Sunday hokum.”

Smuggler ran for just one series of thirteen episodes and ended with Jack being arrested for murder, but his story did not end there. Six years later, Jack returned to our screens in Adventurer. Made by Thames Television and filmed on location in New Zealand, Jack is on board the prison ship HMS Success, being transported to a prison colony. As the ship nears its destination, Jack is facing a struggle for his sanity…