Smugglers' Caves and Secret Tunnels

New Zealand Listener, Volume 28, Issue 726, 12 June 1953, Page 7

Smugglers' Caves and Secret Tunnels

N exciting adventure serial written and produced in New Zealand is to be broadcast shortly in the Sunday early-even-ing programme from 2, 3 and 4ZB and 2ZA. Entitled Captain Cain, the story is similar in style to such universal favourites as Treasure Island and Kidnapped — and it should — therefore y » to. children of all-ages. Sa takes: place int, gCornish village of Polkyll in 1815-the

year of Waterloo. The hero and narra- | tor of the story is 18-year-old Roger Carlyon--ostensibly the nephew of the local miller, Oliver Mildmay, but actually heir to a title and rightful lord-of-the-manor of Polkyll. Roger’s existence is at first unknown to Sir Richard Carlyon, the brother and murderer of Roger’s father, and the man who has usurped Roger’s lands and title. Like any fishing village of Napoleonic times, Polkyll was not altogether law abiding. When the _ pilchards weren't : running; the smugglers. and revenue agents were. Much of the © brandy sipped by London Society came ashore in casks on the backs of brawny. parttime fishermen and found its way to the city by way of the secret tunnel at Polkyll. The village was conveniently situated for the purpose of dodging excisemen, with an island just . offshore behind which the smugglers’ vessels

could hide without anyone in Polkyil knowing about them. The smugglers were led by the ruthless Captain Cain, a hooded figure who organised operations, but was seldom to be found taking part in therm. In his quest -for evidence that would

restore him to his rightful © fortunes, Roger Carlyon finds himself. in contact with both smugglers and revenue agents, but like many another shrewd Cornishman, ‘he keeps a close guard on his tongue and manages to remain on friendly terms with both. In the NZBS production, the part of Roger is played by Christopher Venning, his uncle Sir Richard by Kenneth: Firth, -his friends the blacksmith Doubledick and the parson Steven Rollo by Selwyn Toogood and Martin Cock. Other characters include the deputylieutenant of Cornwall, Sir Bevil, and his’ daughter Susan, the prevention ‘agent Lieut. Bosinney, the innkeeper Pennycomequick, the bootmaker and village gossip Sam Pollex, and of course the infamous smugglers’ leader Captain Cain... ~~ John ‘Gundry, who wrote the story, says. he read a number of books on

Cornwall before doing so. Several of the secondary characters use the Cornish dialect, and authentic names have been _ used. Doubledicks and Pennycomequicks are still to be found in Cornwall at. the present day. There is plenty of action. in each of

the 52 episodes of Captain Cain, but the author has not neglected the serial "cliff-hanging" technique of keeping a specially exciting incident in suspense, and the listener is left impatient for the ‘next episode. The serial was produced at the Wellington Production Studios of the NZBS. It will be broadcast first from 2ZA at 6.0 p.m. on Sunday, June’ 21. Station » 2ZB will give it its first broadcast at 6.30 p.m. on Sunday, June 28, and 3ZB and 4ZB at 6.0 p.m. on July 5 and July 12 respectively.