📝8/10

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"The Happiness Patrol: A Surreal, Dark, and Creepy Gem"

The Happiness Patrol is one of the most boldly political and uniquely unsettling stories of Doctor Who’s classic era. Combining Orwellian dystopia with a sickly-sweet aesthetic of pinks, pastels, and smiles, it serves as a dark satire on authoritarian regimes and forced conformity. Underneath its seemingly lighthearted and absurd surface, the serial carries a sharp political allegory, making it one of the most distinctive and memorable episodes of the McCoy era.

The story introduces Terra Alpha, an Earth colony where sadness and depression are outlawed, and citizens are forced to embrace “happiness” at all costs. Helen A, the charismatic yet tyrannical ruler, maintains control with the aid of her Happiness Patrol, a gang of pink-clad enforcers who eliminate dissenters. The twisted utopia also hides the oppressed and forgotten—those who live underground in rebellion. It’s a chilling and surreal vision, as though George Orwell’s 1984 had been dipped in a garish candy-colored palette.

The brilliance lies in its juxtaposition: the bright and saccharine visuals contrast sharply with the dark undercurrents of societal oppression and violence. The setting feels both ridiculous and horrifying, giving the story an uneasy, dreamlike quality.

Sylvester McCoy gives one of his best performances as the Seventh Doctor. This story highlights his emerging role as a dark manipulator, someone who fights tyranny with wit, cunning, and calculated rebellion. The Doctor is resolute in his opposition to Helen A’s regime, yet he uses words and psychological tactics instead of brute force to undermine her power. His calm confrontation with Helen A in the climax—where he calls out the futility of her forced happiness—is one of the story’s strongest moments. McCoy balances his charm and his quiet menace beautifully, cementing the Seventh Doctor as a deeply thoughtful and complex character.

Ace takes a bit of a backseat here compared to Remembrance of the Daleks, but she avoids slipping into the “typical companion” trope. She continues to exude strength and determination, remaining a solid foil to the Doctor’s darker tendencies. While she doesn’t have as many standout moments, her presence remains integral.

Helen A, played with chilling brilliance by Sheila Hancock, is the heart of this dystopia. Combining the charm of Cruella de Vil with the cold, tyrannical edge of Dolores Umbridge, Helen A becomes one of the most memorable villains of the classic series. Her obsession with eradicating sadness—and her inability to understand the complexities of human emotion—makes her both tragic and terrifying. The way her forced happiness crumbles into grief in the final moments is poetic justice at its finest.

Helen A’s emotional breakdown at the end is a fitting and satisfying conclusion to her arc. Her grief for her beloved pet Fifi, a symbol of her fragile “happiness,” reveals the cracks in her facade.

The Kandyman is another stroke of surreal genius. A literal man made of candy—modeled after Liquorice Allsorts—he’s both absurd and deeply disturbing. The Kandyman taps into the uncanny valley, where something designed to look innocent becomes grotesque and menacing. However, his potential as a threat is somewhat undercut by his bumbling nature. While he’s visually unsettling and brilliantly realized in design, he often feels more like a comical henchman than a truly dangerous adversary.

The production design is deceptively simple yet effective. The stark contrast between the grey, grim environments and the bright costumes and painted faces of the Happiness Patrol creates a jarring visual tension that strengthens the story’s unsettling atmosphere. This juxtaposition reflects the thematic tension between the facade of happiness and the brutal reality of oppression.

The music also enhances the dark and bizarre tone, giving the serial an eerie quality. Despite the budgetary limitations, The Happiness Patrol feels carefully crafted, with an aesthetic that lingers in the viewer’s mind.

What elevates The Happiness Patrol is its political commentary. At its core, the story is a critique of regimes that impose conformity, suppress individuality, and enforce false narratives of happiness. It’s a biting allegory for totalitarian control, reflecting historical and contemporary political systems. The mantra of “Happiness will prevail” mirrors propaganda slogans like “War is peace” or “May the odds be ever in your favor,” reminding us of the dangers of blind obedience.

The story also explores emotional repression and the importance of acknowledging sadness as part of the human experience. The Doctor’s confrontation with Helen A underscores this beautifully: true happiness cannot exist without the freedom to feel grief, pain, and loss.

Under Andrew Cartmel’s guidance, the show continues to embrace darker, more mature themes while retaining its sense of adventure and imagination. The Happiness Patrol is a perfect example of this new direction. It mixes classic Doctor Who tropes—tyrants, rebellions, and underground societies—with bold storytelling and a unique aesthetic.

The story’s influence can be seen in the revived series, particularly in episodes like Smile (2017), which explores a similar premise of enforced happiness.

Final Thoughts:

The Happiness Patrol is a wonderfully dark, satirical, and surreal adventure that stands out as one of the most unique stories in Doctor Who’s history. Its unsettling tone, strong performances, and sharp political commentary make it a hidden gem of the classic era. While the Kandyman’s execution divides opinion, there’s no denying the story’s ambition and effectiveness.

This is Doctor Who at its boldest—a strange, unnerving, and thought-provoking tale that deserves multiple viewings.

Random Observations:

• Helen A’s character is said to have been inspired by Margaret Thatcher, adding a layer of real-world political allegory to the story.
• The story’s darkly whimsical tone feels like something out of a Tim Burton film—bright visuals masking sinister themes.
• The Kandyman’s design caused controversy, as it closely resembled the Bertie Bassett mascot, leading to potential legal disputes.
• The “happiness will prevail” mantra is particularly chilling, echoing the manipulative slogans seen in dystopian fiction like 1984 and The Hunger Games.

A delightfully bizarre acid trip of a story; camp, politically sharp, farcical and poignant at turns. It is slightly let down by some of the design, unfortunately, but if you can look past that and get swept up in the story, then I can assure you -- Happiness Will Prevail!

I think this is becoming more appreciated as time goes on and I think it's great. Very atmospheric and a great satire of a dystopian society, getting the tone just right as well which is where some of these good ideas lose something. McCoy is actually brilliant in this also.

A brilliant premise for a story - a world where people are forced to be happy or else they are punished with death. Whilst the full potential of this premise is not explored within the ample runtime, the lead villain sells it well and is treated to an excellent face off with McCoy part three in which he tells her passionately the errors of her ways.

Similarly to Delta and the Bannermen there are a few to many guest characters. It would have been better if they’d just focused on the best ones - perhaps fleshing out the role of the candyman and the guy playing the blues - both of whom scream potential but come off a bit one dimensional. There is a lot of running around.

Whilst most of this would have looked more appropriate shot on location (it feels quite constrained given their portraying a whole world) I have to tip my hat to the team who put together the candyman and his lair which look phenomenal.