The Happiness Patrol (TV story)
The Happiness Patrol was the second story in the twenty-fifth season of Doctor Who. It was interpreted by some as a parody of Thatcherism, with Helen A representing Margaret Thatcher herself. [1]
Synopsis
The TARDIS arrives on the planet Terra Alpha, where the Seventh Doctor and Ace discover a society in which sadness is against the law - a law enforced with considerable zeal by the brightly uniformed Happiness Patrol. The planet is ruled over by Helen A with the aid of her companion Joseph C and her carnivorous pet Stigorax named Fifi.
The penalty for those found guilty of unhappiness is death in a stream of molten candy prepared by Helen A's executioner, the robotic Kandy Man, and his associate Gilbert M. The time travellers help to foment rebellion amongst the downtrodden population and the subterranean Pipe People - the planet's original inhabitants - and Helen A is overthrown.
Joseph C and Gilbert M escape in a shuttle, while the Kandy Man is destroyed and Fifi killed. Helen A finally realises that happiness is nothing without the contrast of sadness.
Plot
Having heard rumours of untoward happenings, the Seventh Doctor and Ace visit a human colony on the planet Terra Alpha, where they find unhappiness is an illegal act. In a perverse society ruled by the vicious and egotistical Helen A, the Happiness Patrol is a secret police force which hunts down killjoys and eliminates them. It also repaints the TARDIS pink as a colour more joyous than blue. The disappearances also worry Trevor Sigma, the official galactic censor, who is visiting Terra Alpha too, to discover where so many of the population have gone – 17% at the most recent count.
The Doctor and Ace have a brief incarceration to find out more about the society of Terra Alpha, encountering unhappy guard Susan Q, who becomes a firm ally. They split up, with the Doctor encountering another visitor to the planet, Earl Sigma, a wandering harmonica player who stirs unrest by playing the blues. Earl and the Doctor venture to the Kandy Kitchen at the heart of the planet’s governance system, where they discover rebels drowned in fondant surprise, the favoured method of execution of the Kandy Man, a grotesque, sweet-based equivalent of a robot, created by Gilbert M, one of Helen A’s senior advisers.
The Doctor and Earl effect an escape and end up in the candy pipes below the colony, where dwell the native inhabitants of Terra Alpha, now known as Pipe People. They want to help overthrow the tyranny of Helen A. The Doctor returns to the surface and starts actively subverting the government system – supporting demonstrations in favour of unhappiness and stirring up the drones to revolt; preventing snipers from removing malcontents; and even challenging Helen A face to face to end the monstrosity of her government.
Meanwhile, Ace and Susan Q have been scheduled to appear in the late show at the Forum, where the penalty for non-entertainment is death. The Doctor and Earl rescue them and the four head to Helen A’s palace for a final showdown, while a revolution rages outside the palace walls. The first to be disposed of is Helen A’s pet Stigorax, Fifi, a rat-dog creature she used to hunt down the Pipe People. Fifi is crushed in the pipes below the city. Next, the Pipe People destroy the Kandy Man in a flow of his own fondant surprise. Gilbert M and Joseph C, the consort of the leader, use the disorder to slip away. Helen A tries to flee too, but is challenged by the Doctor about the true nature of happiness, which can only be understood if counter-balanced by sadness. This is a notion she understands only when confronted with the remains of Fifi. The revolution is complete and the Doctor and Ace slip away – but only after the TARDIS has been repainted blue.
Cast
- The Doctor - Sylvester McCoy
- Ace - Sophie Aldred
- Helen A - Sheila Hancock
- Joseph C - Ronald Fraser
- Daisy K - Georgina Hale
- Priscilla P - Rachel Bell
- Gilbert M - Harold Innocent
- Trevor Sigma - John Normington
- Susan Q - Lesley Dunlop
- Earl Sigma - Richard D. Sharp
- Harold V - Tim Barker
- Silas P - Jonathan Burn
- Kandy Man - David John Pope
- Killjoy - Mary Healey
- Forum Doorman - Tim Scott
- Snipers - Steve Swinscoe, Mark Carroll
- Wences - Philip Neve
- Wulfric - Ryan Freedman
- Newscaster - Annie Hulley
Crew
- Assistant Floor Manager - Lynn Grant
- Costumes - Richard Croft
- Designer - John Asbridge
- Incidental Music - Dominic Glynn
- Make-Up - Dorka Nieradzik
- Producer - John Nathan-Turner
- Production Assistant - Jane Wellesley
- Production Associate - June Collins
- Script Editor - Andrew Cartmel
- Special Sounds - Dick Mills
- Studio Lighting - Don Babbage
- Studio Sound - Scott Talbott, Trevor Webster
- Theme Arrangement - Keff McCulloch
- Title Music - Ron Grainer
- Visual Effects - Perry Brahan
References
- The Doctor notes that Theta Sigma was his 'nickname at college'.
- The Doctor sings a verse of "As Time Goes By".
- Terra Alpha is an Earth colony of at least three million people. The humans have driven the native inhabitants underground.
- Earth is known, but isn't the centre of power. That has shifted to the galactic centre, home of the Galactic Census Bureau.
- Ace loves dinosaurs and hates lift music. She can't play an instrument, dance or sing.
- The Doctor refers to the Brigadier and his confrontation with a Triceratops and a Pterodactyl in the London Underground. (DW: Invasion of the Dinosaurs)
- The Doctor uses lemonade to stick the Kandy Man's feet to the ground and water to unstick him.
- The letter behind each person's name appears to be a kind of status marker. The leader has an A after her name, and her husband a C. The killjoy Harold V was called Harold F when he was the gag writer for Helen A, but was later degraded.
Story notes
- This story had the working title The Crooked Smile.
- Patricia Routledge, best known for her role as Hyacinth on Keeping Up Appearances, was originally considered for the role of Helen A, but turned it down.
- In the scenes set in the underground tunnels in Part Three, the Kandy Man has no metal brace around his mouth. This was added to the costume following these initial recordings to try to disguise the features of the actor inside.
- The howl of Helen A's pet Stigorax Fifi was actually the modulated sound of director Chris Clough's own voice.
- The character of Helen A was intended to satirise then British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. The character would say, "I like your initiative, your enterprise" while her secret police rounded up dissidents. In the story, the Doctor persuades "the drones", who toil in the factories and mines, to down tools and rise up in revolt, an echo of the miners’ strikes and printers' disputes during Thatcher's first two terms in office. [source needed]
- According to Sylvester McCoy in an interview for DWM 425, this story was originally planned to be filmed in black-and-white. Sylvester said that he'd only known this after it was filmed and said that he would've begged the Production Team to film in black and white, as he thought the sets were lacking.
- Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, referred to this story in his 2011 Easter sermon, on the subject of happiness and joy.[2]
Ratings
- Part 1 - 5.3 million viewers
- Part 2 - 4.6 million viewers
- Part 3 - 5.3 million viewers
Myths
- Part Three of this story was originally intended to consist of animation rather than live action. (It wasn't.)
Filming locations
- BBC Television Centre (TC3 & TC8), Shepherd's Bush, London
Production errors
to be added
Continuity
- The Doctor encounters the Kandy Man again in ST: The Trials of Tara.
- The TARDIS is also painted in DW: Paradise Towers and Aliens of London.
Timeline
- The Happiness Patrol occurs after ST: The Devil Like a Bear
- The Happiness Patrol occurs before DW: Silver Nemesis
Home video and audio releases
- This episode was released on DVD in the 'Ace Adventures' box set, along with Dragonfire, on 7th May 2012.
External links
- Review of the DVD
- The Happiness Patrol at the BBC's official site
- The Happiness Patrol at the Doctor Who Reference Guide
- The Happiness Patrol at Shannon Sullivan's A Brief History of Time (Travel)
Footnotes
