Doctor Who: The
Happiness Patrol
(1988/BBC DVD)
Picture: B- Sound:
B- Extras: B+ Episodes: B-
Sylvester McCoy’s tenure as the Doctor’s 7th incarnation
ran from 1987 - 1989, and while many regard these episodes to be some of the
poorest in the show’s long history, the strange quirkiness of “The Happiness Patrol” (story no. 153)
packs in enough fun, surprises, and solid performances to make it worth the
watching. First aired from November 2 -
16 in 1988, these episodes also feature Sophie Aldred in the role of Ace, the
Doctor’s tough female companion.
As so often occurs in the Who canon, the Doctor and Ace
arrive on a strange planet to find trouble. This time it’s a human colony on the planet
Terra Alpha, where the pair encounter a disturbingly happy society. With jaunty music playing everywhere and a
planetary police force calling themselves the Happiness Patrol, it soon
becomes apparent that the planet’s overlords are out to enforce a kind of
nauseating, unnatural joy. Garbed in
bright pink and purple uniforms, these gaily colored but still jack-booted
thugs hunt down and slay so-called 'Killjoys', those individuals who have the
temerity to show any sadness. Even the
TARDIS endures a pink repaint to avoid undue attention.
While poking about the planet, the Doctor and Ace meet the
various players that make up the principal cast of this three episode arc. Helen A (Sheila Hancock) acts as the planets
arbiter of happiness, controlling the Happiness Patrol and setting them on
anyone who shows sadness or worry. She
also has a very cool rat-creature depicted by an amazing puppet. The robotic Kandy Man (David John Pope) might
be one of the most ridiculous looking villains in Who history, but Mr. Pope’s
voice talents help to pull the zany look off and convey a measure of absurd
menace.
Working it from different angles, the Doctor and Ace soon
begin to unravel Helen A’s totalitarian rule of joy on Terra Alpha. Veteran character Richard D. Sharp puts in an
excellent performance as galactic Blues man Earl Sigma, and morose tones of his
harmonica soon have the planet’s denizens dancing to a new tune. In the end the Doctor manages to convince the
principles that happiness is empty when it cannot be juxtaposed against
sadness.
Plenty of extras make this a great disc for collectors and
Who completists. The usual bevy of
commentaries and featurettes provide additional insight into writer Graeme
Curry and director Chris Clough’s intent with this weird tale. Deleted and extended scenes only add to this
additional content.
Like most of Mr. McCoy’s Doctor stories, “Happiness Patrol” will not go down as a
highlight in the show’s history, but it gets the job done.
- Scott Pyle
