Who Reviews The Happiness Patrol by Matt Rabjohns

“Why don't you do it then? Look me in the eye.

Pull the trigger. End my life?!”

There are many Doctor Who stories which can be termed under the banner of “oddball”. And The Happiness Patrol is a fine example of this, and a very very good one at that too.

The story is one of the best of Sylvester’s three-part stories in that it somehow manages to give every character a real presence in just over an hour and a quarter. I for one am really surprised and saddened slightly that Graeme Curry was never invited back to the show after he submitted this frankly sparkling script to the production office of the time.

As someone who was born too late to really know everything to do with Margaret Thatcher, then I cannot possibly comment much on what I’ve seen many others say about the story, particularly in how they seem to equate Helen A’s character with Thatcher. But what I can talk about is my own viewpoint of what this story imparts to me.

The thought of an imposed regime ruling by terror to instil happiness is never ever going to work for one thing. It’s really vivid how Graeme brings over his subtle thoughts on regime control within this story. Helen A’s character is the total embodiment of that regime, and it was essential for the story to succeed that her character was played by a perfect actress.

Thank goodness that’s what we all got in Sheila Hancock. What she manages to do with the character of Helen A is create a villain who is totally self-centred, but also give her a slight touch of pathos so she is not actually an irredeemable baddie. In fact, her scene where she breaks down next to the dying Fifi I find to be a highly emotive and beautifully judged scene. She has just spent the last-minute raving to the Doctor about the virtues of happiness when she spots the wounded Fifi and immediately breaks and starts crying. This is one of those frequent special Doctor Who scenes that one always recalls well upon re-viewing.

But The Happiness Patrol is by no means a one villain show. Indeed, we also get the delicious Harold Innocent as Gilbert M. He is slimy and quietly nasty and is great to watch on the screen. His final scene in the spaceship with Ronald Fraser’s understated but believable Joseph C where they inform Helen A that they are leaving her behind to head to another planet is wonderfully acted and scripted. These heads of the state of the Terra Alphan colony are all superbly portrayed.

And I have a very soft spot for Leslie Dunlop’s wonderful Susan Q. She gets on so well on screen with Sophie Aldred that I was in fact snubbed to learn that she would not be joining the Doc and her on their travels at the end of the show. I honestly could have easily seen her fitting in brilliantly with her and Sylvester McCoy.

And yet another winning pair of performers are Rachel Bell and Georgina Hale as Priscilla P and Daisy K. The withering vulgarity both these women inject into their roles is wonderful and great to behold on screen.

Then we come to the other villain of the piece. David John Pope as the Kandy Man is decidedly wacky in appearance, yes, the great Bertie Bassett lookalike himself. But unlike Liquorice this robot is mean and extremely unpleasant as a character. He’s one of the most characterful robots the show ever produced and his look is strangely suited to the style of story that’s being told. The Kandy Man may look like a big sweetie, but he’s truly a heartless killer and sadist and his sniping interactions with Gilbert M lift the story up even more so again. His demise is also memorable. 

Even the lesser prominent characters such as John Normington’s Trevor Sigma is wonderfully judged. John gives a fine rendition of an interplanetary executive. His quiet manner and tone of voice are wonderfully offset against Sheila Hancock’s blustering Helen A.

Sylvester McCoy also has an absolute cracker of a scene in this story too when he confronts the two snipers on the watchtower. The dialogue between him and the frightened gun totting guard is absolutely sparkling and intense, and Sylvester is in his element and makes the hairs stand up on the back of one’s neck. This is definitely a reminder to those who need it of just how brilliant a Doctor he truly is. He’s dark and moody and mysterious and this makes his incarnation one of the meatiest and well developed in the show’s long history. I truly still believe Sylvester to be criminally underrated as the Time Lord.

Sophie Aldred also seems to be having a whale of a time in this story. All her Ace-isms have now emerged to the full and her chemistry with Sylvester is winsome and alluring in the extreme. They truly are one the finest double acts in the history of acting. They complement each other so very well indeed. And as I’ve already mentioned she is terrific besides Leslie Dunlop and they have some great scenes together.

I would go as far to say that The Happiness Patrol is a clear highlight of the Sylvester McCoy era. It boasts all the attributes that made his era so successful. The slightly darker and more mysterious time lord is starting to come out in his performance with some vigour in this tale and it bodes well to have a marvellous story starring such a strong actor in the lead role.

Having said that I can see why this story might not be everyone’s cup of tea. As I have mentioned its certainly an oddball story, but it has a mountain of strong themes and scenes going for it. What is even more amusing about the story is Terra Alpha under the rule of Helen A is supposed to be a happy euphoric utopia and yet everyone in the joint is miserable as sin! This is a brilliant touch.

Even the poor nearly half-starved Pipe People come over well too, although maybe perhaps they are the least written characters so maybe they do sometimes appear perhaps a tad superfluous. But they look good and actually for once do genuinely seem near starvation. But this is only a minor minor niggle in what is all round an extremely strong and compelling story. Truly a showcase of just how varied and imaginative the show can be when it puts its mind to it.