Classic Who "The Happiness Patrol" Part 3 EARLY Early Access!
Added 2025-09-26 13:00:21 +0000 UTC
Comments
You've pinned down the general feeling at the time which was this could have been a great story but the production somewhat lets it down in places, however the production team were mindful of previous criticism that the programme had become too dark and unsuitable for children. Things of note is that actress Sheila Hancock plays Helen A in a very similar way to then current prime minister Margaret Thatcher who also had a very blinkered view that the UK should be happy even when a lot of the population were not. The Kandyman was also not too similar to sweet manufacturer's mascot Bertie Bassett and the company tried to sue the BBC following transmission for using the character.
Graeme Wood
2025-09-27 09:25:40 +0000 UTCThank you for sharing some thought provoking feedback on this one. I don't tend to have these sentiments about many Classic Who stories but it's just one of those stories I feel could have been done so much better if it had been done for New Who. I think they would have for sure given it the added depth it deserved. Like you I think it's a terrifying concept which is fascinating to explore, but it just fell a little flat in terms of delivery, bordering on the ludicrous. I love the inclusion of the bluesy Mouth organ player, he reminded me of a long ago dearly departed friend & ex Business Partner who used to dress exactly like that! Kind of makes me sad watching his character. I don't know what the general consensus is on this one but it didn't get a particularly flattering write up in the papers. I seem to recall it was deemed stupid that they deliberately fashioned The Candy Man after the (at the time) well known signature character created for the well known confectionary box, Licorice Allsorts, namely a character called Bertie Bassett. If you Google that, you'll find that the similarities are just too familiar to be coincidental. I also think that at this stage in Classic Who, which this story really didn't help with, many fans felt that the series was 'running out of ideas'. I don't share that view as the stories that follow are, to my mind, iconic! More on those after you've reacted to them. See you next time!
James Fish
2025-09-26 17:42:22 +0000 UTC
