On one level, this is another silly episode of Doctor Who, featuring a mode of execution that involves drowning people in candy syrup and a villain who is literally made of Basset Allsorts. On another level, this is a triumphant standpoint against Thatcherism and the anti-gay laws being passed in the United Kingdom. On a third level, this serial is a meditation on the being – or not being – of happiness as a state in and of itself, restricted in a sense by not knowing alternate states…
This serial is, perhaps, both of these things. And so much more. Don’t be put off by the cover when you read this book.
Show notes and links:
- The Happiness Patrol – Wikipedia (wikipedia.org)
- BBC – Doctor Who Classic Episode Guide – The Happiness Patrol (bbc.co.uk)
- The Happiness Patrol: Doctor Who classic episode #16 | Television & radio (theguardian.com)
- Doctor Who S25 E2 “The Happiness Patrol” / Recap (tvtropes.org)
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