Happiness will prevail! Join Deb, Lizbeth, and Lynne as they discuss the noir, the camp, the political, and the social aspects of this 7th Doctor-and-Ace story.
What are your thoughts about “The Happiness Patrol”? Let us know in the comments!
^E
Happy things:
- Liz celebrated 20 years of Big Finish with a video during the livestream!
- Lynne saw a bit of Doctor Who The Edge of Time, the VR game!
- Deb is also super excited about Big Finish’s 20th anniversary and the special titles they’re releasing!
Download or listen now (runtime 1:15:35)
VerityPodcast.com 
Comments on: "201 – Cyanide and Happiness Patrol" (2)
This has nothing to do with this particular podcast other than that it was mentioned briefly, but I’m about to watch The Time Monster for the first time and felt obligated to tell everyone, particularly Liz!
This was an excellent conversation. The Happiness Patrol is a story that I really like, right from having seen it on first broadcast. It has flaws that are there to be seen, but in the end they boil down to the definitive problem faced by the show in its final classic years – having an ambition that far outstripped the resources available. It looks hokey.
But then, only in parts. The Candy Kitchen is a beautiful creation, as of course is the Candyman in both design and performance. And even the rest of the production could be explained away as representing a society where the surface appearances are only that – a flimsy shell over what lies beneath.
I was tickled that you only mentioned the ‘look me in the eye; end my life’ scene at the very end. I think it’s terrific but your discussion about it here exemplified why Verity!’s voice is so important! And an interesting insight about a possible link between that moment and the Seventh Doctor’s demise in the TV Movie. The gang in the alleyway most definitely did not look him in the eye before pulling the trigger, and probably would not have done the deed if they had! Making his end both ironic and pointless…