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Planet Mirth (Delighting “The Happiness Patrol”)
Season 6 Episode 26
Doctor Who gets political, camp, and candy-coated all at once in The Happiness Patrol. On Terra Alpha, Helen A rules with a smile—and a gun—while her confectionary executioner, The Candy Man, dishes out death by fondant. Pete and Chris dive into this neon-noir dystopia, unpack the not-so-subtle Thatcher parallels, and debate whether Sylvester McCoy’s most infamous outing is biting satire, glorious camp, or both. Happiness will prevail… but only if the Randomizer allows it.
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Timeline:
- Intro 00:00:00
- Previously… 00:01:47
- Whomoji Challenge 00:07:57
- POLL to Open 00:12:44
- TL;DW 00:19:16
- Commentary: The Happiness Patrol 00:21:36
- History Corner 01:07:22:21
- Four Questions to Doomsday 01:09:17
- What If the Evil Plot Had Succeeded? 01:14:08
- Where Is the Clara Splinter? 01:18:58
- Final Judgment 01:23:21
- Randomizer! 01:30:29
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Story Essentials
- Season 25, Serial 2
- Story number: 152, per the The Pull To Open Codex
- Writer: Graeme Curry
- Director: Chris Clough
- Script Editor: Andrew Cartmel
- Producer: John Nathan-Turner
- Aired 2–16 November 1988
Pull To Open: The Happiness Patrol
- Season 6
- Episode 26