BBCDVD 3387B Doctor Who - The happiness patrol by Graeme Curry


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Picture of dvds Doctor Who - The happiness patrol (Graeme Curry)

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Release pictures

Front cover
Picture of BBCDVD 3387B Doctor Who - The happiness patrol by artist Graeme Curry from the BBC records and Tapes library
Rear cover
Picture of BBCDVD 3387B Doctor Who - The happiness patrol by artist Graeme Curry from the BBC records and Tapes library

BBC records label code
Label
BBC3 label


Release details

DetailValue
Catalogue numberBBCDVD 3387B
TitleDoctor Who - The happiness patrol
Artist(s)Graeme Curry
Cover conditionNear mint
Record conditionNear mint
BBC records label code-
Item deleted?No
Released1988
Distributed / printed by2 entertain
Country of originUK UK flag
Media typePrimary
Media genreDramas - Sci-fi
View all other tracks listed as Dramas - Sci-fi.
Run-off codes / Shop bar codesA0101935057-A911 03 IFPI L556 Sony DADC
My rating*****
Guest rating*****

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Number have1
What type of seller was used?Amazon online shop
Where can I buy this release?You may be able to purchase this release from the following websites (others are available!)
 Amazon
 Discogs
 Ebay
 EIL
 MusicStack
 Recordsale

All release pictures

Below is all the cover (front, back, middle and inserts if applicable) and label pictures I have for this release.
Front cover
Front cover of BBCDVD 3387B
Back cover
Back cover of BBCDVD 3387B
Label
Label

Tracks

Below is a list of tracks for this release.
Side & trackTrack and ArtistLength
A1Part 124.51
A2Part 224.48
A3Part 324.25
A4Happiness will prevail - The making of The Happiness Patrol23.46
A5Deleted and extended scenes23.19
A6When worlds collide - What happens when Doctor Who enters the world of politics46.04
A7Photo gallery5.47
A8Radio Times listings [PDF]
A9Coming soon - Death to the Daleks1.00
Total length of media 2:54:00.

Reviews

Below is my review for this release and the ratings.
A good entry, I will include a full review asap!
Ratings
My rating3
Guest ratingCurrent average value is 3.

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Extra notes on cover, middle (gatefold sleeve) and any inserts


Starring


Sylvester McCoy (Seventh Doctor)
Sophie Aldred (Ace)
Sheila Hancock - Helen A
Ronald Fraser - Joseph C
Georgina Hale - Daisy K
Harold Innocent - Gilbert M
Lesley Dunlop - Susan Q
Rachel Bell - Priscilla P
Jonathan Burn - Silas P
Tim Barker - Harold V
David John Pope - Kandy Man
John Normington - Trevor Sigma
Richard D. Sharp - Earl Sigma
Tim Scott - Forum Doorman
Mary Healey - Killjoy
Steve Swinscoe, Mark Carroll - Snipers
Philip Neve - Wences
Ryan Freedman - Wulfric
Annie Hulley - Newscaster

Written by


Graeme Curry

Produced by


John Nathan-Turner

Directed by


Chris Clough

Synopsis


On the planet Terra Alpha, bright fluorescent lights and garish candy-striped colours abound. The population constantly display smiles. There's no sadness on Terra Alpha. Anyone feeling remotely glum disappears. Quickly. Having heard disturbing rumours, the Doctor and Ace arrive to topple the entire regime overnight.

Biut they haven't reckoned upon the varied punitive measures enforced by colony leader Helen A. There are many delicious ways to vanish on Terra Alpha - you can be hunted down by the omnipresent Happiness Patrol or mauled by Helen A's ravenous pet, Fifi. But an especially unlucky few will find themselves in the sweetie factory manned by Helen A's psychotic henchman - the Kandy Man.

This time, happiness will prevail ...

Background


Hoe do we, as viewers, approach The Happiness Patrol? As a product of its time - 19088 - there's no escaping the overt references to Margaret Thatcher and the derision of many of her mannerisms and the policies she introduced in that era. Given also the music motif woven throughout this story, it can also be interpreted as a reaction against the formulaic and synthetic pop sensibilities infesting the British charts around this time.

However the Happiness Patrol's themes are not limited to events of the late 1980s and have continued to resonate with audiences beyond the time of its initial transmission. During the 1990s, fan essays detailed a means of viewing The Happiness Patrol as an abrupt twist on the violent persecution of minorities, with the kitsch and camp portrayed here as 'mainstream' whilst the grey and mundane are things to be feared, abhorred and destroyed.

Certainly this story places emphasis on the value of not going against that is in our inherent natures. The Doctor can talk snipers out of killing him simply by insinuating that their society is forcing them to do something they cannot morally reconcile - and this is a central tenet of the story. Even now, watching the Doctor and the Drones confront The Happiness Patrol, it isn't difficult for a 21st-century viewer to draw parallels with 2011's 'Occupy Wall Street' movement, with people refusing to be complicit in following the corporate mindset.

Although originally crafted as a manifesto for the late 1980s, The Happiness Patrol presents the viewer with enduring themes that resonate over time - and, as always, they are presented in a way that is uniquely Doctor Who.
 

Other versions

I have the title track on these releases:
[dvds]BBCDVD 3387Doctor Who - Ace adventures

External links

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Further information

BBC Radio Enterprises Ltd and BBC Enterprises Ltd, predecessors of BBC Worldwide / BBC Worldwide Ltd., the BBC's commercial arm. Formed 1968 and 1979 respectively, they were a subsidiary wholly owned by the BBC and merged into BBC Worldwide in 1995. In that time, there were companies set up within or structured brands as part of the company to deal with separate parts of the business, e.g. BBC Records for recorded audio. Sometimes written as BBC Enterprise Ltd.

The items shown here are from the "main" BBC Records and Tapes library covering a wide secletion of genres from themes, comedy dramas and others, depending on which format you have selected.

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This page was last updated on 27-03-2023 at 21:12:14 UK local time.

This record has been seen 1299 times since 20th May, 2017.