10 Classic Doctor Who Absurdities New Fans Won’t Believe
2. The Doctor Fought Bertie Bassett
Well, legally he didnt, but the physical origins of the Kandyman the robotic henchman of The Happiness Patrol do bear a certain similarity to that particular confectionary mascot. The Kandyman was the sanctioned executioner in a society where cheeriness was mandatory and a secret police existed to track down anyone who dared to be miserable apparently this was meant to be a parody of Thatcherism, although its hard to remember anyone being particularly happy in the eighties unless Knightmare was on. Despite his appearances, the Kandyman was a psychotic killer who enjoyed killing people in sweet-related ways, like drowning them in fondant or force-feeding them candy so delicious itd overload their senses and kill them, like some sort of confectionary-obsessed Joker. Fortunately for the Doctor, the Kandymans creator had included one major design flaw the robot didnt just resemble sweets, his casing was actually made of them, and the Doctor was able to stick him to the floor with a regular bottle of lemonade. (And you thought vinegar stopping a Slitheen was contrived.) While the serial isnt remembered fondly, and footage of the Kandyman is often used when discussing the shows decline and cancellation, it received high praise from critics at the time, particular Shiela Hancocks portrayal of the planets Thatcher-like ruler. Still, its hard to take a totalitarian regime too seriously when its enforcers cant go outside in the rain, and the message of the satire has faded over the years, making it hard to take the episode seriously nowadays.
