The Kandyman costume from the seventh Doctor Story The Happiness Patrol has sold for £1,920 at an auction of BBC costumes and props at Bonhams.

Recently in the news due to claims from Andrew Cartmel and Sylvester McCoy that the series at the time was a satire on the Thatcher government, The Happiness Patrol featured the homicidal Kandyman – originally conceived as a pasty-faced psycho but realised as a murderous Bertie Bassett – as part of a Thatcherite regime that persecuted people for being sad.

Bassetts did not see the funny side at the time, nor did most Doctor Who fans, but I always thought the costume and concept pretty effective.

Anyway, I suppose it’s good that the costume ends up in the hands of someone who will look after it, rather than mouldering away in Television Centre.

Andrew Cartmel did not meet his reserve price.

Other items that went at the auction include:

• The stupid Torchwood Range Rover

• Two full-size Imperial Daleks from Remembrance of the Daleks raking in more than £35,000.

• The waitress costume worn by Kylie Minogue from Voyage of the Damned

• Tennant’s suit from the same episode

• Late 80s Cyberman costumes

• The London taxi used in The Runaway Bride

• The mask worn by Sharaz Jek in Caves of Androzani.

• A God of Ragnarok costume

• The bus conductor’s head from Greatest Show in the Galaxy

• Sarah Sutton’s original Nyssa costume

• A Marshman costume from Full Circle