Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons

Did You Know?

• The first episode was broadcast in the London area as an unscheduled late-night test transmission five months before the official UK premiere.
• Only six episodes were shown in the Netherlands.
• In November 1988, the compilation film Revenge of the Mysterons from Mars aired as the second episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000 on Minnesota TV station KTMA.

Plot

The series opens in 2068 when the crew of the Zero-X spacecraft, investigating radio signals on Mars, destroys an alien city after mistaking a surveillance device for a weapon. The city's inhabitants, the Mysterons—sentient computers with partial control over matter—rebuild their city using their power of reversing matter and vow revenge. They wage a war of nerves against Earth, issuing threats and creating facsimiles of people and objects to carry out their plans. Their presence is marked by twin circles of green light. Captain Black, a former Spectrum officer, becomes the Mysterons' primary agent after they seize his mind. Spectrum, a worldwide security organisation, counters the Mysteron threat from its airborne headquarters Cloudbase, stationed 40,000 feet above Earth. Spectrum agents hold military ranks and colour codenames, answering to Colonel White. Cloudbase is defended by Angel Interceptor fighters flown by an all-female pilot team led by Destiny Angel. Lieutenant Green controls the base's computer systems. Spectrum also operates armoured Pursuit Vehicles, patrol cars, transports, jets, and helicopters.

Production

After efforts to secure a US network broadcast of Thunderbirds failed in July 1966, Lew Grade cancelled Thunderbirds Series Two and sought a new Supermarionation concept for the American market. Gerry Anderson conceived a series where the hero is killed each episode and resurrected by the next, combined with contemporary theories about life on Mars. He decided on the name 'Scarlet' for the indestructible agent, with a partner called 'Blue', and gave all personnel colour codenames. The organisation was named Spectrum, and its leader Colonel White. Anderson set the Mysterons apart from conventional aliens by making them sentient computers rather than organic life forms, based on the idea of 'life as we don't know it'. The original Mysterons were intended to be extragalactic beings that left their computers on Mars in the early 20th century.

Reception

Captain Scarlet is widely regarded as darker and more mature than earlier Supermarionation productions, with Andrew Billen describing it as Anderson's 'Gothic period' focused on damnation and the soul of a resurrected man. Marcus Hearn notes its militaristic feel and reduced emphasis on characterisation and charm. Jim Sangster and Paul Condon observe that the optimism of Stingray and Thunderbirds is absent, replaced by desperate damage limitation. The series' depiction of death and destruction has raised questions about its suitability for children; media historian Daniel O'Brien calls it 'the most violently destructive children's show ever'. The Mysterons were ranked 82nd in Channel 4's 100 Greatest Scary Moments in 2003. Commentators have drawn parallels to Cold War fears, the 'enemy within' scenario from films like Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and 1960s civil disobedience. Since 2001, comparisons have been made to the September 11 attacks and the war on terror.

Other media

The ATV game show The Golden Shot used Captain Scarlet as the theme for its 1967 Christmas special, featuring guest appearances from Francis Matthews and The Spectrum. Five audio plays were released by Century 21 Records in 1967, each approximately 21 minutes long, with the voice cast from the TV series. In 2017, Big Finish Productions digitally remastered and re-released them on CD, including audio adaptations of eight TV episodes narrated by Ed Bishop. Century 21 granted over 60 licences for Captain Scarlet products in the 1960s, including friction-drive model vehicles and Dinky Toys manufactured by Meccano Ltd; the SPV was Meccano's best-selling die-cast toy. Waddingtons released a board game based on snakes and ladders. Between 1967 and 1968, Armada Books published three children's novels by John William Jennison under the pseudonym John Theydon. In 1993, Young Corgi Books released novelisations of four episodes.