Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet

''New Captain Scarlet'' is a British animated remake of the 1960s Supermarionation series ''Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons''. Both series were produced by Gerry Anderson. As a nod to Supermarionation, the new series' animation was promoted as " Hypermarionation".Bentley 2008, p. 281. It was the last show that Anderson produced.

The series premiered on the ITV network in February 2005. Instead of having its own timeslot, each episode of ''New Captain Scarlet'' was shown within the children's Saturday morning children television show, '' Ministry of Mayhem''. Anderson was unhappy with this scheduling decision, claiming the show was ignored.Bentley 2008, p. 282.

The ''Radio Times'' said fans "felt the essence of the show had been pixelated away", while ''The Register'' called the series a "rehash".

Premise

In the year 2068, peace on Earth is maintained by the Spectrum Organization, a super-efficient security group, headquartered in the vast floating aircraft carrier Skybase, which hovers on the edge of Earth's atmosphere. Spectrum is staffed by agents recruited from various military services, who are each assigned colour codenames to hide their true identities. Under the command of Colonel White, Spectrum has become the supreme peacekeeping force, maintaining a fleet of sophisticated vehicles for use by Spectrum field agents.

A mission to locate the source of mysterious signals originating from Mars unleashed the power of the Mysterons, a ruthless alien consciousness. When Spectrum Captains Scarlet and Black discovered the Mysteron city on Mars, Black mistook the intentions of a probe for a hostile offensive and opened fire, completely destroying the city. Using their power of retrometabolism (the ability to recreate matter), the Mysterons rebuilt their city, killed Black, and promised to crush Earth and its destructive people. This has taken the form of a war of nerves, with the Mysterons using their powers to influence people, vehicles and inanimate objects to fall under their control.

The Mysterons' primary Earth agent is Captain Black, recreated from the body of the original Spectrum agent. Captain Scarlet was also engineered to become an agent of destruction, but the Mysterons' hold over him was broken after he fell through a power conduit in the Skybase engineering section. Retaining the original man's memories, personality and loyalties, the new Captain Scarlet also retains the Mysteron ability to survive injuries that would prove fatal to any other person. Spectrum's personnel and facilities are now mainly mobilised to combat the threat of the Mysterons, with Captain Scarlet as their greatest weapon.

Characters

Spectrum personnel

* Captain Scarlet (Paul Metcalfe): leading Spectrum field agent. A 32-year-old dual nationality (British/American) former USAF and special forces officer, replaced by a virtually indestructible replicant. His mother was Ann Brightman, a British astrophysicist, while his father, Tom Metcalfe, was an American pilot who later joined the International Space Agency. Voiced by Wayne Forester, motion capture performance by Oliver Hollis.
* Captain Blue (Adam Svenson): 32-year-old American agent. A decorated former US army officer and sportsman. Blue is Captain Scarlet's second partner at Spectrum (after Captain Black) due to Colonel White's insistence. Voiced by Robbie Stevens.
*Destiny Angel (Simone Giraudoux): 29-year-old dual nationality (French/British) Falcon Interceptor pilot and leader of the Spectrum Angels; a former USAF pilot and ISA astronaut. Destiny was in a romantic relationship with Captain Black, something that Scarlet was jealous of because of his closeness to Destiny. Voiced by Emma Tate.
* Colonel White (Sir Charles Grey): Spectrum's commanding officer, a 55-year-old former director of MI6. Voiced by Mike Hayley.
* Lieutenant Green (Serena Lewis): Spectrum's Controller of Operations, a 27-year-old American former UN computer systems development technician. In the Series 2 episode "Proteus" she is offered a promotion to captain, but declines in order to continue working with White. Voiced by Jules de Jongh.
*Doctor Gold (real name Mason Frost): main doctor on Skybase. Voiced by Nigel Plaskitt.
*Lieutenant Silver (Bethany Craig): Skybase's Australian second communication officer, rotating with Green. Voiced by Emma Tate.
*Captain Ochre: aged 32, Irish. She is a highly trained field agent and an explosives expert who can handle heavy artillery. Voiced by Julia Brahms.
*Captain Grey (Iain Taggart): aged 38, Scottish.The Complete Gerry Anderson: The Authorised Episode Guide Voiced by Robbie Stevens.
*Captain Magenta: aged 28, Italian. A former military police officer. Voiced by Jeremy Hitchen.
*Harmony Angel: Destiny's second-in-command if she is occupied or injured. Aged 26, American. Voiced by Jules de Jongh.
*Rhapsody Angel: aged 28, British. Voiced by Julia Brahms.
*Melody Angel: aged 25, American. Voiced by Heather Tobias.
*Symphony Angel: aged 24, Japanese. Voiced by Jules de Jongh.

Mysterons

*The Mysterons are the alien enemies of Spectrum from the planet Mars. They have the power of retrometabolism, which means they can kill a person and rebuild them as a weapon under their control. Represented by two green circles when travelling over surfaces on Earth. Voiced by Mike Hayley.
* Captain Black (Conrad Lefkon): lead Mysteron agent, a 33-year-old American former special forces officer and Spectrum agent, replaced by a virtually indestructible replicant. He used to be Scarlet's best friend and partner and dated Destiny Angel. Voiced by Nigel Plaskitt.

Vehicles

Spectrum vehicles

*Skybase: the airborne headquarters of Spectrum, permanently stationed above the clouds. Skybase is home to a fleet of high-tech Spectrum vehicles, including a squadron of Falcon aircraft. The Falcons are handled using a unique magnetic control system. After landing on the runway, a circular lift lowers the plane into the hangar. Robotic arms automatically re-fuel, and re-arm guns and missiles. Using this system means that the Falcons are always action ready.
*Rhino TRU (based on the Spectrum Pursuit Vehicle of the original ''Captain Scarlet''): the Rhino TRU (Tactical Response Unit) is a 10-wheeled armoured attack vehicle capable of high speed with the help of twin booster jets at the rear. It is armed with two front-mounted twin cannons firing explosive tipped rounds, as well as armour piercing missiles, harpoon guns and magnetic clamp guns. The vehicle can be driven from either side, the steering sliding into position to whoever needs to drive. The driver's cabin has multiple control screens to act as the drivers eyes, as there is no window. Whenever a Rhino is needed on a given mission, Spectrum will use an Albatross to transport the vehicle.
*Cheetah RRV (based on the Spectrum Patrol Car of the original): a rapid response vehicle. The Cheetah has a machine gun concealed inside the front grill. It can travel on its four wheels but also features concealed wings and a tail fin. When powered by the jump jets in its wings and booster jets in the rear, the Cheetah is able to glide over obstructions with ease. In the first series, the wings are used only for landings from Skybase or flying jumps. In the second series was the Cheetah shown to be able to take off from the ground under its own power.
*Stallion Raid Bike: Spectrum's high-speed attack bike. With its pressurised canopy and wings, it can be launched from Skybase. After leaving the runway, the bike free-falls before deploying its wings in stages to glide. As the bike touches the ground, the canopy and wings disengage. Armed with missiles and front-mounted machine guns.
*Albatross SDC: Skybase carries two of these massive VTOL transporter aircraft, which are used to carry vehicles – mainly Rhinos – wherever they are needed in the world. The Rhino can be deployed the moment the Albatross lands, and once it is out, the craft can take off again immediately. The Albatross is equipped with anti-missile acoustic disruptors that make it a hard target to hit, despite his size.
*Falcon Interceptor (the Angel Interceptor in Anderson's earlier series): piloted by the Angel squadron, the White Falcon fighter aircraft are Skybase's main defence. Each Angel pilot has a designated craft. Armament comes in the form of twin 30 mm cannons and a variety of air-to-air and air-to-surface missiles. In emergencies, the front portion can disengage from the main body to form a self-powered escape pod. If the pod fails, there is also an ejector seat.
*Swift Passenger Jet: Spectrum's fast and comfortable passenger jet. Designed primarily for relaxation and off-duty travel, with luxurious living and dining areas, the Swift can also be converted into a fully operational control centre.
*Hummingbird Helicopter: Spectrum's multi-purpose helicopter.
*Skyrider: a single-person, rocket-powered atmospheric transport used on both Earth and Mars.
*Spectrum Space Shuttle: used to transport personnel between the Earth, the Moon and Mars. The shuttle comprises an orbiter and a lander. The orbiter is capable of carrying multiple personnel for long-duration interplanetary flight. The lander is capable of transporting a Bison rover for rapid EVA.

Others

*Bison Alien Terrain Vehicle: a piloted, high-speed surface rover for off-Earth use. It is a sealed vehicle allowing the operators to drive helmet-less during normal operation. Used on the surfaces of the Moon and Mars.
*Condor Freighter: a civilian multi-purpose, heavy-lift freight aircraft.
*Druzynik Battlewagon: an automated tank armed with a railgun cannon and other weapons.
*Mercury Shuttle: a rail-launched civilian space launch system.
*Vampire Interceptor: a World Air Force interceptor aircraft commandeered by the Mysterons on several occasions.

Episodes

Overview

CGI test film

In 1999, Anderson supervised the production of a computer-animated test film, ''Captain Scarlet and the Return of the Mysterons'', to explore the possibility of updating some of his 1960s Supermarionation series for a 21st-century audience.Bentley 2001, p. 123. The working title was ''Captain Scarlet – The New Millennium''. Produced by Moving Picture Company using a combination of Maya software and motion capture technology, the film features Francis Matthews and Ed Bishop reprising their voice roles of Captains Scarlet and Blue. Set a few years after the Mysterons apparently cease hostilities against Earth, the film sees the reappearance of Captain Black, setting the stage for a revival of the war with Mars.Bentley 2001, p. 124. The film was screened at a Fanderson convention in 2000 and a science lecture in 2001. It was released on Blu-ray in 2017.

Series

The success of ''Captain Scarlet and the Return of the Mysterons'' led to the development of ''New Captain Scarlet''. The new series was first announced in 2003. Much of its £22 million budget was contributed by private investors under the Enterprise Investment Scheme. For all episodes except the first three, motion-capture photography was completed by the production companies in-house using a 16-camera setup. As a nod to the original ''Captain Scarlet'', which was "filmed in Supermarionation", the opening titles announce the animated remake as being "created in Hypermarionation".

Series 1 (2005)

Series 2 (2005)

Release

Broadcast

ITV premiered ''New Captain Scarlet'' on the Saturday morning children's entertainment show '' Ministry of Mayhem''. Episodes were split across two parts and shown with truncated opening titles.

Anderson later claimed: "They took my half-hour show, cut the titles off and cut it in half. It wasn't even listed so people who watched ''Ministry of Mayhem'' had to wait and watch all the nonsense going on before the first half. When it finished they didn't say there was a second half or when it was going to start. After they had shown all the episodes, legally it had to be cited as a repeat so it never had a premiere. It just broke my heart." In interviews with Den of Geek and Big Finish, Anderson further dismissed ''Ministry of Mayhem'' as "a three-hour rubbish show", claimed parents had to "suffer" when ''New Captain Scarlet'' was not on-screen, that he was uncredited, and that ''Ministry of Mayhem'' "murdered the show".

In the United States, the series aired on Animania HD. International sales rights were handled by Sony Pictures Television and Sony Wonder.

Home media

DVD

Both Series 1 and 2 are available on DVD in the UK, the latter being produced under the ITV DVD banner. Individual volumes are available with three or four episodes on each disk and box sets of all volumes from both series are available separately.

;Volumes

;Boxsets

Blu-ray

In December 2014 it was announced on Gerry Anderson's official site that the HD masters of the series which were thought to be lost were located and hopefully to be released on Blu-ray in the future.

;Boxsets

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:New Captain Scarlet
2000s British animated television series
2000s British children's television series
2000s British science fiction television series
2005 British television series debuts
2005 British television series endings
British aviation television series
British children's animated action television series
British children's animated space adventure television series
British computer-animated television series
British English-language television shows

ITV animated television series
ITV children's television shows
Television series by Sony Pictures Television
Television series produced at Pinewood Studios