Captain Scarlet Big Ben Strikes Again

"Large Ben Strikes Once again!" is the third instalment of the Supermarionation television receiver series Helm Scarlet and the Mysterons. It was kickoff broadcast in the UK on October 13th, 1967, on ATV Midlands, written by Tony Barwick and directed past Brian Burgess. In this episode, the Mysterons attempt to destroy London later hijacking a transporter carrying an atomic device.

Like that of "Winged Assassin," the previous instalment, the plot of "Large Ben Strikes Again!" was like enough to the xi September attacks in the United states to cause the instalment to be held back when Captain Scarlet And The Mysterons was re-transmitted on BBC Two in 2001. Footage from "Big Ben Strikes Again" is used in the clip show instalment titled "The Inquisition" as a flashback.

Plot [ ]

The Mysterons announce a threat to destroy London and use their powers to hijack a transporter carrying an atomic device through the metropolis at dark. They seal the vehicle and its driver, Macey, in the underground Park View car park. Macey, who was knocked unconscious during the journey and does not know his location, awakes in time to hear Big Ben strike midnight both through the air and over his radio, only he hears thirteen chimes, NOT twelve! The Mysterons employ their influence to start the device's twelve-hour detonation inaugural, knocking Macey out over again and dumping him in aside street.

Since the disappearance of the diminutive device, Spectrum has been put on red warning. Captain Scarlet discovers Macey while surveying the streets in a Spectrum Saloon and the driver is flown to Cloudbase to chronicle his ordeal. There are over 2,000 London car parks fitting Macey'southward description of Park View, but remembering the commuter'southward merits that Large Ben struck thirteen, Captain Blue deduces that the auto park must be within a mile of Large Ben. Information technology is plant that Jupiter Manner and Park View are the only likely car parks within this distance.

With less than an hour until detonation, Captain Scarlet and Helm Blue immediately fly out to London. Jupiter Way is discounted and the officers locate the transporter at Park View in their Spectrum Pursuit Vehicle. With likewise fiddling time remaining to carry out the defusing procedure, Colonel White instead orders Captain Scarlet and Captain Blue to drive to a construction site outside the metropolis, which was Macey's intended destination anyway, to leave the device to detonate in a prepared excavation. Arriving with only minutes remaining, Helm Blueish lowers the transporter, which Helm Cerise is driving, surreptitious in a lift. Abandoning the vehicle, Captain Cherry-red ascends, but the lift shaft is damaged by the diminutive explosion. Helm Scarlet afterward recovers from fatal injuries, and his trunk decontaminates itself of radiation poisoning, using his retro-metabolic powers.

Afterward, Captain Bluish explains how he discovered Park View's location and how Macey seemed to hear Big Ben strike thirteen. Because he was inside a mile of Big Ben with his radio on, Macey was hearing two sets of chimes. However, the chimes issuing directly from the Large Ben were delayed due to the altitude travelled, so the "thirteenth" chime was a repeat of the twelfth that Macey heard only earlier over the radio. Captain Carmine declares that he will make thirteen his lucky number.

Bandage [ ]

• Paul Maxwell - (1st Law Officer)
• Charles Tingwell - (Macey)
• Martin Male monarch - (2d Constabulary Officer)
• Jeremy Wilkin - (3rd Law Officer, fifth Police Officer, Radio Announcer)
• Neil McCallum (quaternary Law Officer) (uncredited)

Production [ ]

A number of short scenes were scripted but unfilmed. Set immediately after Colonel White orders the red alert, these would take introduced Spectrum captains codenamed Yellow and Royal and shown Captain Cherry-red resting in Cloudbase'south "Room of Sleep", which is mentioned but unseen in later episodes. The script describes the Room of Sleep as containing "special couches" that enable users to condense a full night's sleep into one hour.

This episode's scale model piece of work included the construction of entire miniature streets, a task that could not take been accomplished without the larger budget that episodes ofCaptain Scarlet enjoyed compared to those of earlier Supermarionation series. Information technology was on the street sets that the transporter hullo-jacking was filmed – a scene that Derek Meddings, the series' special furnishings manager, remembered for its atmosphere. The sets were redecorated and reorganised several times to make it appear that Macey's transporter covers more basis. The transporter model, which re-appears in "Expo 2068", was designed by Meddings' assistant, Mike Trim.

The incidental music for "Big Ben Strikes Again" was recorded on sixteen April 1967 in a four-hr session held at series composer Barry Greyness's individual studio, where it was performed by an ensemble of xiv instrumentalists. Information technology includes a calorie-free jazz track, "Until Midnight", which tin can be heard playing on the transporter radio in the scene leading upwards to Big Ben's midnight chimes. Music for the post-obit episode, "Manhunt", was recorded on the same 24-hour interval.

Broadcasting [ ]

When a digitally-remastered re-run of Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons began in the United Kingdom in September 2001, "Big Ben Strikes Again" was originally going to be broadcast every bit the 3rd episode, but was postponed from its intended BBC 2 transmission date due to parallels betwixt the plot, with its depiction of the threat posed past an atomic device, and the 11 September attacks which occurred the same month. This coincided with Helm Cherry-red and the Mysterons pages on the Carlton website being taken offline. Somewhen, the instalment was re-transmitted, but later in the line-up.

Reception [ ]

Historian Nicholas J. Choose groups "Big Ben Strikes Again" with the later Captain Red and the Mysterons instalments "Treble Cross" and "Expo 2068" as examples of scriptwriter Tony Barwick's partiality to plotlines showcasing the dangers of nuclear technology. Cull concludes that the instalment'south plot of an atomic device being hi-jacked by the Mysterons is an case of this "favourite device" used past Barwick.

External links [ ]

• "Big Ben Strikes Once again" at Fanderson.org.uk
• "Big Ben Strikes Again" at CliveBanks.co.united kingdom
• "Big Ben Strikes Once more" at TheVervoid.com

Instalments of Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons

"The Mysterons" • "Winged Assassin" • "Big Ben Strikes Again!" • "Manhunt" • "Avalanche" • "White as Snowfall" • "The Trap" • "Performance Fourth dimension" • "Spectrum Strikes Back" • "Special Assignment" • "The Center of New York" • "Lunarville 7" • "Point 783" • "Model Spy" • "Seek and Destroy" • "Traitor!" • "Renegade Rocket" • "Crater 101" • "Shadow of Fear" • "Dangerous Rendezvous" • "Fire at Rig 15" • "Treble Cross" • "Flight 104" • "Place of Angels" • "Noose of Water ice" • "Expo 2068" • "The Launching" • "Codename Europa" • "Inferno!" • "Flight to Atlantica" • "Set on on Cloudbase" • "The Inquisition"

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Source: https://captainscarlet.fandom.com/wiki/%22Big_Ben_Strikes_Again%21%22

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