Absolutely!!! I loved this series as a kid, and I still love it. Words couldn’t describe the fun and spectacle of it to my friends who’d missed seeing it. But, once it resurfaced, I made a point of showing it to adult friends, whose jaws would drop to the floor, as yours did. Gerry Anderson’s theory of kids’ shows was that boys didn’t want to watch “kiddie shows” but wanted to watch James Bond with dad, and Sylvia Anderson understood that girls already loved dolls and fashion and would want in on the heroic action too. I could gush about this show all day, but MVP - Derek Meddings and his incredible miniature FX team.
Captain Scarlet is a weird mashup of traditional science fiction tropes and Christian dogma. Scarlet lives on "Cloudbase" with "Col. White" and the "Angels", and descends weekly to Earth to "die" defending mankind and then be "resurrected." That being said, its a hell of a fun watch.
They were called “Angels” because they wings and the pilots are attractive women who are colloquially known as angels at the time. It has bugger all to do with Christianity. If you think cloudbase is heavenly then I assume you must think the same of SHIELD’s Helicarrier.
I think Mike Trim explained the modrl cars on the oddly towering car park had no motors. The tower rotated, the camera turned with it, and that of screwed the model cars upwards. Insane enough that I believe it.
You are several decades late, series like these and Thunderbirds are definitely ahead of their time and still hold up today, congratulations girlie for enjoying
This would make an excellent block buster movie. You will notice with these Anderson shows that they will do absolutely anything to avoid having the characters walk.
Puppets that sweat and bleed for our entertainment. But they don't walk. The creator of the show decided the puppets wouldn't walk since it made them look like puppets.
So happy that you watched and liked Captain Scarlet. I hope you enjoy the rest of the series. 😊 One piece of advice: when the show was broadcasted, some of the episodes were in the wrong order. See if you can try and watch it in production order. Enjoy.
I only saw small snippets of this as a kid, but as Ed Bishop (Commander Straker from UFO) voices Captain Blue and does the narration, I'm going to watch them all!!
1. "It reminds me Space 1999" - it's made by the same production team. 2. "Like Charlie's Angels"...which was made in 1976 and Captain Scarlet is from 1967. 3. "the art at the end" - it's the concept art from Sylvia Anderson when the show was in pre-production.
Being born in the late 90's, I used to watch Captain Scarlett (and the others: Thunderbirds, Stingray...) every day i could on VHS. I remember my dad built me Col. Whites rotating desk out of cardboard with lights, switches and everything. Plus a full Captain Scarlett uniform. I think this was for my 5th birthday.
Captain Scarlett and the Mysterons was probably my favorite of the Gerry Anderson super marionette productions. I think because all the puppets have a proper proportioned head compared to the earlier Stingray and Thunderbirds. This was done not without much difficulty. The Spectum Angel Flight consists of five elite pilots: Destiny Angel (the French one and Flight Leader), Symphony Angel, Rhapsody Angel, Melody Angel, and Harmony Angel. These are all code names of course, their actual identities are revealed in the series. They all fly the Angel Interceptor, which is a more advanced version of the World Army Air Force Viper Jet. I built the original 1968 Airfix 1:72 scale Angel Interceptor model kit back in the day. Airfix apparently reissued it in 2011 with new decals and in grey plastic (the original was molded in white). It was a rudimentary model, not a lot of detail, but a fun kit to put together as a kid.
Also briefly shown was the Spectrum Pursuit Vehicle or SPV (a combat all terrain vehicle) as it was referred to which uniquely had the occupants facing to the rear whilst driving using cameras pointed forward so when they dismount via a sliding 'rail' the rear acts as a armoured shield. SPV's were located in various locations and buildings like petrol stations out and about rather than at a central base. So they would drive to one in a red Spectrum Saloon Car and request an SPV located as close as possible to an operation. Here it's driven by 'Captain Blue', voiced by Ed Bishop who would later play a role in 'Doppelgänger' with his natural dark hair and as 'Commander Straker' in 'UFO' wearing a light grey wig.
Round 2 Models in Indiana are producing kits for om UFO next year, and have said that Thunderbirds and Captain Scarlet were candidates for future kit lines. Maybe you'll get a shot at *new* Angel Interceptor kit in a few years!
Captain Scarlet first came out in England when I was 6 years old. I was in a fire explosion at that age with my slightly younger brother, which put us both in the hospital with various burns for about 2 weeks. My parents asked us what we would like as a present for surviving. I wanted a Captain Scarlet doll made at the time and my bother wanted Captain Blue. We never got them, because I don't think my parents could afford buying these rather expensive models at the time. But hey - Captain Scarlet is engrained upon my memory, because of that explosive event of my past. Now, today, I love how you equated the rainbow colours of Spectrum and the Angels to relate to you. I'm a straight, 63 year old white man. Now sadly, the stereotypical image of intolerance and bigoted intransigence. But I have NEVER EVER been like that! I was bought up on Star Trek, Anderson, the Twilight Zone and MASH. And being a beautiful, well read lady like yourself, I would be proud in my childless life, to have had an - across the pond daughter like you. Rock on Alexa. x
Captain Scarlet was a really good show, you'll love it! Another live action Gerry Anderson show worth checking out is The Persuaders. If you want more Barry Morse also check out Zoo Gang.
Gerry had nothing to do with The Persuaders, a completely separate series. The one you’re thinking of is The Protectors, a thirty minute live action show about a pan-European detective agency. It starred Robert Vaughan, Nyree-Dawn Porter & Tony Anholt.
I was 6 when Captain Scarlet was first broadcast. Had a Captain Scarlet action figure, too. It's very dark for a children's tv show. Love it together with Stingray and Thunderbirds.
Great review. Captain Scarlet was every child's hero in the UK back in the 1960's. You really must hear the opening theme tune, which was a popular hit record back then.
I watched this at 8.30am just after getting out of the gym and I can tell you dear Alexa, you put a massive smile on my face. People are giving me funny looks. You are so special bless you
This and Anderson's other show Secret Service are the height of his Super Marionation series in that he's mastered the techniques and style. You can see how they never show the puppets walking and later will mix live action in far shots in Secret Service. It's almost the transition from the puppets to the live action of UFO. I'd like it if you reacted to it, but the show was meant for kids so will understand if you don't. There's also a CGI version that came out a couple of years ago 🙂
There are several episodes that have a continuity with other episodes that sometime aired if differently is very confusing. Lunarville 7 > Crater 101 > Dangerous Rendezvous Fight 104 > Noose of Ice Operation Time > Spectrum Strikes Back
Hey! Thanks so much for helping me pass the time today while I was stuck for three hours in an Emergency ward. Nothing serious, but it was SO dull, and I stumbled on this reaction video after finishing watching a doc on the making of Captain Scarlet. At first, I was skeptical if you'd "get it", and when you initially mispronounced Mysterons as "Mysterions", I rolled my eyes, but you noticed your error immediately and corrected it promptly, so no harm, no foul. Once I saw your response to the Angels and the whole rainbow design aesthetic, I knew you were gonna get onboard with the show. I grew up with Gerry and Sylvia Anderson's shows in the '60s and '70s, to they're a bit sacred to me and I was so happy how enthused you were with them that I ended up whiling away the rest of my insufferable wait watching more of your reactions to this series. You mentioned how much the design reminded you of Space 1999, so I'm assuming that you've subsequently discovered the Andersons were behind that series, as well as UFO, Joe 90, Thunderbirds, Stingray, Fireball XL05 and a few feature films like the wonderful Journey to the Far Side of the Sun. It's a remarkable body of work by an incredible creative team and it always warms my heart to see younger peeps discover these exceptional shows. SIG!!!
I am glad some videos helped pass the time! Yes, usually it takes a few episodes of a new show to figure out how to pronounce things; just look at my first UFO reaction!
Aw, I’m SO pleased you enjoyed it. This series (and subsequent ones) struggled to find an audience due to it hitting a middle area between adult and child-oriented themes that meant channels struggled to decide when to air it and whom to market it to, but like all that Century 21 had to offer, as a child, I loved it.
I watched this show in reruns as an expat kid in the UK and became obsessed instantly. When we moved back to the US, no one had any idea what show I was on about when I'd enthuse over my memories of the show. Cut to decades later - I own it on DVD very happily and now I, hopefully, get to see you react to the show going forward. I love this program and it just screams you to me, so I am glad you enjoyed. If you react, I will decidedly be tuning in. Thank you for your channel and for this video. Liked and shared.
I have really vague & fuzzy memories from when I must've been a toddler. I remember some of the music & the models blowing up. I later saw it in reruns as a teen. Watching as an adult, I gotta say it's really clever how they justified the puppets never having to walk, with shifting furniture & jetpacks. Even the pilots are transferred into their planes. 😂
Watching someone getting this into Captain Scarlet is just amazing. I'd like to recommend Stingray at some point. It's by the same people, and it was the first British TV series made entirely in colour. It was my personal favourite from that era. The music was phenomenal.
When I was a child I loved supercar and fireball XL5. I'd heard of Captain Scarlet but until just recently never seen it. I stumbled across it here on youtube and have to say that out of all the supermartionation shows the Andersons did, I like it the best now. I binged it over the last couple of weeks. And that drum transition!
You sure SHOULD, Alexa. Gerry Anderson was a genius. Know all about it from a very early age, (as I know all of Gerry Andersons work), in fact my childhood TV viewing was this good, this memorable! You have so much to explore and enjoy. You won't be able to resist this.
Please, do do reactions to this series. The opening (in the alley) was only meant to be temporary. They had planned a more elaborate opening, but Gerry liked it so much he decided to use it. In some English language markets there was a voice-over that went something like "Captain Scarlett is invincible. You are not." In Japan the opening consisted of a montage of action scenes with children singing a song about the show. This was typical of Anderson's shows when they aired there. I own a Japanese LaserDisc that is made up of the opening and closing sequences of ITC shows broadcast in Japan. All are Gerry Anderson shows except The Prisoner. On side one are the original English opens and closes, and on side 2 the Japanese versions. The Prisoner was the only one to not have a custom Japanese open/close. There have been several box sets released around the world of Captain Scarlett. The Canadian box set is in - French. :)
Yeah I grew up in Montreal and was introduced to Capitaine Scarlet 1st in French and then later in English. I also heard the French version of the end theme song 1st and that's the version I hear in my head whenever I see the end credits 🙂
This show was my first exposure to Supermarionation and it blew my young mind! Terrific effects and design work. Also, one of the highest body counts in the history of children's television!
Gerry and Sylvia Anderson were way ahead of their time. They made my childhood with their brilliant productions which even today still continue to enthral successive generations of new fans.
Destiny Angel, the french blonde, was modeled on Ursula Andress. Sadly Gerry Anderson always wanted lo make live action. Apart from Space 1999 and UFO, people loved the puppet shows so he was forced into making them for most of his career.
Yes, Captain Scarlet!! Space: 1999 and UFO were really anomalies for Gerry Anderson. He was most famous for his 'puppet' series, including Supercar, Fireball XL5, Stingray, (Most famously) Thunderbirds, and Captain Scarlet. By the time of the latter, the puppets were far better proportioned, and the limitations of filming them fully understood. Captain Scarlet is the most' adult' of the series, although its firmly a kids show. As it's an Anderson show, you will know to expect lots of exotic technology. Which will tend to explode spectacularly....
As you've seen the first episode, may I recommend Episode 2 Winged assassin, Episode 5 Man Hunt, Episode 7 White as Snow, Episode 8 The Trap, Episode 12 Heart of New York, Episode 13 Lunarville 7, Episode 15 Model Spy, Episode 16 Seak and Destroy, Episode 19 Crater 101, Episode 22 Dangerous Rendezvous, Episode 23 Tripple Cross and Episode 31 Attack on Cloudbase 😉 you can watch them in any order really although Man Hunt first and Lunarville 7 "before" Crater 101 and defantly watch Attack on Cloudbase last 🤫
I adored this series as a kid. It was syndicated in the US and the local station aired it at 7:30 AM on Saturday morning. I believe it was 1968. I never missed an episode. I loved the miniature effects. The man responsible, Derek Meddings, went on to do the effects for the James Bond films, primarily during the Roger Moore years. They did a follow up series years later that substituted CGI for puppets and miniatures. You have an interesting selection series and movies. When it seems that most reactors all watch the same thing, your channel is a breath of fresh air. I just don't think I can watch another Back to the Future or Star Wars reaction.
It might be because I rarely pick something (maybe once a year) I ignore trends in favor of doing what gets votes from viewers and so far everyone has fantastic taste!
I loved Captain Scarlet when I was a kid, and it's still a guilty pleasure now! Gerry Anderson's tech is always great - over-engineered and resolutely analogue; not a digital device in sight!
So fun to see your reactions to these retrospectively super-campy artifacts from a fairly campy slice of our time and culture. Thanks, Alexa! Delightful.
Captain Scarlet appeared in Britain around the same time as "Nick Fury: Agent of SHIELD": I was struck by the similarities: both used a flying aircraft carrier (Cloudbase/Helicarrier), a hero with the apparent ability to come back from the dead ("Awwww, you destroyed my LMD...again!"), and both featured CIA-type agencies with Star Wars level technology.
I remember watcing the very first episode of Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons but I do have one big question which was never explain in the series like I know after first episode that the original Captain Scarlet have been restored in his Mysteronised likeness while still have his memories but what happen to his original body after Spectrum discover the scene in the car crash?
You liked Captain S & the M's - so I immediately subbed ! I grew up loving the series (along with so many other programmes like Thunderbirds, Joe 90, Stingray and similar. I recall drawing/copying the 'artwork' Spectrum logo's over & over etc.. I then collected memorabilia; video sets, comics and similar. Glad you liked it...
Enjoyed your reaction! This and Doctor Who were the most engaging shows I watched when I was 7 years old. At the time Captain Scarlet was heavily supported by toy companies and magazine publishers so as well as watching you could play with diecast models of the vehicles and (if a bit older) even make plastic model kits of the Angel interceptor.
Captain Scarlet feeds into UFO, and UFO became Space: 1999. It's a sort of continued mythology. There was a comic (TV Comic?) that published comic strips for all the Gerry Anderson series from Supercar onwards, and there a number of crossover stories. The same artists had earlier worked on Dan Dare: Pilot of the Future, which ran for nearly twenty years from the fifties into the 1970s, with several attempts to reboot it, in the 1990s, 2000s, and later. For people like me who grew up in the early part of this time, all these series form one big story.
Finally subscribed, how could I not after Captain Scarlet??!! Have been lapping up your Blake's 7 reactions, and always enjoy your comments. Looking forward to watching lots more of your reactions. The puppet series are so American, but they were actually made in the UK, not far from my hometown!
Simple answer Yes. Long answer Gerry Anderson was one the marjor driving forces in marionette puppetry beginning in the 1950s and all the way up to 1990's a legacy carried on by his son. Jamie Anderson and if you do a search on UA-cam for Gerry Anderson you'll get there UA-cam channel Captain Scarlett is half way point within evolution of the puppets with smaller heads and more complicated movements and like all Gerry Anderson shows it's very progressive for its time there are more diverse characters. And its a lot darker that the previous shows more for a family audience than just children.
Found this channel fairly recently, enjoying the videos and I just want to say thanks for getting me back into Captain Scarlet and other works of Gerry Anderson.
I totally agree with your 👍! Captain Scarlet was one of the shows I grew up with and have enjoyed ever since. I would so recommend checking out the next episodes.
The actor who played Captain Scarlet, Francis Matthews was spotted by the creators, Gerry and Sylvia Andersen in a play. He'd seen a glowing review previously, claiming, "He's like a young Cary Grant!" (if you know who that is) and did that evening's version of the play doing a barefaced impression of the actor. When Gerry and Sylvia offered him the role of Scarlet they insisted he used that voice! Spoiler alert, these were puppets, amazingly, the cast of Space 1999' were actual, living people! I had the Captain Scarlet Dinky Toys SPV as a kid and built the Airfix Angel Interceptor quite recently! The production on this show was amazing and a lot of the people behind it went on to Star Wars, Bond etc.
I totally loved this series - one of the big things in it for me was that the "good guys" didn't win all the time - I never knew for sure, but it felt like each side won half the time.
Gerry Anderson Alexa , Gerry Anderson.... This show has lots in common with all the other Anderson shows - UFO, Space 1999. Thunderbirds et al. Very well worth watching and a much more 'adult' show than you might first think. In my opinion UFO is Gerry Anderson's magnum opus. Cheers.
I'd love you to see more, it's such a good series. I totally understand having a crush on them, the voice work is so good that you almost forget they are puppets and just see them as the characters they portray ❤️
Glad you enjoyed this. A bit of stretch to talk about LGBT representation in this of course, but Captain Green is (well supposed to be) African - which was a step forward. As were the puppets - obviously a huge improvement over Thunderbirds and also the writing - obviously the pilot shows the Humans started the conflict with the Mysterons, but there are episodes in which the good guys do not win. Pretty strong stuff for a 'kids show'.
Since you mentioned the art, I would suggest (perhaps once you've done Gerry Anderson shows to avoid spoilers) you check out Mike Trim & Graeme Bleathman. Mike Trim worked as both model maker and designer on Captain Scarlet, UFO, Thunderbirds and designed some of the craft along with his boss, Derek Meddings who headed the FX on Anderson shows (and worked on the 007 Bond films too). Mike also painted the cover of Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds. I met him once and he graciously signed my copy!. Graeme is a big Anderson fan & published illustrator specialising in 'cut away' art showing how the Anderson sci fi craft & bases etc, are supposed to work....Rainbow female pilots...I hope you watch the CGI reboot😊.
When I was a kid I loved this show , and wanted to be indestructible, however as I got older it struck me that he isn’t , he gets blown up or whatever then gets reconstructed from the bits that are left, very painful , and not so appealing.
“Captain Scarlet” was my favorite of the Gerry Anderson puppet series. I liked how dark and mature it was for the time. If you liked this episode, you’ll enjoy the entire series. I’d love to hear your reactions. I had a big crush on the Angels as a boy, particularly Rhapsody Angel, a gorgeous redhead whose face and figure were based on British supermodel Jean Shrimpton, once called “The Most Beautiful Girl in the World.”
Yes, one of the best Anderson 'Supermarionation' shows. For this, they reduced the size of the puppet heads to keep them in proportion unlike Thunderbirds which featured larger heads to accommodate the puppet mechanics. Captain Scarlet was briefly rebooted in 2005 in CGI but pretty faithful to the original with some minor changes - check out 'The New Captain Scarlet'. And - no spoiler- did you spot who voices Captain Blue?. BTW, Derek Meddings was a SFX genius who went on to do the miniatures for the James Bond movies. His most famous creation was probably the enormous supertanker in The Spy Who Loved Me. I note you weren't keen on Thunderbirds, CS is darker, maybe more to your taste?. As usual, the model work is fabulous.
OMG! Captain Scarlett has to be my favorite of these shows. Just slightly ahead of the Thunderbirds which I also love! I jumped for joy when I saw you were reacting to this! So glad you gave it a thumbs up. Enjoy the rest. It's so awesome!
Gerry Anderson my childhood hero.. From Thunderbirds right up to Space 1999.. You wouldn't think this was a Childs TV Programme nowadays .. Try watching Gerry's first live person UFO series.. The intro will pull you right in..
I am obsessed with Gerry Anderson Especially as a child but also making friends with Shane Rimmer ie Scot Tracey..He was also the pilot in the episode when Straker's son John died who diverted and also the guy who comforted Nina in Subsmash . All the Thunderbirds crews were also in tribute to the original Mercury Apollo astronauts.. TB1 Scot carpenter..TB2 Virgil "gus" Grissom. who died in the fire in AP 1 TB3 Alan Shepherd..TB4 Gordon Cooper who went on to be an undersea explorer.. TB5 John Glenn..also I have your ;livestream on pause atm..
i hope you noticed captain blue is voiced by ed bishop the star of ufo ed straker. Also i hope you take a look at new captain scarlet, the cgi version from 2005. It was also the last thing Gerry Anderson made before he passed away years later.
Oh, speaking of weird things that played on early cable, track down "The Secret Of The Selenites". It's a French animated Baron Munchhausen adventure. The producer (and music composer) of the English dub went on to create "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers". It's...interesting. You certainly won't forget it.
I love Captain Scarlett. This is my favorite of Gerry Anderson's "Supermarionation" shows. Gerry also produced Space 1999, so the Eagles and Moonbase Alpha models for that later series were all designed and constructed by the same model unit that produced this series! Btw as to a President of Earth being elected, the 3rd Doctor era of Classic Dr. Who also gave us a "President of Earth" in the far future and a female president at that! Very progressive for 1973, I've always thought. Also, Captain Blue and the narrator are voiced by the actor who would later become the Commander of Shado in "UFO." I, too, love the cool artwork of Captain Scarlett in all sorts of Death defying situations during the ending credits a fun choice.
I grew up watching Captain Scarlet, (and all the other Gerry Anderson “Supermarionation” shows). Scarlet was by far the darkest of them, probably why I enjoyed it the most. Once you’ve watched all of this series, can I strongly suggest you react to the CGI “New Adventures of Captain Scarlet” as well.
Captain Scarlet, clearly modelled on the late great Alain Delon RIP, was my first ever crush. First saw this in black and white. Gerry Anderson lived and died near where I live, his cremation was near too. Check out Stingray for another strong female MC.
Ed Bishop who portrayed Commander Straker in UFO is the voice of Captain Blue.
Absolutely!!! I loved this series as a kid, and I still love it. Words couldn’t describe the fun and spectacle of it to my friends who’d missed seeing it. But, once it resurfaced, I made a point of showing it to adult friends, whose jaws would drop to the floor, as yours did.
Gerry Anderson’s theory of kids’ shows was that boys didn’t want to watch “kiddie shows” but wanted to watch James Bond with dad, and Sylvia Anderson understood that girls already loved dolls and fashion and would want in on the heroic action too.
I could gush about this show all day, but MVP - Derek Meddings and his incredible miniature FX team.
Well put! It has the action of James Bond with a fashionable twist to it! Perfect combination.
Captain Scarlet is a weird mashup of traditional science fiction tropes and Christian dogma. Scarlet lives on "Cloudbase" with "Col. White" and the "Angels", and descends weekly to Earth to "die" defending mankind and then be "resurrected." That being said, its a hell of a fun watch.
They were called “Angels” because they wings and the pilots are attractive women who are colloquially known as angels at the time. It has bugger all to do with Christianity. If you think cloudbase is heavenly then I assume you must think the same of SHIELD’s Helicarrier.
My favourite puppet series. Loved watching it on TV as a child. Now at 58 I love watching it on DVD.
I was on the fence until, "Goodbye oddly high up car park..." More Captain Scarlet reactions? Yes, please.
Yes, the London Car-Vu is a wonderfully absurd piece of work.
I think Mike Trim explained the modrl cars on the oddly towering car park had no motors. The tower rotated, the camera turned with it, and that of screwed the model cars upwards. Insane enough that I believe it.
You are several decades late, series like these and Thunderbirds are definitely ahead of their time and still hold up today, congratulations girlie for enjoying
She didn't realise it was a helipad!..
This would make an excellent block buster movie. You will notice with these Anderson shows that they will do absolutely anything to avoid having the characters walk.
Puppets that sweat and bleed for our entertainment. But they don't walk. The creator of the show decided the puppets wouldn't walk since it made them look like puppets.
"Captain Scarlet is indestructible. You are not! Remember this. Do not try to imitate him!" But please do react to him!
I vaguely remember hearing that. Was that their original disclaimer to the series??
The producers of the programme were forced to include that. Some young Children began acting out dangerous stunts in imitation of Captain Scarlet.
So happy that you watched and liked Captain Scarlet. I hope you enjoy the rest of the series. 😊
One piece of advice: when the show was broadcasted, some of the episodes were in the wrong order. See if you can try and watch it in production order. Enjoy.
Gerry Anderson is such a legend. We need more puppets in modern media
Check out Firestorm 😉
I only saw small snippets of this as a kid, but as Ed Bishop (Commander Straker from UFO) voices Captain Blue and does the narration, I'm going to watch them all!!
The narrater and Capt blue were voiced by Ed Bishop, Straker off UFO, both were Gerry/Sylvia Anderson shows, and there are similarities.
Nice! I love Straker!
Funny enough my name is Blue
1. "It reminds me Space 1999" - it's made by the same production team. 2. "Like Charlie's Angels"...which was made in 1976 and Captain Scarlet is from 1967. 3. "the art at the end" - it's the concept art from Sylvia Anderson when the show was in pre-production.
Being born in the late 90's, I used to watch Captain Scarlett (and the others: Thunderbirds, Stingray...) every day i could on VHS. I remember my dad built me Col. Whites rotating desk out of cardboard with lights, switches and everything. Plus a full Captain Scarlett uniform. I think this was for my 5th birthday.
Captain Scarlett and the Mysterons was probably my favorite of the Gerry Anderson super marionette productions. I think because all the puppets have a proper proportioned head compared to the earlier Stingray and Thunderbirds. This was done not without much difficulty.
The Spectum Angel Flight consists of five elite pilots: Destiny Angel (the French one and Flight Leader), Symphony Angel, Rhapsody Angel, Melody Angel, and Harmony Angel. These are all code names of course, their actual identities are revealed in the series. They all fly the Angel Interceptor, which is a more advanced version of the World Army Air Force Viper Jet.
I built the original 1968 Airfix 1:72 scale Angel Interceptor model kit back in the day. Airfix apparently reissued it in 2011 with new decals and in grey plastic (the original was molded in white). It was a rudimentary model, not a lot of detail, but a fun kit to put together as a kid.
Sounds like a fun model to build!
@@alexachipman More like a fast build. In later years, it could probably stand a more detailed cockpit but when you're 7, you don't really care. 😊
I had the Airfix Angel fighter too 🙂.
Also the Eagle Transporter and Hawk fighter from Space 1999.
Also briefly shown was the Spectrum Pursuit Vehicle or SPV (a combat all terrain vehicle) as it was referred to which uniquely had the occupants facing to the rear whilst driving using cameras pointed forward so when they dismount via a sliding 'rail' the rear acts as a armoured shield. SPV's were located in various locations and buildings like petrol stations out and about rather than at a central base. So they would drive to one in a red Spectrum Saloon Car and request an SPV located as close as possible to an operation. Here it's driven by 'Captain Blue', voiced by Ed Bishop who would later play a role in 'Doppelgänger' with his natural dark hair and as 'Commander Straker' in 'UFO' wearing a light grey wig.
Round 2 Models in Indiana are producing kits for om UFO next year, and have said that Thunderbirds and Captain Scarlet were candidates for future kit lines. Maybe you'll get a shot at *new* Angel Interceptor kit in a few years!
So glad you liked this Alexa! Looking forward to a full series reaction in the future!
So glad your reacting to this show. It’s one of the best Gerry Anderson series!
Thunderbirds too😊
@@mikesilva3868 Of course - that will always be my favourite of them all 👍
@@mikesilva3868 …I believe Alexa gave The Thunderbirds a try, and it wasn’t as good a fit.
What about Joe 90!
Captain Scarlet first came out in England when I was 6 years old. I was in a fire explosion at that age with my slightly younger brother, which put us both in the hospital with various burns for about 2 weeks. My parents asked us what we would like as a present for surviving. I wanted a Captain Scarlet doll made at the time and my bother wanted Captain Blue. We never got them, because I don't think my parents could afford buying these rather expensive models at the time. But hey - Captain Scarlet is engrained upon my memory, because of that explosive event of my past. Now, today, I love how you equated the rainbow colours of Spectrum and the Angels to relate to you. I'm a straight, 63 year old white man. Now sadly, the stereotypical image of intolerance and bigoted intransigence. But I have NEVER EVER been like that! I was bought up on Star Trek, Anderson, the Twilight Zone and MASH. And being a beautiful, well read lady like yourself, I would be proud in my childless life, to have had an - across the pond daughter like you. Rock on Alexa. x
I think the Angels were Destiny, Melody and Rhapsody.
Plus Symphony and Harmony
Thank you so much for reviewing one of my favourite shows of all time! Please do a reaction to the whole series… you’re in for a treat. 😁
We sang the theme tune relentlessly at school. Showing my age. Haha, great memories.
The end title art was by Ron Embleton.
Captain Scarlet was a really good show, you'll love it! Another live action Gerry Anderson show worth checking out is The Persuaders. If you want more Barry Morse also check out Zoo Gang.
Gerry had nothing to do with The Persuaders, a completely separate series. The one you’re thinking of is The Protectors, a thirty minute live action show about a pan-European detective agency. It starred Robert Vaughan, Nyree-Dawn Porter & Tony Anholt.
@@simongvs that indeed is the ine I meant. The Persuaders is good too for 007 fan like Alexa as it stars Roger Moore
I was 6 when Captain Scarlet was first broadcast. Had a Captain Scarlet action figure, too. It's very dark for a children's tv show. Love it together with Stingray and Thunderbirds.
Great review. Captain Scarlet was every child's hero in the UK back in the 1960's. You really must hear the opening theme tune, which was a popular hit record back then.
I watched this at 8.30am just after getting out of the gym and I can tell you dear Alexa, you put a massive smile on my face.
People are giving me funny looks. You are so special bless you
Sure! Why not? I love all of these supermarionation shows!
This and Anderson's other show Secret Service are the height of his Super Marionation series in that he's mastered the techniques and style. You can see how they never show the puppets walking and later will mix live action in far shots in Secret Service. It's almost the transition from the puppets to the live action of UFO. I'd like it if you reacted to it, but the show was meant for kids so will understand if you don't. There's also a CGI version that came out a couple of years ago 🙂
Many of the special effects guys who worked with the models on Gerry Anderson's shows went on to have careers working on Star Wars, James Bond, etc.
There are several episodes that have a continuity with other episodes that sometime aired if differently is very confusing.
Lunarville 7 > Crater 101 > Dangerous Rendezvous
Fight 104 > Noose of Ice
Operation Time > Spectrum Strikes Back
Hey! Thanks so much for helping me pass the time today while I was stuck for three hours in an Emergency ward. Nothing serious, but it was SO dull, and I stumbled on this reaction video after finishing watching a doc on the making of Captain Scarlet. At first, I was skeptical if you'd "get it", and when you initially mispronounced Mysterons as "Mysterions", I rolled my eyes, but you noticed your error immediately and corrected it promptly, so no harm, no foul. Once I saw your response to the Angels and the whole rainbow design aesthetic, I knew you were gonna get onboard with the show. I grew up with Gerry and Sylvia Anderson's shows in the '60s and '70s, to they're a bit sacred to me and I was so happy how enthused you were with them that I ended up whiling away the rest of my insufferable wait watching more of your reactions to this series. You mentioned how much the design reminded you of Space 1999, so I'm assuming that you've subsequently discovered the Andersons were behind that series, as well as UFO, Joe 90, Thunderbirds, Stingray, Fireball XL05 and a few feature films like the wonderful Journey to the Far Side of the Sun. It's a remarkable body of work by an incredible creative team and it always warms my heart to see younger peeps discover these exceptional shows. SIG!!!
I am glad some videos helped pass the time! Yes, usually it takes a few episodes of a new show to figure out how to pronounce things; just look at my first UFO reaction!
Aw, I’m SO pleased you enjoyed it. This series (and subsequent ones) struggled to find an audience due to it hitting a middle area between adult and child-oriented themes that meant channels struggled to decide when to air it and whom to market it to, but like all that Century 21 had to offer, as a child, I loved it.
Scarlet is in my Top 5 Anderson shows, I would love, love, LOVE it if you continued watching it.
I watched this show in reruns as an expat kid in the UK and became obsessed instantly. When we moved back to the US, no one had any idea what show I was on about when I'd enthuse over my memories of the show. Cut to decades later - I own it on DVD very happily and now I, hopefully, get to see you react to the show going forward. I love this program and it just screams you to me, so I am glad you enjoyed. If you react, I will decidedly be tuning in.
Thank you for your channel and for this video.
Liked and shared.
Thank you!
You gotta watch the episode when they are disguised for the fashion show! It’s one of my favorites.
I have really vague & fuzzy memories from when I must've been a toddler. I remember some of the music & the models blowing up. I later saw it in reruns as a teen. Watching as an adult, I gotta say it's really clever how they justified the puppets never having to walk, with shifting furniture & jetpacks. Even the pilots are transferred into their planes. 😂
Watching someone getting this into Captain Scarlet is just amazing.
I'd like to recommend Stingray at some point. It's by the same people, and it was the first British TV series made entirely in colour.
It was my personal favourite from that era. The music was phenomenal.
When I was a child I loved supercar and fireball XL5. I'd heard of Captain Scarlet but until just recently never seen it. I stumbled across it here on youtube and have to say that out of all the supermartionation shows the Andersons did, I like it the best now. I binged it over the last couple of weeks. And that drum transition!
Love the drum transition!
You sure SHOULD, Alexa. Gerry Anderson was a genius. Know all about it from a very early age, (as I know all of Gerry Andersons work), in fact my childhood TV viewing was this good, this memorable!
You have so much to explore and enjoy.
You won't be able to resist this.
I'm 58yrs old and grew up watching this as a youngster when it was first on. Its still great to watch now as its was then.
I think I remember seeing this Vintage Show Another good one
i remember watching this when i was a kid. brings back memories
Please, do do reactions to this series. The opening (in the alley) was only meant to be temporary. They had planned a more elaborate opening, but Gerry liked it so much he decided to use it. In some English language markets there was a voice-over that went something like "Captain Scarlett is invincible. You are not." In Japan the opening consisted of a montage of action scenes with children singing a song about the show. This was typical of Anderson's shows when they aired there. I own a Japanese LaserDisc that is made up of the opening and closing sequences of ITC shows broadcast in Japan. All are Gerry Anderson shows except The Prisoner. On side one are the original English opens and closes, and on side 2 the Japanese versions. The Prisoner was the only one to not have a custom Japanese open/close. There have been several box sets released around the world of Captain Scarlett. The Canadian box set is in - French. :)
Yeah I grew up in Montreal and was introduced to Capitaine Scarlet 1st in French and then later in English. I also heard the French version of the end theme song 1st and that's the version I hear in my head whenever I see the end credits 🙂
This show was my first exposure to Supermarionation and it blew my young mind! Terrific effects and design work. Also, one of the highest body counts in the history of children's television!
Gerry and Sylvia Anderson were way ahead of their time. They made my childhood with their brilliant productions which even today still continue to enthral successive generations of new fans.
Yes, yes, you should watch this!
The Angels’ code names are mostly musical, but they are all dactyls.
Huh, never knew shows like this existed, but this was surprisingly intriguing! Your reactions are a joy, I doubt I’d have checked this out otherwise.
Also lol, have a thing for lesbians with French accents, do you? 😂🏴☠️
You are 100% right about that 😂
Destiny Angel, the french blonde, was modeled on Ursula Andress. Sadly Gerry Anderson always wanted lo make live action. Apart from Space 1999 and UFO, people loved the puppet shows so he was forced into making them for most of his career.
Another great and unusual offering from Gerry Anderson was called "The Secrret Service" in which he combined live action and puppetry.
Yes, Captain Scarlet!!
Space: 1999 and UFO were really anomalies for Gerry Anderson. He was most famous for his 'puppet' series, including Supercar, Fireball XL5, Stingray, (Most famously) Thunderbirds, and Captain Scarlet. By the time of the latter, the puppets were far better proportioned, and the limitations of filming them fully understood. Captain Scarlet is the most' adult' of the series, although its firmly a kids show. As it's an Anderson show, you will know to expect lots of exotic technology. Which will tend to explode spectacularly....
Well summed up Tom.
As you've seen the first episode, may I recommend Episode 2 Winged assassin, Episode 5 Man Hunt, Episode 7 White as Snow, Episode 8 The Trap, Episode 12 Heart of New York, Episode 13 Lunarville 7, Episode 15 Model Spy, Episode 16 Seak and Destroy, Episode 19 Crater 101, Episode 22 Dangerous Rendezvous, Episode 23 Tripple Cross and Episode 31 Attack on Cloudbase 😉 you can watch them in any order really although Man Hunt first and Lunarville 7 "before" Crater 101 and defantly watch Attack on Cloudbase last 🤫
The brown commander always reminded me of a young Treat Williams with his appearance and demeanor
I am 62 years old, watched Capt Scarlet since it first came out. To this day. "This is the voice of the Mysterons" Still gives me goosebumps
I adored this series as a kid. It was syndicated in the US and the local station aired it at 7:30 AM on Saturday morning. I believe it was 1968. I never missed an episode. I loved the miniature effects. The man responsible, Derek Meddings, went on to do the effects for the James Bond films, primarily during the Roger Moore years. They did a follow up series years later that substituted CGI for puppets and miniatures.
You have an interesting selection series and movies. When it seems that most reactors all watch the same thing, your channel is a breath of fresh air. I just don't think I can watch another Back to the Future or Star Wars reaction.
It might be because I rarely pick something (maybe once a year) I ignore trends in favor of doing what gets votes from viewers and so far everyone has fantastic taste!
I loved Captain Scarlet when I was a kid, and it's still a guilty pleasure now!
Gerry Anderson's tech is always great - over-engineered and resolutely analogue; not a digital device in sight!
So fun to see your reactions to these retrospectively super-campy artifacts from a fairly campy slice of our time and culture. Thanks, Alexa! Delightful.
Captain Scarlet appeared in Britain around the same time as "Nick Fury: Agent of SHIELD": I was struck by the similarities: both used a flying aircraft carrier (Cloudbase/Helicarrier), a hero with the apparent ability to come back from the dead ("Awwww, you destroyed my LMD...again!"), and both featured CIA-type agencies with Star Wars level technology.
I remember watcing the very first episode of Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons but I do have one big question which was never explain in the series like I know after first episode that the original Captain Scarlet have been restored in his Mysteronised likeness while still have his memories but what happen to his original body after Spectrum discover the scene in the car crash?
My favourite angel was always ginger Rhapsody (pity she was one of the minor roles) 😍 apparently she was based on the 1960s model Jean Shrimpton !
You liked Captain S & the M's - so I immediately subbed ! I grew up loving the series (along with so many other programmes like Thunderbirds, Joe 90, Stingray and similar. I recall drawing/copying the 'artwork' Spectrum logo's over & over etc.. I then collected memorabilia; video sets, comics and similar. Glad you liked it...
I did, and at some point I am thinking of continuing the reactions, just a lot in the queue right now!
Enjoyed your reaction! This and Doctor Who were the most engaging shows I watched when I was 7 years old. At the time Captain Scarlet was heavily supported by toy companies and magazine publishers so as well as watching you could play with diecast models of the vehicles and (if a bit older) even make plastic model kits of the Angel interceptor.
Awesome!
Captain Scarlet feeds into UFO, and UFO became Space: 1999. It's a sort of continued mythology.
There was a comic (TV Comic?) that published comic strips for all the Gerry Anderson series from Supercar onwards, and there a number of crossover stories.
The same artists had earlier worked on Dan Dare: Pilot of the Future, which ran for nearly twenty years from the fifties into the 1970s, with several attempts to reboot it, in the 1990s, 2000s, and later.
For people like me who grew up in the early part of this time, all these series form one big story.
Cool, glad you liked it so much.
There is another animated series but this is the original.
I still have my Corgi Angel Interceptor :)
Finally subscribed, how could I not after Captain Scarlet??!! Have been lapping up your Blake's 7 reactions, and always enjoy your comments. Looking forward to watching lots more of your reactions. The puppet series are so American, but they were actually made in the UK, not far from my hometown!
Thank you!
Simple answer Yes. Long answer Gerry Anderson was one the marjor driving forces in marionette puppetry beginning in the 1950s and all the way up to 1990's a legacy carried on by his son. Jamie Anderson and if you do a search on UA-cam for Gerry Anderson you'll get there UA-cam channel Captain Scarlett is half way point within evolution of the puppets with smaller heads and more complicated movements and like all Gerry Anderson shows it's very progressive for its time there are more diverse characters. And its a lot darker that the previous shows more for a family audience than just children.
Funny to watch your reaction to the angels. As a boy, seeing this in the late 60s, mine was very similar!
This was a great reaction
Would love to see you react to the rest of this series 🙂
Found this channel fairly recently, enjoying the videos and I just want to say thanks for getting me back into Captain Scarlet and other works of Gerry Anderson.
Wonderful, I plan to cover all his shows at some point.
I totally agree with your 👍!
Captain Scarlet was one of the shows I grew up with and have enjoyed ever since. I would so recommend checking out the next episodes.
The entire series is out and I am currently in New Captain Scarlet :)
@alexachipman sorry I only just recently came across this review. Good going though.
Have you enjoyed it so far?
love this show 😊
I'm glad you found it. So many in my generation didn't know
The actor who played Captain Scarlet, Francis Matthews was spotted by the creators, Gerry and Sylvia Andersen in a play. He'd seen a glowing review previously, claiming, "He's like a young Cary Grant!" (if you know who that is) and did that evening's version of the play doing a barefaced impression of the actor. When Gerry and Sylvia offered him the role of Scarlet they insisted he used that voice! Spoiler alert, these were puppets, amazingly, the cast of Space 1999' were actual, living people! I had the Captain Scarlet Dinky Toys SPV as a kid and built the Airfix Angel Interceptor quite recently! The production on this show was amazing and a lot of the people behind it went on to Star Wars, Bond etc.
Everything that Gerry has produced has this feel to it, live action or puppet. It was rebooted into a CGI show as well.
I totally loved this series - one of the big things in it for me was that the "good guys" didn't win all the time - I never knew for sure, but it felt like each side won half the time.
Gerry Anderson Alexa , Gerry Anderson.... This show has lots in common with all the other Anderson shows - UFO, Space 1999. Thunderbirds et al. Very well worth watching and a much more 'adult' show than you might first think. In my opinion UFO is Gerry Anderson's magnum opus. Cheers.
I'd love you to see more, it's such a good series. I totally understand having a crush on them, the voice work is so good that you almost forget they are puppets and just see them as the characters they portray ❤️
My absolute favourite of the Anderson shows. Loved the premise. I look forward to your reactions, Alexa.
Glad you enjoyed this. A bit of stretch to talk about LGBT representation in this of course, but Captain Green is (well supposed to be) African - which was a step forward. As were the puppets - obviously a huge improvement over Thunderbirds and also the writing - obviously the pilot shows the Humans started the conflict with the Mysterons, but there are episodes in which the good guys do not win. Pretty strong stuff for a 'kids show'.
It’s Lieutenant Green! Also, one of the Angels is African-American and another is Oriental, I think they’re Melody & Harmony respectively.
Since you mentioned the art, I would suggest (perhaps once you've done Gerry Anderson shows to avoid spoilers) you check out Mike Trim & Graeme Bleathman. Mike Trim worked as both model maker and designer on Captain Scarlet, UFO, Thunderbirds and designed some of the craft along with his boss, Derek Meddings who headed the FX on Anderson shows (and worked on the 007 Bond films too). Mike also painted the cover of Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds. I met him once and he graciously signed my copy!. Graeme is a big Anderson fan & published illustrator specialising in 'cut away' art showing how the Anderson sci fi craft & bases etc, are supposed to work....Rainbow female pilots...I hope you watch the CGI reboot😊.
When I was a kid I loved this show , and wanted to be indestructible, however as I got older it struck me that he isn’t , he gets blown up or whatever then gets reconstructed from the bits that are left, very painful , and not so appealing.
“Captain Scarlet” was my favorite of the Gerry Anderson puppet series. I liked how dark and mature it was for the time. If you liked this episode, you’ll enjoy the entire series. I’d love to hear your reactions. I had a big crush on the Angels as a boy, particularly Rhapsody Angel, a gorgeous redhead whose face and figure were based on British supermodel Jean Shrimpton, once called “The Most Beautiful Girl in the World.”
Yes, one of the best Anderson 'Supermarionation' shows. For this, they reduced the size of the puppet heads to keep them in proportion unlike Thunderbirds which featured larger heads to accommodate the puppet mechanics. Captain Scarlet was briefly rebooted in 2005 in CGI but pretty faithful to the original with some minor changes - check out 'The New Captain Scarlet'. And - no spoiler- did you spot who voices Captain Blue?. BTW, Derek Meddings was a SFX genius who went on to do the miniatures for the James Bond movies. His most famous creation was probably the enormous supertanker in The Spy Who Loved Me. I note you weren't keen on Thunderbirds, CS is darker, maybe more to your taste?. As usual, the model work is fabulous.
OMG! Captain Scarlett has to be my favorite of these shows. Just slightly ahead of the Thunderbirds which I also love! I jumped for joy when I saw you were reacting to this! So glad you gave it a thumbs up. Enjoy the rest. It's so awesome!
Gerry Anderson my childhood hero.. From Thunderbirds right up to Space 1999.. You wouldn't think this was a Childs TV Programme nowadays .. Try watching Gerry's first live person UFO series.. The intro will pull you right in..
Do you just mean UFO the show or some sort of documentary about it? If the show, yes it is my favorite - I actually just did a livestream about it.
@@alexachipman ha ha I am actually binge watching your ufo reviews right now.. I love this series as a child off the 60's/70's
I am obsessed with Gerry Anderson Especially as a child but also making friends with Shane Rimmer ie Scot Tracey..He was also the pilot in the episode when Straker's son John died who diverted and also the guy who comforted Nina in Subsmash . All the Thunderbirds crews were also in tribute to the original Mercury Apollo astronauts.. TB1 Scot carpenter..TB2 Virgil "gus" Grissom. who died in the fire in AP 1 TB3 Alan Shepherd..TB4 Gordon Cooper who went on to be an undersea explorer.. TB5 John Glenn..also I have your ;livestream on pause atm..
All the 'Supermarionation' series are great. There's also a CGI remake 'New Captain Scarlet', which is really well written...
when you have time you need to watch Johnny Quest, an animated series from the sixty's. excellent animation and storylines
Oh, and they're NOT just puppets. They have feelings, they feel pain, they bleed, they are watching us, as we watch them, believe it...
i hope you noticed captain blue is voiced by ed bishop the star of ufo ed straker. Also i hope you take a look at new captain scarlet, the cgi version from 2005. It was also the last thing Gerry Anderson made before he passed away years later.
Oh, speaking of weird things that played on early cable, track down "The Secret Of The Selenites". It's a French animated Baron Munchhausen adventure. The producer (and music composer) of the English dub went on to create "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers". It's...interesting. You certainly won't forget it.
I love Captain Scarlett. This is my favorite of Gerry Anderson's "Supermarionation" shows. Gerry also produced Space 1999, so the Eagles and Moonbase Alpha models for that later series were all designed and constructed by the same model unit that produced this series! Btw as to a President of Earth being elected, the 3rd Doctor era of Classic Dr. Who also gave us a "President of Earth" in the far future and a female president at that! Very progressive for 1973, I've always thought. Also, Captain Blue and the narrator are voiced by the actor who would later become the Commander of Shado in "UFO." I, too, love the cool artwork of Captain Scarlett in all sorts of Death defying situations during the ending credits a fun choice.
I watched this show when it was shown on TV back in the 60’s, I’ve got all the DvD’s of both the original series and the remakes which are all CGI
Thunderbirds,Captain Scarlet.”Stop shooting the Martians!”
Ufo is the best Anderson series.
I am a few episodes into my reactions for it, and so far I agree!
I grew up watching Captain Scarlet, (and all the other Gerry Anderson “Supermarionation” shows). Scarlet was by far the darkest of them, probably why I enjoyed it the most.
Once you’ve watched all of this series, can I strongly suggest you react to the CGI “New Adventures of Captain Scarlet” as well.
I am in the middle of those - they come out every Saturday (so tomorrow!)
I saw it before previewed to the public in 1967 when I was 9 years old and the Mysteries were very scary
Please watch every episode. I am 62 and when l was a kid I loved this and had several toys
They are all on my channel - I am doing New Captain Scarlet every Saturday currently and after that will be Stingray.
Captain Scarlet, clearly modelled on the late great Alain Delon RIP, was my first ever crush. First saw this in black and white. Gerry Anderson lived and died near where I live, his cremation was near too. Check out Stingray for another strong female MC.
I am reacting to Stingray already; you will see it here on public UA-cam after New Captain Scarlet :)
@@alexachipman How about Fireball XL5 with Venus of the stars ?
@@anotherblonde I will be covering all Anderson shows at some point.
There are some really great episodes coming up in this series - you will love them! Really looking forward to your reaction to the rest of them! S.I.G
Definately! After you're done with both UFO and Space: 1999 do this! It is an awesome show!
Right now both are done and I am mid-Blake’s 7 :)