Big Ben Strikes Again
Encyclopedia
"Big Ben Strikes Again" is the third episode of the Supermarionation
television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons
. It was first broadcast in the UK on on ATV Midlands, written by Tony Barwick
and directed by Brian Burgess. In this episode, the Mysteron
s attempt to destroy London
after hijacking a transporter carrying an atomic device.
Like "Winged Assassin
", the previous episode, "Big Ben Strikes Again" contains a plot whose similarity to the 11 September attacks caused the episode to be held back when Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons was repeated
on BBC Two
in 2001. Footage from "Big Ben Strikes Again" is used as a flashback
in the clip show
episode, "The Inquisition".
s intend to destroy London
and use their powers to hijack a transporter carrying an atomic device
through the city at night. 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, but hears thirteen chimes instead of twelve. The Mysterons use their influence to start the device's twelve-hour detonation countdown, knocking Macey out again and dumping him in a side street.
Since the disappearance of the atomic device, Spectrum has been put on red alert
. Captain Scarlet
discovers Macey while surveying the streets in a Spectrum Saloon
and the driver is flown to Cloudbase
to relate his ordeal. There are over 2,000 London car parks fitting Macey's description of Park View, but remembering the driver's claim that Big Ben struck thirteen, Captain Blue
deduces that the car park must be within a mile of Big Ben. It is found that Jupiter Way and Park View are the only likely car parks within this distance.
With less than an hour until detonation, Scarlet and 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 too little time remaining to carry out the defusing procedure
, Colonel White
orders Scarlet and Blue to drive to a construction site
outside the city – Macey's intended destination – to leave the device to detonate in a prepared excavation. Arriving with only minutes remaining, Blue lowers the transporter, driven by Scarlet, underground in a lift. Abandoning the vehicle, Scarlet ascends, but the lift shaft is damaged by the atomic explosion. Scarlet recovers from fatal injuries using his retro-metabolic powers.
Later, Blue explains how he discovered Park View's location and how Macey seemed to hear Big Ben strike thirteen. Because he was within a mile of Big Ben with his radio on, Macey was hearing two sets of chimes. However, the chimes issuing directly from the Big Ben were delayed due to the distance travelled
, so the "thirteenth" chime was a repeat of the twelfth that Macey heard just before over the radio. Scarlet declares that he will make thirteen
his lucky number.
's "Room of Sleep", which is mentioned in other episodes such as "Place of Angels
". Incidental music
for "Big Ben Strikes Again" was recorded by Barry Gray
using an orchestra of 14 members in a four-hour studio session held on . The music, which was recorded alongside that for the next episode, "Manhunt", includes a light jazz
track, "Until Midnight", which can be heard playing on Macey's radio before Big Ben seems to strike thirteen times.
ed 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 as the third episode, but was postponed from its intended BBC Two
transmission date due to parallels between the plot, with its depiction of the threat posed by an atomic device, and the September 11 attacks which occurred the same month. This coincided with the Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons pages on the Carlton
website being taken offline. The episode was eventually broadcast later in the line-up.
groups "Big Ben Strikes Again" with the later Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons episodes "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 episode's plot of an atomic device
being hi-jacked by the Mysteron
s is an example of this "favourite device
" used by Barwick.
Supermarionation
Supermarionation is a puppetry technique devised in the 1960s by British production company AP Films. It was used extensively in the company's numerous Gerry and Sylvia Anderson-produced action-adventure series, the most famous of which was Thunderbirds...
television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons
Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons
Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, often referred to as Captain Scarlet, is a 1960s British science-fiction television series produced by the Century 21 Productions company of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, John Read and Reg Hill...
. It was first broadcast in the UK on on ATV Midlands, written by Tony Barwick
Tony Barwick
Tony Barwick was a British television scriptwriter who worked extensively on series created and produced by Gerry Anderson....
and directed by Brian Burgess. In this episode, the Mysteron
Mysteron
The Mysterons are a fictional race of extraterrestrials, native to the planet Mars, which appear in the British science fiction Supermarionation television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons and Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet, symbolised by ubiquitous projected green rings and the deep...
s attempt to destroy London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
after hijacking a transporter carrying an atomic device.
Like "Winged Assassin
Winged Assassin
"Winged Assassin" is the second episode of the Supermarionation television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons. It was first broadcast in the UK on on ATV Midlands. It was written by Tony Barwick and directed by David Lane...
", the previous episode, "Big Ben Strikes Again" contains a plot whose similarity to the 11 September attacks caused the episode to be held back when Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons was repeated
Rerun
A rerun or repeat is a re-airing of an episode of a radio or television broadcast. The invention of the rerun is generally credited to Desi Arnaz. There are two types of reruns—those that occur during a hiatus, and those that occur when a program is syndicated. Reruns can also be, as the...
on BBC Two
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
in 2001. Footage from "Big Ben Strikes Again" is used as a flashback
Flashback (narrative)
Flashback is an interjected scene that takes the narrative back in time from the current point the story has reached. Flashbacks are often used to recount events that happened before the story’s primary sequence of events or to fill in crucial backstory...
in the clip show
Clip show
A clip show is an episode of a television series that consists primarily of excerpts from previous episodes. Most clip shows feature the format of a frame story in which cast members recall past events from past installments of the show, depicted with a clip of the event presented as a flashback. ...
episode, "The Inquisition".
Plot
The MysteronMysteron
The Mysterons are a fictional race of extraterrestrials, native to the planet Mars, which appear in the British science fiction Supermarionation television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons and Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet, symbolised by ubiquitous projected green rings and the deep...
s intend to destroy London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and use their powers to hijack a transporter carrying an atomic device
Nuclear weapon
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter. The first fission bomb test released the same amount...
through the city at night. 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, but hears thirteen chimes instead of twelve. The Mysterons use their influence to start the device's twelve-hour detonation countdown, knocking Macey out again and dumping him in a side street.
Since the disappearance of the atomic device, Spectrum has been put on red alert
Red Alert
-Warning systems:Notable warning systems that use red alerts are:* The Homeland Security Advisory System * The BIKINI state * An emergency broadcast bullentin used by the Emergency Management of Ontario, in Ontario, Canada-Music:...
. Captain Scarlet
Captain Scarlet (character)
Captain Scarlet is the fictional main character in Gerry Anderson's British Supermarionation science fiction television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons and its CGI remake Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet....
discovers Macey while surveying the streets in a Spectrum Saloon
Spectrum Saloon Car (SSC)
The Spectrum Patrol Car or Spectrum Saloon Car is a fictional vehicle that appears in Gerry Anderson's science-fiction television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons and in revamped form in the remake series Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet .-Appearance in Captain Scarlet and the...
and the driver is flown to Cloudbase
Cloudbase
Cloudbase is the fictional skyborne headquarters of international security organisation Spectrum, from Gerry Anderson's science fiction television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons .-Appearance in Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons:...
to relate his ordeal. There are over 2,000 London car parks fitting Macey's description of Park View, but remembering the driver's claim that Big Ben struck thirteen, Captain Blue
Captain Blue (Captain Scarlet)
Captain Blue is a character in the 1967 Supermarionation television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons. He is a senior officer of the Spectrum organisation and a close friend of Captain Scarlet....
deduces that the car park must be within a mile of Big Ben. It is found that Jupiter Way and Park View are the only likely car parks within this distance.
With less than an hour until detonation, Scarlet and Blue immediately fly out to London. Jupiter Way is discounted and the officers locate the transporter at Park View in their Spectrum Pursuit Vehicle
Spectrum Pursuit Vehicle
The Spectrum Pursuit Vehicle is a fictional pursuit and attack vehicle from Gerry and Sylvia Anderson's science fiction television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons .-Appearance in Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons:...
. With too little time remaining to carry out the defusing procedure
Bomb disposal
Bomb disposal is the process by which hazardous explosive devices are rendered safe. Bomb disposal is an all encompassing term to describe the separate, but interrelated functions in the following fields:*Military:...
, Colonel White
Colonel White
Colonel White is a character in the 1960s Supermarionation television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons. He is the commander-in-Chief of Spectrum, the security organisation dedicated to defending Earth against the Mysterons from Mars...
orders Scarlet and Blue to drive to a construction site
Construction Site
Construction Site is a television series created by The Jim Henson Company in 1999, and consists of 7 construction vehicles. The show was broadcast on ABC Kids for a while, and had a range of videos. It was originally produced for and shown on CITV starting in 1999. In 2000 it was nominated for a...
outside the city – Macey's intended destination – to leave the device to detonate in a prepared excavation. Arriving with only minutes remaining, Blue lowers the transporter, driven by Scarlet, underground in a lift. Abandoning the vehicle, Scarlet ascends, but the lift shaft is damaged by the atomic explosion. Scarlet recovers from fatal injuries using his retro-metabolic powers.
Later, Blue explains how he discovered Park View's location and how Macey seemed to hear Big Ben strike thirteen. Because he was within a mile of Big Ben with his radio on, Macey was hearing two sets of chimes. However, the chimes issuing directly from the Big Ben were delayed due to the distance travelled
Speed of sound
The speed of sound is the distance travelled during a unit of time by a sound wave propagating through an elastic medium. In dry air at , the speed of sound is . This is , or about one kilometer in three seconds or approximately one mile in five seconds....
, so the "thirteenth" chime was a repeat of the twelfth that Macey heard just before over the radio. Scarlet declares that he will make thirteen
13 (number)
13 is the natural number after 12 and before 14. It is the smallest number with eight letters in its name spelled out in English. It is also the first of the teens – the numbers 13 through 19 – the ages of teenagers....
his lucky number.
Production
The original script for this episode featured some minor scenes which did not make the final cut. In these sequences, viewers would have seen that there are Spectrum agents codenamed Yellow and Purple and would also have been introduced to CloudbaseCloudbase
Cloudbase is the fictional skyborne headquarters of international security organisation Spectrum, from Gerry Anderson's science fiction television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons .-Appearance in Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons:...
's "Room of Sleep", which is mentioned in other episodes such as "Place of Angels
Place of Angels
"Place of Angels" is the 23rd episode of the Supermarionation television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons. It was first broadcast in the UK on on ATV Midlands, and was written and directed by Leo Eaton...
". Incidental music
Incidental music
Incidental music is music in a play, television program, radio program, video game, film or some other form not primarily musical. The term is less frequently applied to film music, with such music being referred to instead as the "film score" or "soundtrack"....
for "Big Ben Strikes Again" was recorded by Barry Gray
Barry Gray
Barry Gray was a British musician and composer who is best known for his work for Gerry Anderson.-Life:...
using an orchestra of 14 members in a four-hour studio session held on . The music, which was recorded alongside that for the next episode, "Manhunt", includes a light jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
track, "Until Midnight", which can be heard playing on Macey's radio before Big Ben seems to strike thirteen times.
Broadcasting
When a digitally-remasterRemaster
Remaster is a word marketed mostly in the digital audio age, although the remastering process has existed since recording began...
ed re-run
Rerun
A rerun or repeat is a re-airing of an episode of a radio or television broadcast. The invention of the rerun is generally credited to Desi Arnaz. There are two types of reruns—those that occur during a hiatus, and those that occur when a program is syndicated. Reruns can also be, as the...
of Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons began in the United Kingdom in September 2001, "Big Ben Strikes Again" was originally going to be broadcast as the third episode, but was postponed from its intended BBC Two
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
transmission date due to parallels between the plot, with its depiction of the threat posed by an atomic device, and the September 11 attacks which occurred the same month. This coincided with the Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons pages on the Carlton
Carlton Communications
Carlton Communications was a British media company. It was led by Michael Green and listed on the London Stock Exchange from 1983 until 2 February 2004, when it taken over by Granada plc to form ITV plc with Carlton gaining 32% of the new company....
website being taken offline. The episode was eventually broadcast later in the line-up.
Reception
Historian Nicholas J. CullNicholas J. Cull
Professor Nicholas J. Cull is a historian and the director of the Master's in Public Diplomacy program at the University of Southern California.-Biography:...
groups "Big Ben Strikes Again" with the later Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons episodes "Treble Cross
Treble Cross
"Treble Cross" is the 21st episode of the Supermarionation television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons. It was first broadcast in the UK on on ATV Midlands, was written by Tony Barwick and directed by Alan Perry....
" and "Expo 2068
Expo 2068
"Expo 2068" is the 25th episode of the Supermarionation television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons It was first broadcast in the UK on on ATV Midlands, was written by Shane Rimmer and directed by Leo Eaton...
" as examples of scriptwriter Tony Barwick
Tony Barwick
Tony Barwick was a British television scriptwriter who worked extensively on series created and produced by Gerry Anderson....
's partiality to plotlines showcasing the dangers of nuclear technology
Nuclear technology
Nuclear technology is technology that involves the reactions of atomic nuclei. Among the notable nuclear technologies are nuclear power, nuclear medicine, and nuclear weapons...
. Cull concludes that the episode's plot of an atomic device
Nuclear weapon
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter. The first fission bomb test released the same amount...
being hi-jacked by the Mysteron
Mysteron
The Mysterons are a fictional race of extraterrestrials, native to the planet Mars, which appear in the British science fiction Supermarionation television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons and Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet, symbolised by ubiquitous projected green rings and the deep...
s is an example of this "favourite device
Literary technique
A literary technique is any element or the entirety of elements a writer intentionally uses in the structure of their work...
" used by Barwick.
External links
- "Big Ben Strikes Again" at Fanderson.org.ukFandersonFanderson is the official appreciation society for the works of Gerry Anderson. It is a not-for-profit organisation endorsed by Anderson Entertainment Ltd, Gerry Anderson Productions plc and ITC Entertainment Group Ltd...
- "Big Ben Strikes Again" at CliveBanks.co.uk
- "Big Ben Strikes Again" at TheVervoid.com