Fire at Rig 15

"Fire at Rig 15"
Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons episode
Episode no. Episode 20
Directed by Ken Turner
Written by Bryan Cooper
Cinematography by Julien Lugrin
Editing by Harry MacDonald
Production code 14
Original air date 16 February 1968 (1968-02-16)
Guest appearance(s)

Voices of:
Jeremy Wilkin as
Kinley
Gary Files as
Charlie Hansen
David Healy as
Jason Smith
Martin King as
Oil Worker

"Fire at Rig 15" is the 20th episode of the Supermarionation television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons. It was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on 16 February 1968 on ATV Midlands, was written by Bryan Cooper and directed by Ken Turner.

In this episode, the Mysterons target the oil refinery which provides all the fuel for Spectrum's vehicles in an attempt the immobilise the whole organisation.

Plot

In the Middle East desert, the Mysterons sabotage an oil drill at Rig 15 by opening a safety valve, releasing a jet of oil which quickly ignites and turns Rig 15 into an inferno. The nearby refinery, Bensheba, is the one source of fuel for the Spectrum Organisation's vehicles. In view of a Mysteron threat to immobilise Spectrum, Colonel White fears that the enemy will attack this fuel supply and dispatches Captains Scarlet and Blue to Rig 15.

On arrival, Scarlet and Blue learn from the controller, Kinley, and his assistant, Hansen, that an explosives expert, Jason Smith, has been called in to "blow out" the fire using a carefully placed charge. However, while Smith positions the device, Captain Black, observing from a distance, uses the Mysteron influence to kill the specialist, who is then reconstructed. The device detonates and the fire is extinguished according to plan.

That night, Black instructs Smith's duplicate to leave in his truck and use his explosives to destroy the Bensheba refinery. The body of the original Smith is discovered the following morning and Scarlet realises that the expert has been taken over by the Mysterons. He requisitions a Spectrum Pursuit Vehicle and pursues Smith as he speeds down a highway leading to Bensheba. Cutting through the desert to catch up with his target, he manages to force Smith off the highway before he reaches the refinery. Smith crashes into a sand dune and his truck explodes, but the SPV collides with a set of oil tanks, fatally injuring Scarlet. Scarlet's body is returned to Cloudbase for his recovery.

Production

In his original script for "Fire at Rig 15", Bryan Cooper named the Middle East oil refinery as "Bethsheba".[1][2] Incidental music for this episode was specially recorded on 22 July 1967[3] using a 15-musician orchestra, producing a suite called "Rig 15"[4][5] which has been commercially released on CD.[4][5] Music for the episode "Shadow of Fear" was also recorded in the four-hour studio session.[3] As originally broadcast, "Fire at Rig 15" is the last episode of Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons to feature the first, non-lyrical version of Barry Gray's ending theme music, "Captain Scarlet", prior to the introduction of the new version sung by The Spectrum.[1][2]

Reception

In The Guinness Book of Classic British TV, writers Paul Cornell, Martin Day and Keith Topping argue that "Fire At Rig 15" seems to be "little more than leftover Thunderbirds scripts".[6]

References

  1. 1 2 Bentley, Chris (2001). The Complete Book of Captain Scarlet. London: Carlton Books. p. 77. ISBN 1-84222-405-0.
  2. 1 2 Bentley, Chris (2008) [2001]. The Complete Gerry Anderson: The Authorised Episode Guide (4 ed.). Richmond, London: Reynolds and Hearn. p. 127. ISBN 978-1-905287-74-1.
  3. 1 2 de Klerk, Theo (25 December 2003). "Complete studio-recording list of Barry Gray". tvcentury21.com. Archived from the original on 13 December 2009. Retrieved 22 March 2010.
  4. 1 2 Peter, Marsh (17 November 2003). "Barry Gray: Captain Scarlet Original Soundtrack Review". BBC Online. Archived from the original on 17 March 2010. Retrieved 22 March 2010.
  5. 1 2 "Captain Scarlet Music CD Release Information". soundtrack-express.com. Archived from the original on 9 May 2006. Retrieved 22 March 2010.
  6. ↑ Cornell, Paul; Day, Martin; Topping, Keith (1996). The Guinness Book of Classic British TV. Middlesex: Guinness Publishing. p. 332. ISBN 0-85112-628-6.

External links

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