Captain Scarlet and The Mysterons - Titles and Credits

Titles and Credits

Captain Scarlet episodes, with the exception of the pilot, incorporate two sets of opening titles. The first of these sequences presents the title card and major production team credits. The camera moves forward through the model set of a run-down, night-time alleyway, forming the point-of-view shot of an unseen assassin, who turns a corner only to meet his death at the gun barrel of Captain Scarlet. The two seven-letter words of "Captain Scarlet" then appear on-screen in time with the seven strikes of the Captain Scarlet staccato drum beat composed by Barry Gray. This opening sequence is accompanied by a voice-over from Ed Bishop, which states, "The Mysterons. Sworn enemies of Earth. Possessing the ability to recreate an exact likeness of an object or person. But first, they must destroy ... Leading the fight, one man fate has made indestructible. His name: Captain Scarlet." The sequence is intended to demonstrate Scarlet's indestructibility; the assassin fires on the agent with a machine gun, but the bullets have no effect.

A number of variations on this voice-over exist. Firstly, Ed Bishop's introduction in the pilot, which is unique to that episode, and runs: "The finger is on the trigger. About to unleash a force with terrible powers, beyond the comprehension of Man. This force we shall know as 'the Mysterons'... This man will be our hero, for fate will make him indestructible. His name: Captain Scarlet." A rare alternative version runs: "One man. A man who is different. Chosen by fate. Caught up in Earth's unwanted conflict with the Mysterons. Determined. Courageous. Indestructible. His name: Captain Scarlet."

Later prints of the episodes feature an additional voice-over, a warning from Donald Gray, which states: "Captain Scarlet is indestructible. You are not. Remember this. Do not try to imitate him." This served both to establish the background to the series and to warn younger fans not to take risks by copying Scarlet's exploits. The warning was placed after the alternative "One man ..." voiceover or else was used in isolation, with Gray's warning providing the sole narration in the opening sequence.

The titles on the series were always devised by me. When it came to Scarlet I was frightened people would say, 'Oh, it's the same old "crash, bang, wallop" stuff again.' So I made a conscious effort to do something totally different. I don't think I necessarily did the right thing.

From the second episode, a continuation of the opening sequence, presenting the main puppet cast, runs after the teaser that establishes the plot to each episode. While the Mysterons are announcing their latest threat against Earth, the "Mysteron rings" pass over the characters in a number of environments to demonstrate the omnipresence of the extraterrestrials, while the Spectrum codenames are being credited on-screen. The Mysterons invariably begin their threat with the words, "This is the voice of the Mysterons. We know that you can hear us, Earthmen." For Japanese broadcasts, the opening credits were replaced with a montage of action scenes from various episodes, with children singing an accompanying theme tune. This version can be found in the special features of the Captain Scarlet DVD box set.

The end credits were originally to be accompanied by images of printed circuit boards and other electronic components, to fit in with the Andersons' original conception of the resurrected Captain Scarlet being a "mechanical man". In the finished series, the credits are superimposed on ten paintings of Scarlet, who is depicted in moments of mortal peril. In the earlier episodes, he instrumental version of Gray's Captain Scarlet end theme accompanies these images; this is replaced by the Spectrum pop group's lyrical version in the later episodes. The paintings were produced by comic artist Ron Embleton, who would later illustrate the adult comic strip "Oh, Wicked Wanda!" for Penthouse magazine in the 1970s. In 2005, the Animation Art Gallery in London released licensed limited editions of the paintings featuring the signature of Francis Matthews, the voice of Scarlet.