Call Red
Call Red is a British television action drama series created by J. C. Wilsher that premiered on 8 January 1996 on ITV.[2] The series follows the adventures of an Air Ambulance squad, captained by Phillip Tulloch (Michael Carter). The series draws upon a documentary-style feel, including hand-held camera work for helicopter-based scenes, and detailed outlines of the procedures carried out by the medics themselves.[3] Just a single series of seven episodes was produced. The complete series has been earmarked for release on DVD by Network Distributing, although no set date has been given for the release.[4]
| Call Red | |
|---|---|
 Intertitle | |
| Genre | Action • Drama |
| Created by | J. C. Wilsher |
| Written by | Peter Jukes Michael Jenner Brian McGill Alan Whiting |
| Directed by | Peter Barber-Fleming Christopher King Ian Knox |
| Starring | Michael Carter Seamus Gubbins Allie Byrne Adam Levy Claire Benedict Maria McAteer Ken Drury Vincent Regan Kelle Spry Morgan Jones Charlie Caine |
| Opening theme | "Guardian Angel" by Marcella Detroit |
| Composer(s) | Francis Haines Stephen W. Parsons |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 7 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Antony Root [1] |
| Producer(s) | Gillian Gordon [1] |
| Production location(s) | London, England, UK |
| Cinematography | Peter Middleton |
| Editor(s) | Martin Sharpe |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Thames Television Meridian Television |
| Distributor | Fremantle |
| Release | |
| Original network | ITV |
| Picture format | 4:3 |
| Audio format | Stereo |
| Original release | 8 January – 19 February 1996 |
Early reception of the series was critical. Thomas Sutcliffe of The Independent said that the series is composed of "wooden acting" and "cardboard dialogue", and that "the wiser viewer will realise it shows no vital signs at all".[5] Jim White of The Independent stated that "all the characters were ludicrously gung-ho, self-important and convinced they were the only people capable of administering medical assistance; typical doctors then, but not much fun to spend sixty minutes with".[2]
Cast
- Michael Carter — Phillip Tulloch
- Seamus Gubbins — Sean Brooks
- Allie Byrne — Alyson Butler
- Adam Levy — Sam Kline
- Claire Benedict — Jude Patton
- Maria McAteer — Kelly Wallace
- Ken Drury — Ross Murray
- Vincent Regan — Ray Sidley
- Kelle Spry — Clare Waddington
- Morgan Jones — Gary Moulton
- Charlie Caine — Terry Dukes
Episodes
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Ratings (in millions)[6] Sourced by BARB. |
Original airdate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" | TBA | Michael Jenner & Peter Jukes | TBA | 8 January 1996 |
| 2 | "Baptism of Fire" | TBA | Peter Jukes | TBA | 15 January 1996 |
| 3 | "Heartbreaker" | Peter Barber-Fleming[7] | J.C. Wilsher | TBA | 22 January 1996 |
| 4 | "Force of Habit" | TBA | TBA | TBA | 29 January 1996 |
| 5 | "Life Extinct" | TBA | TBA | TBA | 5 February 1996 |
| 6 | "Night Sun" | TBA | Peter Jukes | TBA | 12 February 1996 |
| 7 | "Breaking Strain" | TBA | TBA | TBA | 19 February 1996 |
Criticism
The series came under fire when aircraft equipment used in the filming of an episode which saw the team helping victims of a plane crash was returned to the owners severely damaged. It was claimed that the damage amounted to more than £48,000, and was caused when the production company, Thames Television, chose to light fires around fuselage and landing gear, which resulted in burning and corrosion of said equipment, and further damage was caused when the producers tried to extinguish the fires. The case was brought to court on 10 January 1996, just two days after the first episode premiered on ITV.[8]
References
- https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0249282/fullcredits#cast
- White, Jim (9 January 1996). "Review". The Independent. Retrieved 13 July 2009.
- https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/review-5413112.html
- https://www.amazon.co.uk/Call-Red-Complete-DVD/dp/B003UPCNY8/
- Sutcliffe, Thomas (6 February 1996). "Review". The Independent. Retrieved 13 July 2009.
- "Viewing Data — Top Tens". BARB. Retrieved 6 March 2014.
- http://www.clivehaywardactor.com/call-red.html
- https://www.thelawyer.com/issues/8-january-1996/tv-company-to-be-shot-down-in-flames/