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
GenreAction • Drama
Created byJ. C. Wilsher
Written byPeter Jukes
Michael Jenner
Brian McGill
Alan Whiting
Directed byPeter Barber-Fleming
Christopher King
Ian Knox
StarringMichael 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
ComposersFrancis Haines
Stephen W. Parsons
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series1
No. of episodes7 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producerAntony Root[1]
ProducerGillian Gordon[1]
Production locationsLondon, England, UK
CinematographyPeter Middleton
EditorMartin Sharpe
Running time60 minutes
Production companiesThames Television
Meridian Television
Release
Original networkITV
Original release8 January (1996-01-08) –
19 February 1996 (1996-02-19)

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]

Synopsis

The show follows the story of a team of undercover police officers who are tasked with infiltrating and bringing down criminal organizations in the UK. Led by Detective Inspector Frank Paterson, the team includes Detective Sergeant Tony Clark and Detective Constable Zoe Haratounian.

Throughout the series, the team takes on a variety of high-stakes assignments, ranging from infiltrating a drug trafficking ring to uncovering a conspiracy involving a wealthy businessman. The show explores themes of crime, justice, and morality, as the team grapples with the difficult decisions they must make in order to bring down the criminals they are targeting.

Cast

Episodes
No. Title Directed by Written by Ratings (in millions)[6]
Sourced by BARB.		 Original airdate
1"Invasion of the Body Snatchers"UnknownMichael Jenner & Peter JukesTBA8 January 1996 (1996-01-08)
2"Baptism of Fire"UnknownPeter JukesTBA15 January 1996 (1996-01-15)
3"Heartbreaker"Peter Barber-Fleming[7]J.C. WilsherTBA22 January 1996 (1996-01-22)
4"Force of Habit"UnknownUnknownTBA29 January 1996 (1996-01-29)
5"Life Extinct"UnknownUnknownTBA5 February 1996 (1996-02-05)
6"Night Sun"UnknownPeter JukesTBA12 February 1996 (1996-02-12)
7"Breaking Strain"UnknownUnknownTBA19 February 1996 (1996-02-19)

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
  1. "Call Red (TV Series 1996– ) - IMDb". IMDb.
  2. White, Jim (9 January 1996). "Review". The Independent. Archived from the original on 3 November 2012. Retrieved 13 July 2009.
  3. The Independent
  4. "Call Red: The Complete Series". Amazon UK.
  5. Sutcliffe, Thomas (6 February 1996). "Review". The Independent. Archived from the original on 3 November 2012. Retrieved 13 July 2009.
  6. "Viewing Data — Top Tens". BARB. Retrieved 6 March 2014.
  7. "Call Red".
  8. "TV company to be shot down in flames". 10 January 1996.
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