Sapphire & Steel

A star-scape, trumpeting music, a booming voice announcing the entrance of those mysterious elemental agents...

So began each installment of the fantastic, and very underrated, "Sapphire and Steel" starring David "Man from UNCLE" McCallum and Joanna "Purdey" Lumley.

Produced by ATV in the late 70s and early 80s, this show certainly left the audiences divided. You either loved it or hated it.

Some, baffled by its weighty plots, weird characters and bizarre set pieces found it an instant turn off. Other, perhaps more patient people, who stuck with the series were rewarded with some of the best TV science-fiction this country has ever produced.

Innovative out of necessity rather than choice given its miniscule budget, "Sapphire and Steel" was a triumph of experimentation. Weird music, disturbing imagery, film noir-esque lighting and solid performances from almost every actor to feature in it, everything about the show is a joy to behold.

Now deleted on video, but with a rumoured DVD release in the offing, it is well worth catching this enthralling show. Only 6 stories were ever produced and its short run makes this gem all the more worthy of cherishing. So if you're sick of time travelling Doctors, battles in space and little green men on Mars, then give this intelligent and brooding fantasy treat a try!

I'll admit it; I'm not the biggest fan sci-fi television. I'm not a Star Wars or X-Files fanatic. When I read about Sapphire & Steel, I wasn't expecting much. I figured that if I didn't like it, I could MST it. (MST stands for Mystery Science Theater 3000, read my comments about it if you've never heard of it before) To my surprise, I didn't need to use my fleeting talent for mocking films. I became hooked on Sapphire & Steel after I watched the first episode.

I was intrigued by the premise of the entire show. Sapphire and Steel, played by Joanna Lumley and David McCallum, are extraterrestrial beings (for lack of better explanation – none is ever really given or necessary as to who they really are) sent on different assignments including breaks in time, people being locked in pictures, and ghosts seeking revenge for their wrongful deaths.

I was wrong to write this show off as another X-Files. Sapphire and Steel is much more thought provoking, mysterious, and different from all the other shows floating around out there. The series finale was one of the best ends to a television show I've ever seen! If I had the money, I'd buy the entire six-season DVD set, but since I'm broke I'll have to live with repeatedly renting it from Netflix. It's a definite guilty pleasure of mine.

10/10 - I recommend it anyone with an open-mind who has a couple of hours to kill on a rainy day.

As a teenager I lapped up every episode of this magnificent, highly informative and truly the most intelligent B.B.C. Sci.Fi. series.

The actors Joanne Lumley and David Mc Callum brought magic to the series as two investigators into the paranormal.The series was streets ahead of anything on TV in those days.

It was also educational, taking episodes from history and weaving them into the plotlines.

I vaguely remember watching S&S on first broadcast, and clutching a handy sofa cushion. Watching it again, curtesy of the DVD collection (and at least 20 years older,) It still makes me shiver. Story is great, characterisation & acting excellent, and effects as expected (it works for me, and to see CGI implementations of `TIME` couldn`t be as effective as eerie pools of light).

Still, watching again as a fierce man (cough, possibly,) I still experience the same shivers I did first time round. Believe me, as a psychological thriller, it really works. Situations, and snippets of dialogue from the series, tend to surface when I try to get to sleep. This will soon pass, as it did 20-odd years ago...

Extras, they`re interesting - copies of TV times articles, and production stills related to each episode. Adequate, interesting, but not exceptionable.

A fore runner to the x-files would be the simplest way to explain Saphire and Steel. Steel (David McCullum, Man From UNCLE) and Sapphire (Joanna Lumley, The New Avengers, AbFab) are a team sent from some other dimension to correct errors in the fabric of our space time. Errors include places and times when some brutal crime has been committed or some evil force from another time/place/dimension is trying to enter our world. These errors manifest themselves invariably as ghosts or shadows or something similar and evil. Strangely dark and decidedly unsettling (man without a face episode scared me 25 years ago and still scares me today). The sets are small, rustic and highly claustrophobic and this adds to the already unsettling mood. Strange music with odd eerie sound effects all add atmosphere. Steel is a short tempered man who doesn't tolerate fools easily and tolerates children even less. Sapphire, however, is the warmer of the two. It seems there are many people who remember the name of the program but not the content and this is a shame as it easily rivals the X-Files in quality of stories and positively outshines it in sheer "spine tingle". The acting is excellent as you would expect from such high profile stars. Pity there was such a short run of it. The video quality is a tiny bit grainy but it was originally filmed in analogue and is the best part of 25 years old. However, this is a not a problem as far as I am concerned. I did read that both Joanna Lumley and David McCullum both expressed a particular fondness for the show and its a shame that it hasn't had the airplay it should have. Spooky, eerie, dark, eerie, did I mention eerie? Yeah. Scares the crap out of me still. Worth buying........