The secrets Sapphire, Steel and their colleagues find include people trapped in photos, ghosts lost in time and a retro dinner party.The secrets Sapphire, Steel and their colleagues find include people trapped in photos, ghosts lost in time and a retro dinner party.The secrets Sapphire, Steel and their colleagues find include people trapped in photos, ghosts lost in time and a retro dinner party.
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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!
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!
My taste in science fiction and fantasy entertainment is a strange thing. I hated "Lord of the Rings," but I love a good Godzilla movie. "Doctor Who" is fantastic, "Star Wars" leaves me cold. I think it's fair to say that I like interesting concepts more than expensive special effects, and I'm particularly fond of fantasy entertainment from other countries since it often has entirely different sensibilities from the action-oriented stuff that Americans produce.
So, it's no surprise that I loved watching "Sapphire and Steel" over my Christmas break! Talk about interesting concepts...the whole show is a mass of enigmas, time paradoxes, all kinds of weird and wonderful ideas. And it's not just cold, cerebral stuff; the strangely warm rapport between Sapphire, Steel, and the people they help holds it all together. And you know what? I really like the slow pacing and the stifled feeling created by the use of confining sets. For such a low-budget production, "Sapphire and Steel" is oddly terrifying sometimes, and I've got to give credit to its production team for stretching the TV medium so effectively.
It's more humane than "Twilight Zone," more fascinating than "X-Files," and, like so many other great British shows, it had the dignity to end before it got tiresome! Get out and buy the DVD boxed set now...it's worth it.
So, it's no surprise that I loved watching "Sapphire and Steel" over my Christmas break! Talk about interesting concepts...the whole show is a mass of enigmas, time paradoxes, all kinds of weird and wonderful ideas. And it's not just cold, cerebral stuff; the strangely warm rapport between Sapphire, Steel, and the people they help holds it all together. And you know what? I really like the slow pacing and the stifled feeling created by the use of confining sets. For such a low-budget production, "Sapphire and Steel" is oddly terrifying sometimes, and I've got to give credit to its production team for stretching the TV medium so effectively.
It's more humane than "Twilight Zone," more fascinating than "X-Files," and, like so many other great British shows, it had the dignity to end before it got tiresome! Get out and buy the DVD boxed set now...it's worth it.
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.
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.
I remembered during a time I was a little kid, my dad hurried home to catch an episode of a TV show. I've watched scenes of it and always remembered it containing an eerie image of a soldier behind a glass door or appearing in random places throughout the story.
I didn't know what the name of the show was and after describing the scenes in a former IMDb contributor board, somebody mentioned that it was probably the "The Railway Station" episode of "Sapphire & Steel." I've watched parts of the episode online, especially paying attention to all the soldier scenes and it did look familiar. It was a very eerie show with a steady-moving plot and a very foreboding-toned acting. The show's premise are these two investigators who are sent to protect the universe from evil forces from other dimensions trying to disrupt life's time-line.
Definitely a unique TV show with out-of-this world episodes and mysterious stories.
Grade B
I didn't know what the name of the show was and after describing the scenes in a former IMDb contributor board, somebody mentioned that it was probably the "The Railway Station" episode of "Sapphire & Steel." I've watched parts of the episode online, especially paying attention to all the soldier scenes and it did look familiar. It was a very eerie show with a steady-moving plot and a very foreboding-toned acting. The show's premise are these two investigators who are sent to protect the universe from evil forces from other dimensions trying to disrupt life's time-line.
Definitely a unique TV show with out-of-this world episodes and mysterious stories.
Grade B
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.
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.
Did you know
- TriviaAccording to the documentary accompanying the Network DVD release, the concept for this show originally envisioned it as a programme aimed at youngsters in the mold of other children orientated sci-fi such as The Tomorrow People or Doctor Who. However the documentary goes on to state that this idea soon dissipated when the two stars (McCallum and Lumley) were signed, the production costs subsequently spiralled and made it impractical to keep this as part of childrens TV programming. The programme was then written for an older (i.e. teenage) audience in mind and moved up the schedules from a childrens tv slot to an early evening slot (most ITV networks screened it around 7pm). Despite the big name casting and sci-fi elements the show was not a massive hit not because of perceived lack of quality but because the haphazard way it was produced with the stars availability together for filming being restricted due to other commitments. This meant that the show could never really get a strong foothold in tv programming due to the irregular way the stories were becoming available for transmission. Without a regular production schedule the shows ended up showing at different times and dates all across the ITV network and as such production eventually fizzled out with some ITV networks not showing the final stories until 2 years after they had been filmed.
- GoofsThe introduction talks about elements and their atomic weights, but sapphire is a gemstone composed of the mineral corundum, an aluminum oxide, and steel is an alloy of iron, carbon and other elements. Jet and diamond are also mentioned - while diamond is a form of carbon (and is, therefore, an element) jet is not.
- Quotes
[narration in opening credits]
Voice-over in titles: All irregularities will be handled by the forces controlling each dimension. Transuranic heavy elements may not be used where there is life. Medium atomic weights are available: Gold, Lead, Copper, Jet, Diamond, Radium, Sapphire, Silver and Steel. Sapphire and Steel have been assigned.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Screenwipe: Episode #1.3 (2006)
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- Also known as
- Сапфир и Сталь
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- See more company credits at IMDbPro
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