Sapphire & Steel

I watched Sapphire and Steel when it was on the telly and, unfortunately, missed the last episode. (long story, but in short, my house was being rewired and electricity was off)

I was confused when i went to work the next day (being a Wednesday) and my work colleague told me that it had been the last episode..... SHOCK, HORROR!!!! "But" I said, "it's on Tuesday and Thursday, how can they end it on a Tuesday???"

So...... for years i asked around, scoured the TV guides (in the hope it would be repeated), all to no avail. :o( Then about 4 years ago, I was chatting to a friend of mine who informed me he had the series on video..... JOY O JOY!!!! :o)

I borrowed the series and watched the last episode first... as I remembered where I had left off..

Then I proceeded to watch the other episodes, along with my daughter, who incidentally is now an avid 'Fan'. We have now bought them on DVD. :o)) How wonderful to watch it again, and again. Despite the fact that i can still remember, almost, everything that happens, from all those years ago. Which storyline belongs to what etc etc etc.

If they can repeat Fawlty Towers, Reggie Perrin, Fools and Horses etc... (admittedly they are comedies) why can't Sapphire and Steel be repeated? A bit contradictory i know, as I say i have it on DVD, but then there are so many people missing out of such an excellent short lived series.

Not sure it would be possible to do a remake, as JL and DM played their 'roles' so well, and the 'chemistry' they had on screen was magnificent.

I suppose i could always loan out my DVD's (would I ever get them back though? ;o) For the time being, my piece has been said.

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!

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.

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.

For a five year old, "Sapphire & Steel" was delightfully terrifying fare. I found it easy - then and now - to ignore the low-budget effects and concentrate on the fantastic scenarios and the eerie twists and turns of the plot. The entire series seemed almost claustrophobic at times, as most of the action took place in isolated or deserted places.

"Sapphire & Steel" was very much a product of its time, perhaps the last of a great line of 1970's British sci-fi such as "Blake's 7" and "Dr Who", with their eccentric characters, surreal scripts and ramshackle sets. As such, for someone of my generation it provides a great sense of nostalgia, and gives me something to look back upon...and smile about.