Was Sapphire & Steel the perfect blend of British horror and time-traversing science fiction? RICHARD PHILLIPS-JONES looks back on the creepy classic television series from 1979 to 1982
Two mysterious agents, seemingly human in appearance but they are anything but. It’s never really made explicit what their exact purpose is or where they came from, but there is a recurring theme: They appear in places where the very fabric of time itself seems to be at risk of disruption, from events, objects or even people straying in from the past (or perhaps, future). As the opening narration to each episode proclaimed…
“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.”
Across six stories and 34 episodes, the cold, logical Steel and the softer but still icy Sapphire would encounter a time fracture caused by the recital of nursery rhymes, a haunted railway station, a couple from the future living in a time capsule, a man without a face (and some monochrome-complexioned children), a bizarre dinner party murder-mystery and, finally a deserted petrol station and café where the two encountered one of the more downbeat (or enigmatic, depending on your interpretation) series conclusions of its time.
But, back to the beginning: As the series’ creator Peter Hammond recalled, he’d originally been asked by Thames Television children’s producer Pamela Lonsdale to come up with a half-hour story that might be spun off into a series – since Lonsdale was working on Shadows (1975-78) at the time, that may quite feasibly have been its intended outlet.
Ultimately, the head of Thames overruled Lonsdale, feeling the script didn’t have sufficient series potential, so it was pitched instead to Southern Television, who were interested but asked for an outline for five further stories before making any decisions.
Meanwhile, the script (originally titled “The Time Menders”) came to the attention of ATV, who didn’t require anything further than the initial script to take things further. They did, however have a stipulation which would put a crucial spin on the show’s direction: They didn’t want a programme aimed at children, but one geared to a slightly older audience…
The casting would have a further impact on the show’s pre-broadcast buzz: ATV always had one eye on the international market, and David McCallum brought worldwide recognition from his time on The Man From Uncle (1964-68), Universal’s TV reboot of The Invisible Man (1975-76) and regular guest roles on both UK and US shows whilst Joanna Lumley’s global recognition had been cemented by her casting in The New Avengers (1976-77), which was still in its first run in a number of countries.
The talents behind the camera would further shape the show’s aesthetic: If Sapphire & Steel shared some of the artistic look-and-feel of Brian Clemens’ “Thriller “ (1973-76) and Nigel Kneale’s “Beasts” (1976), it was hardly surprising as it was shot at the same ATV Elstree studios with a number of shared crew members. In addition, producer Shaun O’Riordan (who also directed four of the assignments) had contributed seven fine episodes to Thriller.
With all those elements in place, accompanied by Cyril Ornadel’s gallopingly ominous theme tune (at odds with what would prove to be a somewhat minimalist and brooding exercise in televisual chills), Sapphire and Steel debuted on ITV at 7pm on a July evening in 1979, quickly establishing itself as a deft mix of equal parts science fiction and supernatural horror.
It was that mixture which would set the show apart in its sensibilities, giving its audience a jolt of classic Brit-horror but with its metaphysical leanings underpinned by a very scientific theory, that time itself is the thing that surrounds everything, and that malevolent forces are always there, looking for ways to break and disrupt its flow.
It was a delicate narrative balancing act that Hammond (who scripted five of the six stories) pulled off impressively, and there were some uneasy conclusions reached along the way. No character was indispensable and human lives would sometimes need to be jettisoned for the greater good. If stories concluded with questions unanswered, that very ambiguity was an integral part of the show’s appeal.
Sapphire & Steel faced its share of challenges during its production and transmission: The second assignment was interrupted by the ITV strike of 1979, whilst the stature and popularity of its stars created its own headaches as studio recordings had to be scheduled around the availability of two busy and in-demand leading players. The fact that McCallum was by now based in America further complicated matters.
Consequently, the show was off screens for an entire year before assignments III, IV and V were somewhat haphazardly screened during 1981. Meanwhile, background events which saw ATV transformed into Central Television were likely another factor in Sapphire & Steel coming to an end.
With no great announcement, the held-back final assignment unceremoniously crept onto screens in August 1982, after ATV had ceased to exist. The new management at what was now Central apparently didn’t share their predecessors’ enthusiasm for the show and both Lumley and McCallum were already well occupied with other projects.
Despite the cards dealt to it, Sapphire & Steel still managed to generate a considerable following and plenty of love from its audience, regularly appearing in the ratings top 20 and generating a tie-in comic strip in Look-In magazine, as well as a tie-in novel and a one-off annual.
Even a lack of repeat screenings for some years afterwards did nothing to tarnish Sapphire & Steel’s place in the hearts of those who had avidly tuned-in to every episode for their dose of chills. Just mention a creepy, haunted railway station at night or a man without a face to those of a certain age and, in their minds Sapphire & Steel’s creepiest moments will inevitably be replaying…
A fuller look at each individual assignment is on my ever-expanding to-do list but should appear in due course.
Sapphire & Steel Episode Guide
The stories and episodes were never given an on-screen title or number when broadcast. The titles listed here are those assigned after-the-fact and on subsequent home video releases. Broadcast dates and times apply to most (but not quite all) ITV regions.
Assignment I: Escape Through A Crack In Time (10–26 July 1979)
Assignment II: The Railway Station (31 July–8 November 1979)
The first two assignments were broadcast on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7pm. The second assignment was interrupted by the ITV strike which lasted for 11 weeks.
Assignment III: The Creature’s Revenge (6-22 January 1981)
Assignment IV: The Man Without A Face (27 January-5 February 1981)
Assignments III and IV were broadcast on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 8pm.
Assignment V: Dr. McDee Must Die (11-26 August 1981)
Assignment V was broadcast on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 7pm.
Assignment VI: The Trap (19-31 August 1982)
The final assignment was broadcast on Thursdays and Tuesdays at 7pm.
FOOTNOTES: Sapphire & Steel was clearly remembered fondly enough to generate a number of home video and DVD releases. ITC Home Video released a selection of assignments to VHS in the 1990’s before Carlton released the complete series on DVD across two sets in 2002.
A much-expanded set appeared from Network in 2007 with new commentaries and a documentary whilst the US got its own releases from A&E and Shout! Factory.
Big Finish Productions brought the characters back in a series of audio dramas, the pair played this time by David Warner and Susannah Harker.
Tell us your memories of Sapphire & Steel in the comments section below!
