Sapphire and Steel: A Beginner's Guide
Mar. 29th, 2008 01:07 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
eponymous_roseI humbly present to you, from across the reaches of time and space and probably other things, my impassioned plea for moar content in the Sapphire and Steel fandom. What follows is my argument, in the form of a picspam that will mercilessly oppress dialup users. Basically spoiler-free - the whole idea is to get you guys hooked on the wonders of everyone's favourite interdimensional time-battling operative duo and their adventures fighting the dead, the undead, the maybe-dead-at-some-point, and pillows. I had to physically restrain myself to keep from capping the some of the spoilery bits, though.
(All my own screencaps - from assignments one through three and a wee bit of six - are of variable size, quality, and hilarity; snag away! Larger images are available! Click to embiggen.)
To begin with, the essentials: Sapphire and Steel ran for 34 half-hour episodes (separated into six serials/"Assignments") on ITV from 1979 to 1982, and was the product of P.J. Hammond's imagination (you might remember him as the guy who wrote Small Worlds and From Out of the Rain for Torchwood). It's a sci-fi/fantasy sort of series, steeped in so much mystery thatnobody knows what the heck's going on fandom has managed to take it in about a billion different (and usually contradictory) directions. In 2004, Big Finish started up its first series of Sapphire and Steel audios (which seem to take place quite a long while after the TV series, without resolution of its final cliffhanger), and the third series is set to start in... wait, in March! That's now! Hurrah! The audios manage to stay very true to the TV series, but of course have had to spin things in new directions to keep from getting overly repetitive.
What little we know of the show's premise (and interviews with its creator) can be summed up as follows: when bad stuff goes down involving Time, Investigators are sent to, well, investigate. They then brief the Operatives, who pop up and, well, operate (by safeguarding the structure of Time, whatever that means). And occasionally Operatives are in need of Specialists/Technicians, who, well, you know. Do their thing. That's about all you need to know. (Heck, that's about all we ever know!)
Let's begin!
A DISCLAIMER BEFORE WE GO ANY FURTHER: Sapphire and Steel may cause to you become frightened of any and all of the following:
Houses with a ridiculous number of clocks!
(Seriously, kid, that's just asking for trouble.)
Bedtime stories!
Annoying children!
(Okay, so the fear mainly stems from the fact that these two could potentially put off new viewers. Steel, in the foreground, is not amused.)
Flowers!
Other flowers!
Malevolent torch beams!
Ominous stairwells!
The number eleven!
This guy!
Whistling!
Barbed wire!
Nursery rhymes!
(Seriously, it's a thing.)
Angry men in period dress!
Actually, period dress in general!
Pillows!
Parents!
Legions of the undead!
(probably a reasonable fear to cultivate)
War and violence!
Foodstuffs!
Train platforms!
Dubious jumpers!
Also - and this is a big one - roadside cafés in the middle of nowhere.
Anyway, now that you're good and terrified, it's time to introduce our eponymous (I get a gold star each time I use that word) heroes!
Here we have Sapphire and Steel.
(Yes, it is 1979. Oh, it most definitely is.)
Sapphire is Joanna Lumley (I'm eagerly awaiting an AbFab crossover here, you guys), and Steel is David McCallum.
Random Doctor Who fannish digression time!
Despite the fact that Joanna Lumley's the only one to have played the Doctor, Steel does the take-my-hand Doctorish thing quite well.
And often.
Yep.
/Random Doctor Who fannish digression time
Both are wonderful, anyway!
Together, they fightcrime Time!
Yes, they do!
This is Sapphire!
And this is Steel!
He's basically awesomesauce.
Also, fairly good with gadgetry!
His screwdriver could stand to be a little more sonic, though.
Probably best not to mention that.
Right in the very first episode, Sapphire mentions that: "He's a shade too serious, but you'll get used to him." And yes, he can quite often be a Grumpy McDourpants.
And Sapphire often calls him on this.
Which is always amusing.
And while Sapphire is good with kids:
Steel is not.
Really is not.
As metallurgical thingummies of some renown, Sapphire and Steel have certain abilities that do come in handy.
(including the art of dramatic posing)
A change of clothes and/or hair colour!
Actually, Sapphire can do all sorts of freaky psychic-type things - like figuring out how long somebody has left to live and "taking back Time". Glowy blue eyes!
Steel isn't quite as impressive, really, but he can make his body temperature plummet to ridiculous levels, the better to fight, um, paintings and things.
(You show that idyllic landscape who's boss, Steel!)
Of course, doing so pretty much puts him out of commission.
Which is where Lead comes in!
Anyone who knocks Steel down a few pegs is fantabulous in my book.
Actually, Lead is an extremely effective human shield (or, um, elemental shield?).
A bit better at it than Steel, who despite the name is not particularly physically imposing.
Of course, Steel can tie lift cables inshirtsleeves knots. That's pretty hardcore.
They can also communicate telepathically if need be, which I imagine comes in handy when you're out... of... earshot?
Ah. Or not, possibly.
Personal space?
What is this terrible thing of which you speak?
This looks like a job for UST!
Seriously, though. They're adorable.
They even walk down stairs in unison!
What, do I look like a shipper to you?
And then we've got Silver, technician/specialist, total flirt, and avid collector of all shiny things. He knows how to make an entrance.
(Oh hai, I got you HBO!)
Silver likes shiny things!
Shiny!
Doorknobs? Who needs doorknobs?
Silver's also extremely good with gadgets, as he can apparently melt shiny things down to create other shiny things.
Seriously. This was once someone's necklace.
Silver's extremely fond of bugging Steel for being so serious all the time.
Steel's always so srs business. Heehee.
Steel isn't much a fan of Silver, for reasons such as:
And:
Oh, and:
Also:
Silver and Sapphire are so sneaky, they've even got the whole "decoupling" trick down pat.
Ah, but slashers haven't been forgotten!
Nope, definitely not forgotten.
Goodness, no.
My fandom has no concept of personal space.
You know what? Let's just call them an OT3 and be done with it.
And a final, more impassioned plea: I mean, doesn't this fandom just beg for more macros?
But where do I find this wondrous show, I hear you ask? Simple enough. Here. But I didn't tell you that.
Also, the fandom has a comm - join us!![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
sapphirensteel (Will probably crosspost this there.)
There. My work here is done. If that's not enough motivation, how about, er, an epic fanfic in the works about probabilistic computing seeded by Time called "The Count of Monte Carlo"? Hmm?
This has been a public service announcement. We now return you to your regularly scheduled LJ and collapse over our keyboards in exhaustion.
(All my own screencaps - from assignments one through three and a wee bit of six - are of variable size, quality, and hilarity; snag away! Larger images are available! Click to embiggen.)
To begin with, the essentials: Sapphire and Steel ran for 34 half-hour episodes (separated into six serials/"Assignments") on ITV from 1979 to 1982, and was the product of P.J. Hammond's imagination (you might remember him as the guy who wrote Small Worlds and From Out of the Rain for Torchwood). It's a sci-fi/fantasy sort of series, steeped in so much mystery that
What little we know of the show's premise (and interviews with its creator) can be summed up as follows: when bad stuff goes down involving Time, Investigators are sent to, well, investigate. They then brief the Operatives, who pop up and, well, operate (by safeguarding the structure of Time, whatever that means). And occasionally Operatives are in need of Specialists/Technicians, who, well, you know. Do their thing. That's about all you need to know. (Heck, that's about all we ever know!)
Let's begin!
A DISCLAIMER BEFORE WE GO ANY FURTHER: Sapphire and Steel may cause to you become frightened of any and all of the following:
Houses with a ridiculous number of clocks!
(Seriously, kid, that's just asking for trouble.)
Bedtime stories!
Annoying children!
(Okay, so the fear mainly stems from the fact that these two could potentially put off new viewers. Steel, in the foreground, is not amused.)
Flowers!
Other flowers!
Malevolent torch beams!
Ominous stairwells!
The number eleven!
This guy!
Whistling!
Barbed wire!
Nursery rhymes!
(Seriously, it's a thing.)
Angry men in period dress!
Actually, period dress in general!
Pillows!
Parents!
Legions of the undead!
(probably a reasonable fear to cultivate)
War and violence!
Foodstuffs!
Train platforms!
Dubious jumpers!
Also - and this is a big one - roadside cafés in the middle of nowhere.
Anyway, now that you're good and terrified, it's time to introduce our eponymous (I get a gold star each time I use that word) heroes!
Here we have Sapphire and Steel.
(Yes, it is 1979. Oh, it most definitely is.)
Sapphire is Joanna Lumley (I'm eagerly awaiting an AbFab crossover here, you guys), and Steel is David McCallum.
Random Doctor Who fannish digression time!
Despite the fact that Joanna Lumley's the only one to have played the Doctor, Steel does the take-my-hand Doctorish thing quite well.
And often.
Yep.
/Random Doctor Who fannish digression time
Both are wonderful, anyway!
Together, they fight
Yes, they do!
This is Sapphire!
And this is Steel!
He's basically awesomesauce.
Also, fairly good with gadgetry!
His screwdriver could stand to be a little more sonic, though.
Probably best not to mention that.
Right in the very first episode, Sapphire mentions that: "He's a shade too serious, but you'll get used to him." And yes, he can quite often be a Grumpy McDourpants.
And Sapphire often calls him on this.
Which is always amusing.
And while Sapphire is good with kids:
Steel is not.
Really is not.
As metallurgical thingummies of some renown, Sapphire and Steel have certain abilities that do come in handy.
(including the art of dramatic posing)
A change of clothes and/or hair colour!
Actually, Sapphire can do all sorts of freaky psychic-type things - like figuring out how long somebody has left to live and "taking back Time". Glowy blue eyes!
Steel isn't quite as impressive, really, but he can make his body temperature plummet to ridiculous levels, the better to fight, um, paintings and things.
(You show that idyllic landscape who's boss, Steel!)
Of course, doing so pretty much puts him out of commission.
Which is where Lead comes in!
Anyone who knocks Steel down a few pegs is fantabulous in my book.
Actually, Lead is an extremely effective human shield (or, um, elemental shield?).
A bit better at it than Steel, who despite the name is not particularly physically imposing.
Of course, Steel can tie lift cables in
They can also communicate telepathically if need be, which I imagine comes in handy when you're out... of... earshot?
Ah. Or not, possibly.
Personal space?
What is this terrible thing of which you speak?
This looks like a job for UST!
Seriously, though. They're adorable.
They even walk down stairs in unison!
What, do I look like a shipper to you?
And then we've got Silver, technician/specialist, total flirt, and avid collector of all shiny things. He knows how to make an entrance.
(Oh hai, I got you HBO!)
Silver likes shiny things!
Shiny!
Doorknobs? Who needs doorknobs?
Silver's also extremely good with gadgets, as he can apparently melt shiny things down to create other shiny things.
Seriously. This was once someone's necklace.
Silver's extremely fond of bugging Steel for being so serious all the time.
Steel's always so srs business. Heehee.
Steel isn't much a fan of Silver, for reasons such as:
And:
Oh, and:
Also:
Silver and Sapphire are so sneaky, they've even got the whole "decoupling" trick down pat.
Ah, but slashers haven't been forgotten!
Nope, definitely not forgotten.
Goodness, no.
My fandom has no concept of personal space.
You know what? Let's just call them an OT3 and be done with it.
And a final, more impassioned plea: I mean, doesn't this fandom just beg for more macros?
But where do I find this wondrous show, I hear you ask? Simple enough. Here. But I didn't tell you that.
Also, the fandom has a comm - join us!
sapphirensteel (Will probably crosspost this there.)There. My work here is done. If that's not enough motivation, how about, er, an epic fanfic in the works about probabilistic computing seeded by Time called "The Count of Monte Carlo"? Hmm?
This has been a public service announcement. We now return you to your regularly scheduled LJ and collapse over our keyboards in exhaustion.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2008-03-29 09:16 pm (UTC)I used to adore this show as a kid (along with DW and a few other SF-ish shows) - and you've just reminded me how much I loved it, but I really don't have time to watch it at the moment...
no subject
Date: 2008-03-29 09:42 pm (UTC)Seriously, we need more fans!
(no subject)
From:no subject
Date: 2008-03-29 09:17 pm (UTC)I actually thought that was the real name of a book when I was a kid. Less said about The Prisoner Of Zelda the better.
no subject
Date: 2008-03-29 09:44 pm (UTC)(And yes, as a kid I thought the title was "Carlo" as well. I blame Dad for leaving books about probability lying all over the place. I mean, what are the odds of that?)
no subject
Date: 2008-03-29 09:20 pm (UTC)And Steel is my elemental boyfriend, oh yes he is...
no subject
Date: 2008-03-29 09:22 pm (UTC)*headdesk*
(no subject)
From:no subject
Date: 2008-03-29 09:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-03-29 09:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-03-29 09:29 pm (UTC)*sulks*
no subject
Date: 2008-03-29 09:40 pm (UTC):D
(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:no subject
Date: 2008-03-29 10:18 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-03-29 10:48 pm (UTC)I look forward to having people know what the heck I'm on about. ;)
(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:no subject
Date: 2008-03-29 10:53 pm (UTC)I think it was right around the "Oh hai, I got you HBO" that I completely lost it.
no subject
Date: 2008-03-29 10:56 pm (UTC)Glad you enjoyed! :D
no subject
Date: 2008-03-30 12:19 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-03-30 12:28 am (UTC)To be perfectly honest, I haven't so much come out of the woodwork as... well, as discovered the show a week ago Wednesday, but I am always more than happy to jump right in and get others hooked. :)
no subject
Date: 2008-03-30 01:14 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-03-30 02:13 am (UTC)Honestly, the more people who don't roll their eyes every time I write a Sapphire and Steel fic, the better. ;)
no subject
Date: 2008-03-30 02:05 am (UTC)*shuffles off to watch*
no subject
Date: 2008-03-30 02:08 am (UTC)and you can message me if you're interested in the audios afterwards. Ahem. Barely anything!(Actually, there's very little canon to contend with, which is lovely. Fanon's another matter, but I like ignoring that as much as possible. :D)
no subject
Date: 2008-03-30 02:38 am (UTC)Pillows- Oh goddess, I love the fact that pillows are a threat.
steel with the sweater is the funniest thing ever. He has such an expression on his face.
The cafe- i have such a hard time watching the last part of that ep because there's no resolution. My Steel! My Sapphire!
The Doctor who hand thing is made of win. And I might have to use some to make my Eleventh Doctor icons.
All of my favorite couples have no concept of personal space- S&S, Seven/Ace, Abby/Gibbs, Abby/Ducky, Illya/Napoleon (Hmm... three of those pairings include David McCallum. Fancy that.)
That pic of Steel with his eyes closed (from the invisible apartment) is OMG hot!
Until I rewatched Man without a face I forgot one of Steel's other powers- he can unlock doors.
So shiny! so happy! Thanks!!!
no subject
Date: 2008-03-30 05:42 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-03-30 06:24 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-03-30 11:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-03-31 12:25 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-03-31 11:18 pm (UTC)No really perhaps most awesome entire show synopsis, I especially love the what to be afraid of part and general shippiness for lack of personal space. Also all DW digressions are good.
(including the art of dramatic posing)
And seriously this show takes blocking to the extreme.
no subject
Date: 2008-04-03 09:49 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-04-04 04:46 pm (UTC)Makes me want to watch my shiny discs again...
no subject
Date: 2008-04-12 09:54 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-08-12 06:51 am (UTC)http://kickair8p.livejournal.com/35961.html
~
no subject
Date: 2008-09-01 06:42 am (UTC)David McCallum
Date: 2009-06-11 10:08 pm (UTC)Have you seen the movie: "Around the World and Under the Sea"? He's great in that, if I'm remembering it correctly he's the computer geek keeping the sub working and lusting over diamonds. They are planting sensors on the ocean floor to help predict earthquakes.
no subject
Date: 2009-06-12 03:39 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-11-18 03:10 am (UTC)I actually was pointed to this post a while back, before I even had a LJ - the conversation (on a knitters' DW forum, yet) went somewhat like this:
Me: I just discovered Man From UNCLE, David McCallum is so cool, SQUEEEE!!!
Iko: Yes he is, have you seen Sapphire & Steel?
Me: No, I've only seen him in Greatest Story Ever Told and MFU, what's a Sapphire & Steel? (thinking of the cop show with a character named Steele, if you must know)
Iko: *linkies picspam*
So I read the picspam and - being on a knitting comm, after all - have been trying not to say "Dubious jumpers!" at odd moments ever since. And now, barring the unforeseen, tomorrow I'm finally going to get to actually check out and watch some S&S!
(This is all your fault, you know. Well, except it's really probably Iko's fault... or mine... naah, I'm just going to say it's David McCallum's fault for being teh awesome. Ya think?)
no subject
Date: 2010-03-16 06:12 am (UTC)