∇
troperville

∇
tools

∇
toys

SubpagesAwesome
Funny
Heartwarming
Main
NightmareFuel
Series
Trivia
YMMV

main index

Narrative

Genre

Media

Topical Tropes

Other Categories

random

Subpages:

Series: Sapphire And Steel

"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."

Sapphire and Steel (1979-1982) was a British series sitting squarely at the intersection of Science Fantasy and Horror. It was ATV's answer to the classic Doctor Who series. The titular characters, played by Joanna Lumley and David McCallum, are stoic inter-dimensional agents who protect, um, something. The opening monologue above is really all the explanation we ever get. Their role seems to involve preventing Lovecraftian horrors from slipping in through weak spots in time and snatching things. Exactly what this means — or for that matter, what Sapphire and Steel themselves really are — never quite becomes clear.

Sapphire and Steel were, in addition to being irascible and detached, telepathic. Sapphire also had the ability to "take back time", rewinding it a bit over a localized area, and could deduce the age and background of things and people by touching them (or perhaps the information was being transmitted to her by Mission Control; like everything else, it's not clear). This made her eyes glow blue. Steel, on the other hand, was even more detached and irascible, could sustain a temperature of absolute zero (allowing him to freeze, well, time), and was telekinetic. But mostly, they just stood very still and looked directly into the camera. Given the calibre of the actors in question, this is a lot more interesting — and a lot more scary — than it sounds, and McCallum and Lumley somehow manage to hold it together.

Sapphire and Steel combat these breaks in time primarily by glowering at them. The show used minimal staging and special effects, with cinematography reminiscent of Ingmar Bergman. For example, Steel emptying a refrigerator is the closest thing to an action sequence in the third episode. This lent to the surreal and detached air about the characters, and also kept production costs in the single digits, but often gave the show the pacing of Star Trek: The Motion Picture on thorazine.

Other "elements" (there were allegedly 127, but the 12 transuranics were "unstable" and could not be used) occasionally assisted them: Lead and Silver both guest-starred, and others, such as Jet, are mentioned.

While most other notable British Science Fiction shows were over-ambitious in their special effects, with results ranging from the troubling (Doctor Who) to the disastrous (The Tomorrow People), S&S simply did not try to do anything the budget wouldn't allow. The result called for milking Surreal Horror for all its worth, creating a show that is, while definitely not for everyone, quite capable of reducing so-inclined viewers to quivering little heaps behind the sofa.

Sapphire and Steel probably influenced The X-Files and Babylon 5. Its creator, Peter J. Hammond, would go on to write for Midsomer Murders, and also stand responsible for two of the most bizarre episodes of Torchwood, "Small Worlds" and "From Out of the Rain". He also wrote the unproduced Doctor Who story "Paradise 5".

From 2005 to 2008, Big Finish released a series of Sapphire & Steel audio dramas, casting Susannah Harker and David Warner in the title roles.

Along with Blake's 7 and Doctor Who, Sapphire and Steel forms the Holy Trinity of British Science Fiction television.

The TV series provides examples of:

Anchored Ship: Sapphire and Steel clearly care for each other and occasionally make affectionate gestures, but the dynamics of their relationship are complex and never fully explained. The fact that they're not human complicates the issue quite a bit too.
Artistic License - Chemistry: Of the "elements" mentioned by name in the opening titles, two are non-elemental gemstones and one is an alloy. It would be easier to overlook or handwave if two of them weren't also the main characters. Hammond did the research, but he didn't particularly care as long as the title (and opening narration) had a cool ring to it.
The Bad Guy Wins / Downer Ending: Assignment 6.
Big "NO!":
- Rothwyn, in Assignment 3.
- The ghost of the soldier in Assignment 2.
Bittersweet Ending: Assignments 2 and 5.
The Blank: Mr Shape in Assignment 4.
Black Eyes of Evil: Happens to Sapphire when channeling the darkness in Assignment 2.
Bottle Episode: All of them.
- The only location footage in the entire series was filmed on the roof of ATV's own offices, masquerading as an apartment block.
British Brevity: On for 6 "assignments" with a total of 34 episodes. Each assignment has 4-6 episodes, the longest one (Assignment 2) has 8.
Charm Person: As opposed to Steel, Sapphire has a very alluring personality which often attracts others. She can easily charm information out of people. It�s even slightly lampshaded in Assignment 5 after the secretary discovers that Sapphire was distracting her while Steel looked for information in the computer.
Anne Shaw: That bitch!
Code Name: In Assignment 5, a human assisting Sapphire and Steel assumes that "Sapphire" and "Steel" are code names, and asks if he can have a code name too.
Cool Old Guy: George Tully might be mystified about how to handle the ghosts at the railway station, but he proves to be pretty useful anyway.
Cosmic Horror Story: The universe as humans perceive it is a small patch of light surrounded by dark and nameless horrors that are always trying to break in. Sapphire and Steel and their colleagues fight them, but battles are not always won, and there's no prospect of an end to the war.
Creepy Child / Creepy Children Singing: The children in Assignment 4 repeatedly sing nursery rhymes and disappear at will.
Eldritch Abomination
Evil Counterpart: The Transient Beings to the protagonists and their ilk.
Did You Just Scam Cthulhu?: Silver uses his reputation for being the most practical one when it comes to knowing when he's up against something he can't handle and suggesting or undertaking a tactical retreat (aka a coward) and the fact that he is physically one of the weakest Elements, to stall the Transient Beings (to whom even Steel is a weakling in comparison) into listening to him bargain for his own safety with a copy of an artifact they were after to give Steel time to get it away from them.
The Faceless: Whatever the "higher power" in the opening credits is supposed to be.
Fancy Dinner: In Assignment 5, Sapphire and Steel attend a 1930s theme party thrown by a rich businessman. Steel's near-complete ignorance of human etiquette gets a good airing, but Sapphire manages splendidly.
Fainting Seer: Sapphire spends a good deal of time unconscious after a seance goes wrong in Assignment 2.
Future Imperfect: The time travelers in Assignment 3 have nearly every detail correct — but they're about a thousand years out in the matter of common English names.
The Gad Fly: Silver loves to pick on Steel because Steel is so serious and often says things just to get a rise or reaction out of him.
Gainax Ending: Although with a series like this, the ending actually seems fitting.
Gentle Giant: Lead.
God: Extremely creepy yet still good example.
Good Is Not Nice: Steel. He cares about saving human lives, but usually talks as though he couldn't care less.
- The crowning example perhaps being when he makes poor old Mr. Tully a sacrificial offering to the darkness in Assignment 2, without Tully's permission, so that the ghosts can be freed, although he does inquire whether Tully has any dependents, and seems relieved that Tully's cats will be looked after by the neighbors.
I Do Not Drink Wine: When offered a cocktail at a fancy dinner party in Assignment 5, Steel says he doesn't drink. Sapphire, however, has a glass of champagne.
Ironic Nursery Tune:
- Assignment 1 has the malevolent Time using a nursery rhyme from a child's storybook to enter this universe.
- As does Assignment 4.
- In Assignment 3, the leitmotif for the changeling is a creepified version of the lullaby his mother sang him when he was a baby.
- Though not technically a nursery rhyme, Assignment 2 uses the usually upbeat "Pack up your Troubles in your Old Kit Bag" to much the same effect, with a vengeful soldier's ghost whistling it constantly.
Late Arrival Spoiler: The unofficial but widely-used episode titles, having been created by fans more concerned with having unambiguous referents to episodes they'd all seen already. For example, if you've seen it, you know exactly which Assignment matches the title "Doctor McDee Must Die", but if you haven't, the title gives away something major that's not revealed until over halfway through the story.
Living Shadow: The Darkness in Assignment 2.
Magical Security Cam: Almost averted in Assignment 3, where the capsules' surveillance cameras produce fixed-angle images with no zooms or other dramatic trickery — except in one sequence, which cuts between Sapphire in Capsule 3 and Sapphire's image on a monitor screen; the monitor screen image is clearly the same footage with a video effect on it, and includes a dramatic zoom.
Meanwhile, in the Future: A variation; since time is in a state of disarray, multiple time frames often coexist.
Metallic Motifs: Steel, Lead, and Silver all have symbolic connections to the metals they're named for.
Mind Screw
My Significance Sense Is Tingling: The primary way Sapphire and Steel determine how time operates in any given assignment. They are able to sense time breaks and villainous presences using their otherworldly talents.
Name and Name
No Ontological Inertia: In Assignment 3, when Steel restores the Changeling to his proper form, everything the Changeling had touched is also restored.
No Sense of Humor: Steel. Silver loves to crack jokes with Sapphire or at Steel just to see them fly over Steel's head or just simply annoy him.
No Sense of Personal Space: Even in mundane conversation, Sapphire and Steel have a habit of getting extremely close to one another when talking.
No Social Skills: Steel knows little of human social conventions and doesn't particularly care to learn.
Nothing Is Scarier: This series loves this trope.
Occult Blue Eyes: Sapphire has mesmerizingly blue eyes that glow whenever she uses her Psychic Powers.
Ontological Mystery: The series has these both on a story-by-story basis and as a whole. The audience never understands the real nature of The Verse presented here.
Opening Narration: Quoted above.
Open Says Me:
Steel: It's locked.
[Lead thumps the door, which falls off its hinges.]
Lead: It isn't now.
Phantom Zone Picture:
- Assignment 1 features Sapphire almost being killed by Roundhead soldiers while stuck in a painting.
- Assignment 4 is mostly about people who belong in photographs being taken out of them and people who don't belong in photographs being taken into them.
The Power of Rock: Sometimes it works, sometimes...not so much. Also, it's usually traditional songs.
Power Trio: When Sapphire and Steel are joined by either Lead or Silver. Is a Token Trio when joined by Lead, and a trio of Beauty, Brains, and Brawn when joined by Silver.
Pragmatic Hero
Pstandard Psychic Pstance: Averted. Sapphire has a characteristic stance — whenever she channels information or takes time forward/backward she stands still and her eyes glow a bright blue — but it's not the pstandard pstance.
Psychic Link: Sapphire and Steel can communicate telepathically and are very in tune to each others thoughts and feelings. Presumably, all agents can communicate this way because Silver and Lead also have this ability.
Punctuated! For! Emphasis!: Private. Ess. PEARCE!
Reality Bleed: A common problem, particularly in the form of different time zones bleeding into the present.
Reset Button: Used in both Assignments 1 and 5. In Assignment 1, Sapphire and Steel save Rob and succeed in freezing the the evil-light. Sapphire takes time back and everything returns to normal for Rob. At the end of Assignment 5, Sapphire and Steel walk out of the Mulrine mansion and the dinner party begins again as though they were never there.
Sacrificial Lamb: Mr. Tully is sacrificed, without his consent, by Steel to the darkness at the end of Assignment 2 to save the ghosts from a Fate Worse Than Death.
Scary Black Man: Lead on his first appearance, though he soon turns out to be the Gentle Giant variety.
Sealed Evil in a Can: How Sapphire and Steel contain Mr. Shape at the end of Assignment 4.
Sealed Room in the Middle of Nowhere: Sapphire and Steel's fate at the end of Assignment 6. The caf� was a trap all along and everyone in the diner except Silver was in on it. The last scene of the show has Sapphire and Steel trapped in the caf�, destined to drift out in space for eternity.
Sharp Dressed Man: Silver.
Shoot the Dog: In Assignment 2, Steel makes a deal with Time by giving it a perfectly innocent man (who he does not bother to consult first on the matter) in exchange for releasing its hold on an abandoned railway station.
Soul Brotha: Lead
Sound Only Death:
- The last we hear of Tully is an awful scream before the Darkness devours him.
- In Assignment 4, Ruth is burned alive while trapped inside a photograph. We hear her screams but never see her.
Special Effects Evolution: If you know much about 1980s post-production effects, it's obvious that the effects people got a new toy to play with for Assignment 6, resulting in some effects that actually impress. And then the series was cancelled.
The Spock: Both of them, but Sapphire has a fair share of McCoy moments.
Spooky Seance: Sapphire and Steel agree to give Tully's methods a chance by holding a seance. With Sapphire as a medium, Steel and Tully communicate with several ghosts that have gathered at the railway station.
The Stoic: Steel.
Surreal Horror
Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Averted. In the last episodes, Mercury takes the place of Lead in the opening narration, though the series was cancelled before he appeared in person.
Teacher/Student Romance: The dead soldier in Assignment 2 had a relationship with a woman who used to be his teacher, after he was out of school.
The Teaser
Technopath: Silver.
Telepathy: Sapphire and Steel communicate with each other using their minds. Other agents, like Silver, also have this ability. Sapphire can also read human minds when the conditions are right.
Television Serial
Ten Little Murder Victims: Assignment 5 is a homage to the classic version of this plot.
Theme Naming: The "elements" in general; and more specifically, it's worth noting that of the ones whose gender is known, the female ones are gemstones and the male ones are metals.
Time Is Dangerous: And how. All of Sapphire and Steel's assignments involve time doing something nefarious.
Timey Wimey Ball
Unresolved Sexual Tension: Sapphire & Steel; Sapphire & Silver. Fanon also assumes UST between Steel & Jet.
Veganopia: Subverted in the story featuring human time travelers from the distant future. In the future, all humans are vegan, not because of any sense of immorality about eating meat, but because they find animals disgusting and unclean and have exterminated all of them.
Video Inside, Film Outside: In Assignment 3, the establishing shots of the apartment building and the scene on the roof are filmed. Every other story was studio-bound and video-only, even for scenes set outdoors.
Whispering Ghosts: When the Darkness moves around the railway station, creepy whispering voices always follow it.
Woman in Black:
- The woman at the end of Assignment 6.
- Subverted when Sapphire wears a lovely black gown in Assignment 5.

The Big Finish audios provide examples of:

Deceptive Disciple: Gold, who was apprenticed to Silver but got swayed by the Transients
Faking the Dead: In "Zero" Gold tries to kill Silver by sending him drifting off into space when Silver goes out suited up to try to fix something, but Silver had suspected Gold and fakes it and even sends out a goodbye psychic soliloquy
Humans Are Morons: A view held in varying degrees by all the Elements because of how often it is humanity through whose meddling and inventiveness that creates ways for Time to start escaping and wreaking havoc. Steel sees humans as stupid, but will fight to his last breath to save them, though if what they do threatens the stability of the rest of the universe, he would not hesitate to sacrifice them as an acceptible loss; Sapphire more thinks humanity has more a charming, if troublesome, flaw of being very imaginative and ambitious and thinks the universe would be a much poorer place without them; Gold thinks humans are straight up morons who should be wiped from the universe to save the Elements and the rest of the universe the trouble they cause; and Silver sees humans as morons for getting into and creating things of which they do not fully count the consequences, but he admires their ingenuity and inventiveness and does not particularly begrudge them the amout of work they cause him.
Insufferable Genius: Gold
Intrigued By Humanity: Silver finds humanity rather confusing, but interesting. Sapphire sometimes envies humanity and the freedoms and the Power of Love they have.
Ironic Nursery Tune: In any number of the audios.
The Mole: Gold
The Nth Doctor: Sapphire, Steel.
Redemption Equals Death: Gold. Steel practically invokes this trope by name when telling Gold how Gold can atone for his betrayal.
Shoot the Dog: In the audio "Daisy Chain", Sapphire talks a teenage girl into committing suicide while Steel keeps her family distracted.
Smug Snake: Gold