Sapphire and Steel

Sapphire and Steel (Zafiro and Steel) is a series of British science fiction television, starring David McCallum as Steel and Joanna Lumley as Sapphire. Produced by ITC Entertainment and transmitted in ATV from 1979 to 1982, it consisted of 34 episodes of 25 minutes each. It is considered as the primary response of this chain to BBC's successful Doctor Who series. The series was created by Peter J. Hammond, who conceived the idea for the series after a stay in an English castle supposedly Fruity. Hammond wrote all the stories except the fifth, which was written by Don Houghton and Anthony Read.

Overview

The program focused on a couple of interdimensional operations, headlines Sapphire and Steelin charge of solving different problems over time on planet Earth and in human society. Very little was revealed of its purpose or background in the course of the series, where they helped solve different problems that were presented, but they seemed to belong to a secret organization (The Continuum)committed to keeping order in the Universe, in addition to the integrity of Time and Space in a normal and constant flow.

In the series, it was explained that Time is "like a corridor that surrounds everything, that goes through everything", but that there are weak points in which Time is affected - suggested as an evil force (Entities of Chaos) - enters the present and takes things, people and alters time. These "weak areas" They were caused by human experiments, magic and, for the most part, by memories that preserved an altered and unstable moment of past events, ancient objects, clocks, relics, old houses. There are also creatures from the beginnings and ends of time that wander the corridor, looking for the same weak points to enter and alter time.

These ruptures are often triggered by the presence of anachronisms, for example a nursery rhyme, an altered photograph that mixes ancient and contemporary elements, or a house decorated to replicate a 1930s setting. The Investigators showed up in a surprising way, They analyzed the situation and, if intervention was necessary, the Operators (in these cases, Sapphire and Steel) were assigned to deal with the problem by a mysterious hidden authority, to be assisted by other Specialists if necessary, to solve the problem and return normality to Time, working as undercover secret agents or ghost hunters, without revealing their purpose to humans.

The stories were generally quite cryptic, raising more questions than answers, and had a chilling air, with many unsolved mysteries, it seemed like a suspense and horror series. The show had been allocated a minuscule production budget, which led to the use of simple (but very effective) minimal and theatrical special effects, filming in old houses and strange locations in England, ultimately contributing to the unsafe atmosphere that enriched the series. with mystery and science fiction.

The ambiguous nature of the show extended to its main characters. While Sapphire was portrayed as kinder and "human" than the rational and grumpy Steel, it was clear that the first concern was to deal with the rupture of Time, sometimes above the safety of the humans, trapped in the incidents they investigated in each chapter of the series, who were rescued from the dangers of altering time, but could be sacrificed to save the Universe, Time and Space. The Operators become more and more friends with humans and help them grow, sharing some information with them, to help them solve problems and where they could meet again in the future, to face together the enemies they want. alter the continuity of time and harm humans.

The Operators

"All irregularities will be handled by the forces that control each dimension. Heavy transuranic elements cannot be used where there is life. Average atomic weights are available: Gold, Lead, Copper, Jet, Diamon, Radium, Sapphire, Silver and Steel. Sapphire and Steel have been assigned"

It was very strongly implied that Sapphire and Steel were not human, given their abilities and mannerisms. Steel, for example, often had significant gaps in his knowledge of human culture and yet Sapphire's grace was tempered with a certain distance from the humans they interacted with, which sparked further intrigue in the series. In Adventure 5, Steel confirmed that they were aliens 'in the extraterrestrial sense', but what this meant was unclear. The two also alluded to being involved in the mystery of the sinking of the ship Mary Celeste, in one instance stating that they would expect a ship to surface in 75 years. This could suggest that they were of exceptional age or that some type of time travel was involved.

Sapphire and Steel, who were operators, were occasionally assisted by other agents, including Lead (Lead), who was another operator, and Silver (Silver), a specialist.. There were 127 agents in total, including 12 transuranic elements, which, according to Steel, could not be trusted much, as they were unstable elements, therefore they should not be used where there was life. Although they were described as elements, the code names included non-elements, such as Sapphire and Steel themselves, and Jet (with whom it is hinted that Steel was related in the past). Sapphire, in turn, had a flirtatious relationship with Silver, contributing to an air of subtle sexual tension on the occasions when Silver was called upon to assist the duo in the problems they had to solve to maintain the continuity of time and space.

Within Sapphire's abilities was the power to manipulate time in small ways and to guess the age or discover historical details of objects simply by touching them. Her most prominent ability was to "turn back time", literally rewinding it in a specific area to see or replace the past, for a few hours or days, to help solve problems as a last alternative. She also exhibited the ability to gain information about people just by being close to them, their ages and history, as well as psychological insights into her personality, reading other people's minds and operators. Sometimes it seemed as if she was not discovering the information herself, but rather as if she was receiving the information telepathically from some external source that helped them. She could also manipulate people's emotions and project illusions in order to achieve her goals. When she used her powers, her eyes usually glowed an intense blue color and together, working as a team, they could confront the beings who wanted to alter time, where the most intelligent and elevated human beings also collaborated. with them.

On the other hand, Steel could freeze to absolute zero, giving it the ability to destroy "ghosts" by touching them with his hands, which were actually remnants of Time that caused problems on Earth and human society. He apparently possessed immense strength (in adventure 3 Steel knots elevator cables to prevent it from being used) and a certain degree of invulnerability. He exhibited telekinetic abilities, being able to paralyze people with a glance, bend metal with just his hands or open locks with a gesture, as a reflection of the strength of his element, Steel.

Other operators also seemed to have special powers. Silver Silver (played by David Collings), a specialist who was specified as a Technician, was good at controlling electronic equipment and high-tech gadgets designed by humans, which were used to confront their enemies. He could even melt metals, and create or replicate objects from nothing.

Lead Lead (played by Val Pringle), on the other hand, possessed superhuman strength, could walk through doors, break through walls, and could act as "isolation" for Steel when it was frozen at extreme temperatures, to crush his enemies. Operatives could also communicate telepathically, and in episode 5 Sapphire Sapphire grants this ability to a human, whom she provisionally named 'Brass'. Fan fiction has expanded the list of operatives to over a hundred, covering almost every item, mostly gems and semi-precious stones.

Series format

Each adventure of Sapphire and Steel began with them appearing seemingly out of nowhere, although they were often already present when the episode began. Usually, they investigated and made friends with various humans, and often the locations were what produced the most interest - an old house dating back to the 18th century, an abandoned train station, a 1940s-era cafe-gas station.;s, the appearance of ghosts, soldiers, etc.

Although the series lasted for a period of 4 years, 4 seasons were filmed, only six serials or complete plot stories, consisting of a total of 34 episodes that were created during the 4 seasons, each episode lasting approximately 25 minutes. The first and second stories were broadcast in the summer of 1979, the broadcast of the second was interrupted by industrial action by the ITV network which led to a repeat of the story in 1979. The third and fourth stories were broadcast in January 1981, and the fifth story in August 1981, with a "canned" sixth story; for future broadcast, where an ending for the series was not made clear and where the protagonists of the series came from, leaving many mysteries unsolved.

During this time, the production costs of each episode of the series increased. The high profile and limited availability of the lead actors, Lumley and McCallum, meant that filming was sporadic and ATV's producers were in the process of being reorganized into the new Central Independent Television, all of which factors led to the demise of the series. Central felt that viewers might mistake the new shows for repeats of the old series, and aired the final four-part story in August 1982 with very little fanfare. The series has never been repeated on UK terrestrial television, but some episodes were broadcast on cable and satellite station Bravo in the mid-1990s; the series was broadcast in some Latin American countries on weekend nights..

Radio theater

In 2004, the company Big Finish Productions obtained the rights to the series, and began making radio plays in CD format. These were released between 2005 and 2008. Lumley and McCallum rejected their old roles, which were played by Susannah Harker and David Warner, respectively. However, actor David Collings returned to play Silver in this new version of the series. Other actors who participated were Mark Gattiss and Lisa Bowerman (who also directed some episodes).

Initially, the stories were going to be placed chronologically before the TV series, but then it was decided otherwise, and it is suggested that they were able to escape the trap of story 6 (in the series) thanks to Silver's help. However, in the last story of the radio play, it is revealed that they never escaped the trap, and that all subsequent adventures were only illusions, created so that the characters would not try to escape.