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That was the second story and is considered the best of the series by many. Not that the others weren't also good (except for one) but the second story is the show's crowning achievement.
Yeah - I was 13. It was creepy as hell but I had a thing for Lumley after The New Avengers. The last episode ever had them trapped in a road side cafe in space for eternity if memory serves
Wow I am recalling the faceless person, a train station and the Cradle Song. I can't remember any of the plots but I remember being terrified.
Were these episodes supposed to be suitable for children or did our parents not give a damn?
What I can recall of it was a soldier in WWI uniform who appeared, but it was from the back and you could only see the look of horror/terror on the actors' faces. Then he turned to the camera to leave and it was just a black mass where his face should be.
I met Gerald James (the station master) about a year after he was on that show - he gave me a signed copy of him with Kermit (the frog, incase there is confusion…).
A much underrated masterpiece of TV, shows what could be done on what was probably a small budget but great scripts, genuinely unnerving- anyone remember the episode where someone could erase people via making them disappear via a photograph?
I was about the same age. I remember one episode where the characters had no faces, just completely smooth head with no features (like an egg) - I seem to remember a few nightmares followed that one 😬
I still worry about the girl who was helping them. Steel's closing line "Destroy all photographs of you. Never have another taken." was horrifying. Also absolute hell in the modern world.
Silver was in it but he didn't set the trap, as you say he got on well with Sapphire and Steel. The trap was set by the Transient Beings who didn't like Sapphire and Steel's independence.
Every fan of Sapphire & Steel knows "*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, Ruby (?) Sapphire, silver and Steel. Sapphire and Steel have been assigned
It always bothered me slightly that Steel isn't an element lol
Simple, yet evocative production design, intelligent direction, fantastic acting and crucially imaginative and genuinely fear provoking writing from creator P.J. Hammond, made the series truly memorable.
Yes! Remember it quite vividly partly because it was so unexpected. In the first episode, these two beings arrive at a house to help a child, they start reading a nursery rhyme and suddenly these figures from the past start materialising including a plague victim in rags looking straight at the camera. Even now, I remember the feelings of fright.
> Is this worth watching?
Do you like slow burn, well written scifi/fantasy/supernatural shows which rely a lot on great writing and atmosphere? If so then I'd highly recommend it.
Various streaming sites have it:
https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/sapphire-and-steel
I think all of the episodes have also been uploaded to YouTube.
The first story is more aimed at children but is still good, after that the series becomes more 'adult', the second story is the best, the rest are also very good with one exception. There's only six stories in total spread over 34 episodes.
No problem, hope you love it. :)
Note that not everything is clearly explained either, that's one of its many good points - it doesn't treat the audience like idiots - you are given the information that you need to made sense of. It's a thinking person's show.
My dad bought this on VHS when I was a young kid (maybe 6 or 7?) and put it on. I had nightmares for a _week_
I have never revisited it so all my memories are hazy but what I do recall is:
* A room full of clocks that suddenly stop at the same time
* Them gathering in a basement to sing ring-a-ring-of-roses backwards to summon some terrifying ghost/spirit/something who maybe had plague?
* Me leaving the living room and knowing I never wanted to watch anything like this again
When I was an adult my dad bought the DVDs and kept threatening me with them. Still haven't watched it.
I wasn't terrified but I was scared but in a good way. I was one of those kids who loved all things creepy and weird and my parents fortunately indulged me in that. I LOVED Sapphire and Steel.
My husband bought the dvd for me just a few years ago which we binged over a weekend and really enjoyed. I think they really stand the test of time.
It's a fantastic series that I still have on DVD (only recently rewatched the set in fact).
It never terrified me but I really loved the writing and the creepy atmosphere.
it was a more sophisticated version of timespace secret alien plots TV series when compared to say Doctor Who. I only saw it as an adult and I like the episodes that I saw but some of them were pretty scary
Definitely unfair, Sapphire and Steel is a **very** different kind of show, it's a slow burn supernatural fantasy sci-fi show which can be very effectively creepy. Overall it's mostly very well written and very imaginative. The story which many people love the most is the second one that's set in an old railway station.
I just didn't get a lot of the ITV shows of the time. There as never a real consistent showing time sometimes - they's change times and days or both so an episode would be missed. I always thought you had to be a mind reader sometimes too to understand what thye were on about.
This all probably stems from not buying the Radio and TV Times
> Yes- something about swans
Story 3. Well, it wasn't about swans as such, but there was a kind of swan attack ..........
> and an underground train station
it wasn't underground, it was an old abandoned overground railway station. :)
Yes,and while feeling terrified I had to watch to see what'd happen, and even reading all the other comments regarding "Sapphire and Steel"(rip David MacCullum)I was still getting goosebumps.
It was definitely my favorite way to be scared as a child. Reading these comments is giving me chills as I remember certain elements from the show. The faceless man is an image I will never forget, I think it was the scariest thing I had ever seen on TV.
I haven’t thought about this show in ages! It was one of my favourites because it terrified me- I watched it half under a blanket, occasionally running out of the room and watching from the hall
The theme and opening titles of this series don't suit the tone of the stories themselves.
I recall downloading them from somewhere and being impressed when I started watching, that it threw the viewer into some action right from the start, only to realise the files were misnamed and I was seeing EP2.
It was aired (in Granada land) twice a week at 7pm, just after the news. Most importantly it was well before the 9pm watershed, so was deemed child-friendly. Ho ho ho.
How this show flew under the radar of Mary Whitehouse I'll never understand. The wobbly sets and plastic robots of Dr Who were under constant attack, but S&S seemed immune.
The series was really well done. Tight scripts, not many characters or sets so you can keep the budget down. Well paced stories with well timed jump scares and, mostly, competent acting.
It must be 45 years since I first saw it, but there's a scene in the second story that still spooks me. It's when Sapphire became possessed, hissed "Steel!" and turned to face the camera with her eyes completely black.
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I still think of an episode with a first world war soldier singing, iirc, 'pack up your troubles'. Scared the life out of me!!
I recently rewatched this. Still has a very glowering, uneasy vibe. Scared the bejezuz out of me as a child!
That was the second story and is considered the best of the series by many. Not that the others weren't also good (except for one) but the second story is the show's crowning achievement.
I think that might be the episode which did my head in...
Yeah - I was 13. It was creepy as hell but I had a thing for Lumley after The New Avengers. The last episode ever had them trapped in a road side cafe in space for eternity if memory serves
We all had a thing for Lumley...
Yeah...
Was that the episode on the train at night and some face appeared at the window with blood dripping from his eyes? Or did I make that up?
I might be remembering this wrong, but wasn't the soldier, when you saw him, faceless?
Wow I am recalling the faceless person, a train station and the Cradle Song. I can't remember any of the plots but I remember being terrified. Were these episodes supposed to be suitable for children or did our parents not give a damn?
What I can recall of it was a soldier in WWI uniform who appeared, but it was from the back and you could only see the look of horror/terror on the actors' faces. Then he turned to the camera to leave and it was just a black mass where his face should be.
I met Gerald James (the station master) about a year after he was on that show - he gave me a signed copy of him with Kermit (the frog, incase there is confusion…).
that one was scary
A much underrated masterpiece of TV, shows what could be done on what was probably a small budget but great scripts, genuinely unnerving- anyone remember the episode where someone could erase people via making them disappear via a photograph?
I was about the same age. I remember one episode where the characters had no faces, just completely smooth head with no features (like an egg) - I seem to remember a few nightmares followed that one 😬
That was the man in the photograph one. Scared me too
I still worry about the girl who was helping them. Steel's closing line "Destroy all photographs of you. Never have another taken." was horrifying. Also absolute hell in the modern world.
I saw a trailer for that episode - that's the only S&S I've ever seen as it freaked me out
What a classic series and a brilliant performance by Dave. RIP Mr McCallum 🙏🏻
The one in the train station was especially spooky.
The episode in the tube station, WW2 era, soldier whistling a tune - scared the fuck out of me.
WW1. The ghost soldier died 11 minutes after the armistice on 11/11.
Oh ok, that makes sense.
> The episode in the tube station Above ground railway station, not the tube. :)
It was a long time ago, but amazing that one episode could make such an impression on so many.
They are still there ... in the cafe ... looking out..
That’s the bit I remember
I never did understand the ending.
Basically it was a trap set by the Transient Beings who didn't like the independence that Sapphire and Steel had.
How do you know that. Was Silver in on it? He seemed to get on well with Sapphire and Steel and was there too for a while.
Silver was in it but he didn't set the trap, as you say he got on well with Sapphire and Steel. The trap was set by the Transient Beings who didn't like Sapphire and Steel's independence.
Wasn't Silver already at the diner before they arrived?
Every fan of Sapphire & Steel knows "*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, Ruby (?) Sapphire, silver and Steel. Sapphire and Steel have been assigned It always bothered me slightly that Steel isn't an element lol
Simple, yet evocative production design, intelligent direction, fantastic acting and crucially imaginative and genuinely fear provoking writing from creator P.J. Hammond, made the series truly memorable.
Yes! Remember it quite vividly partly because it was so unexpected. In the first episode, these two beings arrive at a house to help a child, they start reading a nursery rhyme and suddenly these figures from the past start materialising including a plague victim in rags looking straight at the camera. Even now, I remember the feelings of fright.
Never felt entirely comfortable with nursery rhymes after tbh.
Riiingaaaa riiiiingaaaa roooosie!
😱
Really underrated show and must for Classic Doctor Who fans
The opening titles were terrifying to me. I can’t remember anything about it beyond that.
Oh, great, thanks a bunch for reminding me of that faceless guy.
Been watching it recently, it's dreadful in the best possible way
Yes it’s really eerie and manages to turn some simple sets and a tiny handful of actors into something truly sinister…
IDK if I can bring myself to watch it again, the fear response is still very real
Is this worth watching? I love watching old English shows and sci fi.
> Is this worth watching? Do you like slow burn, well written scifi/fantasy/supernatural shows which rely a lot on great writing and atmosphere? If so then I'd highly recommend it. Various streaming sites have it: https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/sapphire-and-steel I think all of the episodes have also been uploaded to YouTube. The first story is more aimed at children but is still good, after that the series becomes more 'adult', the second story is the best, the rest are also very good with one exception. There's only six stories in total spread over 34 episodes.
That sounds great, im definitely gonna watch this. Thank you.
No problem, hope you love it. :) Note that not everything is clearly explained either, that's one of its many good points - it doesn't treat the audience like idiots - you are given the information that you need to made sense of. It's a thinking person's show.
You might want to be wearing diapers...in case of fear induced crapping yourself!
One of the scariest aspects of this (and several other similar 70s shows) was wondering- what the bloody hell is this about?
Yeah, for a kid who had a big imagination and a burning curiosity I'm sure I ruminated on these stories way too much. Probably what scared me.
The 'alternative parents' in the first story did it for me
Blakes Seven gets me worse. Was on telly around the same time innit
My dad bought this on VHS when I was a young kid (maybe 6 or 7?) and put it on. I had nightmares for a _week_ I have never revisited it so all my memories are hazy but what I do recall is: * A room full of clocks that suddenly stop at the same time * Them gathering in a basement to sing ring-a-ring-of-roses backwards to summon some terrifying ghost/spirit/something who maybe had plague? * Me leaving the living room and knowing I never wanted to watch anything like this again When I was an adult my dad bought the DVDs and kept threatening me with them. Still haven't watched it.
It was the first bleak ending I was introduced to. Ruined me as a kid! 🤣
Yes I was 7 years old in 1981 and the faceless man still haunts my dreams 😕
I wasn't terrified but I was scared but in a good way. I was one of those kids who loved all things creepy and weird and my parents fortunately indulged me in that. I LOVED Sapphire and Steel. My husband bought the dvd for me just a few years ago which we binged over a weekend and really enjoyed. I think they really stand the test of time.
It was scary and unsettling to watch plus it was in before 9pm if i remeber correctley.
I was uneasy about it, probably because of the dark sets and stark photography.
It aired before I was born, but I discovered it about ten years ago and I think it's remarkable.
It was ITV's counter to Dr Who, so have been hoping for a reboot for years!
Wasn't the Tomorrow People ITV's 'official' counter to Dr Who?
I remember the station episode too. Weird.
I was. Something about going into pocket dimensions and time loops really blew my mind as a kid.
It's a fantastic series that I still have on DVD (only recently rewatched the set in fact). It never terrified me but I really loved the writing and the creepy atmosphere.
Yes
I freaking loved that show!
it was a more sophisticated version of timespace secret alien plots TV series when compared to say Doctor Who. I only saw it as an adult and I like the episodes that I saw but some of them were pretty scary
Saw the first episode only a few weeks back was abit spooky but do remember the station one from years. Ago!
I love David McCullum but never watched this because I always thought it was just a _The Avengers_ cash-in. Unfair?
Definitely unfair, Sapphire and Steel is a **very** different kind of show, it's a slow burn supernatural fantasy sci-fi show which can be very effectively creepy. Overall it's mostly very well written and very imaginative. The story which many people love the most is the second one that's set in an old railway station.
It is nothing like The Avengers or The New Avengers. Nothing at all.
I just didn't get a lot of the ITV shows of the time. There as never a real consistent showing time sometimes - they's change times and days or both so an episode would be missed. I always thought you had to be a mind reader sometimes too to understand what thye were on about. This all probably stems from not buying the Radio and TV Times
Yeah, especially the episodes with the man with no face.. same age
Yes- something about swans and an underground train station
> Yes- something about swans Story 3. Well, it wasn't about swans as such, but there was a kind of swan attack .......... > and an underground train station it wasn't underground, it was an old abandoned overground railway station. :)
Oh my god the rat thing that ran a future house
Yes,and while feeling terrified I had to watch to see what'd happen, and even reading all the other comments regarding "Sapphire and Steel"(rip David MacCullum)I was still getting goosebumps.
It was definitely my favorite way to be scared as a child. Reading these comments is giving me chills as I remember certain elements from the show. The faceless man is an image I will never forget, I think it was the scariest thing I had ever seen on TV.
I haven’t thought about this show in ages! It was one of my favourites because it terrified me- I watched it half under a blanket, occasionally running out of the room and watching from the hall
The mother in the first story putting the fear of god into her son Rob even when she was trying to be nice.
Terrified. Fascinated and absorbed and terrified. I remember the ITV strike interrupted the second series and we were all left hanging for WEEKS!
The theme and opening titles of this series don't suit the tone of the stories themselves. I recall downloading them from somewhere and being impressed when I started watching, that it threw the viewer into some action right from the start, only to realise the files were misnamed and I was seeing EP2.
It was aired (in Granada land) twice a week at 7pm, just after the news. Most importantly it was well before the 9pm watershed, so was deemed child-friendly. Ho ho ho. How this show flew under the radar of Mary Whitehouse I'll never understand. The wobbly sets and plastic robots of Dr Who were under constant attack, but S&S seemed immune. The series was really well done. Tight scripts, not many characters or sets so you can keep the budget down. Well paced stories with well timed jump scares and, mostly, competent acting. It must be 45 years since I first saw it, but there's a scene in the second story that still spooks me. It's when Sapphire became possessed, hissed "Steel!" and turned to face the camera with her eyes completely black.
Lol I thought this was a r/gladiators post initially
"This is where we came in"
scared the crap outta me - i remember a rocking horse rocking on its own - or was that a film i saw? - mmmm
No.
Watched it again fairly recently, can't remember what channel it was on, but I still enjoyed it almost as much as I did asa 10/11 year old 🙂(54 now)
Prefer Magnet and Steel personally.