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Fandom Overview: Sapphire and Steel
Sapphire and Steel was a British TV series that ran from 1979 to 1982 on the ITV network The series was created by PJ Hammond and stared Joanna Lumley as Sapphire and David McCallum as Steel. There were a total of six serials made before the show was canceled. In 2004 Big Finish secured the rights to Sapphire and Steel and began producing audio dramas. The third series of which are currently being released. Big Finish was forced to recast Sapphire and Steel though with Susannah Harker and David Warner.
Each episode of Sapphire and Steel opens with the following:
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.
This along with the fact that there are a total of 127 operatives, 12 of which are transuranic. In Assignment #5 it is confirmed that they are alien, "in the extraterrestrial sense." Just what this means is unclear. Also all of the Elements (yes, we are aware that some/most of the names provided aren't actually elements) have different powers that help them do their job.
There are three types of Elements: Investigators who assess the situation; Operators who deal with the break outs; and Specialists who assist the Operators as needed. Sapphire and Steel are Operators.
Now you officially know as much as any other person (besides perhaps PJ Hammond) about just what Sapphire and Steel are.
Their job is to stop Time from breaking out. In Sapphire and Steel there is one enemy, Time, and the ends will always justify the means. Time is a malevolent force that seeks to break free of It's prison and essentially destroy everything. There are a number of different creatures that either work for or are an aspect of Time that will make an appearance, but Time is the enemy. Thus the Big Finish tag line: No enemy but Time. Time attempts to break free in a number of different ways and these situations are called Break Outs, or Breaks. These are usually formed through the presence of anachronisms. The anachronism that causes the break is referred to as the trigger and can be anything from a nursery rhyme to a renovated house.
Sapphire and Steel is generally considered to be creepy and best not watched alone in the dark. Most of the budget for the show went to the actors and so all special effects were done on a shoe string and they managed to do them very well. The effects are simple, but combined with the tone of the show, manage to be very frightening at times. The common place nature of the triggers also lend to the overall creepy tone of the show.
It should also be noted that the serials were never given official names. With the release of the most recent box set reference to them as Assignments #1-6 are common, but not always in use. Assignment #1 can also be referred to as The Clocks, or The Nursery Rhymes and Assignment #4 as Pictures or Mr. Shape among other things. This can be a bit confusing if you're not familiar with the episodes. Wikipedia has a nice overview of the serials as well as a list of common names for them. Big Finish has been nice enough to provide us with names for their releases though so it hasn't been an issue with them.
Sapphire
Sapphire tends to be the more humanish one. She relates well to people and has a much better grasp on human history. Sapphire has the ability to asses the age and gain historical details of an object by touching it. She can "take back time" to a limited degree, literally rewinding events in a localized area to either re-do things or just to see what had happened previously. This ability is limited to within a 24 hour time span unless there are outside forces at work. She can also create small time loops, knows how long a person has to live, and can manipulate people's emotions to an extent. Usually when she's using her powers her eyes turn a brilliant blue color.
Steel
Steel is the more alien one. He doesn't understand humans and doesn't really want to. He tends to put people off with his manner leaving Sapphire to smooth things over. Steel can freeze himself to absolute zero (although this is not recommended unless Lead is around), has incredible strength, and has a degree of invulnerability. He also has some telekinetic abilities including, but not limited to, moving objects with a gesture, welding metal with his hands, and paralyze people by looking at them.
Lead
Lead is only seen in Assignment #1 and he comes in after Steel freezes himself. Lead is a Specialist and as part of that provides insulation for Steel so that he doesn't harm himself when he freezes. It is also implied that Lead can provide some insulating effects against Time spreading It's influence.
Silver
Silver is another Specialist. His powers revolve around the mechanical. He can make pretty much anything he can think of and also has a limited ability to create illusions. He is in Assignments #3 and #6 as well as a number of the audio plays.
Gold
Yet another Specialist. Gold is audio only, but is voiced by Mark Gatiss. Gold has an ability to control friction and is somewhat impulsive. It's also implied that he would really like to be an Operative.
Ruby
Once more a Specialist. She is also audio only and is voiced by Lisa Bowerman. Her powers are connected to music.
All of the Elements can communicate with each other telepathically and will switch between spoken words and thoughts almost randomly.
Links
![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
sapphirensteel: General Sapphire and Steel community. Anything and everything is welcome.
element_flash: Fanfiction community.
Sapphire and Steel Wikipedia entry. This is a good source of basic information.
Big Finish page for Sapphire and Steel.
Katspace Sapphire and Steel page which has some nice overviews and links.
Dismal Light which is a good place for interviews and magazine articles and such stuff.
The Anorak Zone which is usually a good place for Sapphire and Steel stuff, but is currently down for reworking.
Each episode of Sapphire and Steel opens with the following:
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.
This along with the fact that there are a total of 127 operatives, 12 of which are transuranic. In Assignment #5 it is confirmed that they are alien, "in the extraterrestrial sense." Just what this means is unclear. Also all of the Elements (yes, we are aware that some/most of the names provided aren't actually elements) have different powers that help them do their job.
There are three types of Elements: Investigators who assess the situation; Operators who deal with the break outs; and Specialists who assist the Operators as needed. Sapphire and Steel are Operators.
Now you officially know as much as any other person (besides perhaps PJ Hammond) about just what Sapphire and Steel are.
Their job is to stop Time from breaking out. In Sapphire and Steel there is one enemy, Time, and the ends will always justify the means. Time is a malevolent force that seeks to break free of It's prison and essentially destroy everything. There are a number of different creatures that either work for or are an aspect of Time that will make an appearance, but Time is the enemy. Thus the Big Finish tag line: No enemy but Time. Time attempts to break free in a number of different ways and these situations are called Break Outs, or Breaks. These are usually formed through the presence of anachronisms. The anachronism that causes the break is referred to as the trigger and can be anything from a nursery rhyme to a renovated house.
Sapphire and Steel is generally considered to be creepy and best not watched alone in the dark. Most of the budget for the show went to the actors and so all special effects were done on a shoe string and they managed to do them very well. The effects are simple, but combined with the tone of the show, manage to be very frightening at times. The common place nature of the triggers also lend to the overall creepy tone of the show.
It should also be noted that the serials were never given official names. With the release of the most recent box set reference to them as Assignments #1-6 are common, but not always in use. Assignment #1 can also be referred to as The Clocks, or The Nursery Rhymes and Assignment #4 as Pictures or Mr. Shape among other things. This can be a bit confusing if you're not familiar with the episodes. Wikipedia has a nice overview of the serials as well as a list of common names for them. Big Finish has been nice enough to provide us with names for their releases though so it hasn't been an issue with them.
Sapphire
Sapphire tends to be the more humanish one. She relates well to people and has a much better grasp on human history. Sapphire has the ability to asses the age and gain historical details of an object by touching it. She can "take back time" to a limited degree, literally rewinding events in a localized area to either re-do things or just to see what had happened previously. This ability is limited to within a 24 hour time span unless there are outside forces at work. She can also create small time loops, knows how long a person has to live, and can manipulate people's emotions to an extent. Usually when she's using her powers her eyes turn a brilliant blue color.
Steel
Steel is the more alien one. He doesn't understand humans and doesn't really want to. He tends to put people off with his manner leaving Sapphire to smooth things over. Steel can freeze himself to absolute zero (although this is not recommended unless Lead is around), has incredible strength, and has a degree of invulnerability. He also has some telekinetic abilities including, but not limited to, moving objects with a gesture, welding metal with his hands, and paralyze people by looking at them.
Lead
Lead is only seen in Assignment #1 and he comes in after Steel freezes himself. Lead is a Specialist and as part of that provides insulation for Steel so that he doesn't harm himself when he freezes. It is also implied that Lead can provide some insulating effects against Time spreading It's influence.
Silver
Silver is another Specialist. His powers revolve around the mechanical. He can make pretty much anything he can think of and also has a limited ability to create illusions. He is in Assignments #3 and #6 as well as a number of the audio plays.
Gold
Yet another Specialist. Gold is audio only, but is voiced by Mark Gatiss. Gold has an ability to control friction and is somewhat impulsive. It's also implied that he would really like to be an Operative.
Ruby
Once more a Specialist. She is also audio only and is voiced by Lisa Bowerman. Her powers are connected to music.
All of the Elements can communicate with each other telepathically and will switch between spoken words and thoughts almost randomly.
Links
sapphirensteel: General Sapphire and Steel community. Anything and everything is welcome.element_flash: Fanfiction community. Sapphire and Steel Wikipedia entry. This is a good source of basic information.
Big Finish page for Sapphire and Steel.
Katspace Sapphire and Steel page which has some nice overviews and links.
Dismal Light which is a good place for interviews and magazine articles and such stuff.
The Anorak Zone which is usually a good place for Sapphire and Steel stuff, but is currently down for reworking.