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Assigned: The Unofficial and Unauthorised Guide to Sapphire and Steel
Sapphire & Steel charted the efforts of two mysterious 'agents', named Sapphire (Joanna Lumley) and Steel (David McCallum), as they were given a number of 'assignments'. featuring everything from a faceless man and a vengeful soldier, to living nursery rhymes and a time-trapped motorway cafe. The series was innovative, intelligent and terrifying, and it has stayed in the memories of all who saw it. In this guide, Richard Callaghan delves into the six televised 'assignments' and finds out what made them tick. He explores the continuity and background to the show, and gives all the facts and figures as well as a critical commentary. The show's spin-off books and audio adventures are also discussed and reviewed.
152 pages, Paperback
First published May 28, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
November 16, 2023
I'm a big fan of the P J Hammond series, having watched some of it (maybe all) when it was first broadcast. I recall the traumatic conclusion to Assignment Six and pondering how Sapphire & Steel might escape the predicament they'd fallen into by a cliffhanger. Alas, no more were to be forthcoming.
Richard Callaghan has compiled a wealth of details around the scripting, production, performance, and recollections of the six Assignments. Whether we're keeping count of the number of times Sapphire's eyes glow or why Lead got replaced by Mercury in the titles of a few scattered trailers, the answer is in here somewhere.
Richard considers each Assignment with all manner of details about the production and memories from the performers and crew. It makes for fascinating reading, and I can see that considerable time has been spent pulling all this information together from disparate sources, including Q&As from later interviews, conventions, and other discussions.
That said, the depth stops with the Assignments. While I appreciate that there's much here to be enjoyed, the bulk of the book relies on re-watching the series and collating recollections from many faded memories. But, more recent material, like the Big Finish audio dramas, gets little more than review-length coverage despite presumably having a much better opportunity for speaking to those involved. While the series took a different and more adult approach—at odds with the audience and intent of the original TV series—it warranted more attention.
Given that Sapphire & Steel has so little coverage in reference materials (compared to The Prisoner, which aired even earlier and yet has a huge range of reference and fan material published), 'Assigned' is Liked and appreciated by me. Still, I'd like to see even more. On top of which, I'd also like to see a book that isn't published through Amazon print-on-demand—the cover curls horribly after only a short period of reading.
Richard Callaghan has compiled a wealth of details around the scripting, production, performance, and recollections of the six Assignments. Whether we're keeping count of the number of times Sapphire's eyes glow or why Lead got replaced by Mercury in the titles of a few scattered trailers, the answer is in here somewhere.
Richard considers each Assignment with all manner of details about the production and memories from the performers and crew. It makes for fascinating reading, and I can see that considerable time has been spent pulling all this information together from disparate sources, including Q&As from later interviews, conventions, and other discussions.
That said, the depth stops with the Assignments. While I appreciate that there's much here to be enjoyed, the bulk of the book relies on re-watching the series and collating recollections from many faded memories. But, more recent material, like the Big Finish audio dramas, gets little more than review-length coverage despite presumably having a much better opportunity for speaking to those involved. While the series took a different and more adult approach—at odds with the audience and intent of the original TV series—it warranted more attention.
Given that Sapphire & Steel has so little coverage in reference materials (compared to The Prisoner, which aired even earlier and yet has a huge range of reference and fan material published), 'Assigned' is Liked and appreciated by me. Still, I'd like to see even more. On top of which, I'd also like to see a book that isn't published through Amazon print-on-demand—the cover curls horribly after only a short period of reading.
April 10, 2022
Especially satisfying if you enjoy analyzing and learning being-the-scenes info. I just watched all the episodes, so I appreciated having this book to dive deeper into the Assignments, extended my enjoyment and learn about the audio dramas and other books.
November 15, 2018
I am a big fan of David Howe‘s publishing company; Telos. They have produced (and continue to produce) some of the best books available on genre television, many of which sit proudly on my bookshelves. Assigned! The Unofficial and Unauthorised Guide to Sapphire & Steel by Richard Callaghan is another in Telos’ ever expanding range.
I’ve always loved Sapphire & Steel but, as a fairly short-lived series, there has been little in the way of coverage of it apart from the occasional articles in TV Zone, Starburst or SFX. That’s why this book is desirable. At 152 pages it’s a fairly slim volume but as there were only ever six televised adventures and virtually no merchandise, the amount you can write about the series is going to be limited.
As well as a brief background to the creation of the programme, there are biographies of the main actors and behind the scenes personnel, synopses of each story, with cast lists, transmission dates, trivia, developments in the series mythology, goofs and an in-depth analysis of each story. This is where Assigned! really shines, with each story getting several pages of discussion, covering each story in such exceptional detail, I was faintly horrified at how much I think I’ve missed over the years! I didn’t always agree with all of Callaghan’s opinions but that’s always good for debate – and I would have liked to know more about creator PJ Hammond’s aborted attempt to revive the show in 2006 rather than just the throwaway mention we get in the Production chapter.
There are two downsides for me with this book, neither of them fatal, but niggling me nevertheless. First, and most important, are the appendices. There are four, looking at the DVD releases, the books, the comic strips and the Big Finish audio plays. Now, although I appreciate that S&S was originally a TV series, everything else connected with it is crammed into forty pages in a fairly cursory fashion. This book says it’s a guide to Sapphire & Steel, yet it’s only when you get to the BF releases that the author says it’s chiefly a look at the TV series which, for me, seems a bit short-sighted. As probably the only book that will ever be published about it, wouldn’t it have made sense to cover everything as fully and completely as possible – making it an indispensable guide to the worlds of Sapphire & Steel? It feels almost as though the author was only interested in the TV series, got to the end of his analysis and wasn’t really interested in the rest. That may not be what he intended, but it’s how it came across to me.
My second problem with it is the complete lack of images. Although the text is principally what we are interested in, it would have been nice to have it broken up with photographs from the show. One hundred and fifty pages of fairly dense text can play havoc with your eyes! To be fair though, this last quibble is a minor one.
Overall, for anyone interested in Sapphire & Steel this book is a must buy. It tells you almost everything you could want to know about the series (and probably some things you never knew you wanted to know) and is probably as in depth as we’re ever going to get.
I’ve always loved Sapphire & Steel but, as a fairly short-lived series, there has been little in the way of coverage of it apart from the occasional articles in TV Zone, Starburst or SFX. That’s why this book is desirable. At 152 pages it’s a fairly slim volume but as there were only ever six televised adventures and virtually no merchandise, the amount you can write about the series is going to be limited.
As well as a brief background to the creation of the programme, there are biographies of the main actors and behind the scenes personnel, synopses of each story, with cast lists, transmission dates, trivia, developments in the series mythology, goofs and an in-depth analysis of each story. This is where Assigned! really shines, with each story getting several pages of discussion, covering each story in such exceptional detail, I was faintly horrified at how much I think I’ve missed over the years! I didn’t always agree with all of Callaghan’s opinions but that’s always good for debate – and I would have liked to know more about creator PJ Hammond’s aborted attempt to revive the show in 2006 rather than just the throwaway mention we get in the Production chapter.
There are two downsides for me with this book, neither of them fatal, but niggling me nevertheless. First, and most important, are the appendices. There are four, looking at the DVD releases, the books, the comic strips and the Big Finish audio plays. Now, although I appreciate that S&S was originally a TV series, everything else connected with it is crammed into forty pages in a fairly cursory fashion. This book says it’s a guide to Sapphire & Steel, yet it’s only when you get to the BF releases that the author says it’s chiefly a look at the TV series which, for me, seems a bit short-sighted. As probably the only book that will ever be published about it, wouldn’t it have made sense to cover everything as fully and completely as possible – making it an indispensable guide to the worlds of Sapphire & Steel? It feels almost as though the author was only interested in the TV series, got to the end of his analysis and wasn’t really interested in the rest. That may not be what he intended, but it’s how it came across to me.
My second problem with it is the complete lack of images. Although the text is principally what we are interested in, it would have been nice to have it broken up with photographs from the show. One hundred and fifty pages of fairly dense text can play havoc with your eyes! To be fair though, this last quibble is a minor one.
Overall, for anyone interested in Sapphire & Steel this book is a must buy. It tells you almost everything you could want to know about the series (and probably some things you never knew you wanted to know) and is probably as in depth as we’re ever going to get.
July 3, 2014
I am a big fan of David Howe‘s publishing company; Telos. They have produced (and continue to produce) some of the best books available on genre television, many of which sit proudly on my bookshelves. Assigned! The Unofficial and Unauthorised Guide to Sapphire & Steel by Richard Callaghan is another in Telos’ ever expanding range.
I’ve always loved Sapphire & Steel but, as a fairly short-lived series, there has been little in the way of coverage of it apart from the occasional articles in TV Zone, Starburst or SFX. That’s why this book is desirable. At 152 pages it’s a fairly slim volume but as there were only ever six televised adventures and virtually no merchandise, the amount you can write about the series is going to be limited.
As well as a brief background to the creation of the programme, there are biographies of the main actors and behind the scenes personnel, synopses of each story, with cast lists, transmission dates, trivia, developments in the series mythology, goofs and an in-depth analysis of each story. This is where Assigned! really shines, with each story getting several pages of discussion, covering each story in such exceptional detail, I was faintly horrified at how much I think I’ve missed over the years! I didn’t always agree with all of Callaghan’s opinions but that’s always good for debate – and I would have liked to know more about creator PJ Hammond’s aborted attempt to revive the show in 2006 rather than just the throwaway mention we get in the Production chapter.
There are two downsides for me with this book, neither of them fatal, but niggling me nevertheless. First, and most important, are the appendices. There are four, looking at the DVD releases, the books, the comic strips and the Big Finish audio plays. Now, although I appreciate that S&S was originally a TV series, everything else connected with it is crammed into forty pages in a fairly cursory fashion. This book says it’s a guide to Sapphire & Steel, yet it’s only when you get to the BF releases that the author says it’s chiefly a look at the TV series which, for me, seems a bit short-sighted. As probably the only book that will ever be published about it, wouldn’t it have made sense to cover everything as fully and completely as possible – making it an indispensable guide to the worlds of Sapphire & Steel? It feels almost as though the author was only interested in the TV series, got to the end of his analysis and wasn’t really interested in the rest. That may not be what he intended, but it’s how it came across to me.
My second problem with it is the complete lack of images. Although the text is principally what we are interested in, it would have been nice to have it broken up with photographs from the show. One hundred and fifty pages of fairly dense text can play havoc with your eyes! To be fair though, this last quibble is a minor one.
Overall, for anyone interested in Sapphire & Steel this book is a must buy. It tells you almost everything you could want to know about the series (and probably some things you never knew you wanted to know) and is probably as in depth as we’re ever going to get.
I’ve always loved Sapphire & Steel but, as a fairly short-lived series, there has been little in the way of coverage of it apart from the occasional articles in TV Zone, Starburst or SFX. That’s why this book is desirable. At 152 pages it’s a fairly slim volume but as there were only ever six televised adventures and virtually no merchandise, the amount you can write about the series is going to be limited.
As well as a brief background to the creation of the programme, there are biographies of the main actors and behind the scenes personnel, synopses of each story, with cast lists, transmission dates, trivia, developments in the series mythology, goofs and an in-depth analysis of each story. This is where Assigned! really shines, with each story getting several pages of discussion, covering each story in such exceptional detail, I was faintly horrified at how much I think I’ve missed over the years! I didn’t always agree with all of Callaghan’s opinions but that’s always good for debate – and I would have liked to know more about creator PJ Hammond’s aborted attempt to revive the show in 2006 rather than just the throwaway mention we get in the Production chapter.
There are two downsides for me with this book, neither of them fatal, but niggling me nevertheless. First, and most important, are the appendices. There are four, looking at the DVD releases, the books, the comic strips and the Big Finish audio plays. Now, although I appreciate that S&S was originally a TV series, everything else connected with it is crammed into forty pages in a fairly cursory fashion. This book says it’s a guide to Sapphire & Steel, yet it’s only when you get to the BF releases that the author says it’s chiefly a look at the TV series which, for me, seems a bit short-sighted. As probably the only book that will ever be published about it, wouldn’t it have made sense to cover everything as fully and completely as possible – making it an indispensable guide to the worlds of Sapphire & Steel? It feels almost as though the author was only interested in the TV series, got to the end of his analysis and wasn’t really interested in the rest. That may not be what he intended, but it’s how it came across to me.
My second problem with it is the complete lack of images. Although the text is principally what we are interested in, it would have been nice to have it broken up with photographs from the show. One hundred and fifty pages of fairly dense text can play havoc with your eyes! To be fair though, this last quibble is a minor one.
Overall, for anyone interested in Sapphire & Steel this book is a must buy. It tells you almost everything you could want to know about the series (and probably some things you never knew you wanted to know) and is probably as in depth as we’re ever going to get.
September 29, 2013
Richard Callaghan has written an excellent and long overdue book documenting and analysing one of ITV's best contributions to UK fantasy television. Unlike Doctor Who, which has an embarrassment of books about its history, the story behind the making of "Sapphire and Steel" is largely untold. Callaghan has done some excellent detective work, pulling together archive interviews and new ones for this book, together with odd bits of surviving ATV paperwork to build a history.
His in-depth analysis of each story is fascinating and well argued. In a series as deliberately ambiguous as this, inevitable I disagreed with some of his conclusions but I understood why he proposed them. He is not afraid to be critical of some aspects either.
Particularly welcome are the extended appendices covering the duo's non-televised adventures in the Look-In comic strip and Big Finish audio plays in some detail.
An excellently written book that's in-depth whilst still accessible. A great example of the genre.
His in-depth analysis of each story is fascinating and well argued. In a series as deliberately ambiguous as this, inevitable I disagreed with some of his conclusions but I understood why he proposed them. He is not afraid to be critical of some aspects either.
Particularly welcome are the extended appendices covering the duo's non-televised adventures in the Look-In comic strip and Big Finish audio plays in some detail.
An excellently written book that's in-depth whilst still accessible. A great example of the genre.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews