If
you've read my Action TV magazine articles on Sapphire and Steel
then it should come as no surprise that I'm passionate about
the programme. It's one of the programmes that are the reason
why I help run this website and I'm typing this at an ungodly
hour having watched the final disc of this new boxset.
As with their release of The Prisoner Network have issued a
series that had previously been released in poorer condition
and not given the chance to celebrate the cult that surrounds
the programme in the form of retrospective extras. And it's
a strong reissue compared to the previous shoddy attempts with
contributions from both McCallum and Lumley and creator P J
Hammond and producer/director Shaun O'Riordan, though neither
of the stars contribute to the audio commentaries.
First thing that strikes you is the improved image quality.
It's tons better, but does have some artefacts, image softness
and problems in low level light scenes, but this is simply down
to the technology available at the time rather than anything
that has developed since. O'Riordan and Hammond kick things
off with a commentary on the first episode of the first story,
and yes, it is a brand new commentary, not one that has been
available on releases across the Atlantic.
You have to push the volume up on the episode to enjoy the cosy
chat as the two commentators have fairly soft spoken voices.
There is a nice mixture of anecdote and commentating on the
episode itself in the discussion that unwinds at leisurely pace.
It's a pity that the duo are only involved in two commentaries
(in fact there are only two commentaries). The final commentary
is fittingly on the final episode and whilst its a jolly affair
the injection of another person (David Collins would surely
have been ideal) could have bolstered the chat with a different
point of view.
A nice unexpected bonus (not mentioned in the publicity material
or on the packaging) is the inclusion of booklet of viewing
notes written by Tim Worthington who gives a brisk tour through
the creation and production of the programme as well as the
the cult that has grown up around series and the Big Finish
audio stories. The image galleries included on each disc are
superb, with many rare and never seen before production and
behind the scenes photographs.
The main extra is a brand new documentary, Counting Out Time,
that features contributions from Lumley, McCallum, O'Riordan
and Hammond. Network should be congratulated on getting the
two lead stars to take part, but it would have been fascinating
to see guest actors or technicians to have some contribution
as well as their story side of the production is still largely
uncovered. The documentary starts beautifully with the main
players replaying the voiceover on the programme's title sequence
and then dives straight into the vox pop interviews. The voiceover
and title sequence itself is the first topic covered before
P J Hammond starts the discussion proper by discussing the rejection
the series suffered before being picked up. The documentary
covers all the bases in a tight fashion with a peppering of
series clips to illustrate points and Hammond manages to keep
some of the mystery surrounding the characters a secret despite
a grilling about the origins of the two lead characters.
IN
SUMMARY : Looking better than ever with some nice, but not
that inspired extras, that still do the job. Give your old Carlton
boxsets to a charity shop and invest in this sparklier reissue.
FILM: 5/5
EXTRAS: 3/5
