First broadcast 12th July 1979.
Sapphire and Steel determine that Helen's bedroom is the location of a time break caused by the recitation of nursery rhymes.
David McCallum ... Steel
Joanna Lumley ... Sapphire
Steven O'Shea ... Robert Jardine
Tamasin Bridge ... Helen Jardine
Felicity Harrison ... Mother
Charles Pemberton ... Policeman
Ronald Goodale ... Countryman
Sapphire and Steel determine that Helen's bedroom is the location of a time break caused by the recitation of nursery rhymes.
David McCallum ... Steel
Joanna Lumley ... Sapphire
Steven O'Shea ... Robert Jardine
Tamasin Bridge ... Helen Jardine
Felicity Harrison ... Mother
Charles Pemberton ... Policeman
Ronald Goodale ... Countryman
Category
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TVTranscript
00:00You've already seen what can happen upstairs this evening, but we stopped them.
00:30Held them.
00:32Took the trigger away from them.
00:35The trigger?
00:37Yes, the final ingredient.
00:39A certain traditional nursery rhyme spoken in a certain room.
00:59Mama, Daddy, no pictures. No pictures, Rebecca.
01:22Ring-a-ring the roses, the pocket full of posies.
01:27That's why we tore it out of the book.
01:30That's why we burned it.
01:36And that's why Sophia and I...
01:59A tissue, a tissue, beautiful doll.
02:02Puzzle in the mail.
02:05Helen!
02:07A tissue.
02:08All irregularities will be handled by the forces controlling each dimension.
02:32Transuranic, heavy elements may not be used where there is life.
02:36Medium atomic weights are available.
02:39Gold, lead, copper, jet, diamond, radium, sapphire, silver and steel.
02:51Sapphire and steel have been assigned.
03:07A tissue, a tissue, beautiful doll.
03:11Wedding bells are ringing.
03:13Oil clouds are raining.
03:15A tissue, a tissue, beautiful doll.
03:19A bell to bring peace from time to time.
03:22No!
03:28Hold her!
03:29Ring our bells, wedding bells, singing our girls and boys thee, to shoo up, to shoo
03:39up.
03:40Becca!
03:41I said hold her!
03:43A-tish, a-tish.
03:49Ring the ringer roses, a pocket full of roses, a-tish, a-tish.
03:57Addition.
03:59All is wrong with me.
04:01I am the spice.
04:03I am the spice.
04:05I am the spice.
04:07I am the spice.
04:09Child, memorize the rhyme.
04:11Yes.
04:15How many more have you learned?
04:21You keep her with you at all times.
04:24Has the child other dolls?
04:26Yes.
04:27Downstairs?
04:28Next floor down, yes.
04:29You find her one from there.
04:32Is that the way my mother and father disappeared?
04:35Yes.
04:37And you almost went the same way.
04:40So until I say differently, this whole part of the house is out of bounds.
04:44But my mother stood in that room!
04:46Not anymore!
04:47But I heard her!
04:49I heard her voice!
04:51I did, I heard her!
04:53No.
04:54I did, in that room!
04:56It wasn't her.
04:57Of course it was!
04:58Tell me what you saw.
04:59In the room?
05:00Yes.
05:01Well, I saw lots of things, different things.
05:03People?
05:04Yes, people and things.
05:06But I'll worry quickly.
05:09Well, I didn't actually see her.
05:11I saw a shadow of her.
05:13Her voice.
05:14That's all.
05:18That wasn't her.
05:20No.
05:25Mum's coming home?
05:29Not yet.
05:31Soon?
05:33Yes.
05:34Soon.
05:40Well, I don't trust you.
05:43I mean, I can't trust you, either of you.
05:46I don't know who you are, where you come from.
05:49How can I trust you?
05:51You have to.
05:53First a wall, then a room.
05:56You have to trust us.
06:08Come on.
06:18Come on.
06:48Come on.
07:19Breakfast?
07:24I'm not hungry, thanks.
07:30What is it?
07:31What?
07:32What can you see?
07:33Nothing.
07:34Just a shadow.
07:35A shadow.
07:36A shadow.
07:37A shadow.
07:38A shadow.
07:39A shadow.
07:40A shadow.
07:41A shadow.
07:42A shadow.
07:43A shadow.
07:44A shadow.
07:45A shadow.
07:46A shadow.
07:47Nothing.
07:48Just looking, that's all.
07:50Oh, I almost forgot.
07:51He still wants you.
07:52He asked me to tell you.
07:53Yes?
07:55He's at the top of the house.
07:57What does he want me for?
07:59He's not likely to tell me, is he?
08:02I sent a message.
08:05No.
08:18Bob, what are you...
08:19Shh.
08:31Put this on, Helen.
08:33But I don't want to.
08:34Put it on, quickly.
08:35I'm eating my breakfast.
08:36Well, you can leave that here.
08:41I'm not hungry.
08:42I'm not hungry.
08:43I'm not hungry.
08:44I'm not hungry.
08:45I'm not hungry.
08:46I'm not hungry.
08:47I'm not hungry.
08:50No.
08:51Shh.
08:52Please, Helen,
08:53we've got to be ready.
08:54Ready?
08:55We're leaving.
08:59The policeman's coming.
09:01Upstairs, just now,
09:02I looked out of the window,
09:03I saw the ferry crossing the bay.
09:05The policeman's car was on it.
09:07Oh.
09:08He has to be coming here.
09:09There's nowhere else.
09:10Are we going with him, then?
09:11Yes, so hurry.
09:12Did you tell Sandra?
09:13Tell her what?
09:14About the policeman?
09:15no I didn't. come on. but you'll be caught. come on Helen. you should have told me.
09:19they're nailing up the door of your room Helen. nailing it. so that no one can get
09:26in and no one can get out. is that the way to bring mum and dad back?
09:34it's all right. the policeman's coming. it's all right Helen.
09:40I didn't even speak to him.
09:45I didn't think you had. this time it's worse than the ship. this time you can
09:51think. it can reason things out.
09:57what kind of thing? method. listen. like a record that's stuck isn't it. it's not.
10:08it's marking time. boy must have heard the car. yes. I'm sorry he just doesn't
10:16trust you. does he trust you? a little. you're supposed to be the diplomat aren't
10:24you? amongst other things. you're supposed to be the one that sweep talks kids like
10:28that. reassures them. I manage. so that we can get on with the job and win the
10:32battle. it's nearly here. and the last thing we need right now is someone
10:39coming here who doesn't know. being helped in turn by someone who doesn't
10:44understand. you handle that policeman? no. you do it.
11:02stay there.
11:32I have to do it. it's my home. I live here. I have to tell someone else. are you
11:56speaking for both of you? yes. I don't think you can. come on in.
12:18it doesn't matter. no? no. I'm still gonna tell him about my parents. about that
12:25room up there. about the things I saw in that room. do you think he'll listen to you?
12:28yes. that policeman knows me. go on then. try to tell him.
12:39hello Rob?
12:48hello Rob.
13:18hello Rob. I can keep that going for as long as is necessary. just as long as it
13:32takes to prevent you from talking to him. it could take ages. so be fair. I'm
13:38sure the poor man has better things to do. hello Rob?
13:51oh yes? that's strange. what is?
14:04well it must have been the long drive up here. but I could have sworn I... well I
14:23thought that door had already been open for me once. no. only after the call last
14:31night. I thought I'd come over and see if everything's all right. everything's
14:35fine. good. and you are? a friend of the family. here for some peace and quiet.
14:43well that's all right then. but how can you do it? I just did it. but how? doesn't
14:50matter how. do you want me to start it all over again? he'll be gone soon so
14:55why don't you give him a chance to get on with his business. this is his
14:57business. no. all right then suppose I went to that window and climbed through.
15:02well I'd probably see you. I might make you spend the next few hours climbing
15:05through the window and not getting anywhere.
15:16if you can make time go backwards. who says I can? you just did it out there. on
15:22what you did last night when you kept changing into different clothes. the
15:25changing of the clothes was an illusion. they were just things I'd worn in the
15:28past. I was projecting an image for you. that's all. but out there just now that
15:33wasn't an illusion was it? no. that was time. you were making time go back. then
15:41why can't you take it back 24 hours or more? why can't you take it back to just
15:46before yesterday when my parents were still here? I haven't the power to take
15:49time back that far. if I had don't you think I'd have done it? I suppose so. imagine a
15:57rubber ball. imagine a rubber ball bouncing. now the first time the ball
16:02hits the ground is the incident. the bouncing that follows is just the echo.
16:08momentum. and I'm able to keep momentum going for a little bit longer that's all.
16:14just long enough. it helps.
16:26does anyone have the power to what? well to take time back further. something does
16:33yes. something not someone. something. whatever's in that corridor. mm-hmm it
16:37can take time backwards or forwards or sideways or anyway if it's allowed to.
16:42only there's no sense to it. not sense as we know it. and no purpose. only its own
16:48purpose. what I saw in Helen's room. oh it's just a fraction just a peep. but
16:53stopping it whenever it happens is our job and that's all we're doing here. so
16:57will you please stop fighting us and try to believe in us for once. we're all
17:01you've got on your side. first of all then a room. what then? a house? a road? a
17:11village? a town? what next? I need a room to work in. what sort of a room? would you
17:21know which is the youngest room in the house? the youngest? the last one to be
17:26built. my father had a small extension built last year in an office. show me it
17:31please. when you said you did a job like this once on a ship. yes. what happened?
17:44we had to sink the ship. for its own good of course. and it's not as easy to sink a
17:54house.
18:00this is much better.
19:24what about this? 40, 50 years old? 1938. and this.
19:40that must be all right. six to eight months most of it. most of it? there are
19:50some recycled elements there. one of them's good hundred years old. so nothing's safe.
19:55no. Rob! yes? everything. what? I want an empty room.
20:20they do clutter their lives don't they? would you get the waste paper Barty?
20:38what was the trigger? what? well when you said that time broke through here in
20:45Helen's room you said there was a trigger. a fine ingredient to make it
20:48happen. that's right. well what was the trigger? the fine ingredient on that ship?
20:52oh an out-of-date ship's log. the captain had a weakness for nautical heritage. oh.
20:58he collected old things from ships. not so silly then are they? who? these
21:08creatures that are trying to break through the time fabric. ship's log at
21:12sea. a nursery mom in child's room. sounds to me as if they know what they're
21:17doing. what's wrong? just something the boys said. reminded me of something you
21:27said earlier on. me? yes. about methods being used.
21:40Rob?
21:44Rob?
21:53Rob?
21:57and down the stairs.
22:01Upstairs.
22:03Upstairs.
22:05Upstairs.
22:07Upstairs.
22:09And down the stairs.
22:12Rob!
22:14Mum!
22:16Mum?
22:18just what on earth is going on Rob?
22:20oh mum! will you open this door at once please?
22:22of course.
22:24oh I forgot it's nailed up.
22:26nailed up? what do you mean nailed up? what have you been doing?
22:28look mum let me explain.
22:30you'll explain when I'm out of this room. so just open it will you right now?
22:32I will mum. Helen's gonna be so pleased.
22:34will you open this door?
22:36yes mum. just wait.
22:38I'll fetch Steve.
22:41I'll fetch them.
22:43how do you know them?
22:45well whoever they are.
22:47I don't know. friends of yours I suppose.
22:49I don't know them.
22:51now please open this door.
22:53but I can't open the door without help.
22:55of course you can. it's very simple.
22:57just kneel down by the door.
22:59just outside the door.
23:01come along Rob.
23:03kneel down by the door.
23:05it's easy enough to open the door.
23:07easy enough to let us out.
23:10you just put your face close to the door.
23:12come along Rob. you can do it.
23:20that's right.
23:22that's fine.
23:24now then.
23:26all you have to do is to say a rhyme.
23:28a nursery rhyme.
23:30an old one.
23:32any one providing it's old.
23:34well can't you remember one?
23:36then just say it Rob. just say it.
23:38say it.
23:40I can't.
23:42say it.
23:44I'm too old to say nursery rhymes.
23:46well then.
23:48let's call it history.
23:50now you're old enough for history aren't you Rob?
23:52yes.
23:54and a lot of nursery rhymes are a part of history.
23:56I've always taught you that haven't I Rob?
23:58no.
24:00so say the one that's in your head.
24:02which one?
24:04the one that's in there now. don't lose it Rob.
24:07climbing the stairs.
24:09swords in their hands.
24:11searching for people.
24:13goosey goosey gander.
24:15the one.
24:17where shall I?
24:19where shall I wander?
24:21upstairs and downstairs.
24:37no!
24:39so far!
24:41stay there!
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