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Strangers

  • TV Series
  • 1978–1982
  • 1h
IMDb RATING
8.2/10
106
YOUR RATING
Dennis Blanch, Don Henderson, Mark McManus, Fiona Mollison, John Ronane, and Frances Tomelty in Strangers (1978)
CrimeThriller

The eccentric police detective George Kitchener Bulman is reluctantly transferred to a station in the North of England.The eccentric police detective George Kitchener Bulman is reluctantly transferred to a station in the North of England.The eccentric police detective George Kitchener Bulman is reluctantly transferred to a station in the North of England.

  • Creator
    • Murray Smith
  • Stars
    • Don Henderson
    • Dennis Blanch
    • Fiona Mollison
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    8.2/10
    106
    YOUR RATING
    • Creator
      • Murray Smith
    • Stars
      • Don Henderson
      • Dennis Blanch
      • Fiona Mollison
    • 2User reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Episodes32

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    Photos1481

    Dennis Blanch, Don Henderson, and Frances Tomelty in Strangers (1978)
    Don Henderson and Mark McManus in Strangers (1978)
    Don Henderson, Mark McManus, and Fiona Mollison in Strangers (1978)
    Dennis Blanch in Strangers (1978)
    Valentino Musetti in Strangers (1978)
    Don Henderson and George Pravda in Strangers (1978)
    Mark McManus in Strangers (1978)
    Suzanne Danielle and Patrick Mower in Strangers (1978)
    Valentino Musetti in Strangers (1978)
    Suzanne Danielle, Patrick Mower, and Keith Washington in Strangers (1978)
    Dennis Blanch in Strangers (1978)
    Mark McManus and Fiona Mollison in Strangers (1978)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Don Henderson
    Don Henderson
    • Det. Sgt. George Bulman…
    Dennis Blanch
    • Det. Sgt. Derek Willis…
    Fiona Mollison
    Fiona Mollison
    • Det. Cons. Vanessa Bennett
    John Ronane
    • Det. Insp. David Singer…
    Mark McManus
    • Det. Chief Supt. Jack Lambie
    Thorley Walters
    Thorley Walters
    • Bill Dugdale
    Frances Tomelty
    Frances Tomelty
    • Det. Cons. Linda Doran
    David Hargreaves
    • Det. Chief Insp. Rainbow…
    William Tarmey
    William Tarmey
    • A Villain…
    Troy Foster
    • Det. Cons. Charlie Baker…
    Bruce Bould
    • Det. Insp. Tom Casey
    Rachel Davies
    Rachel Davies
    • Jean Rutter…
    James Copeland
    • Willie Mauchlin
    Jo Beadle
    • WPC West…
    Michael Wardle
    Michael Wardle
    • Fifth Detective…
    Shirley Stelfox
    Shirley Stelfox
    • Beryl…
    Patricia Maynard
    • Claire Lambie
    Michael Byrne
    Michael Byrne
    • Sgt. Briscoe
    • Creator
      • Murray Smith
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    More like this

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    7.4
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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Strangers first episode is partly set in a nightclub called The Paradise Club. In 1989, writer/creator Murray Smith would create another series called by that name also starring Don Henderson.
    • Connections
      Followed by Bulman (1985)

    User reviews2

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    9/10
    Sometimes I can't get past the opening theme
    It sounds like a decent cover of Weather Report's Birdland. I am a fan of that band, co led by Wayne Shorter and Joe Zawinul and gave Jaco Pastorius world acclaim. The theme changed halfway through the run but being reminded of Weather Report in the early episodes is weird but not in a bad way.

    Strangers is one of the rare examples of a spin-off series being better and more successful than where it came from. The series XYY Man introduces detectives Bulman and Willis and this series carries on with the detectives being assigned far from "the Met" in the North country.

    What is typical of British drama and what draws me to their shows is how much more care in development of depth in character. It does not seem to happen quite as much in American shows from this era (it certainly does now in the memorable shows.). DS George Bulman has many idiosyncrasies that makes him a distinctly unique character. That is a credit to Kenneth Royce, Don Henderson and Murray Smith. Bulman is one of those characters that simply could not be played by a different actor. I do not feel that is quite as true with Dennis Blanch's portrayal of DC Derek Willis but that mostly is due to Willis not having as many characteristics like the gloves, nasal spray, a penchant for quoting classical literature and a taste for Nigerian lager. Having good characters makes one want to watch a show.

    Police dramas were never my all time favorite form of entertainment but this show really is well written and done well. Murray Smith is a genuine talent. There is only 30 episodes but it ran for 5 years which is about how long these types of shows should run. I notice some changes over its run. It shifted to becoming a show shot entirely on film about half way through. It also seems to develop a lighter tone when that change over happened. The final episode had some genuine comedic moments toward the end of it. Even the location filming is fascinating in its own way. The location becomes a kind of character in itself especially early on in the Series. The "strangers" never do fit in there.
    helpful•2
    0
    • vonnoosh
    • Aug 5, 2021

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 5, 1978 (United Kingdom)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Extraños
    • Production company
      • Granada Television
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

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    Dennis Blanch, Don Henderson, Mark McManus, Fiona Mollison, John Ronane, and Frances Tomelty in Strangers (1978)
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