Strangers (1978 TV series)
Strangers | |
---|---|
Genre | Crime Mystery Detective |
Starring | Don Henderson Dennis Blanch |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
Original language | English |
No. of series | 5 |
Production | |
Production company | ITV |
Original release | |
Release | 1978 – 1982 |
Strangers is a UK police drama that appeared on ITV between 1978 and 1982.
After the success of the TV series The XYY Man, adapted from books by Kenneth Royce, Granada TV devised a new series to feature the regular characters of Detective Sergeant George Bulman (Don Henderson) and his assistant Detective Constable Derek Willis (Dennis Blanch). The result was Strangers.
Background
The series began as a fairly standard police drama series with Bulman as its eccentric lead. Its premise was that a group of police officers have been brought together from different parts of the country to the north of England. There, the fact that they are not known locally gives them the opportunity to infiltrate where a more familiar local detective could not. Initially, the team consisted of Bulman, Willis (promoted to Sergeant) and Linda Doran (Frances Tomelty). Their local liaison was provided by Detective Sergeant David Singer (John Ronane); their superior was Chief Inspector Rainbow (David Hargreaves). Despite being based around a comparatively small team of detectives, a regular feature of the programme in its early years was that few episodes featured the entire team, with most using just two or three of the regulars in any major role.
Series two, shown in early 1979, introduced the character of Detective Constable Vanessa Bennett who was played by Fiona Mollison. The same series would be the last to feature the characters Linda Doran and Chief Inspector Rainbow.
The first series was made primarily on videotape, with location footage shot on film. Series two would feature even more film: with the opening episode The Wheeler Dealers being made entirely on film and the season closer, Marriages, Deaths And Births, being entirely on film bar the standard series title sequence and a few scenes at the police station. From series three onwards, the entire production moved to film.
The first series used a mixture of writers with only one - Leslie Duxbury - writing more than one episode. He would contribute one further script, for series two, and it was during the second season that Murray Smith came to the fore as the series' main writer. Having penned the programme's first episode, he wrote all but six of the twenty-five episodes that formed series two to five.
In series three (1980), Bulman, Willis, Bennett and the newly promoted Detective Inspector David Singer became members of the Inter City Squad under the command of Detective Chief Superintendent Jack Lambie (played by Mark McManus). The basic premise was similar, but rather than covering just the north west of England, the team's remit now extended to the whole country.
By series four (1981), Bulman had also gained promotion - to Detective Chief Inspector. The same series also introduced the semi-regular character of William 'Bill' Dugdale (Thorley Walters) a member of the British Foreign Office/Secret Services who would become involved when there was a political or intelligence aspect to the investigation. His role was not necessarily to help the detectives; that would only happen when it was in the government's interest for them to succeed.
The character of Chief Inspector Bulman, still played by Don Henderson, appeared in a subsequent series Bulman by which point he had retired from the police but was still involved in detective work.
All five series are now available on Region 2 UK DVD (released by Network DVD).
Main Cast
- Don Henderson as Detective Sergeant (later Detective Chief Inspector) George Bulman
- Dennis Blanch as Detective Constable (later Detective Sergeant) Derek Willis
- Frances Tomelty as DC Linda Doran
- John Ronane as DS (later DI) David Singer
- David Hargreaves as Chief Inspector Rainbow
- Fiona Mollison as DC Vanessa Bennett
- Mark McManus as Detective Chief Superintendent Jack Lambie
- Thorley Walters as William Dugdale
Episodes
Series 1
Regular cast: Det. Sgt. Bulman (Don Henderson), Det. Con. Willis (Dennis Blanch), Det. Insp. Singer (John Ronane), Det. Con. Doran (Frances Tomelty), Det. Ch. Insp. Rainbow (David Hargreaves)
Episode # | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original airdate | Guest stars | |
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1 | "The Paradise Set" | Carole Wilks | Murray Smith | 5 June 1978 | Malcolm Tierney, Philip Jackson, Annie Hulley | |
Arriving in Manchester to work on their new patch as 'strangers' to the local underworld, Bulman and Willis investigate a jewel robbery. | ||||||
2 | "Duty Roster" | Oliver Horsburgh | Ivor Marshall | 12 June 1978 | Shirley Stelfox, Bill Waddington, Bill Tarmey, Stan Richards, Christopher Coll | |
A routine assignment to follow up muggings of a local postman lead Bulman and Willis to a much bigger case, much to Rainbow's annoyance. | ||||||
3 | "Silver Lining" | Bill Gilmour | Steve Wakeham | 19 June 1978 | Hywel Bennett, Judith Barker, Harry Littlewood | |
Bulman becomes a bookie and Doran gets a job in a tipster's office to uncover a case of race fixing. | ||||||
4 | "Accidental Death" | Nicky Cooney | Brian Finch | 26 June 1978 | James Warrior, Reginald Marsh, William Russell, Briony McRoberts | |
When a prominent local journalist is murdered, Doran goes undercover as a reporter on his old desk, and Willis becomes a coroner's officer. | ||||||
5 | "Briscoe" | Yvonne Goode | Leslie Duxbury | 3 July 1978 | Michael Byrne, David Neilson, Bill Tarmey, Bartlett Mullins, Michael Turner | |
Bulman is assigned to establish whether the suspicious practices of a uniform branch sergeant point to him being crooked. (This is the first of two episodes to feature the character of Briscoe. This episode does not feature any regular cast apart from Bulman.) | ||||||
6 | "Right and Wrong" | J. Bruce | C. P. Taylor | 10 July 1978 | David Daker, Anne Reid | |
Willis and Doran play man and wife to investigate their neighbour - a prominent local councillor - who is suspected of receiving bribes to initiate controversial new education practices. (This episode does not feature Bulman.) | ||||||
7 | "Paying Guests" | Quentin Lawrence | Leslie Duxbury | 17 July 1978 | Michael Byrne, Amanda Barrie, John Tordoff, Norman Comer, Teddy Turner | |
Bulman co-opts Briscoe into lodging with the Parkers, who are assisting him with his enquiries concerning a bank robbery. |
Series 2
Regular cast: Det. Sgt. Bulman (Don Henderson), Det. Con. Willis (Dennis Blanch), Det. Insp. Singer (John Ronane), Det. Con. Doran (Frances Tomelty), Det. Ch. Insp. Rainbow (David Hargreaves), Det. Con. Bennett (Fiona Mollison)
Episode # | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original airdate | Guest stars | |
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8 | "The Wheeler Dealers" | Sally Taylor | Murray Smith | 9 January 1979 | Gyearbuor Asante, Anne Kristen, Tariq Yunus | |
With Rainbow growing increasingly frustrated at their unorthodox methods, Bulman, Willis and Doran are on a case involving illegally imported goods. Bulman's head is turned by a lady doctor who is involved in the case. | ||||||
9 | "Call of the Wild" | Baz Taylor | Leslie Duxbury | 16 January 1979 | Paul Copley, Deirdre Costello, Ron Tarr | |
Bulman goes undercover with a gang to gather evidence for a number of robberies, and finds himself involved in the perpetration of one of them - which unbeknownst to him, Singer is pursuing. (This is the last episode to feature Det. Con. Doran.) | ||||||
10 | "Clever Dick" | Quentin Lawrence | Brian Finch | 23 January 1979 | John Duttine, Andrew Sachs, Geoffrey Chater, Neil Stacy | |
When a hotshot former colleague of Bulman's comes up from London to take the lead in a counterfeit case, Bulman's annoyance is matched by his curiosity as to why. | ||||||
11 | "Friends in High Places" | Bill Gilmour | Murray Smith | 30 January 1979 | Derek Fowlds, Freddie Jones, Anthony Steel | |
Bulman and Willis are on the trail of the attacker of a youth in a hotel public toilet, unaware that there are other interested parties, for other reasons... (This episode introduces the character of Det. Con. Bennett.) | ||||||
12 | "Marriages, Deaths and Births" | Charles Sturridge | Murray Smith | 6 February 1979 | Ben Cross, T. P. McKenna, Bill Fraser, James Copeland, Tommy Boyle, Bill Tarmey | |
When Bulman attempts an arrest of a gangland ringleader, it goes horribly wrong and he finds himself a kidnap victim of the psychopathic criminal. (This is the last episode to feature Det. Ch. Insp. Rainbow, and the first to feature the character of Willie Mauchlin.) |
Series 3
(From Series 3 all episodes were produced entirely on 16mm film)
Regular cast: Det. Sgt. Bulman (Don Henderson), Det. Con. Willis (Dennis Blanch), Det. Insp. Singer (John Ronane), Det. Con. Bennett (Fiona Mollison), Det. Ch. Sup. Lambie (Mark McManus)
Supporting cast: Det. Insp. Tom Casey (Bruce Bould), Bill Dugdale (Thorley Walters)
Episode # | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original airdate | Guest stars | |
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13 | "Retribution" | Carol Wilks | Murray Smith | 14 October 1980 | Malcolm Tierney, Kevin Whately, Shirley Stelfox, Andy de la Tour, Geoffrey Hutchings, Oliver Smith | |
The team come under the command of DCS Lambie and a new Inter-City Squad in London, and immediately become involved in arms trafficking in the capital. (This episode is the first to feature the occasional character of DI Casey.) | ||||||
14 | "You Can't Win Them All" | Bill Gilmour | Murray Smith | 21 October 1980 | Anthony Sharp, Sabina Franklyn, Tracey Childs, Arthur Blake | |
A fraud investigation gets complicated when Bulman and Willis find that the Foreign Office have interests in one of the individuals involved in the case. (This is the first episode to feature the character of Dugdale.) | ||||||
15 | "Armed and Dangerous" | William Brayne | Murray Smith | 28 October 1980 | Maurice Colbourne, Keith Buckley, Rachel Davies, Jonatha David | |
Bulman and Willis are assigned to bring a suspect to London for questioning, however things do not go smoothly. (This is part one of a two-part story, and the last episode to feature DI Casey.) | ||||||
16 | "Racing Certainty" | Ken Grieve | Murray Smith | 4 November 1980 | Maurice Colbourne, James Copeland, Rachel Davies, Jonathan David | |
Bulman and Willis go undercover to flush out the murderer of their colleague at a racetrack. (This episode features the character of Willie Mauchlin.) | ||||||
17 | "Clowns Don't Cry" | William Brayne | Murray Smith | 11 November 1980 | Alan Ford, Geraldine Gardner, Yuri Borienko, Robert Glenister | |
When one of Bulman's contacts is beaten up, he becomes embroiled in a case which leads to international espionage, and one in which Dugdale is particularly interested. | ||||||
18 | "Tom Thumb and Other Stories" | Laurence Moody | Murray Smith | 18 November 1980 | Jim Norton, John Horsley | |
Bulman disguises himself as a tramp to try and track down a drug smuggler at Liverpool's docks - and finds himself caught in the crossfire of factions within the gang. | ||||||
19 | "No Orchids for Missing Blandisch" | Bill Gilmour | Murray Smith | 25 November 1980 | Ray McAnally, Richard Wilson, Kenneth Cranham | |
A tip-off leads Bulman, Willis and Bennett to an arms-dealing operation with a hired killer involved to protect interests. |
Series 4
Series 5
External links
- British crime television series
- ITV television programmes
- Television programs based on novels
- Television spin-offs
- 1978 British television programme debuts
- 1982 British television programme endings
- 1970s British television series
- 1980s British television series
- English-language television programming
- Television programmes produced by Granada Television