Strangers (1978 TV series)

Strangers is a British television crime drama series, principally written and created by Murray Smith, first broadcast on ITV on 5 June 1978. The series, featuring the characters of Detective Sergeant George Bulman (Don Henderson) and his assistant Detective Constable Derek Willis (Dennis Blanch), was a spin-off from the 1976 TV series The XYY Man, adapted from the novels of Kenneth Royce.[1] The series was first suggested by Granada Television executives, who in 1977, outlined their plan to devise a new series to feature the regular characters of Bulman and Willis.[2]

"... I was sent here to be a stranger in town, a face they didn't recognise ..." - George Bulman

This article is about the 1978 ITV TV drama. For the 2018 ITV TV drama, see Strangers (2018 TV series). For the 2017 American web series, see [[:Sxwxx trangers (2017 TV series)]].

Strangers
Genre	Crime drama
Created by	Murray Smith
Starring	Don Henderson Dennis Blanch Frances Tomelty John Ronane David Hargreaves Fiona Mollison Mark McManus Bruce Bould Thorley Walters
Composer(s)	Mike Moran
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	5
No. of episodes	32 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Richard Everitt
Producer(s)	Mervyn Watson
Cinematography	Mike Thomson Mike Popley
Editor(s)	David Rees
Running time	60 minutes
Production company(s)	Granada Television
Distributor	ITV Studios
Release
Original network	ITV
Picture format	4:3
Audio format	Mono
Original release	5 June 1978 (1978-06-05) – 20 October 1982 (1982-10-20)
Chronology
Preceded by	The XYY Man
Followed by	Bulman

The series began life as a fairly standard police drama, with Bulman positioned as its eccentric lead. The series' premise centred around a group of police officers, including Bulman and Willis, known as 'Unit 23', who are brought together from different parts of the country to Manchester to infiltrate areas and investigate crimes that familiar local detectives could not.[3] Five series were broadcast, with the final episode airing on 20 October 1982. Following the series, a further spin-off, simply entitled Bulman, ran for two series on ITV. The series follows Bulman, again played by Don Henderson, as he continues to dabble in private detective work after retiring from the police force. All five series of Strangers were released on DVD via the Network imprint as a complete box-set on 19 October 2009.[4]

Characters

Initially, the 'Unit 23' team consisted of Bulman, Willis and WDC Linda Doran (Frances Tomelty). Their local liaison was provided by Detective Sergeant David Singer (John Ronane), while their superior officer was Detective 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. The second series, shown in early 1979, introduced the character of WDC Vanessa Bennett, played by Fiona Mollison, who replaced the outgoing Frances Tomelty. David Hargreaves would also depart the show following this series.

For the third series, Bulman, Willis, Bennett and the newly promoted Detective Inspector Singer became members of the 'Inner City Squad', under the command of Detective Chief Superintendent Jack Lambie (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 the fourth series, Bulman had also gained promotion to Detective Chief Inspector. This series also re-introduced the semi-regular character of William 'Bill' Dugdale (Thorley Walters), a member of the British Foreign Office and 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.

Production

The first series was shot primarily on videotape, with only location footage shot on film. The second series would feature even more film, with the opening episode The Wheeler Dealers being shot entirely on film, and the final episode, Marriages, Deaths And Births, being shot entirely on film bar the title sequence and a small number of scenes at the police station. From the third series onwards, the entire production moved to 16mm film.

The first series incorporated a number of writers, with only Leslie Duxbury writing more than one episode. He would later contribute one further script for the second series. During series two, series creator Murray Smith came to the fore as the principal writer, having only previously scripted one episode for the first series. Smith went on to write all but six of the remaining twenty-five episodes.

Cast

• Don Henderson as DS/DCI George Bulman
• Dennis Blanch as DC/DS Derek Willis
• Frances Tomelty as WDC Linda Doran (Series 1—2)
• John Ronane as DS/DI David Singer (Series 1—4)
• David Hargreaves as DCI Rainbow (Series 1—2)
• Fiona Mollison as WDC Vanessa Bennett (Series 2—5)
• Mark McManus as DCS Jack Lambie (Series 3—5)
• Bruce Bould as DI Tom Casey (Series 3)
• Thorley Walters as William 'Bill' Dugdale (Series 3—5)

Episodes

Series 1 (1978)

Episode	Title	Written by	Directed by	Original airdate
1	"The Paradise Set"	Murray Smith	Carole Wilks	5 June 1978 (1978-06-05)
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"	Ivor Marshall	Oliver Horsburgh	12 June 1978 (1978-06-12)
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"	Steve Wakeham	Bill Gilmour	19 June 1978 (1978-06-19)
Bulman becomes a bookie and Doran gets a job in a tipster's office to uncover a case of race fixing.
4	"Accidental Death"	Brian Finch	Nicky Cooney	26 June 1978 (1978-06-26)
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"	Leslie Duxbury	Yvonne Goode	3 July 1978 (1978-07-03)
Bulman is assigned to establish whether the suspicious practices of a uniform branch sergeant point to him being crooked.
6	"Right and Wrong"	Cecil Taylor	J. Bruce	10 July 1978 (1978-07-10)
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.
7	"Paying Guests"	Leslie Duxbury	Quentin Lawrence	17 July 1978 (1978-07-17)
Bulman co-opts Briscoe into lodging with the Parkers, who are assisting him with his enquiries concerning a bank robbery.

Series 2 (1979)

Episode	Title	Written by	Directed by	Original airdate
1	"The Wheeler Dealers"	Murray Smith	Sally Taylor	9 January 1979 (1979-01-09)
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.
2	"Call of the Wild"	Leslie Duxbury	Baz Taylor	16 January 1979 (1979-01-16)
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.
3	"Clever Dick"	Brian Finch	Quentin Lawrence	23 January 1979 (1979-01-23)
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.
4	"Friends in High Places"	Murray Smith	Bill Gilmour	30 January 1979 (1979-01-30)
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.
5	"Marriages, Deaths and Births"	Murray Smith	Charles Sturridge	6 February 1979 (1979-02-06)
When Bulman attempts an arrest of a gangland ringleader, it goes horribly wrong and he finds himself a kidnap victim of the psychopathic criminal.

Series 3 (1980)

Episode	Title	Written by	Directed by	Original airdate
1	"Retribution"	Murray Smith	Carol Wilks	14 October 1980 (1980-10-14)
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.
2	"You Can't Win Them All"	Murray Smith	Bill Gilmour	21 October 1980 (1980-10-21)
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.
3	"Armed and Dangerous (Part 1)"	Murray Smith	William Brayne	28 October 1980 (1980-10-28)
Bulman and Willis are assigned to bring a suspect to London for questioning, however things do not go smoothly.
4	"Racing Certainty (Part 2)"	Murray Smith	Ken Grieve	4 November 1980 (1980-11-04)
Bulman and Willis go undercover to flush out the murderer of their colleague at a racetrack.
5	"Clowns Don't Cry"	Murray Smith	William Brayne	11 November 1980 (1980-11-11)
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.
6	"Tom Thumb and Other Stories"	Murray Smith	Laurence Moody	18 November 1980 (1980-11-18)
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.
7	"No Orchids for Missing Blandisch"	Murray Smith	Bill Gilmour	25 November 1980 (1980-11-25)
A tip-off leads Bulman, Willis and Bennett to an arms-dealing operation with a hired killer involved to protect interests.

Series 4 (1981)

Episode	Title	Written by	Directed by	Original airdate
1	"The Moscow Subway Murders"	Murray Smith	William Brayne	25 September 1981 (1981-09-25)
Bulman, now promoted to Detective Chief Inspector, feels frustrated with the office-bound nature of the job, but is soon challenged by an intriguing murder case.
2	"The Loneliness of the Long Distance Copper"	Murray Smith	Tristan de Vere Cole	2 October 1981 (1981-10-02)
A convict with a score to settle with Lambie escapes from prison.
3	"A Dear Green Place"	Edward Boyd	Bill Gilmour	9 October 1981 (1981-10-09)
Escorting a prisoner from Glasgow to London turns out to be anything but a routine assignment for the squad.
4	"Stand and Deliver"	Murray Smith	Bill Gilmour	16 October 1981 (1981-10-16)
The Squad is called upon to investigate a modern-day highway robbery.
5	"The Flowers of Edinburgh"	Edward Boyd	Jonathan Wright Miller	23 October 1981 (1981-10-23)
Bulman and Willis head to Edinburgh to investigate a blackmail racket.
6	"Soldiers of Misfortune"	Murray Smith	William Brayne	30 October 1981 (1981-10-30)
The squad becomes involved in a conflict between rival groups of mercenaries.

Series 5 (1982)

Episode	Title	Written by	Directed by	Original airdate
1	"A Much Underestimated Man"	Murray Smith	Ken Grieve	8 September 1982 (1982-09-08)
Bulman and Willis are on the trail of a hitman before he reaches his target.
2	"A Swift and Evil Rozzer"	Murray Smith	William Brayne	15 September 1982 (1982-09-15)
The squad investigates the kidnapping of a prominent politician.
3	"The Tender Trap"	Bruce Crowther	Ben Bolt	22 September 1982 (1982-09-22)
Bulman and Willis investigate a crooked land developer.
4	"The Lost Chord"	Murray Smith	Bill Gilmour	29 September 1982 (1982-09-29)
The squad visit Cambridge when a number of politicians die in strange circumstances.
5	"A Free Weekend in the Country"	Bruce Crowther	Bill Gilmour	6 October 1982 (1982-10-06)
A police officer is murdered during a weekend seminar on urban terrorism.
6	"Charlie's Brother's Birthday (Part 1)"	Murray Smith	Roger Tucker	13 October 1982 (1982-10-13)
The squad follow the trail of stolen coffins to uncover a smuggling ring.
7	"With These Gloves You Can Pass Through Mirrors (Part 2)"	Murray Smith	William Brayne	20 October 1982 (1982-10-20)
As Bulman faces retirement, the squad closes in on the smuggling gang.

References

1. "..: THE STRANGERS / THE XYY MAN / BULMAN :." www.britishdrama.org.uk.
2. "Strangers & Bulman". www.mediagems.de.
3. https://www.memorabletv.com/tv/strangers-itv-1978-don-henderson/
4. "Strangers - The Complete Series". 19 October 2009 – via Amazon.

External links

• Strangers on IMDb