Undercover cops so obscure even their own mums might not recognize them.
Season 5 • Episode 7
LatestPeter Mollett — aka the Sandman — acts as an agent smuggling stolen art treasures, often in coffins. A rival gang hope to cash in on his lucrative trade, but the squad are also interested.
Strangers is a 1978–82 ITV police procedural created and principally written by Murray Smith, based on characters created by Kenneth Royce in his novel series and subsequent 1977–78 television adaptation The XYY Man. Don Henderson and Dennis Blanch reprise their roles, respectively, of Detective Sergeant (DS) George Bulman and Detective Constable (DC) Derek Willis. A group of police officers are brought together from across the country to the north of England. There, the fact that they're not well-known gives them the advantage to infiltrate where a more familiar local detective could not. Despite being based around a comparatively small team of detectives, a regular feature in its early years is that few episodes feature the entire team, with most using just two or three regulars in any major role.
Acting
Don Henderson's magnificently weary Bulman.
Writing
Murray Smith's tight, unglamorous procedurals.
Production
Manchester and Leeds locations dripping with 70s soot.
Creator
Murray Smith
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The series was nearly cancelled after season two due to an ITV technicians' strike that buried its ratings; it survived purely because BBC1 wanted to poach Murray Smith.
Strangers quietly pioneered the 'prestige procedural' format later perfected by Prime Suspect—its influence on British crime television is wildly underrated because it aired opposite Coronation Street.
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