Strange (TV Mini Series) Pilot (2002) User Reviews

Good dark storyline, filled a void.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 8/10 · 26 January 2016]

John Strange, a defrocked Priest is attempting to hunt down demons and discover The Devil (Azal,) Nurse Jude Atkins is accidentally drawn into his world after caring for a Priest, Reverend Rutt who in turn had been helping out Strange.

At last I have managed to track down a copy of this show, reading the right up it sounded so good, and I was not disappointed, a genre that has been sadly overlooked for so long. Thankfully Sea of Souls followed not that long after, and more recently we've had Midwinter of the Spirit. I'm so glad a full series followed, and I can't wait to see it.

When you have the gorgeous Samantha Womack, the handsome Richard Coyle, a villainous Ian Richardson, and a cracking script penned by 2.4 Children's creator Andrew Marshall, it was always going to be a winning combination.

8/10.

At last some interesting TV!

[Stubbette · 10/10 · 28 October 2003]

Strange was a much welcome relief amongst the dross of Saturday night game shows and lame reality TV. It was thought provoking, different and highly entertaining. It's sudden disappearance from our screens remains a mystery in itself, and even an email to the BBC failed to deliver an answer.

Hunting down supernatural beasties is not a new concept, but it was done in a fresh and unique way. The characters had back stories that were slowly drip fed into the series without distracting from the heart of the ghost chasing, unlike the X Files which let subplot complexities ruin the excitement of finding a paranormal explanation.

Seeing the delightful Richard Coyle in a role other than the freakish and sexually disturbed Jeff from Coupling was also refreshing, he certainly proved his talents in Strange. And Samantha Janus in a role that didn't make use of her as just eye candy also gave value for money. Tom Baker made some inspired cameos that harked back to him in his most camp yet genius years on Doctor Who.

If you wanted something that didn't rot your IQ from the moment the opening credits rolled because of its sheer banality, then Strange was the show to watch. I hope it returns. And I also hope it makes it onto DVD.

delivered us from the evil of crap Saturday night shows

[tyranid_slayer · 10/10 · 26 July 2007]

This show was possibly the best show ever shown on the BBC.

i watched it every week and was obsessed.

But as you probably know this was very short lived which was a shame because it had potential as a cult classic.

The acting is good and the stories are very different than your average run of the mill Saturday night show.

This show ought to make a re-appearance because i would like to see it again or even better a new series.

This was a perfect BBC series it's unfortunate it was short-lived.

But you can watch it on the sci-fi channel and i would recommend watching it.

Although Strange is flawed from the start there are enough good points to make this a very watchable series.

[badadverts · 18 October 2004]

Strange, as a whole, doesn't really succeed in what I believe a quality BBC drama series should be. When I watched the pilot I got the impression that the budget was too small and the story concept was old and moldy. Nonetheless, I soldiered on through the six episodes that made up the series, and I have to say, by the fourth episode, I was hooked.

The writing is solid and only let down by the confines of the concept. Although I got the impression that the visuals were done on a shoestring I cannot say the same for the incidental music. It is orchestral and adds volumes to the suspense of the series. The characters develop well and the two main actors, Richard Coyle and Ian Richardson (well let's face it, anyone who's seen House Of Cards knows Ian Richardson is a joy to watch) give enjoyable performances. Samantha Janus contributes sex-appeal (obviously) but also a believable performance. And it's always good to see Tom Baker in a role.

Although Strange is flawed from the start there are enough good points to make this a very watchable series.

" Strange" if you ask me.

[sol-kay · 6/10 · 15 June 2009]

**SPOILERS**Strange pilot for an even stranger TV series about this strange guy apply named John Strange, Richard Coyle. Strange, a once promising theologian, has been kicked out of the Church of England for his strange behavior in running around and telling anyone who would, or wouldn't, listen to him that strange happening are going on at the local cathedral involving agents of the Devil.

Strange's former boss Cannon Black, Ian Richardson, has Stragne residing in the church basement deciphering ancient text that reveal the names of the Devil's disciples on earth. One of them-Azal-is now active and is planning to cause havoc all throughout the British Ilse!

Getting involved with Nurse Jude Atkins, Samantha Janus, Strange has her look after a good friend of his Rev. Rutt, Peter Copley. The bed ridden Reverend had recently suffered a massive stroke when he was about to reveal not only who the the local Devil's disciple, in the form of a human being, is but how he travels about without been seen, like the invisible man, through solid objects like stone and concrete walls.

As you would have expected the Devil, or his hit-man Azal, got to Rutt first before Strange did silencing him forever with a lighting bolt that practically disintegrated him. When Strange and Jude go to the hospital morgue to identify Rutt's reminds, which is nothing but ashes, they instead find a ghoulish-looking Cannon Black in, what looks like, his grim reaper outfit! And it isn't even Halloween yet!

Telling Strange & Jude that everything has been taken care of, in the dispensing of Rutt's corpse, Black checks out back to his, like a vampire bat, cave at the cathedral. It's then that you, as well as Jude & Strange, begin to wonder just who this Cannon Black really is and why he's so interested in having Strange's investigation of the Devil and his many disciples stopped? Is Cannon BLack the Devil himself is he one of his disciple's or his he just too scared in what Strange, who he drummed out of the church, would find out that in the end will be far more dangerous then just leaving things as they already are!

***SPOILER ALERT*** The ending will surprise you in that we do find out just who this Azal is and he's not who you think he is. With the advent of modern science Azal has found a way to travel at the speed of light, like Superman, without waiting for the usual blot of lighting to energizes him. As for the confusing and double-talking Cannon Black we never quite get a handle in just what the hell he's up too in the movie. It's only the strange John Strange who had Black's number all along, in his dealing with him in the past, and he's not talking!

Turns out Richard Coyle doesn't just lose segments as Jeff

[itsbaylis · 21 October 2006]

I loved this, sadly short lived series. There were some flaws, of course, Samantha Janus' wooden acting and the bad special effects in many episodes most notable of these, but this didn't ruin the show at all.

Ian Richardson was phenomenal as ever, and I was very impressed by Richard Coyle who almost (but not quite) stood up to Richardson in many a scene, acting wise.

A flawed, but well done, slightly comic series, that reminded one of the X-Files but didn't try to be the X-files, which was a good job in itself.

Watchable, but rather cheesy

[doug-87 · 19 November 2003]

This series has just surfaced on BBC Canada. Wednesday nights are a bit of a wasteland, so we have been watching it. The stories appear to revolve around a defrocked priest who is on a demon watch in 21st. century England. The wonderful Ian Richardson is a rather mysterious churchman who pops in and out of the various episodes to confuse the viewer.

The special effects are rather cheesy and, quite often, one laughs rather than shivers in terror. However, it is always watchable.