The Strange Report

The Strange Report, a late-60s British television series starring the esteemed Anthony Quayle, occupies a unique niche in the annals of UK crime drama. Quayle, more typically associated with the stage than the small screen, took on a rare leading television role as Adam Strange — a retired Scotland Yard Commissioner turned private pathologist. From his Paddington flat-cum-laboratory, Strange was called upon to tackle cases that had left the regular authorities scratching their heads.

In keeping with the shifting zeitgeist of the era, Strange employed the most cutting-edge forensic techniques available, often prefiguring the more modern procedural approach to crime-solving that wouldn’t become commonplace on TV until decades later. Quayle brought a measured gravitas to the role, grounding a series that often strayed into the surreal and unconventional.

That eccentricity, however, proved something of a stumbling block for contemporary critics. The series' off-beat plots — sometimes experimental to the point of abstraction — left many viewers bewildered. The Sunday Times famously dismissed it as “pretty well incomprehensible and wholly barmy,” a verdict that, while harsh, does speak to the show’s somewhat erratic tonal shifts and penchant for cerebral obscurity.

Produced by London-born Norman Felton — better known for his American hits Dr. Kildare and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. — The Strange Report was originally conceived as a transatlantic production. Sixteen episodes were to be filmed in the UK, with a further sixteen planned for the US. That ambitious plan, however, fell through, leaving only the British-produced episodes to see the light of day.

The international flavour was retained through the casting of American actor Kaz Garas, alongside Anneke Wills — familiar to Doctor Who fans — as Strange’s youthful and spirited assistant. While the supporting cast added charm and contrast, it was Quayle’s quiet authority and intellectual poise that held the ensemble together.

Though the series ran for only a single season, it remains a fascinating curio. Stylistically daring, narratively bold, and occasionally maddening, The Strange Report is perhaps best remembered not for what it achieved, but for what it attempted. It offered a glimpse of a more ambitious, stylised British procedural — one that aimed to challenge rather than comfort. And for that, even in its strangeness, it deserves a second look. 

The full series was released on DVD in the UK and an impressive list of guest stars can be seen in the episodes include John Thaw, Ian Ogilvy, Martin Shaw, Richard O'Sullivan and Bernard Lee.