Introduction

Strike (also known as C.B. Strike internationally) is a British crime drama television programme based on the book series Cormoran Strike by J.K. Rowling under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith.

The programme was first broadcast on BBC One on 27 August 2017, after receiving an advance premiere at the British Film Institute on 10 August 2017.

Also known as Cormoran Strike (working title, UK), Strike (worldwide English), and C.B. Strike (US).

Outline

The programme follows Cormoran Strike (Tom Burke), a war veteran turned private detective operating out of a tiny office in London’s Denmark Street, who uses his unique insight and his background as a Special Investigation Branch investigator to solve complex cases that have eluded the police along with his assistant, subsequently business partner, Robin Ellacott (Holliday Grainger).

Cast

• Main Cast:
  • Tom Burke as Cormoran Blue Strike.
  • Holliday Grainger as Robin Venetia Ellacott.

• Recurring Cast:
  • Kerr Logan as Matthew Cunliffe.
  • Ben Crompton as “Shanker”.
  • Natasha O’Keeffe as Charlotte Campbell.
  • Killian Scott as D.I. Eric Wardle.
  • Ann Akin as Vanessa Ekwensi.
  • Sargon Yelda as D.I. Richard Anstis.
  • Caitlin Innes Edwards as Ilsa Herbert.

• Guest Cast S01:
  • Siân Phillips as Lady Yvette Bristow.
  • Martin Shaw as Tony Landry.
  • David Avery as Nico Kolovas-Jones.
  • Leo Bill as John Bristow.
  • Tara Fitzgerald as Tansy Bestigui.
  • Amber Anderson as Ciara Porter.
  • Kadiff Kirwan as Guy Somé.
  • Bronson Webb as Evan Duffield.
  • Brian Bovell as Derrick Wilson.

• Guest Cast S2:
  • Dorothy Atkinson as Kathryn Kent.
  • Monica Dolan as Leonora Quine.
  • Dominic Mafham as Jerry Waldegrave.
  • Tim McInnerny as Daniel Chard.
  • Peter Sullivan as Andrew Fancourt.
  • Jeremy Swift as Owen Quine.
  • Lia Williams as Liz Tassel.
  • Sarah Gordy as Orlando Quine.

• Guest Cast S03:
  • Andrew Brooke as Niall Brockbank.
  • Emmanuella Cole as Alyssa.
  • Jessica Gunning as Holly Brockbank.
  • Matt King as Jeff Whittaker.
  • Neil Maskell as Donald Laing.
  • Kierston Wareing as Leda Strike.

• Guest Cast S04:
  • Nick Blood as Jimmy Knight.
  • Robert Glenister as Jasper Chiswell.
  • Joseph Quinn as Billy Knight.
  • Sophie Winkleman as Kinvara Chiswell.
  • Christina Cole as Izzy Chiswell.
  • Adam Long as Raff Chiswell.
  • Natalie Gumede as Lorelei Bevan.
  • Saffron Coomber as Flick Pardue.
  • Danny Ashok as Aamir Malik.
  • Robert Pugh as Geraint Winn.
  • Jack Greenlees as Sam Barclay.

• Guest Cast S05:
  • Jonas Armstrong as Saul Morris.
  • Linda Bassett as Joan Nancarrow.
  • Fionnula Flanagan as Oonagh Kennedy.
  • Sutara Gayle as Kim Sullivan.
  • Abigail Lawrie as Margot Bamborough.
  • Ruth Sheen as Pat Chauncey.
  • Cherie Lunghi as Gloria Conti.
  • Kenneth Cranham as Dennis Creed.
  • Robin Askwith as Steve Douthwaite.
  • Christina Cole as Izzy Chiswell.
  • Jack Greenlees as Sam Barclay.

Production

On 10 December 2014, it was announced that the Cormoran Strike novel series, written by J.K. Rowling under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith, would be adapted for television by the BBC, for broadcast on BBC One, beginning with The Cuckoo’s Calling. Two years later, it was confirmed that the series would total seven episodes of sixty minutes, with shooting to begin in London in the autumn of 2016. Tom Burke was announced in the role of Cormoran Strike in September 2016, while Holliday Grainger was announced in the role of Robin Ellacott in November 2016.

Ben Richards adapted The Cuckoo’s Calling, and Tom Edge adapted The Silkworm, Career of Evil and Lethal White. Richards stated that the series is “very different tonally and visually from other crime dramas”. He compared Strike to the British detective television show Morse. Similarly, Edge commented that “people use old-fashioned as a pejorative word, but to me that’s part of why these books, and, I hope, the TV series, works so well.”

Release

The Cuckoo’s Calling received generally positive reviews from critics.

Trivia

• The scar on Strike’s upper lip is not a part of his characterisation, but rather the real scar (the repair of a hare lip) of actor Tom Burke.
• Strike’s full name is Cormoran Blue Strike. Robin’s is Robin Venetia Ellacott.
• In the show, Strike is portrayed as having lost his left leg in an explosion whilst in the army.
  • In the books, however, it was his right leg.
• The concept of Strike literally speaking to his prosthetic leg was added to the TV adaptation as a way to present some of his “inner monologue”, of which there are many in the novels.
• In the books, Robin does not find out that Cormoran has a prosthetic leg until the very end of the first novel.
  • His sister Lucy mentions that he left the military because of his leg, but does not elaborate further.
  • In the show, Robin learns about Strike’s leg very shortly after meeting him, while she is researching Strike on her first day of work.
• This series was known as “Strike” when it aired in the UK, but when it appeared on the US airwaves its title was changed to “C.B. Strike.”
  • In 2017, Steve Greene reported for IndieWire that “the initials were added to the U.S. title to avoid confusion with “Strike Back,” another series in the Cinemax 2018 lineup.”

Strike Series

Fifteen (15) episodes across five (5) series have been broadcast to date, each series adapting the novels The Cuckoo’s Calling (2013), The Silkworm (2014), Career of Evil (2015), Lethal White (2018), and Troubled Blood (2020) respectively.

• Series 01: The Cuckoo’s Calling (2017):
  • Episode 01.
  • Episode 02.
  • Episode 03.

• Series 02: The Silkworm (2017):
  • Episode 01.
  • Episode 02.

• Series 03: Career of Evil (2018):
  • Episode 01.
  • Episode 02.

• Series 04: Lethal White (2020):
  • Episode 01.
  • Episode 02.
  • Episode 03.
  • Episode 04.

• Series 05: Troubled Blood (2022):
  • Episode 01.
  • Episode 02.
  • Episode 03.
  • Episode 04.

Production & Filming Details

• Director(s):
  • Susan Tully … (8 episodes, 2020-2022).
  • Michael Keillor … (3 episodes, 2017).
  • Kieron Hawkes … (2 episodes, 2017).
  • Charles Sturridge … (2 episodes, 2018).
• Producer(s):
  • Neil Blair … executive producer (15 episodes, 2017-2022).
  • Ruth Kenley-Letts … executive producer (15 episodes, 2017-2022).
  • J.K. Rowling … executive producer (15 episodes, 2017-2022).
  • Jenny Van Der Lande … story producer (14 episodes, 2017-2022).
  • Jess Cameron-Lewis … production executive: Brontë / head of production / head of production: Brontë (13 episodes, 2017-2022).
  • Tom Edge … executive producer (12 episodes, 2017-2022).
  • Jackie Larkin … producer (11 episodes, 2017-2020).
  • Tommy Bulfin … executive producer: BBC (8 episodes, 2020-2022).
  • Roxanne Harvey … script producer (8 episodes, 2020-2022).
  • Elizabeth Kilgarriff … executive producer: BBC (7 episodes, 2017-2018).
  • Mark Kinsella … line producer (7 episodes, 2017-2018).
  • Kelly Duffell … line producer (4 episodes, 2020).
  • Clare Pearce … line producer (4 episodes, 2022).
  • Alex Rendell … producer (4 episodes, 2022).
  • Ben Richards … executive producer (3 episodes, 2017).
• Writer(s):
  • Tom Edge … (written by) (12 episodes, 2017-2022).
  • Ben Richards … (written by) (3 episodes, 2017).
  • J.K. Rowling … (novel) (15 episodes, 2017-2022).
• Music:
  • Adrian Johnston … (15 episodes, 2017-2022).
• Cinematography:
  • Tomasz Naumiuk … (4 episodes, 2020).
  • Piotr Sobocinski Jr. … (4 episodes, 2022).
  • James Friend … (1 episode, 2017-2018).
  • Hubert Taczanowski … (3 episodes, 2017).
  • Gary Shaw … (2 episodes, 2017).
  • Maja Zamojda … (2 episodes, 2018).
• Editor(s):
  • Steve Singleton … (4 episodes, 2020).
  • David Head … (4 episodes, 2022).
  • Gareth C. Scales … (3 episodes, 2017).
  • Sam Williams … (2 episodes, 2017).
  • Stephen Haren … (2 episodes, 2018).
• Production:
  • BBC One.
  • British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).
  • Bronte Film and TV.
• Distributor(s):
  • BBC One (UK) (TV).
  • Cinemax (2018) (USA) (TV).
  • DiziMax (2018) (Turkey) (TV) (Dizimax Vice).
  • HBO Latin America (2018) (Argentina) (TV).
  • HBO Max (USA) (video) (VOD).
  • Home Box Office (HBO) (2017) (Canada) (TV).
  • Star Channel (2018) (Japan) (TV) (Star Channel 2).
  • Warner Bros. Home Entertainment (2018) (Japan) (DVD) (rental).
  • Warner Home Video (2018) (Germany) (DVD).
• Release Date:
  • Series 01: 27 August 2017 to 03 September 2017.
  • Series 02: 10 September 2017 to 17 September 2017.
  • Series 03: 25 February 2018 to 04 March 2018.
  • Series 04: 30 August 2020 to 13 September 2020.
  • Series 05: 11 December 2022 to 19 December 2022.
• Running time: 57-59 minutes (per episode).
• Rating: 15.
• Country: UK.
• Language: English.

Video Link(s)