User Reviews

I was 17-years-old when I first saw "Talking to a Stranger" on (then) National Educational Television's "NET Playhouse," and again a year later as I was about to enter university. Like that other viewer who commented on it, it was the first time I had ever heard of or seen Judi Dench and was blown away by this feisty, complex character with the gravelly voice who raged out against God while vehemently declaring she does not believe in Him (and liberally quoting scripture throughout) and mucking about in her self-made squalor called a life. What strength of character! As for the other leading roles, I had long admired British character actor Maurice Denham as the father (he is so marvelous in "84 Charing Cross Road" for a recent example), and first saw Margery Mason as the harridan housekeeper for Albert Finney in his small self-directed film "Charlie Bubbles" (1967). Michael Bryant (another totally new face to me--he played Lenin in 1971's "Nicholas and Alexandra") is incredible as the sensitive and self-denying son who lives a life 180 degrees from his sister Terry's; his is responsible, directed, mature, respectable but somehow unfulfilled. Thrusting the four of them together as members of the what we would call "disfunctional" Stephens family over one seemingly ordinary turned fateful weekend made me sit up and take notice of acting and scriptwriting as I had never seen them before. If you get to see this quartet of masterpieces (and I implore you to do so, there is nothing even close to it and you owe the experience to yourself), you will especially never forget the closing lines in the second and fourth episodes and realize the truths spoken by these people will change you forever. The series speaks volumes about relationships between parents and their children and the unsatisfactory aspects of marriage, even longtime ones. Finally, allow yourself closure by sitting through the end credits, with their melancholy, Brahms-like music and the profiles of the four protagonists framing the screen. You'll find that Terry, Alan, and Mr. and Mrs. Stephens have become people you came to know intimately, intensely and for whom you have come to care about very much indeed. Kudos to writer John Hopkins and director Christopher Morahan. (By the way, "Talking to a Stranger" was nominated for a collective Emmy Award for excellence in American television in 1969 and for whatever reason did NOT win; go figure!)

I saw "Talking to a Stranger" when it was first telecast in the US back in the 1960s. I recall it vividly as a great piece of writing, directing, casting, and acting. What a superb idea, telling the same story from four different viewpoints--and with such telling dramatic and thematic impact!

Few telecasts have remained in memory that long or that vividly. And nearly all of them hearken back to the 1960s--or even the late 1950s, when live television dominated the teledramas and comedies. Newton Minnow, who described TV then as a "vast wasteland," must be rolling in his grave over the shallow, tasteless stuff on TV today.

I sure wish I could rent "Talking to a Stranger" on DVD, or even VHS, because I would love to get reacquainted with this small masterpiece of television art.

I can add little to the previous reviews. "Talking to a Stranger" is definitely a classic--Judi Dench is superb, and so is the rest of the cast. The good news for everyone who has seen "Talking to a Stranger" is that it is included in the late-March DVD release of "The Judi Dench Collection." It is one of a number of her performances for the BBC that have been previously unavailable for audiences. Interested fans are advised to check out online DVD sources. A good one is deepdiscount.com, which sells DVDs, CDs, and books. The selection is good, the prices are about as low as you'll find anywhere, and shipping is FREE. About twice a year, DVDs are ALL on sale for 20% off--and the shipping, as always, is free.

John Hopkins was well-known to British television viewers as a contributor to the highly-successful series 'Z cars' when he wrote 'Talking to a Stranger' for the then very young channel BBC2 under the 'Theatre 625' banner. A suburban family - father (Maurice Denham), mother (Margery Mason), son Alan (Michael Bryant) and daughter Terry (Judi Dench), gather for a weekend at the family home, and the traumatic events of that weekend are told over four ninety-minute episodes, first from the daughter's point-of-view, then from the father's, the brother's, and finally the mother's. This unique approach gave us, the audience, insights into behaviour which in preceding episodes had seemed as baffling to us as it did to the other characters. To know all is to forgive all; by the end of the fourth episode we knew all, but the family never would, and they would never forgive. The weekend had shattered them beyond repair.

TV lost John Hopkins to the movies, and the days are long gone when any channel would be brave enough to allow a dramatist six hours of prime time television to explore four characters over one weekend, so I think its unique status will remain unchallenged. Sadly, it isn't, as far as I'm aware, available on commercial video, but some of us took the chance to record it when it was re-shown during a BBC 2 anniversary evening. It was gratifying to discover that time had not lent enchantment to it; it is every bit as sharp and observant as it was when it was first aired. George Melly in the Observer called it "the first authentic masterpiece written directly for television"; I wouldn't go so far as to add that it is the only one, but the only other contender I can bring to mind is 'This Story of Yours' written by...you've guessed it - John Hopkins. But it was subsequently made into the Sean Connery/Ian Bannen film 'The Offence', and it's difficult to see how 'Talking to a Stranger' could be done justice by anything other than television. So perhaps I will go so far as to say it's the only authentic masterpiece written directly for television. It is what television movies could have been, could still be, but probably never will be; an art-form in their own right, rather than the scaled-down version of made-for-cinema movies that they have become.

Brilliantly written, directed, and acted mini-series made by BBC TV about the difficult and complex relationships in a close-knit family who discover, after a traumatic family death, that they didn't know each other as well as they thought. A searing psychological study of how people relate to and understand (or not!) each other and the effect, intended and unintended they have each other. Michael Bryant and Judi Dench are especially noteworthy in an all-round excellent cast

I saw this four-part drama on television in the 1960s. Even then, Judi Dench was outstanding, and so were all her fellow actors. The play by John Hopkins is superb. It uses a device used many times since: a family remembering the same things but with each person seeing them very differently. And it uses this device in a more complex and engrossing way than I have ever seen. I do hope the BBC will see fit to release this in DVD format before long. Dame Judi is at the height of her career (so far), and many mature viewers remember Maurice Denham, Michael Bryant, and Marjory Mason. Why wait?! This should be a popular sell for the BBC and a great addition to the film libraries of many lovers of drama.

I saw this production in England in 1966 when it was first broadcast by the BBC. At that time it was by far the best written drama I had ever seen on TV and I have seen little to beat it since. The concept of each of the four episodes being a view of a family from the eyes of each family member was brilliantly conceived and at that time was highly original.

The acting by the entire cast is quite superb. This was the first time I had seen Judi Dench and she immediately became my favorite actress and still is!

The BBC has repeated this production twice, most recently in 2003.Oh for the chance to have taped it! I just wish that it was available commercially.

Summary: Brilliantly acted British mini-series

John Hopkins' "Talking to a Stranger" is a four-part British mini-series featuring an early performance by Judi Dench, who is pretty much as brilliant here as she is today. The story focuses on a family--parents, son, daughter--and reveals the family's dysfunctionality from each one's point of view. Acting, writing, directing--all top notch. I saw this in the sixties on PBS and have never forgotten it--I would love to have a DVD version. The drama was recently re-telecast in England, to great acclaim.

Good to see that I'm not alone in remembering this groundbreaking work. I saw it once only, when the Australian Broadcasting Commission screened it in the late sixties, but retain a vivid memory of its sheer gripping power - after the first episode I made a mental note to visit the bathroom BEFORE watching subsequent episodes. I have a recollection that 'TTAS' employed a real-time filming technique, in which each 90-minute episode represented 90 minutes of uninterrupted action; perhaps this, along with brilliant writing and acting, was partly responsible for its hypnotic power and emotional impact. I believe that the writer, John Hopkins, was also responsible for several episodes of an ahead-of-its-time British police series of the sixties, "Z Cars". It's a sad commentary on the state of television drama that in the 37 years since it was made nothing seems to have emerged to equal "Talking to a Stranger".

i cannot thank PBS enough for the memorable British programs they have exhibited over the years. I have not seen 'Talking To A Stranger' since it's debut on a local television station in the latter half of the 60's, but it is indicative of the program's excellence that I was so moved by it that I would comment now. The production was superb and the acting of the future Dame Dench superb. Thank you for this forum.

I totally agree with the above comments. I saw "Talking to a Stranger" several times when it was broadcast in the late sixties over PBS in America. This series marked my introduction to Judi Dench--she was absolutely brilliant. It is gratifying to see her finally getting the international recognition she deserves. Side note: In America, check your local PBS station to see if it is telecasting Dench's sitcom "As Time Goes By." The show is one of the best comedies I have ever seen, and Dench and Geoffrey Palmer have terrific chemistry together. The program has been running since 1991 in Britain--it would probably not last out a season over here, unfortunately.

As I was walking to work today I suddenly remembered "Talking to a Stranger", which I hadn't thought of in many years. I had seen a face on a poster that resembled Judi Dench and I was reminded of how fabulous and how SEXY she was way back when. I suddenly wished more than anything to see "Talking to a Stranger" again. I am shocked at how clearly I can still see images from it in my mind's eye, nearly four decades later. It truly was one of the best things that I ever saw on television and yet I know no one else who has seen it. I'm sorry to find out that it is unavailable, but it is very gratifying to read comments here from so many other people who remember it as vividly as I do and who also hope for its eventual release on DVD.