''Strike'' (also known as ''C. B. Strike'' internationally) is a British

crime drama Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and comb ...

television programme based on the book series ''

Cormoran Strike ''Cormoran Strike'' is a series of crime fiction novels written by British author J. K. Rowling, published under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith. The story chronicles the cases of private detective Cormoran Strike and his partner Robin Ellacot ...

'' by

J. K. Rowling Joanne Rowling ( "rolling"; born 31 July 1965), also known by her pen name J. K. Rowling, is a British author and philanthropist. She wrote ''Harry Potter'', a seven-volume children's fantasy series published from 1997 to 2007. The ser ...

under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith. The programme was first broadcast on

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...

on 27 August 2017, after receiving an advance premiere at the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

on 10 August 2017. The programme follows Cormoran Strike ( Tom Burke), a war veteran turned private detective operating out of a tiny office in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

Denmark Street Denmark Street is a street on the edge of London's West End running from Charing Cross Road to St Giles High Street. It is near St Giles in the Fields Church and Tottenham Court Road station. The street was developed in the late 17th centu ...

, who uses his unique insight and his background as a

Special Investigation Branch Special Investigation Branch (SIB) was the name given to the detective branches of all three British military police arms: the Royal Navy Police, Royal Military Police and Royal Air Force Police. It was most closely associated with the Royal M ...

investigator to solve complex cases that have eluded the police along with his assistant, subsequently business partner, Robin Ellacott (

Holliday Grainger Holliday Clark Grainger (born 27 March 1988), also credited as Holly Grainger, is an English screen and stage actress. Some of her prominent roles are Kate Beckett in the BAFTA award-winning children's series ''Roger and the Rottentrolls'', L ...

). Fifteen episodes across five series have been broadcast to date, each series adapting the novels ''

The Cuckoo's Calling ''The Cuckoo's Calling'' is a 2013 crime fiction novel by J. K. Rowling, published under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith. It is the first novel in the '' Cormoran Strike'' series of detective novels and was followed by ''The Silkworm'' in 2014, ...

'' (2013), ''

The Silkworm ''The Silkworm'' is a 2014 crime fiction novel by J. K. Rowling, published under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith. It is the second novel in the ''Cormoran Strike'' series of detective novels and was followed by ''Career of Evil'' in 2015, ''Let ...

'' (2014), ''

Career of Evil ''Career of Evil'' is a 2015 crime fiction novel by J. K. Rowling, published under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith. It is the third novel in the ''Cormoran Strike'' series of detective novels and is followed by ''Lethal White'' in 2018 and '' ...

'' (2015), ''

Lethal White ''Lethal White'' is the fourth novel in the ''Cormoran Strike'' series, written by J. K. Rowling and published under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith. The novel was released on 18 September 2018. Background ''Lethal White'' is preceded by ...

'' (2018), and ''

Troubled Blood ''Troubled Blood'' is the fifth novel in the ''Cormoran Strike'' series, written by J. K. Rowling and published under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith. The novel was released on 15 September 2020. Plot ''Troubled Blood'' begins in August 2013 a ...

'' (2020), respectively. The programme premiered on 1 June 2018 in the United States on

Cinemax Cinemax is an American pay television, cable, and satellite television network owned by the Home Box Office, Inc. subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. Developed as a companion "maxi-pay" service complementing the offerings shown on parent ...

and in Canada on

HBO Canada HBO (previously known as HBO Canada, and still referred to as such on social media) is a Canadian premium television network from Crave (formerly The Movie Network), which is owned by Bell Media. The channel is primarily devoted to original pro ...

. Following the fourth series, the programme was exhibited in the United States on HBO.

Cast and characters

Main cast

* Tom Burke as Cormoran Blue Strike *

as Robin Venetia Ellacott

Recurring cast

* Kerr Logan as Matthew Cunliffe * Ben Crompton as "Shanker" *

Natasha O'Keeffe Natasha Dervill O'Keeffe (born 1 December 1986) is a British actress. She is known for her roles as Abbey in the E4 series '' Misfits'' (2012–2013), Fedora in the ITV series '' Jekyll and Hyde'' (2015), Emilia Ricoletti in the '' Sherlock' ...

as Charlotte Campbell *

Killian Scott Cillian Damien Murphy (born 6 July 1985) is an Irish actor, better known professionally as Killian Scott. He first came to prominence for his role as Tommy in the RTÉ One series '' Love/Hate''. Early life The youngest of six children, Scott g ...

as D.I. Eric Wardle * Ann Akin as Vanessa Ekwensi * Sargon Yelda as D.I. Richard Anstis * Caitlin Innes Edwards as Ilsa Herbert *

Jack Greenlees Jack Greenlees is a Scottish actor, known for his roles as Craig Cooper in the BBC One Scottish crime drama television series ''Shetland'' (2016), as Justice Stuart Knox in the British-American period drama television series '' Harlots'' (2019) ...

as Sam Barclay

Guest cast

S1: ''The Cuckoo's Calling''

* Siân Phillips as Lady Yvette Bristow *

Martin Shaw Martin Shaw (born 21 January 1945) is an English actor. He came to national recognition as Doyle in ITV crime-action television drama series '' The Professionals'' (1977–1983). Further notable television parts include the title roles in '' ...

as Tony Landry *

David Avery David Avery (born 6 April 1986) is a British film, television and theatre actor. He is best known for ''The Night Manager'', ''Starred Up'' and ''Lost in London''. Background Avery was born 6 April 1986 in Birmingham England, son of Cyprio ...

as Nico Kolovas-Jones * Leo Bill as John Bristow *

Tara Fitzgerald Tara Anne Cassandra Fitzgerald (born 18 September 1967) is an English actress who has appeared in feature films, television, radio and the stage. She won the New York Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play in 1995 as Opheli ...

as Tansy Bestigui *

Amber Anderson Amber Felicity Rose Anderson (born 5 March 1992) is a British actress, pianist and model. On television, she is known for her roles as Ciara Porter in the crime drama ''Strike'' (2017) and Diana Mitford in the sixth series of ''Peaky Blinders'' ...

as Ciara Porter *

Kadiff Kirwan Kadiff Kirwan (born 3 February 1989) is a British-Montserratian actor. He is known for his roles in several British television series, particularly '' Timewasters'', ''Chewing Gum'', ''Fleabag'', and '' The Stranger''. Early life and education B ...

as Guy Somé *

Bronson Webb Bronson John Webb (born 20 February 1983) is a British actor. Career Webb has had supporting roles in ''Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban'' (2005), ''The Dark Knight'' (2008) from the Batman franchise, ''Robin Hood'' (2010), and '' ...

as Evan Duffield * Brian Bovell as Derrick Wilson

S2: ''The Silkworm''

Dorothy Atkinson Dorothy Caroline Atkinson (born 1966) is an English actress and singer. She has appeared in several plays by playwright Alan Ayckbourn and in films by Mike Leigh, including ''Topsy-Turvy'', ''All or Nothing'', and ''Mr. Turner'', which premiere ...

as Kathryn Kent *

Monica Dolan Monica Margaret Dolan (born 15 March 1969) is an English actress. She won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Supporting Actress for playing Rosemary West in '' Appropriate Adult'' (2011). Career Dolan was born in Middlesbrough and trained at the Gu ...

as Leonora Quine * Dominic Mafham as Jerry Waldegrave *

Tim McInnerny Tim McInnerny ( ; born 18 September 1956) is an English actor. He is known for his many roles on stage and television, including as Lord Percy Percy and Captain Darling in the 1980s British sitcom ''Blackadder''. Early life McInnerny was bor ...

as Daniel Chard * Peter Sullivan as Andrew Fancourt *

Jeremy Swift Jeremy Paul Swift (born 27 June 1960) is an English actor. He studied drama at Guildford School of Acting from 1978 to 1981 and worked almost exclusively in theatre throughout the 1980s, working with companies such as Deborah Warner's Kick The ...

as Owen Quine *

Lia Williams Lia Williams (born 26 November 1964) is an English actress and director, known for stage, film, and television appearances. She is noted for her role as Wallis Simpson in ''The Crown''. Theatre career Williams's breakthrough performance came ...

as Liz Tassel *

Sarah Gordy Sarah Gordy, MBE (born September 1976) is a British actress who has Down's Syndrome. She is best known for her roles as Katie Thorne in ''The A Word'', Orlando Quine in '' Strike: The Silkworm'', Lady Pamela Holland in the BBC TV series of ' ...

as Orlando Quine

S3: ''Career of Evil''

Andrew Brooke Andrew Brooke is an English actor. He is best known for playing Ashley in the Channel 4 series '' PhoneShop'' for three series. He has appeared in the movies such as ''Sherlock Holmes'' in 2009, ''The Bank Job'' and ''Children of Men''. His many ...

as Niall Brockbank * Emmanuella Cole as Alyssa *

Jessica Gunning Jessica Gunning is an English television and theatre actress. She was educated at Holmfirth High School near Huddersfield before attending Rose Bruford College, graduating in 2007.

as Holly Brockbank * Matt King as Jeff Whittaker *

Neil Maskell Neil Maskell (born 1976) is an English actor, writer and director who is known for his appearances in British crime and horror films such as '' The Football Factory'' and ''Kill List''. Early life Maskell was born in London. As a youth, he pl ...

as Donald Laing *

Kierston Wareing Kierston Wareing (born 7 January 1976) is a British actress. Her first film role was the lead in Ken Loach's '' It's a Free World...'', followed by a supporting role in Andrea Arnold's ''Fish Tank'' – which won the BAFTA award for ‘Best Bri ...

as Leda Strike

S4: ''Lethal White''

Nick Blood Nick Blood (born 20 March 1982) is an English actor. He is known for his roles as Lance Hunter in Marvel's ''Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and ''Kieran in '' Trollied''. Early life Blood was born in Aylesbury, England. He joined his local drama clu ...

as Jimmy Knight *

Robert Glenister Robert Lewis Glenister (born 11 March 1960 in Watford, Hertfordshire) is an English actor. The son of the television director John Glenister and the older brother of actor Philip Glenister, his roles include con man Ash "Three Socks" Morgan in ...

as Jasper Chiswell * Joseph Quinn as Billy Knight *

Sophie Winkleman Sophie Lara Winkleman (born 5 August 1980) is an English actress. She is married to Lord Frederick Windsor, the son of Prince Michael of Kent, a paternal cousin of Queen Elizabeth II. Early life Winkleman was born in Primrose Hill, London. He ...

as Kinvara Chiswell *

Christina Cole Christina Cole (born 8 May 1982) is an English actress known for portraying Cassie Hughes in the Sky One supernatural television series '' Hex''. Early life Born in London, Cole is the eldest of three siblings. She has a younger sister, Cassand ...

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 Robert Pugh (born 11 October 1950) is a Welsh actor, known for his many television appearances, including the role of Craster in the HBO series ''Game of Thrones''. Life and career Pugh was born in the Tynte, Mountain Ash and grew up in Cilf ...

as Geraint Winn

S5: ''Troubled Blood''

Jonas Armstrong William Jonas Armstrong is an Irish actor known for playing the title role in the BBC One drama series ''Robin Hood''. Career In 2003, Armstrong appeared in ''Quartermaine's Terms'' at the Royal Theatre in Northampton as Derek Meadle. In 2004 ...

as Saul Morris *

Linda Bassett Linda Bassett (born 4 February 1950) is an English actress. Her television credits include Victoria Wood's '' dinnerladies'' (1999), '' Lark Rise to Candleford'' (2008–11), '' Grandma's House'' (2010–12) and '' Call the Midwife'' (2015–pres ...

as Joan Nancarrow * Samuel Oatley as DI George Layborn *

Fionnula Flanagan Fionnghuala Manon "Fionnula" Flanagan (born 10 December 1941) is an Irish stage, television, and film actress. For her contributions to the entertainment industry, she was given the IFTA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012. Flanagan is known fo ...

as Oonagh Kennedy * Sutara Gayle as Kim Sullivan *

Abigail Lawrie Abigail Lawrie (born 1997) is a Scottish actress. She won a Scottish BAFTA for her performance in the Sky Atlantic crime drama '' Tin Star'' (2017–2020). Lawrie made her screen debut in the BBC miniseries ''The Casual Vacancy'' (2015). Early ...

as Margot Bamborough *

Ruth Sheen Ruth Sheen is an English actress. From the late 1980s, she has appeared in British television shows, films and plays. A participant in the films of Mike Leigh, she won the European Film Award for Best Actress for her performance as Shirley in Leigh ...

as Pat Chauncey *

Cherie Lunghi Cherie Mary Lunghi (born 4 April 1952) is an English film, television, and theatre actress, known for her roles in many British TV dramas. Her international fame stems from her role as Guinevere in the 1981 film ''Excalibur''. Her long list of ...

as Gloria Conti *

Kenneth Cranham Kenneth Cranham (born 12 December 1944) is a Scottish film, television, radio and stage actor. Early life Cranham was born in Dunfermline, Fife, the son of Lochgelly-born Margaret McKay Cranham (née Ferguson) and Ronald Cranham, a London-bor ...

as Dennis Creed * Robin Askwith as Steve Douthwaite *

as Izzy Chiswell

Production and development

On 10 December 2014, it was announced that the ''Cormoran Strike'' novel series, written by

under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith, would be adapted for television by the BBC, for broadcast on

, beginning with ''

''. 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

was announced in the role of Robin Ellacott in November 2016. Ben Richards adapted ''The Cuckoo's Calling'', and Tom Edge adapted ''

'', ''

'' and ''

''. 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."

Episodes

Series 1: ''The Cuckoo's Calling'' (2017)

''The Cuckoo's Calling'' was released on DVD on 27 November 2017.

Series 2: ''The Silkworm'' (2017)

''The Silkworm'' was released on DVD on 19 February 2018.

Series 3: ''Career of Evil'' (2018)

''Career of Evil'' was released on DVD on 16 April 2018.

Series 4: ''Lethal White'' (2020)

''Lethal White'' was released on DVD on 23 November 2020.

Series 5: ''Troubled Blood'' (2022)

Reception

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

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wan ...

gave it an approval rating of 82%, based on 17 reviews, and an average score of 6.6/10. The website's critics consensus reads "The TV adaptation of ''C. B. Strike'' delivers an entertaining detective series that faithfully and effectively adheres to genre tropes." Morgan Jeffery of ''

Digital Spy Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television programmes, ...

'', who reviewed the first episode, praised both Burke and Grainger's performances, calling Burke's performance a "revelation". Similarly, the adaptation of ''The Silkworm'' was met with positive reviews, with critics again praising Burke and Grainger's performances. However, the first episode was criticised for showing a suicide scene on

World Suicide Prevention Day World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD) is an awareness day observed on 10 September every year, in order to provide worldwide commitment and action to prevent suicides, with various activities around the world since 2003. The International Associat ...

, making some viewers claim that this scene was insensitive. ''Career of Evil'' holds an 88% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 8 reviews, and an average score of 7/10. ''Lethal White'' holds a 73% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 11 reviews, and an average score of 5.6/10.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Strike (Tv Series) 2017 British television series debuts 2010s British crime drama television series 2010s British mystery television series 2010s British television miniseries 2020s British crime drama television series 2020s British mystery television series 2020s British television miniseries Adaptations of works by J. K. Rowling BBC high definition shows BBC crime television shows BBC mystery television shows BBC television dramas British detective television series English-language television shows Television shows based on British novels Television shows set in London Cinemax original programming