Strange Experiences
| Strange Experiences | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Crime, Drama, Fantasy, horror |
| Starring | |
| Country of origin | England |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 29 |
| Production | |
| Producer | Derick Williams |
| Production location | England |
| Running time | 5 Minutes |
| Production company | Associated Television |
| Original release | |
| Network | ITV |
| Release | 24 September 1955 – 15 June 1962 |
Strange Experiences is a British fantasy, horror TV series starring Peter Williams as a storyteller who talks about the strange things that have happened during his life. The series aired on ITV from 24 September 1955 to 15 June 1962.[1][2] The series also included performances from Peter Sallis, Michael Shepley, Theodore Bikel, John Wood, Elspet Gray, Hugh Latimer, Josephine Griffin, Arthur Howard, and Ian Whittaker.
Plot
[edit]A storyteller named Peter talks about the strange events that have happened during his daily life routine such as uncanny, supernatural or otherwise "strange" goings-on happening across every place he has visited in England.
Cast
[edit]- Peter Williams as Peter the Storyteller
- Peter Sallis as Squishy Taylor, Chippy Criggs, Poor Man
- Theodore Bikel as Man
- John Wood as Man
- Elspet Gray as Querella
- Josephine Griffin as Women
- Arthur Howard as Man
- Ian Whittaker as Dora's Son
- Anna Turner as Women
- Frederick Treves as Man
- Michael Balfour as Man
- David Oxley as Man
Episodes
[edit]The series ran for a total of 29 episodes that aired on ITV, Associated Television from 24 September 1955 to 15 June 1962.[3] All the episodes of this series survive.[4] 22 of the episodes are available to watch at the British Film Institute and additionally selected episodes are available to view on YouTube.[5]
| No. | Title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Pickpocket" | 24 September 1955 |
| 2 | "The Identical Twins" | 1 October 1955 |
| 3 | "Portrait of Paula" | 8 October 1955 |
| 4 | "Hold-Up Man" | 15 October 1955 |
| 5 | "The Sleepwalker" | 22 October 1955 |
| 6 | "Halloween" | 29 October 1955 |
| 7 | "Two-Faced Murder" | 5 November 1955 |
| 8 | "Fortune Teller" | 12 November 1955 |
| 9 | "The Sleeping Girl" | 19 November 1955 |
| 10 | "Queer Customer" | 26 November 1955 |
| 11 | "Grandpa's Portrait" | 3 December 1955 |
| 12 | "Safe and Sound" | 1 January 1956 |
| 13 | "The Trial" | 8 January 1956 |
| 14 | "Kleptomaniac" | 15 January 1956 |
| 15 | "The Knife Thrower" | 22 January 1956 |
| 16 | "Old Silas" | 29 January 1956 |
| 17 | "The Well" | 5 February 1956 |
| 18 | "The Clocks" | 12 February 1956 |
| 19 | "The Laughing Clown" | 19 February 1956 |
| 20 | "The Writing in the Sky" | 26 February 1956 |
| 21 | "The Mirror" | 4 March 1956 |
| 22 | "The Ventriloquist" | 11 March 1956 |
| 23 | "The Inveterate Gambler" | 25 March 1956 |
| 24 | "The Idol" | 1 April 1956 |
| 25 | "A Matter of Luck" | 8 April 1956 |
| 26 | "Dunkirk" | 15 April 1956 |
| 27 | "The Talisman" | 22 April 1956 |
| 28 | "The Unknown Warrior" | 29 April 1956 |
| 29 | "The Comet" | 15 June 1962 |
Production
[edit]Before the series premiered two of the episodes from the series were shown in the 1955 TV movie/TV play Fcb TV Show No.1. The episodes "Safe and Sound" and "The Knife Thrower" were shown in the TV movie/TV play to give some idea of how an evening's viewing might appear on the forthcoming I.T.A. channel in London. Both of the episodes where eventually given a separate release on television by themselves for the series Strange Experiences.[6][7]
Critic reviews
[edit]The series itself received very positive ratings and reviews from critics with one critic calling it a good but strange series.[8]
DVD release
[edit]Two of the episodes have been released on DVD or Blu Ray: "Grandpa's Portrait" and "Old Silas" were included on a British Film Institute DVD and Blu Ray titled Short Sharp Shocks Volume 3 which was released on 9 October 2023.[9][10]
References
[edit]- ^ "Strange Experiences (1955)". britishnewspapersrchive.co.uk.
- ^ "The News of Cumberland County · 01 Oct 1955". newspapers.com.
- ^ "Daily Mirror 15 June 1962".
- ^ "Strange Experiences (1955-1962)". tvbrain.info.
- ^ "Strange Experiences". collections-search.bfi.org.uk.
- ^ "Fcb TV Show No.1". player.bfi.org.uk.
- ^ "Fcb TV Show No.1". collections-search.bfi.org.uk.
- ^ "Hull Daily Mail · 01 Oct 1955". newspapers.com.
- ^ "Short Sharp Volume 3 DVD Review". cineoutsider.com.
- ^ "Short Sharp Shocks Vol.3 (Flipside #47) (2 x Blu-ray)". amazon.co.uk.