as Sammikins (2 episodes) Peter Copley as Despard-Smith (2 episodes) Tom Chadbon as Sir Douglas Osbaldiston (2 episodes) Michael Troughton as Jack Cotery (2 episodes) Gillian Bailey as Olive Calvert (2 episodes) Jeffry Wickham as Chrystal (2 episodes) Andrew Cruickshank as M.H.L. Gay (1 episode) Terence Alexander as R.S.Robinson (1 episode) Cyril Luckham as Eustace Pilbrow (1 episode) Critical reception In a 1985 review in The New York Times, John J. O'Connor praised only the episode based on the novel The Masters and called the series a "dud" and summarized; "the series as a whole—or at least its first half—fails to ignite with compelling characters and incidents. The themes are big, the issues are important, but Strangers and Brothers is a monumental disappointment." References Bibliography Ellen Baskin. Serials on British Television, 1950-1994. Scolar Press, 1996. External links BBC television dramas 1984 British television series debuts 1984 British television series endings English-language television shows Television shows based on British novels