Perfect Strangers

Mild-mannered surveyor (a valuer, as we call them down here) Daniel (Matthew MacFadyen), an obscure member of the prominent and wealthy Symons family is invited, with his parents to a family reunion at Claridge's Hotel. The family, many of whom he has not met before are indeed a rich and varied bunch, and Stephen (Anton Lesser), a genealogist member, has collected all sorts of surprising information. Daniel also meets cousins Rebecca and Charles (Claire Skinner and Toby Stephens), and their elegant aunt Alice (Lindsay Duncan), who seem to hold the key to part of Daniel's own past. Daniel develops a rather un-family like attraction to Claire, which is a little awkward as she seems rather close to her brother, Charles.

Needless to say, a family like this has plenty of skeletons, but there are also some vaguely uplifting stories, like that of the sisters from Birmingham who by a fluke avoided a German bomb on their house and then lived for months during the war in the country by themselves. Then there is the photo, found by Stephen, which so intrigues Raymond (Michael Gambon), Daniel's father, of his father, a bitter stern man, dancing by himself in an ornamental garden. And who is the third child in the childhood photos of Rebecca and Charles?

All is explained, though the pace slows down a bit towards the end – in fact I felt I'd walked the long and damp distance between the mansion and the marquee too many times. Stephen Poliakoff has created an interesting set of minor characters also, such as wheeler-dealer Irving (Timothy Spall), Poppy the event organiser at the end of her tether (Kelly Hunter) and even Ernest the nonentity patriarch (Peter Howell). The whole thing for most of its 300 minutes has a festive feel to it – a celebration of belonging, for better or worse, to the human family. This family is a little over the top - it would not be surprising to discover they had issued their own visa card - but there's a lot of fun in finding out their secrets.

I am approaching 40, and have a family of my own. I also recall memories from my childhood; family celebrations; weddings; christenings.

One recalls all those people that seemed immortal. One's parents,captured in photographs; cousins whom one has not seen for years. Then in middle age, you meet people to whom you are related. but have not seen for years. You see pictures of those that are no longer with you.

Perfect Strangers is a sublime drama, one which evokes much of the above and so much more. The central performances are touching and evocative. Matthew Mcfadyen is totally convincing as Daniel, and he is well supported by Michael Gambon, Lindsay Duncan, Claire Skinner and Toby Stephens.

Stephen Poliakoff creates a memorable drama, more remarkable in an age of instant TV, reality TV and vapid game shows. Lose yourself in the characters, and the charming, touching story. I dare you not to shed a tear, not to be drawn into the images, the music....in an all to shallow world, this reminds us of what drama can do. Enchanting.

I caught this movie on a re-run on BBC America. It was late at night. the movie caught me unawares and drew me in to its web like a spider might. I spent the next several hours amazed at the tenderness of the story, the sadness of the characters and he sheer thrill of discovery just over the threshold. If only American TV could be so good. Ever so often you discover a jewel, Perfect Strangers (Almost Strangers in America on BBC America) is one of those jewels. It has a strong central character, plenty of supporting characters and people you find yourself rooting for. Secretly, we all have family members like these. A familiar face on a new wardrobe. Watch the movie. You will not forget it.

To be perfectly honest with you I was amazed by this series. I am an avid Matthew Macfadyen fan and I had prepared myself for almost 4 hours (yes, all episodes in one sitting) of joy. But what I saw or rather EXPERIENCED caught me off guard.

At first, the first couple of minutes, I felt a bit bored, like nothing actually interesting was going on and then there was the ending. That was it! 4 hours had passed without me even realising it. The acting, the story, the scenery, the old photographs and the abandoned rooms had sucked me in like it was the most natural thing in the world. And that is exactly what surprised me really, how honest and down to earth this series was. I found myself able to relate to each and every one of the characters, even the elderly, even the quirky ones (sleazy Irving for example or slightly neurotic Poppy). Because, even though there were some comic features these people were not caricatures, they were all portrayed as proper human beings with all the aspects of human behavior and emotion according to personality.

Growing up, I've had my own share of large family meetings and everything that I had experienced was there, the awkwardness, the embarrassment, the joy of learning a little bit more about the family each time you meet and, most of all, that bond you feel with people that - as it seems at least - are so utterly different than you yet you share the same blood and that, somehow, means something. It's exactly like another reviewer (Cartimandua) said before me (yet in a slightly different context) "It was like looking through a photo album. It was 'familiar' in more ways than one."

The most extraordinary thing about 'Perfect Strangers' is how extraordinarily simple it is actually. Just watch it.

Perfect Strangers was first aired in May 2001. I was in the midst of my final year degree exams. The first part was shown the night before one of my exams and I recorded it to watch another time so that I could do revision. About 20 minutes into the programme, I took a break from revision and decided to watch the programme for a short time. Perfect Strangers was so captivating that I didn't return to my revision until the programme finished!

Perfect Strangers has a wonderful music score by Adrian Johnston. I was thrilled to find that the following year, a CD of the score had been released. (It includes Adrian Johnston's score from Shooting The Past, an earlier drama also by Stephen Poliakoff and starring Lindsay Duncan and Timothy Spall.)

So, are you ready to meet the family?