The Corridor People
The Corridor People was a 1966 British television series produced by Granada Television for the ITV network, directed by David Boisseau and devised and written by Edward [Boyd (writer)|Edward Boyd].
A surreal black-and-white detective series, The Corridor People pitched security agent Kronk against exotic villainess Syrie Van Epp over the course of four 55-minute episodes.
Cast
- Elizabeth Shepherd as Syrie Van Epp
- John Sharp as Kronk
- Gary Cockrell as Phil Scrotty
- Alan Curtis as Inspector Blood
- William Maxwell as Sergeant Hound
- Ian Trigger as Nonesuch
- Calvin Lockhart as Theobald Aboo
Reception
NostalgiaCentral.com described the series as "confusing, erudite, self-consciously absurd and packed with eccentric dialogue."Critic Kim Newman wrote: "In 1968, audiences were baffled by the final episodes of The Prisoner. Lord knows what they made of The Corridor People, a surreal spy/detective/fantasy series which Granada broadcast two years earlier. I’m fairly attuned to ‘weird’, and even I find this show, which lasted for just four episodes, unsettlingly strange. It’s hard to judge whether the series achieves precisely what it sets out to do, or just misses the mark as either spoof or serious thriller."
Television Heaven wrote: "The Corridor People was very much a product of its televisual times, following in the footsteps of such contemporaries as The Avengers and Adam Adamant Lives!. However, unlike these more popular series this stylized swinging sixties Mystery/Detective/Thriller/Spy drama has failed to develop any long-term fan base or appreciation. Perhaps this was due to its limited run which prevented the building of a viewing base or perhaps it was just too off the wall and leftfield even for the psychedelic decade. The otherwise excellent book the Guinness Book of Classic Television describes the programme rather unfairly as "...the Twin Peaks of its day."
Tise Vahimagi wrote in British Television: An Illustrated Guide: "The mid-1960s was the prime period for offbeat thrillers and send-up series and this comic-strip yet stylish four-part adventure was one of the weirder ones devised. ... Unfortunately, the series was too short to develop its own special audience in the cult style of The Avengers and Adam Adamant Lives!."