--- title: "Count Arthur Strong" year: 2013 kind: "series" canonical: "https://film.one/tv/count-arthur-strong" fi1m_id: "count-arthur-strong" imdb_id: "tt3039270" tmdb_id: 58571 wikidata_id: "Q14458381" fi1m_score: 62 critics_reviews: 2 published: "2026-10-07T16:48:16.372234+00:00" updated: "2026-10-07T16:48:17.080212+00:00" region: "ES" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Count Arthur Strong (2013) Created by Graham Linehan, Steve Delaney · 30m · Comedy ## Identity Count Arthur Strong - **Canonical:** https://film.one/tv/count-arthur-strong - **Type:** Series - **Fi1m ID:** count-arthur-strong - **IMDb ID:** tt3039270 - **TMDB ID:** 58571 - **Wikidata ID:** Q14458381 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3039270/, https://www.themoviedb.org/tv/58571, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14458381 **Fi1m score: 62** · Critics: 2 of 6 reviews so far *In a sentence:* Steve Delaney supplies enough physical comedy to make Arthur worth meeting, though perhaps not inviting back every evening > Steve Delaney’s precise physical performance gives *Count Arthur Strong* its appeal, but the comedy is an acquired taste. There is warmth here, and reason to persevere, provided Arthur himself makes us laugh. ## Synopsis *Count Arthur Strong* is a half-hour comedy centred on Count Arthur Strong (Steve Delaney), with Michael Baker (Rory Kinnear), Bulent (Chris Ryman), Sinem (Zahra Ahmadi) and John the Watch (Andy Linden) among its characters. Created by Graham Linehan and Steve Delaney, the programme runs for three series. Its wider cast includes Oliver Dimsdale as Simon, Theo Barklem-Biggs as Antony and Lindsay Duncan as Dame Agnes. Ralph Ineson appears as Roger the Policeman, Jeremy Swift as Colin and Guy Henry as Psychiatrist. ## Review *Count Arthur Strong* is worth trying for Steve Delaney, with a substantial caveat: an appreciation of carefully performed comedy does not necessarily produce a laugh. This is a programme whose appeal depends heavily on our response to its central performer. Delaney gives Arthur enough physical precision to reward attention, and the warmth matters. We would recommend a cautious introduction rather than committing to all three series on the strength of its admirers’ enthusiasm. Delaney’s performance is the clearest reason to take that chance. Physical comedy asks an actor to make deliberate choices look involuntary, then repeat the feat without letting the effort become the joke. The precision attributed to his Arthur is important because a broadly comic character can otherwise become exhausting remarkably quickly. A performer needs control even when the person being played appears to have none. That distinction is a useful measure of the work here, though admiration for technique can only take a comedy so far. There is also a persuasive case for its tenderness. Comedy built around an eccentric can grow unpleasant when everyone else exists merely to point out the eccentricity. The warmer assessment of this programme describes something more generous, with emotional depth alongside the physical humour. We find that prospect appealing: affection gives a recurring character somewhere to go beyond another demonstration of the same comic habits. It does not, however, excuse a joke that fails to land, and comfort alone is a modest reason to keep watching. The disagreement about the series is unusually stark. Of the two critical accounts available, one finds it unfunny and diminished by the move from radio to television; the other finds it funny, comforting and unexpectedly moving. Two assessments cannot establish what most critics think. They do identify the question that matters here: does seeing Arthur give the comedy something essential, or does it narrow what an audience could previously imagine? Praise for Delaney’s physical performance makes the strongest case for putting him on screen. Graham Linehan and Steve Delaney share the creator credits, and the cast includes Rory Kinnear as Michael Baker, Chris Ryman as Bulent and Zahra Ahmadi as Sinem. Those names establish the ensemble, but they should not substitute for an assessment of how its members work together. Nor should the programme’s thirty-minute format be mistaken for evidence of brisk pacing. The useful distinction is between enjoying time with a character and waiting for that character to become funny; this series appears capable of prompting sharply different answers. Our recommendation is therefore limited but not dismissive. The enthusiasm for Delaney’s performance and the programme’s warmth gives the interested viewer a sound reason to investigate, while the severity of the opposing response deserves more than a shrug. We cannot honestly turn those accounts into a first-hand claim that we laughed or cried. Try an episode for Arthur; if his physical comedy leaves us cold, perseverance is unlikely to be a sensible evening’s work. *Fi1m score 62, published 7 October 2026.* ## Straight answers **Is Count Arthur Strong worth watching?** *Count Arthur Strong* is worth trying for Steve Delaney’s precise physical comedy and the programme’s warmth, though our score of 62 reflects its limited appeal. We recommend an episode for those who enjoy an eccentric central character; if Arthur fails to make us laugh, admiration for Delaney’s technique is not enough reason to persevere. **How long is Count Arthur Strong, and what is it rated?** *Count Arthur Strong* has episodes of about 30m. It is a comedy series. **Where can I watch Count Arthur Strong in Spain?** *Count Arthur Strong* is not on any streaming or rental service in Spain at the moment. It is available in 2 other countries; change your country at the top of the page to see where. Availability is checked daily. **How does Count Arthur Strong compare to The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin?** *Count Arthur Strong* is the more tentative recommendation beside [*The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin*](https://film.one/tv/the-fall-and-rise-of-reginald-perrin), whose Leonard Rossiter gives us stronger reason to stay despite thinning catchphrases. Both ask for patience with a central eccentric, but we favour *Reginald Perrin* for its mixture of humour and sadness; *Count Arthur Strong* depends more heavily on a taste for Delaney’s physical comedy. **What should I watch after Count Arthur Strong?** After *Count Arthur Strong*, try [*The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin*](https://film.one/tv/the-fall-and-rise-of-reginald-perrin) (1976, Fi1m 83): For another British comedy whose central eccentric requires patience and rewards affection. Then [*The General*](https://film.one/film/the-general) (1926, Fi1m 91): Buster Keaton offers a useful reminder of what precise physical comedy can accomplish; and [*Detectorists*](https://film.one/tv/detectorists) (2014, Fi1m 87): A gentler choice when the affection matters as much as the jokes. ### Reviews we read (2) - **The Guardian**, Euan Ferguson (20/100, inferred): Ferguson finds the television adaptation falls flat and is not funny. He singles out its loss of the radio version’s imaginative effect as the central problem. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2013/jul/13/count-arthur-strong-review) - **Den of Geek**, Louisa Mellor (85/100, inferred): Mellor finds the series a warm, funny and unexpectedly moving comfort, with an emotional depth that can bring welcome tears. She especially praises Steve Delaney’s precise, brilliantly physical performance as Arthur. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/count-arthur-strong-and-the-comforts-of-traditional-sitcom/) ## Details - **Created by:** Graham Linehan, Steve Delaney - **Creator:** Graham Linehan, Steve Delaney - **Cast:** Steve Delaney as Count Arthur Strong; Rory Kinnear as Michael Baker; Chris Ryman as Bulent; Zahra Ahmadi as Sinem; Andy Linden as John the Watch; Oliver Dimsdale as Simon; Theo Barklem-Biggs as Antony; Lindsay Duncan as Dame Agnes - **Runtime:** 30m - **Release (Spain):** 8 July 2013 - **Genres:** Comedy ## Where to watch in Spain Not streaming, renting or buying in Spain at the last check. Also available in: GB, IE. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## If you liked this - *The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin* (1976), Fi1m 83: For another British comedy whose central eccentric requires patience and rewards affection. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/tv/the-fall-and-rise-of-reginald-perrin.md) - *The General* (1926), Fi1m 91: Buster Keaton offers a useful reminder of what precise physical comedy can accomplish. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-general.md) - *Detectorists* (2014), Fi1m 87: A gentler choice when the affection matters as much as the jokes. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/tv/detectorists.md) - *Mon Oncle* (1958), Fi1m 82: Jacques Tati makes an awkward visitor the centre of beautifully controlled physical comedy. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/mon-oncle.md) - *The Last of the Summer Wine* (1973): More British eccentrics, with companionship giving the recurring comic business its staying power. --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/tv/count-arthur-strong