Chris Ryan's Strike Back

The inspiration for a television adaptation came when executive producer Andy Harries saw the novel while at an airport and took it on holiday with him. He did not manage to read it before returning to Britain, but pitched the idea to Sky's Head of Drama Elaine Pyke, who commissioned it anyway.[14][15] Pyke and Harries had enthusiasm for the novel, and were excited to take up the challenge to adapt it for television. It was planned to be shot in high-definition because, according to Pyke; "Sky1 HD drama is about trying to astound audiences, up the creative bar, and commission shows which make audiences love being Sky subscribers." After seeing the success from previous dramas such as Terry Pratchett's Hogfather and The Take, Sky made a multimillion-pound commitment to Strike Back.[16]

Harries commented that he "was interested in developing a quality action series out of the UK because it's something we don't do very often, but there's no reason why we shouldn't." Richard Armitage called the series an "ambitious project for television. But the advantage of that is that these three feature films are linked together so you get a really interesting character arc through all episodes. American television is being brave and doing that at the moment, and this is stepping into that area." Former SAS soldier and the original novel's author, Chris Ryan, served as the series consultant and script advisor. Chris Ryan stated; "When you produce a novel it's like a child and to see it put onto screen opens it up to a greater audience. I class myself as a storyteller now, and to tell that story on paper is a great privilege, then to see it on screen is even better."[14]

As Strike Back is a military drama, the production crew used a vast catalogue of firearms, including side arms, assault and sniper rifles, as well as rocket-propelled grenades, hand grenades and other explosives. Cast members were first taught by carrying weights that mimicked the weight of the weapons so they could get used to carrying it during filming. Later, they were taught how to carry them professionally, including how to disassemble and re-assemble them, as well as how to fire and reload. Though the majority were actually rubber, duplicates were sometimes used for some of the background characters.[17] Three ex-SAS soldiers gave the cast weapons and tactical training,[8] and were also on hand to oversee how cast members carried the weapons during filming sessions.[17]

Filming commenced in August 2009,[16] and concluded by the end of the same year. It was filmed on location primarily in the Johannesburg area in South Africa, as well as the same Province the city is located, Gauteng.[18] Other filming locations in the series include Northern Cape, Augrabies Falls National Park,[19] and the Kalahari Desert.[20] Harries wanted to film the series in South Africa because he worked there several times in the past, and knew the country can replicate anywhere in the world.[21]

One of the biggest problems for filming is the environmental impact they would cause, particularly with explosions. Location manager Jaco Espach often coordinated with a special effects team to use more environmentally friendly methods. In order to film sequences involving firearms and explosives in private property, the series crew often negotiated with property owners, as well as notifying all neighbouring properties, local police and the local hospital. In the city, leaflets were distributed to the filming location a week in advance. In airport scenes, the crew would inform the aviation authorities.[19] The action sequences in the beginning of the first episode took five days to shoot,[9] and was filmed in the Johannesburg suburb of Yeoville. On the scenes filmed on the Kalahari, filming temporarily halted due to the spotting of venomous snakes in the area. After they retreated from some rainfall, the crew swept the area to remove them and filming continued.[20]

The series aired two episodes a week from 5 to 19 May 2010 in the United Kingdom.[22] BBC Worldwide acquired distribution rights to broadcast the first series internationally.[16] Episodes 1 and 2 received unofficial overnight ratings of 398,000 and 370,000 viewers, with an audience share of 1.7% and 2.1% respectively. Both episodes more than tripled Sky1's average audience share in their slots from the previous three months, and were also the third most-watched non-terrestrial viewing behind BBC Four's Timothy Spall: Somewhere at Sea and a live Sky Sports football game.[23] The overnight figures for episodes 3 and 4 were down somewhat to 337,000 and 294,000 with an audience share of 1.4% and 1.5% respectively.[24] The overnight ratings for the finale episodes were both 386,000 viewers, and received an audience share of 1.7% and 2.3% respectively.[25]

Strike Back was released on both DVD and Blu-ray Disc in the United Kingdom on 7 June 2010.[26] Released by 2entertain, they contain all six episodes, as well as cast interviews and a Behind the Scenes featurette.[27]

Overall, the reviews of the series were generally positive. Michael Conroy of GQ named Strike Back an "Editor's Pick" for its "excellent cinematography, stellar performances and a surprisingly balanced global perspective makes this story of two former British SAS soldiers a thoroughly enjoyable action romp." Conroy compared the series to Green Zone, The Pacific and the Call of Duty video game series.[28] Keith Watson of Metro called the series a "British action series that packs a Die Hard-style thrill around every corner." Watson praised Armitage's performance, calling him perfect for the role, and that "for once in a British series, the action scenes kick some proper butt."[29] John Preston of The Daily Telegraph stated that Strike Back was "a slick affair, crisply directed by Daniel Percival, scripted with considerable sharpness by Jed Mercurio and full of belting action sequences."[30]

Jack Foley of IndieLondon rated the first episodes four stars out of five, stating that it "made for exciting viewing even if the politics and the script sometimes proved laughably gung-ho and naive."[32] On review on the first two episodes, Jane Simon of The Mirror has said that between the cast, "there's enough shock and awe to make you very glad they're showing this in a double bill."[33] Gerard Gilbert of The Arts Desk dubbed Strike Back as "thin and lightweight next to [Armitage's other gig] Spooks", and although "not unexciting", Gilbert did not find the series interesting.[34] Andrea Mullaney of The Scotsman was positive about the casting, and the changes in storyline from the original novel, though the series was aimed "squarely at the blokey viewer who'd rather watch paint dry than a costume drama."[31] Whilst also reviewing Luther and Lewis, John Lloyd of The Financial Times called it "fine for tension," "good on sub-Bond dialogue" and that the story lines make Spooks look true to life. Lloyd also called Richard Armitage "one of the best action men on television." [35]

The Guardian and The Independent have each released two separate reviews; they were more mixed. Sam Wollaston enjoyed the first two episodes, but called it a "pathetic male fantasy."[36] Andrew Anthony has said that "no scene lasted more than about 25 seconds in the first two episodes and no element of plot information was left unspoken. The dialogue is close to pure exposition, with an occasional clunkily macho line thrown in as a concession to dramatic atmosphere. Show, don't tell, say the screenwriting gurus. This was show and tell."[37] From The Independent, Tom Sutcliffe stated the series may be enjoyed by those who like explosions and Spooks-like operations.[38] Rhiannon Harries was almost negative in her review, believing Strike Back was "in almost every respect, a terrible piece of television drama," although part of Harries enjoyed watching it. Harries noted that Luther was more recommended.[39]