STUFF YOU GOTTA WATCH - The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (TV)

"THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES"

(1984-85 - British Television)
With Jeremy Bretty, David Burke, Rosalie Williams
Developed for Television by John Hawkesw
Reviewed by JB

I had long been a fan of Basil Rathbone and the Universal Sherlock Holmes movies of the 1940s, and on my book shelf I had a handy single volume of the best Holmes stories and novels as chosen by Arthur Conan Doyle's son Adrian. However, it was this British television series which inspired me to request a complete set of the Holmes books and stories one Christmas, a set which I still own and re-read in its entirety roughly once a year.

The original series starred Jeremy Brett as the World's Most Famous Consulting Detective. His florid, energetic and sometimes meloncholy portrayal of Holmes is considered by many fans, myself included, to be the greatest of all. The late actor often said that he enjoyed playing Holmes because he could never quite reach the character. That sense of aloofness, offputting to some Holmes fans, is what makes Brett's portrayal of Sherlock Holmes so satisfying. He plays Holmes not as an automaton but as a human being, one with flaws, secrets and fears, a man who is both of this world and apart from it.

While Brett is fully deserving of all the accolades he has received over the years, one of the keys to the success and ongoing popularity of this series is the portrayal of Dr. John Watson, Holme's friend, roomie and biographer. Often remembered as a bumbling fool, thanks to Nigel Bruce's comic portrayals in the 1940s, Dr. Watson was done full justice by David Burke, who played Watson as he was in the books - a more than competent doctor, a valued, trusted friend, and a warm-hearted man who possessed above-average intelligence. In the Rathbone-Bruce films, one can often wonder why Holmes puts up with such a ninny as Watson. In the Granada series, it is obvious that Watson deserves, and receives, great affection and respect from Holmes. After Burke left the series, Edward Hardwicke took over the role in one of the smoothest "same character - new actor" transitions of all time. Both men deserve applause, but perhaps Burke even more, because his work is often overlooked because of the larger fame and prestige Hardwicke brought with him when he came into the series.

The idea behind the series was to return directly to the source material - Doyle's writings - and bring it to life for television. That meant generous use of Doyle's own dialogue, as well as location shooting and painstaking studio recreations of Baker Street and other locations. Thirteen of Doyle's original stories were adapted over the first two seasons, including some of the most celebrated such as "A Scandal in Bohemia", "The Red-Headed League" and "The Final Problem". Because of the need to stretch each short tale into a fifty-minute production, the writers occasionally added some material or expanded the stories and characters beyond the scope of Doyle's original stories, but it was always done with respect and intelligence. For example, the criminal events of "The Red-Headed League", originally perpetrated by a small gang of criminals in the original story, are attributed to the diabolical Professor Moriarty in the television adapation, which neatly sets up the confrontation between Holmes and "The Napoleon of Crime" in the next and final episode of Series Two, "The Final Problem".

The series would return, on and off, for the next decade, for the most part maintaining the high quality of this first season. Not all of the original stories were adapted, but many of the best made it to the screen, including two of the novels: THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES and THE SIGN OF FOUR. ½ - JB

Sherlock Holmes The Stuff You Gotta Watch