The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes (TV series)
British TV anthology series (1971–1973)
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The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes is a British anthology mystery television series produced by Thames Television which was originally broadcast on the ITV Network. There were two series of 13 fifty-minute episodes; the first aired in 1971, the second in 1973.[1] The programme presented adaptations of short mystery, suspense or crime stories featuring, as the title suggests, detectives who were literary contemporaries of Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes.
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| The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes | |
|---|---|
| |
| Genre | Anthology Period drama Crime Mystery Detective |
| Starring | Various |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 26 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 50 minutes |
| Production company | Thames Television |
| Original release | |
| Network | ITV |
| Release | 20 September 1971 – 7 May 1973 |
The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes took its inspiration – and title – from a series of published anthologies by Hugh Greene, younger brother of author Graham Greene and the former director-general of the BBC.[2] Greene is credited on the programme as a creative consultant.[3]
Cast
Recurring
- Douglas Wilmer as Augustus S. F. X. Van Dusen (2 episodes)
- Peter Vaughan as Horace Dorrington (2 episodes)
- Kenneth Colley as Farrish (2 episodes)
- Petronella Barker as Miss Parrot (2 episodes)
- Peter Barkworth as Martin Hewitt (2 episodes)
- Ronald Hines as Jonathan Pryde (2 episodes)
Guests
- Henri Szeps as Laval (1 episode)
- Peter Sallis as Dr. Jervis (1 episode)[4]
- Reg Lye as Mortuary Superintendent (1 episode)
Episode list
Series 1 (20 September – 9 December 1971)
| No. | Title | Fictional detective(s) | Author(s) of original story | Actor(s) who portrayed detective(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.1 | "A Message from the Deep Sea" | Dr John Thorndyke, forensic scientist | R. Austin Freeman | John Neville |
| 1.2 | "The Missing Witness Sensation" | Max Carrados, blind detective | Ernest Bramah | Robert Stephens |
| 1.3 | "The Affair of the Avalanche Bicycle & Tyre Co. Ltd." | Horace Dorrington, corrupt detective | Arthur Morrison | Peter Vaughan |
| 1.4 | "The Duchess of Wiltshire's Diamonds" | Simon Carne, gentleman thief | Guy Boothby | Roy Dotrice |
| 1.5 | "The Horse of the Invisible" | Thomas Carnacki, occult detective | William Hope Hodgson | Donald Pleasence |
| 1.6 | "The Case of the Mirror of Portugal" | Horace Dorrington, corrupt detective | Arthur Morrison | Peter Vaughan |
| 1.7 | "Madame Sara" | Dixon Druce, trade investigator | L. T. Meade and Robert Eustace | John Fraser |
| 1.8 | "The Case of the Dixon Torpedo" | Jonathan Pryde,[n 1] enquiry agent | Arthur Morrison | Ronald Hines |
| 1.9 | "The Woman in the Big Hat" | Lady Molly of Scotland Yard | Baroness Orczy | Elvi Hale |
| 1.10 | "The Affair of the Tortoise" | Martin Hewitt, working-class detective | Arthur Morrison | Peter Barkworth |
| 1.11 | "The Assyrian Rejuvenator" | Romney Pringle, reformed con artist | "Clifford Ashdown" (R. Austin Freeman and John Pitcairn) | Donald Sinden |
| 1.12 | "The Ripening Rubies" | Bernard Sutton, professional jeweller | Max Pemberton | Robert Lang |
| 1.13 | "The Case of Laker, Absconded" | Martin Hewitt and Jonathan Pryde[n 1] | Arthur Morrison | Peter Barkworth and Ronald Hines |
Series 2 (29 January – 7 May 1973)
| No. | Title | Fictional detective(s) | Author(s) of original story | Actor(s) who portrayed detective(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.1 | "The Mysterious Death on the Underground Railway" | Polly Burton,[n 2] lady journalist | Baroness Orczy | Judy Geeson |
| 2.2 | "Five Hundred Carats" | Inspector Lipinzki, South African police detective | George Griffith | Barry Keegan |
| 2.3 | "Cell 13" | Professor Van Dusen, the Thinking Machine | Jacques Futrelle | Douglas Wilmer |
| 2.4 | "The Secret of the Magnifique" | John Laxworthy, reformed criminal | E. Phillips Oppenheim | Bernard Hepton |
| 2.5 | "The Absent-Minded Coterie" | Eugene Valmont, private investigator | Robert Barr | Charles Gray |
| 2.6 | "The Sensible Action of Lieutenant Holst" | Lieutenant Holst, Danish police detective | Palle Rosenkrantz | John Thaw |
| 2.7 | "The Superfluous Finger" | Prof Van Dusen, the Thinking Machine | Jacques Futrelle | Douglas Wilmer |
| 2.8 | "Anonymous Letters" | Dagobert Trostler, Viennese sleuth | "Balduin Groller" (Adalbert Goldscheider) | Ronald Lewis |
| 2.9 | "The Moabite Cypher" | Dr John Thorndyke, forensic scientist | R. Austin Freeman | Barrie Ingham |
| 2.10 | "The Secret of the Fox Hunter" | Duckworth Drew of the Secret Service | William Le Queux | Derek Jacobi |
| 2.11 | "The Looting of the Specie Room" | Mr Horrocks, ship's purser | C. J. Cutcliffe Hyne | Ronald Fraser |
| 2.12 | "The Mystery of the Amber Beads" | Hagar Stanley, Gypsy detective | Fergus Hume | Sara Kestelman |
| 2.13 | "The Missing Q.C.s" | Charles Dallas, defence barrister | "John Oxenham" (William Arthur Dunkerley) | Robin Ellis |
Reception
Critical response
Jon E. Lewis and Penny Stempel described The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes as a "gaslight crime anthology" that "usually dependably" presented Victorian, "atmosphere‑drenched" cases featuring Holmes' contemporaries.[5]
Jeffrey Kauffman of DVD Talk who reviewed the first series of the show recommended it but found it to be a bit disappoining in some areas.[6] Paul Mavis of DVD Talk who reviewed the second series of the show called it "terrifically entertaining" and "perfect" for a "Saturday night viewing when you want something quick, something mysterious, and something English".[7]
Percival Wexley-Smith of Television Heaven called the series a true gem of the early 1970s for British television.[8]
Awards
In 1972, the first series of the show won a BAFTA Award for Best Design.[9]
Home media
The first series was released on a 4-disc Region 2 DVD set by Network Distributing on 15 June 2009.[10] Acorn Media released a Region 1 version of this set on 1 September 2009.[11] Series Two was released on a Network DVD 4-disc Region 2 release on 15 February 2010;[12] Acorn followed with a Region 1 version on 27 April.
Bibliography
- Greene, Hugh; editor. The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes. Pantheon Books, 1970; ISBN 0-394-41330-X
- Greene, Hugh; editor. Cosmopolitan Crimes: Foreign Rivals of Sherlock Holmes. Pantheon Books, 1971; ISBN 0-394-47340-X
- Greene, Hugh; editor. Further Rivals of Sherlock Holmes. Pantheon Books, 1973; ISBN 0-394-48827-X
- Greene, Hugh; editor. The American Rivals of Sherlock Holmes. Pantheon Books, 1976; ISBN 0-394-40921-3
Notes
- Jonathan Pryde is an original TV creation, replacing Martin Hewitt from Arthur Morrison's stories.
- The screenplay for this episode rewrites the original story to make Polly Burton, the secondary character in Baroness Orczy's "The Old Man in the Corner" stories, the detective in this episode.