He is known as the Greatest Detective Who Never Lived. Created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle,
Sherlock Holmes has come to life in many adaptations . . . radio, TV and the big screen. One of the most popular Sherlocks was Jeremy Brett, who starred in the landmark British Granada television series. All those classic Doyle tales are here for the first time on Blu-ray, along with Holmes’ brilliant sleuth and his faithful companion, Dr. Watson. The good Doc was portrayed by Edward Hardwicke, who replaced David Burke, who starred as Dr. Watson for one year before leaving the series to joined the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Brett and Hardwicke made a great combo and were loved by audiences as they tangled with the terrifying Hound of the Baskervilles, the beautiful adventuress Irene Adler and the dastardly villains Colonel Sebastian Moran, Charles Augustus Milverton and the Napoleon of Crime himself, Professor James Moriarty.
One side note: Brett and Hardwicke so loved their roles that in 1989 both starred on the London stage in The Secret of Sherlock Holmes.
Yep, Brett has been acclaimed as the greatest interpreter of Holmes, and commanded the role for role for 11 years, from the 1984 series The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes until 1994’s The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes. In 2014 Brett was voted the Greatest Sherlock Holmes beating other actors playing him such as Basil Rathbone, Robert Downey Jr, Benedict Cumberbatch and Rupert Everett. There were 41 episodes in all, and Brett once said that “Holmes is the hardest part I have ever played—harder than Hamlet or Macbeth.”
And so we offer you great news: Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Granada Television Series, a 12-Blu-ray disc box set released by MPI Media Group, hits selves September 30.
Famous, baffling episodes in this mega-set include The Red-Headed League, The Final Problem, Wisteria Lodge, Silver Blaze, The Master Blackmailer and The Cardboard Box, among many more. Also included are the full-length mysteries The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Sign of Four. This is the definitive collection of Jeremy Brett’s Holmes, a longtime staple of PBS’ Mystery! series.
It’s elementary, my dear, that we leave Brett with the final words: “Some actors fear if they play Sherlock Holmes for a very long run the character will steal their soul, leave no corner for the original inhabitant,” he once said, “but Holmes has become the dark side of the moon for me. He is moody and solitary and underneath I am really sociable and gregarious. It has all got too dangerous.”
