The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes (1971– )

This British TV series, shot almost entirely on videotape, dramatized short mystery fiction by authors who were contemporaries of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Many of these authors were ... See full summary »

Stars:

Peter Barkworth, Peter Vaughan, Douglas Wilmer

1 win.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Peter Barkworth	...	Martin Hewitt (2 episodes, 1971)
Peter Vaughan	...	Horace Dorrington (2 episodes, 1971)
Douglas Wilmer	...	Prof. Van Dusen (2 episodes, 1973)
Ronald Hines	...	Jonathan Pryde (2 episodes, 1971)
Cyd Hayman	...	Laura Stanley (2 episodes, 1971-1973)
Kenneth Colley	...	Farrish (2 episodes, 1971)
Petronella Barker	...	Miss Parrot (2 episodes, 1971)
John Nettleton	...	Admiral Christador (2 episodes, 1971-1973)
James Cairncross	...	Briggs (2 episodes, 1971-1973)
Paul Whitsun-Jones	...	Fat man (2 episodes, 1971-1973)
Robert Hartley	...	Doctor (2 episodes, 1971-1973)
John Gatrell	...	Jeweller (2 episodes, 1971-1973)
Barry Ashton	...	Buller's bank clerk (2 episodes, 1971-1973)
Derek Smith	...	Henry Jacobs (2 episodes, 1971-1973)
Charles Lloyd Pack	...	Mr. Neal (2 episodes, 1971-1973)
Clifford Parrish	...	Dr. Ewing (2 episodes, 1971-1973)
John Dawson	...	Insp. Fullalove (2 episodes, 1971-1973)
Edward Dentith	...	Sir Edward Markham (2 episodes, 1971-1973)
Michael Cashman	...	Assistant Purser Robbins (2 episodes, 1971-1973)
Susanna East	...	Girl (2 episodes, 1971-1973)
Joe Dunlop	...	Policeman Oates (2 episodes, 1971-1973)
Maurice Quick	...	Bailiff (2 episodes, 1971-1973)

Storyline

This British TV series, shot almost entirely on videotape, dramatized short mystery fiction by authors who were contemporaries of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Many of these authors were virtually unknown to modern audiences, although all of the detectives portrayed had appeared in popular ongoing series of short stories or novels. "Rivals" featured the only dramatizations to date of such period characters as Jacques Futrelle's "The Thinking Machine" and W. H. Hodgson's "Carnacki The Ghost Finder". Production values were high, although the limitations of early '70's video technology are painfully obvious. The casts included the cream of British television's character actors, featuring a few faces that will be recognizable to American audiences.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 September 1971 (UK)

Also Known As:

Los rivales de Sherlock Holmes

Company Credits

Production Co:

Pearson Television International, Thames Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

50 min 50 min (26 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

User Reviews

wonderful fun..

Having never seen them I stumbled across the first series on DVD ... they are typical British television in the best sense... literate, beautifully acted (with an amazing cast list) and with a marvellous sense of period.

They are based on early crime novels and most of the writers are unknown to me especially those based on novels that are clearly not of English origin.

Whilst the production standards of 1970 may not match today and some of the individual plots are sometimes a bit ordinary the two series make great viewing for any fan of crime novels and will especially appeal to any fan of the Sherlock Holmes.