The Golden Pince-Nez (21 Mar. 1994)

Sherlock Holmes and his brother Mycroft investigate the murder of an amanuensis who clutches a pince-nez and whose last words were, "The professor--it was she."

Director:

Peter Hammond

Writers:

Arthur Conan Doyle (by), Gary Hopkins (screenplay),

Stars:

Jeremy Brett, Charles Gray, Rosalie Williams

Cast

Episode complete credited cast:
Jeremy Brett	...	Sherlock Holmes
Charles Gray	...	Mycroft Holmes
Rosalie Williams	...	Mrs Hudson
Frank Finlay	...	Professor Coram / Sergius
Nigel Planer	...	Inspector Hopkins
Anna Carteret	...	Anna
Natalie Morse	...	Susan Tarlton
Patricia Kerrigan	...	Abigail Crosby
Christopher Guard	...	Willoughby Smith
Kathleen Byron	...	Mrs Marker
Roger Ringrose	...	Alexis
Daniel Finlay	...	Vladimir
Harry Kirkham	...	Mortimer

Storyline

With Dr. Watson occupied at his surgery with an overflow of patients, Sherlock Holmes is joined by his brother Mycroft as he tries to solve the murder of Willoughby Smith. He was found by a maid having been stabbed with and clutching a lady's golden pince-nez in his right hand. His last words were 'Professor it was she'. Smith worked as an assistant to Professor Coran, an invalid who was studying early Christianity. Smith was involved with a local teacher and suffragette Abigail Grosby with whom he had recently had a falling out. The solution however lies in events long ago in Russia and a desire for revenge.

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Plot Keywords:

pince nez | murder | eyesight | cigarette smoking | suffragette | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 March 1994 (UK)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Granada Television

Technical Specs

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Sherlock's brother Mycroft (played by Charles Gray) took the place of Dr. Watson in this episode because Edward Hardwicke (Watson) was unavailable, as he was filming the motion picture Shadowlands.

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Goofs

The Professor's cigarettes clearly have filters, a feature that was not available in the late 19th Century.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Sherlock Holmes: No, this is the monastery's accounts dating to the early fifteenth century.
Mycroft Holmes: Mm, precisely what I thought.
Sherlock Holmes: But surely this has great political significance.
Mycroft Holmes: A matter of particular delicacy.

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Connections

Version of The Golden Pince-Nez (1922)

User Reviews

Nicely Done

This is the last episode in the Granada series in which we get to see Holmes and his brother Mycroft work together and one in which Watson is no where to found (Edward Hardwicke at the time was busy working on a feature film). It involves the murder of an old amanuensis who died with a small pair of reading glasses clutched in his hand. It nicely ties in historical elements of Woman's Sufferage and Russian Revolution, as well as adds twists and humor into the story. The visuals are artsy and the chemistry between Jeremy Brett and Charles Gray is always a treat. This turns out to be one of the more enjoyable of the later episodes in the series.