Wisteria Lodge (20 Apr. 1988)

A bored Holmes eagerly accepts a case involving the disappearance of an amateur Spanish cartographer as well as his servants from his rented country lodge.

Director:

Peter Hammond

Writers:

Arthur Conan Doyle (by), John Hawkesworth (developed for television by),

Stars:

Jeremy Brett, Edward Hardwicke, Freddie Jones

Cast

Episode complete credited cast:
Jeremy Brett	...	Sherlock Holmes
Edward Hardwicke	...	Dr. Watson
Freddie Jones	...	Inspector Baynes
Kika Markham	...	Miss Burnet
Donald Churchill	...	Scott Eccles
Basil Hoskins	...	Henderson
Trader Faulkner	...	Lucas
Arturo Venegas	...	Garcia
Guido Adorni	...	Luis
Sonny Caldinez	...	The Mulatto
Abigail Melia	...	Henderson's Daughter
Lorna Rossi	...	Henderson's Daughter

Storyline

Without a case to occupy his restive mind, Holmes breaks his ennui by agreeing to investigate the story of an amateur cartographer who stayed overnight at the rented lodge of another map enthusiast but awoke in the morning to find his host and servants mysteriously missing. Holmes finds he has a rival in the ambitious and publicity conscious Inspector Barnes, who sees himself as The Great Detective's peer and is reluctant to share information with him. When the Spaniard is found bludgeoned to death, Barnes suspects his mulatto servant, but Holmes directs his efforts in a different direction.

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Plot Keywords:

cartographer | disappearance | map | spaniard | mulatto | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

20 April 1988 (UK)

Filming Locations:

Grappenhall, Warrington, Cheshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Granada Television

Technical Specs

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Donald Churchill who plays Scott Eccles here had played Dr. Watson in the 1983 TV adaptation of "The Hound of the Baskervilles."

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Quotes

[first lines]
Garcia: Mr Scott Eccles.
Scott Eccles: Oh, ah-ha, Mr Garcia.
Garcia: I'm sorry, I did not recognize you at once.
Scott Eccles: Oh, ah.
Garcia: Please, allow me to carry your case.
Scott Eccles: That's very civil of you. Thank you very much.
Garcia: I'm sorry the weather has been unkind for your visit.
Scott Eccles: Ah, well, unkind for you, perhaps, but, hah, we British, you know, we're hardy souls, hah-hah.

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Connections

Version of Sherlock Holmes: Wisteria Lodge (1968)

User Reviews

One of the weakest in the series

This is in my mind this is one of the worst of Granada's adaptations of the Sherlock Holmes stories featuring Jeremy Brett. It starts out as a disappearance case but delves deep into Latin American politics. It's story is unremarkable with no special twists or turns with the storytelling getting murkier as it goes along. Even the atmosphere is lame with lousy direction, poorly lit photography, and uneven pacing. Only redeeming qualities include Jeremy Brett and Edward Hardwicke as the duo of Holmes and Watson (even though this is a given), Freddy Jones performance as the quirky Inspector Baynes, and the evocative music by Patrick Gowers. A poor entry in an otherwise excellent series.