The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes 

Adaptations of mystery stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's contemporary rivals in the genre.

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
Derek Smith	...	Henry Jacobs / ... 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
Charles Lloyd Pack	...	Judge / ... 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
Edward Dentith	...	Sir Edward Markham / ... 2 episodes, 1971-1973
Clifford Parrish	...	Dr. Ewing / ... 2 episodes, 1971
Michael Cashman	...	Asst. Purser Robbins / ... 2 episodes, 1971-1973
John Dawson	...	Insp. Fullalove / ... 2 episodes, 1971-1973
John Gatrell	...	Jeweller / ... 2 episodes, 1971-1973
Barry Ashton	...	Buller's bank clerk / ... 2 episodes, 1971-1973
Joe Dunlop	...	P.C. Oates / ... 2 episodes, 1971-1973
Maurice Quick	...	The Magistrate / ... 2 episodes, 1971-1973
Susanna East	...	Girl 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.

---

Plot Keywords:

murder investigation | victorian era | gentleman | murder | early 20th century | 

---

Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

---

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 (26 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This series was largely adapted from a collection of then obscure, but genuine Victorian short stories collated and edited by Hugh Greene, who is also credited as the series creator. He was a retired Director General of the BBC and the brother of Graham Greene.

User Reviews

Another Lost Jewel

I discovered this series on '70s American public television by accident while channel-surfing (or whatever we called it back in the days when you twisted a knob and then had to fine-tune the receiver). I felt like it was almost my personal secret then, something like Jean Shepherd's Ralphie feels before he decodes Annie's message. Except, this doesn't turn out to be a disappointment. The stories were intelligent, accessible, and timeless. This is TV doing what it should, before everything was about teen angst. (You know, I was a teen once and I don't remember having any angst. Maybe that was partly because my TV entertained me without suggesting I had to be glum to be cool. Maybe not.)

I've never seen it since and I've often wondered why not. It seems like the kind of thing that modern mystery fans would love to have, even if that meant buying it on DVD.