The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes (television series)
Encyclopedia
The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes is a British
television series that was co-produced by Thames Television
and originally broadcast on the ITV
Network. There were two series of 13 fifty-minute episodes; the first aired in 1971, the second in 1973.
The programme presented adaptations of short mystery, suspense or crime stories featuring, as the title suggests, detectives who were literary contemporaries of Arthur Conan Doyle
's Sherlock Holmes
.
The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes took its inspiration – and title – from a series of published anthologies by Hugh Greene
, elder brother of author Graham Greene
and the former director-general
of the BBC
. Hugh Greene is credited on the programme as a creative consultant
.
The authors and detectives featured on the programme include:
Series 2 (1973) January 29 - May 7
DVD
set by Network Distributing
on 15 June 2009. Acorn Media
released a Region 1 version of this set on 1 September 2009. Series Two was released on a Network DVD 4-disc Region 2 release on 15 February 2010; Acorn will follow with a Region 1 version on 27 April.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
television series that was co-produced by Thames Television
Thames Television
Thames Television was a licensee of the British ITV television network, covering London and parts of the surrounding counties on weekdays from 30 July 1968 until 31 December 1992....
and originally broadcast on the ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
Network. There were two series of 13 fifty-minute episodes; the first aired in 1971, the second in 1973.
The programme presented adaptations of short mystery, suspense or crime stories featuring, as the title suggests, detectives who were literary contemporaries of Arthur Conan Doyle
Arthur Conan Doyle
Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle DL was a Scottish physician and writer, most noted for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes, generally considered a milestone in the field of crime fiction, and for the adventures of Professor Challenger...
's Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
.
The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes took its inspiration – and title – from a series of published anthologies by Hugh Greene
Hugh Greene
Sir Hugh Carleton Greene KCMG, OBE was a British journalist and television executive. He was the Director-General of the BBC from 1960―1969, and is generally credited with modernising an organisation that had fallen behind in the wake of the launch of ITV in 1955.-Early life and work:Hugh was born...
, elder brother of author Graham Greene
Graham Greene
Henry Graham Greene, OM, CH was an English author, playwright and literary critic. His works explore the ambivalent moral and political issues of the modern world...
and the former director-general
Director-general
The term director-general is a title given the highest executive officer within a governmental, statutory, NGO, third sector or not-for-profit institution.-European Union:...
of the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
. Hugh Greene is credited on the programme as a creative consultant
Creative consultant
Creative consultant is a credit that has - particularly in the past - been given to screenwriters who have “doctored” a movie screenplay. It is often given by producers in lieu of official credit. Those given this credit in the television field work closely with an Executive Producer, Head...
.
The authors and detectives featured on the programme include:
- Robert BarrRobert Barr (writer)Robert Barr was a British-Canadian short story writer and novelist, born in Glasgow, Scotland.-Early Years in Canada:...
(Eugene Valmont, French private investigator) - Guy BoothbyGuy BoothbyGuy Newell Boothby was an Australian novelist and writer.-Biography:Boothby was born in Adelaide, son of Thomas Wilde Boothby, who for a time was a member of the South Australian Legislative Assembly. Guy Boothby's grandfather was Benjamin Boothby , judge of the supreme court of South Australia...
("gentleman thief" Simon Carne) - Ernest BramahErnest BramahErnest Bramah , born Ernest Brammah Smith, was an English author. He published 21 books and numerous short stories and features. His humorous works were ranked with Jerome K Jerome, and W.W. Jacobs, his detective stories with Conan Doyle, his politico-science fiction with H.G. Wells and his...
(blind detective Max CarradosMax CarradosMax Carrados is a fictional blind detective in a series of mystery stories and books by Ernest Bramah, beginning in 1914. The Max Carrados stories appeared alongside Sherlock Holmes in the Strand Magazine, in which they often had top billing, and frequently outsold his eminent contemporary at the...
) - R. Austin Freeman (forensic detective Dr ThorndykeDr ThorndykeDr John Evelyn Thorndyke is a fictional detective in a long series of novels and short stories by R. Austin Freeman . Thorndyke was described by his author as a 'medical jurispractitioner': originally a medical doctor, he turned to the bar and became one of the first - in modern parlance - forensic...
) - Jacques FutrelleJacques FutrelleJacques Heath Futrelle was an American journalist and mystery writer. He is best known for writing short detective stories featuring Professor Augustus S. F. X...
(Professor Augustus S. F. X. Van DusenAugustus S. F. X. Van DusenProfessor Augustus S. F. X. Van Dusen, Ph.D., LL.D., F.R.S., M.D., M.D.S. is a fictional character in a series of detective short stories and two novels by Jacques Futrelle...
, the Thinking Machine) - Adalbert Goldscheider, a.k.a. "Balduin Groller" (Viennese sleuth Dagobert Trostler)
- George GriffithGeorge GriffithGeorge Griffith , full name George Chetwyn Griffith-Jones, was a prolific British science fiction writer and noted explorer who wrote during the late Victorian and Edwardian age. Many of his visionary tales appeared in magazines such as Pearson's Magazine and Pearson's Weekly before being published...
(Inspector Lipinzki) - William Hope HodgsonWilliam Hope HodgsonWilliam Hope Hodgson was an English author. He produced a large body of work, consisting of essays, short fiction, and novels, spanning several overlapping genres including horror, fantastic fiction and science fiction. Early in his writing career he dedicated effort to poetry, although few of his...
(CarnackiCarnackiThomas Carnacki is a fictional supernatural detective created by English fantasy writer William Hope Hodgson. Carnacki was the protagonist of a series of six short stories published between 1910 and 1912 in The Idler magazine and The New Magazine....
, the ghost hunterGhost huntingGhost Hunting is the process of investigating locations that are reported to be haunted by ghosts.Typically, a ghost hunting team will attempt to collect evidence claimed to be supportive of paranormal activity...
) - Fergusson Wright HumeFergus HumeFergusson Wright Hume, known as Fergus Hume was an English novelist.-Early life:Hume was born in England, the second son of Dr. James Hume. At the age of three years his father emigrated with his family to Dunedin, New Zealand. He attended Otago Boys' High School and studied law at the University...
(Hagar Stanley, a.k.a. Hagar of the Pawnshop, the Gypsy detective) - C. J. Cutliffe Hyne (ship's purserPurserThe purser joined the warrant officer ranks of the Royal Navy in the early fourteenth century and existed as a Naval rank until 1852. The development of the warrant officer system began in 1040 when five English ports began furnishing warships to King Edward the Confessor in exchange for certain...
Mr. Horrocks) - William Le QueuxWilliam Le QueuxWilliam Tufnell Le Queux was an Anglo-French journalist and writer. He was also a diplomat , a traveller , a flying buff who officiated at the first British air meeting at Doncaster in 1909, and a wireless pioneer who broadcast music from his own station long...
(Duckworth Drew of the Secret Service) - L. T. Meade and Robert EustaceRobert EustaceRobert Eustace was the pen name of Eustace Robert Barton , an English doctor and author of mystery and crime fiction with a theme of scientific innovation. He also wrote as Eustace Robert Rawlings. Eustace often collaborated with other writers, producing a number of works with the author L. T....
(tradeTradeTrade is the transfer of ownership of goods and services from one person or entity to another. Trade is sometimes loosely called commerce or financial transaction or barter. A network that allows trade is called a market. The original form of trade was barter, the direct exchange of goods and...
investigator Dixon Druce) - Arthur MorrisonArthur MorrisonArthur George Morrison was an English author and journalist known for his realistic novels about London's East End and for his detective stories....
(Horace Dorrington, crooked private detective; Martin Hewitt; Jonathan Pride) - E. Phillips OppenheimE. Phillips OppenheimEdward Phillips Oppenheim , was an English novelist, in his lifetime a major and successful writer of genre fiction including thrillers.-Life:...
(John Laxworthy, reformed crook) - The Baroness OrczyBaroness OrczyBaroness Emma Magdolna Rozália Mária Jozefa Borbála "Emmuska" Orczy de Orczi was a British novelist, playwright and artist of Hungarian noble origin. She was most notable for her series of novels featuring the Scarlet Pimpernel...
(Polly Burton from The Old Man in the CornerThe Old Man in the CornerCreated by Baroness Orczy, author of the famous Scarlet Pimpernel series, The Old Man In the Corner was one of the earliest armchair detectives, popping up with so many others in the wake of the huge popularity of the Sherlock Holmes stories....
stories; Lady Molly of Scotland YardLady Molly of Scotland YardLady Molly of Scotland Yard is a collection of short stories about Molly Robertson-Kirk, an early fictional female detective. It was written by Baroness Orczy, who is best known as the creator of The Scarlet Pimpernel, but who also invented two immortal turn-of-the-century detectives in The Old Man...
) - Max PembertonMax PembertonSir Max Pemberton was a popular British novelist, working mainly in the adventure and mystery genres. He was educated at St Albans School, Merchant Taylors' School, and Caius College, Cambridge...
(professional jewellerJewelleryJewellery or jewelry is a form of personal adornment, such as brooches, rings, necklaces, earrings, and bracelets.With some exceptions, such as medical alert bracelets or military dog tags, jewellery normally differs from other items of personal adornment in that it has no other purpose than to...
Bernard Sutton) - Baron Palle Rosenkrantz (Lieutenant Holst, Danish police detective)
Episode list
Series 1 (1971) September 20 - December 9- Episode 01 - A Message from the Deep Sea (Dr. Thorndyke)
- Episode 02 - The Missing Witness Sensation (Max Carrados)
- Episode 03 - The Affair of the Avalanche Bicycle & Tyre Co. Ltd. (Horace Dorrington)
- Episode 04 - The Duchess of Wiltshire's Diamonds (Simon Carne)
- Episode 05 - The Horse of the Invisible (Carnacki)
- Episode 06 - The Case of the Mirror of Portugal (Horace Dorrington)
- Episode 07 - Madame Sara (Dixon Druce)
- Episode 08 - The Case of the Dixon Torpedo (Jonathan Pryde)
- Episode 09 - The Woman in the Big Hat (Lady Molly)
- Episode 10 - The Affair of the Tortoise (Martin Hewitt)
- Episode 11 - The Assyrian Rejuvenator (Romney Pringle)
- Episode 12 - The Ripening Rubies (Bernard Sutton)
- Episode 13 - The Case of Laker, Absconded (Martin Hewitt)
Series 2 (1973) January 29 - May 7
- Episode 01 - The Mysterious Death on the Underground Railway (Polly Burton)
- Episode 02 - Five Hundred Carats (Inspector Lipinzki)
- Episode 03 - Cell 13 (Professor Van Dusen)
- Episode 04 - The Secret of the Magnifique (John Laxworthy)
- Episode 05 - The Absent-Minded Coterie (Eugene Valmont)
- Episode 06 - The Sensible Action of Lieutenant Holst
- Episode 07 - The Superfluous Finger (Professor Van Dusen)
- Episode 08 - Anonymous Letters (Dagobert Trostler)
- Episode 09 - The Moabite Cypher (Dr. Thorndyke)
- Episode 10 - The Secret of the Fox Hunter (Duckworth [William] Drew)
- Episode 11 - The Looting of the Specie Room (Mr. Horrocks)
- Episode 12 - The Mystery of the Amber Beads (Hagar)
- Episode 13 - The Missing QCs (Charles Dallas)
DVD availability
The first series was released on a 4-disc Region 2DVD region code
DVD region codes are a digital-rights management technique designed to allow film distributors to control aspects of a release, including content, release date, and price, according to the region...
DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
set by Network Distributing
Network DVD
Network DVD is a DVD publishing company that specialises in classic British television. In particular, it has the rights to a number of well-known ITV programmes...
on 15 June 2009. Acorn Media
Acorn Media UK
Acorn Media UK is a DVD publisher which distributes and sells home video products with a particular focus on British television.- Company history :The company was founded in 1997 when Lesley Fromant set up a branch of parent company Acorn Media in the UK....
released a Region 1 version of this set on 1 September 2009. Series Two was released on a Network DVD 4-disc Region 2 release on 15 February 2010; Acorn will follow with a Region 1 version on 27 April.
External links
- The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
- The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes at the BFI Film & TV database
- The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes at Television Heaven