The Rivals Of Sherlock Holmes

The Rivals Of Sherlock Holmes

Yesterday with Warren we watched 'The Rivals Of Sherlock Holmes' episode 'The Case of the Dixon Torpedo' featuring the late Jacqueline Pearce.

To hear our views on that one you'll have to listen to Episode 26 of 'Round The Archives', but we were long overdue to take a look at the series.

There are so many great episodes of 'Rivals' that it's hard to know where to start. In Series One, for example, you have Donald Pleasence as Carnacki in 'The Horse Of The Invisible' which is a wonderful story and has to be seen to be believed.

You also have 'The Missing Witness Sensation' which stars the wonderful Robert Stephens as Max Carrados and he is just brilliant. I really wish that they had made a series with the character as there is a lot of potential.

Peter Vaughan also stars in two Series One episodes, 'The Affair Of The Avalanche Bicycle And Tyre Co Ltd' and 'The Case Of The Mirror Of Portugal' as Horace Dorrington, a less than honest Enquiry Agent and the first story is certainly quite dark in places with more than a hint of Grouty from 'Porridge' on show.

In 'The Duchess Of Wiltshire's Diamonds' Simon Carne is played by Roy Dotrice and his daughter Michele features in 'The Horse Of The Invisible'.

And overacting each other madly are Donald Sinden and Michael Bates in 'The Assyrian Rejuvenator' which also stars Alethea Charlton and Frank Williams.

In Series Two Sherlock Holmes actor Douglas Wilmer plays Professor Van Dusen in two episodes 'Cell 13' (which also stars the wonderful Clifford Rose and Nicholas Courtney) and 'The Superfluous Finger' which boasts the always marvellous William Mervyn.

Although Series Two is perhaps not as consistantly good as Series One, it does feature 'The Missing QCs'  which cannot be easily described and I urge you to watch it. Featuring Robin Ellis, John Phillips, John Barron and Jack May (who are both very fruity) the episode features a couple of extraordinary scenes.

There are many wonderful actors in both series such as Derek Jacobi, John Thaw, Ronald Fraser, Peter Barkworth, Ronald Hines, Bernard Hepton, Robert Lang, Richard Hurndall and the always wonderful Windsor Davies. Unusually for the 1970s, there are even a few episodes featuring female investigators, such as Elvi Hale in 'The Woman In The Big Hat', Judy Geeson in 'The Mysterious Death On The Underground Railway' and Sara Kestleman as Hagar in 'The Mystery Of The Amber Beads'.

I only wish that we had seen more of Carnacki, Horace Dorrington, Jonathan Pryde, Martin Hewitt, Simon Carne or Professor Van Dusen as each of these characters  could have carried their own series.
Or pehaps a modern remake...

Now who would I cast as Carnacki?

'The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes' is available on DVD from Network.

(Written by Lisa Parker)