User reviews

The Return of Sherlock Holmes is an absolutely superb series; I would say flawless. Everything is so good, I really can't bring myself to criticise it in any way. As for the episodes, they are all superbly adapted, and all of them are of exceptional quality. Can't really decide on a firm favourite, but a definitive standout is The Devil's Foot.

The production values in this series are wonderful. The remarkably fine camera work, perfectly captures the always splendid scenery and lovingly designed(if not too fancy) costumes. The music is brilliant, the theme tune is both beautiful and haunting, and the accompanying incidental music never fails to be richly scored. The scripts never fail to bring sophistication and class to the series.

What is really worth of note is the quality of the acting. Jeremy Brett, no matter how good Basil Rathbone, Peter Cushing and Ian Richardson were, is by far the definitive interpretation of Sherlock Holmes, whom along with Morse and Poirot is one of the greatest fictional detectives ever, and it is all to Arthur Conan Doyle's credit. Brett had a gritty baritone to his voice, towering presence in front of the camera work and a certain generosity about him, that made him unsurpassed as the best Holmes. Edward Hardwicke gives an intelligent performance as Dr Watson, and there are memorable supporting turns by other great actors.

The Return of Sherlock Holmes does benefit in general by the faithfulness to the source materials. Yes, I know they toned down Holmes's cocaine addiction, but with everything else as good as they are, I am always obliged to overlook. A truly superb series, with one of the easiest 10/10s I have made recently. Bethany Cox

Thank goodness for the wonderful folks at Granada Television. In the mid 1980s, they created the absolute best Sherlock Holmes ever to make it to the big or small screen. Unlike all the previous versions, which LIBERALLY deviated from the Conan Doyle stories, the Granada films tried to be perfect in every detail.

Unlike the caricature of Holmes that you see in previous films where he wears a deerstalker hat, smokes a curved pipe and spouts "elementary, my dear Watson", this Holmes is true to the original character. Additionally, Dr. Watson is not the bumbling idiot as portrayed by Nigel Bruce (Bruce should burn in Hell for how he ruined this character).

The first mini-series by Granada was exceptional and Jeremy Brett was the greatest Holmes ever. Oddly, they did switch actors who played Watson, but the series went on otherwise as before--exceptional and wonderful in every way. One person commented on the bland dialog, but it was very true to the stories--I am GLAD they didn't "spice it up" but chose to remain true to Conan Doyle's vision.

Intelligently written and wonderful throughout.

Jeremy Brett returns in more ways than one, in these equally outstanding adaptations of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's stories featuring the brilliant Sherlock Holmes, whom Doyle was compelled to bring back from the waterfall where we thought all was lost...

David Burke did not return as Watson, but instead Edward Hardwicke stepped in, and did an exemplary job on how to take over a role without any fuss or controversy, so seamless was his transition.

Again, all stories are as masterfully put together as "Adventures", and there is nothing to nitpick or complain about; this is as good as it gets!

This is a must see for Sherlockians and uninitiated alike. 'The Return of Sherlock Holmes', (as with the 'Adventures'), contain some of the best episodes of the Granada TV series. The writers stick closely to the stories of Arthur Conan Doyle and when they do depart there is good dramatic reason. Jeremy Brett continues to dazzle as Sherlock Holmes despite difficulties in his private life at this time, and Edward Hardwicke's Watson (incidentally, whose father Sir Cedric Hardwicke played Holmes once upon a time) is just as intelligent and warm as his predecessor David Burke in the 'Adventures'. Yes, Watson IS intelligent, contrary to very unfair previous portrayals. Hardwicke's style is more naturalistic and perfectly complements Brett's expansive theatrics.

The lively 221b Baker Street set is a delight, and the music must be given special mention, as it is excellent. Patrick Gowers takes the Baker Street theme and embellishes and embroiders it to suit the mood and tone of each episode. He is able to vary it from choral to Renaissance to concerto style effortlessly. The supporting cast is usually strong, though sometimes there will be the odd one who overdoes it a bit. But you cannot accuse anyone involved in these productions with half-heartiness.

Cracks only begin to show in the last few episodes of the series from 'The Devil's Foot' onwards, filmed after Brett experienced a mental breakdown. He seems to lose some of his energy and lustre, but the effect is that of an older, wiser and more compassionate version of the Great Detective, who is so often described as being cold.

All in all, I highly recommend this series; you will never see such a happy combination of good screenplay, music, costumes, set design and of course excellent actors in the same production of the adventures of the elusive Sherlock Holmes.

Jeremy Brett was my generation's Sherlock Holmes, the way Michael Praed is my generation's Robin Hood.

Both series have been done before (and since), but never better. The only series that comes close is the pre-Holmes/true life version of Arthur Conan Doyle's apprenticeship at the feet of the brilliant dr. Bell, called "Murder Rooms".

Jeremy Brett is excellent as the cultured, sensitive (gay?) king of detectives. Australian actors David Burke, and later on Edward Hardwicke (in the follow-up to this series "The Return Of Sherlock Holmes", also with Jeremy Brett) hold their own as the experienced everyman versions that are really Arthur Conan Doyle himself.

Highly recommended.

There is no other word to describe Holmes - Watson Duo other than BRILLIANT!!! Jeremy Brett---The best Holmes ever! Just Scintillating as the greatest, most loved and congenial detective of all time. David Burke---Great Watson! Brilliant acting , brilliant picturisation. I just love watching the Sherlock Holmes series The Way Brett plays Holmes is amazing! That spark in his eyes, that sheer Drama in his presentation! He plays Holmes to the T! His way of delivering those Sherlockian Punch lines is just out of the world! Burke ably supports Brett as the beloved Sidekick Watson. Entertaining and gripping to the Core. No one matches the Great Holmes Watson Duo!

This is an outstanding run, The Return of Sherlock Holmes is in my humble opinion the best run for Brett, and the newly installed Edward Hardwicke.

It's a superbly produced series, with energy and vigour. I would argue that we see Brett at his very best, he's healthy and bursting with charisma and personality. Edward Hardwicke has replaced David Burke, and whilst he wasn't perhaps as charming, he was more the character in the book, perhaps the better fit, that's not to take anything away from Burke, he was fantastic.

There isn't a single weak link in this series, however my personal favourites are Devil's Foot, The Empty House and The Musgrave Ritual, although every single episode has terrific merits.

Many wonderful guest appearances, two of my favourites being Dennis Quilley and Patricia Hodge, you could pick from a list full however.

How it should be done. 10/10

Much as I admired Basil Rathbone's Holmes, Mr. Brett will always be the Sherlock Holmes that I see in my mind's eye. His work for Granada will occupy my thoughts, rather exclusively.

This show is wonderful. The actors are great in there parts! They stay close to the books,they do change a few things(it is almost impossible not to). Jeremy Brett is an amazing actor and so is David Burke is really good too.Out of all the movies and shows(trust me I have seen a lot)this is the closest. Poor Jeremy Brett died while making this show in September of 1995. He had a heart problem. The sets of the show are excellent. Jeremy worked really hard to master Sherlock Holmes mannerisms,he would carry a folder around the set with info on Sherlock Holmes. If you would like something else to watch on Sherlock Holmes,you might want to try the old Basil Rathbone movies. They aren't that close to the books but Basil makes a good Holmes.

Jeremy Brett for sure has been the best actor for Sherlock Holmes' role so far... His great face ,posture and act has made this series a valuable one, what a great actor ,RIP... These great actors must have been honored more when they were alive , there wouldn't be such magnificent artists anymore, anywhere... One of the best tv series with great actors ,scenes , characters, storylines and performances.

After these many years in 2024 it's still so pleasing to watch such an incredible tv series with such talented and amazing actors , it seems that they have just come out of the novel ...

So many thanks to all incredible crew..

A superb series, highly faithful to the original stories. I must give special praise to the art and production design, the casting and acting and the superb editing.

The stories are told faithfully and with superb attention paid to the costumes, sets and locations. The series is extremely immersive. The series wonderfully captures the simple yet enduring relationship between Holmes and Watson. You see the brilliance of the great detective, but also his anguish and depression when he feels there is no use or purpose for his skills. There are a couple of other recurring characters, Mrs Hudson The villains are often rich, powerful men, gentleman who are using their power for evil rather than good.

Not all the cases involve a murder, though most do. One centres around a jewel going missing and ending up inside a goose... The lifestyle of Holmes and Watson is to be envied really, they get to have these exciting adventures each week, Watson even gets to carry his old army revolver around with him, and even gets to use it in serval episodes, of course with total impunity unlike today.

Many of the stories though starting in London are not actually set there and take Holmes off to the stately homes of England. Of course it's much easier to film in a national trust property than trying to film in modern London trying to pretend it's still the Victorian times.

Most of the stories take place While most of the early to mid stories are excellent there is a period where several of the specials become very strange and surreal, more like an episode of Dr Who than Sherlock Holmes. There's very little deduction in these, far too much of Holmes experiencing supernatural premonitions. It just doesn't feel right.

Some of the stories are quite dark and twisted, The Dying Detective, the Illustrious Client, the Devils Foot all feature truly wicked and slimy adversaries.

My favourites include the Silver Blaze, The Dying Detective, The Priory School.

There is a bit of repetition in here, Holmes and Watson must chase down stolen government papers in two episodes. A couple of them are quite silly and not the best, one involving a man who turns into a monkey every night or something like that. Overall though the good far outweighs the bad.

The Blu Ray look amazing for something that was shot on 16mm film in the 1980s. A few of the final episodes are even 16:9.

The Return of Sherlock Holmes continues the excellence of the original series. Jeremy Brett (Jeremy Huggins) is quite clearly the best Sherlock ever. These films are superbly done, the acting is uniformly excellent, and what I enjoy most of all is the meticulous attention to detail in all of these productions. They all have the feeling of the 1890's, I feel like I am transported back in time. I have purchased or recorded all of these videos, and and have viewed them regularly over the past 15 years. They are so well done, one never gets tired of seeing them. If you are a fan of Conan Doyle or if you are just looking for fine entertainment, you can't miss with these films.

Maintaining the stellar quality that was present in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1984-85), The Return of Sherlock Holmes sees the famed fictional detective take up new mystifying and dangerous cases. Exceedingly faithful to the written works of Arthur Conan Doyle, the show excels in every aspect, be it the masterful acting, the detailed period-appropriate sets and costumes, or the haunting music.

In my opinion, Jeremy Brett's portrayal of Sherlock Holmes can never be topped. The extreme mood swings, the manic laughter, the nervous twitches, the subtle expressions, the pain behind the eyes ... it is as if the character in the stories has sprung to life. The show also impeccably captures the gloominess of London, the wildness of the moors and countryside, and the opulence of the manors and mansions. Furthermore, it showcases the contrasting behavioural norms and societal differences between the nobility and the multicultural working class that were characteristic of the Victorian era.

As for criticisms, one complaint is that some of the stories adapted are individually nothing to write home about. For example, cases like The Devil's Foot or The Man with the Twisted Lip are straightforward and make for forgettable television from a plot-driven standpoint. But this is not a fault of the show inasmuch as the source material. Also, in certain episodes, the acting of the side characters felt a little lacklustre, and the decline in Brett's health and his changing appearance too became more apparent during the second season.

Nonetheless, The Return of Sherlock Holmes is a great treasure for Holmes aficionados. It adapts the literary works perfectly, realizing the words on the page into compelling real life characters and featuring them amid captivating settings and scenes. The show has not lost its splendour or elegance with age and should make for an absorbing watch to lovers of mysteries and detective stories.

Three years since Sherlock Holmes appeared to meet his death at the Reichenbach Falls he reappears, very much alive! Ably assisted by his friend Dr Watson he proceeds to continue to solve crimes in his own inimitable fashion. His brush with death has not dimmed his enormous powers of deduction. The cases he faces will need all his knowledge and deductive abilities.

Excellent detective series, superbly adapted from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's novels and short stories. With The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes this is quite easily the definitive adaption of the novels as it replicates the Victorian England setting and atmosphere so perfectly. (I like 'Sherlock' (2010-2017) even more but that has a modern setting).

Clever plots, well produced and executed. Aiding the quality of the show immensely is the performance of Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes. It is worth watching just for the little quirks and facial expressions he imbues Holmes with. An acting masterclass.

Not quite as good as the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes though. That seemed darker, grittier and was generally more tension-filled and engaging. The writing in this series is a bit less polished than in the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.

In this Granada television series, Jeremy Brett presented us with a definitive portrayal of Sherlock Holmes. The attention to detail was superb with an interpretation far closer to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's creation than previously shown on film by the deerstalkered Basil Rathbone et al. Jeremy Brett's wild, haunted and melancholy performance of the second series in 1985 was, by his own admission, heavily influenced through the personal tragedy of the loss of his wife to cancer. He adapted the role somewhat for the return series and managed to introduce some levity, even though he found it difficult to play a character who was all mind and no heart. David Burke and his successor Edward Hardwicke (who took on the role in the third series: `The Return of Sherlock Holmes') both gave intelligent performances as Holmes' crony, Dr John Watson. Brett and Hardwicke made an exceptionally good team and brought the relationship alive with a believable friendship more than any previous characterisations had done.

The series combined fine period detail and atmosphere to create a very credible late 19th century London, and the dialogue replicated the novels fairly closely. The main drawback of the storyline adaptations and format is that they may have removed some of the exploration into the incisive detective skills of Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes, and the series became sanitised with the playing down of both of Holmes' predilections for drugs and the violin. Unless I am suffering from false memory syndrome I seem to recall someone's dramatisation where Watson recoils from Holmes' ear-splitting scratching, which I now find is contrary to Conan Doyle's assertion that Holmes was "not only a very capable performer but a composer of no ordinary merit". The problem may lie in actually dramatising the novels, as Jeremy Brett himself observed, they are better read, and he described performing the action of crawling through the bracken like a golden retriever as "hysterically funny". The concept of the images being better seen in the mind's eye would also explain why the excellent BBC radio productions of the 1990's, with Clive Merrison and Michael Williams as the sleuth and good doctor, worked so well.

The choice of guest actors was consistently of a high standard and is one of the reasons why I remember `The Abbey Grange' so fondly, with a note of thanks to the director Peter Hammond. The episode notably deals with Conan Doyle's expose on the cruelty of marriage in locking women into an abusive relationship without any means of escape. Holmes is called to investigate the savage murder of an Earl in his Kent mansion and finds that the Australian wife and her maid apparently survived the attack. The two women obligingly give compelling evidence to incriminate a notorious local gang. As usual Holmes' mind is still trying to fit contradictory pieces of the puzzle together after leaving the house when he has a lucid flash of insight and promptly returns to the scene of the crime. More evidence is unearthed to refute the honourable ladies' story though they will not budge and Holmes sets off on a trail as any diligent detective might follow. However, he of course tracks the real culprit down and brings him to justice but there is a novel twist and a very romantic solution. A very rewarding episode demonstrating Holmes' brilliance and compassion to divert man's base cruelty and the rigid laws of the land which surely would have seen a gallant hero hung.

Charles Dickens was also moved to write on the similar theme of a beautiful and intelligent woman imprisoned in abusive matrimony in one of his most enduring novels, `Great Expectations', originally serialised some 37 years previously in 1860-1861, and his earlier `Hard Times' also touches on the prohibitively expensive, complex and discriminatory proceedings for divorce prior to the 1857 Divorce Act. In Victorian England the only married woman with any rights and an independent identity was Queen Victoria herself. Men could beat their wives under law as long as the rod was no greater than a thumb's thickness and a woman was deemed to have no just cause to refuse conjugal rights. Sadly such attitudes are only too prevalent today in this technologically advanced but in many ways still primeval world. Evidence shows that matrimony benefits men at the expense of women and it is hardly surprising that in the UK a third of marriages fail. Indeed, Schopenhauer speaks of a "life force" that brings people together to reproduce, but warns that the chosen partner is not necessarily right for you. The concern for society as a whole should be on minimising the negative effect on the unfortunate offspring who may of course have unwittingly contributed to the marriage breakdown. A factor that is so often blatantly ignored by sensational newspaper stories when intruding on public figures' private lives.

Oliver Tobias (`Luke's Kingdom', also directed by Peter Hammond with Peter Weir) finds that his gruff rigid manner works very well here as the merchant captain and friend driven to the fatal act of defending his beloved from her brutal husband. The disturbingly beautiful Anne Louise Lambert, who fits the narrative's description to the letter, plays the free spirited Miss Mary Fraser from Adelaide. After a dazzling beginning in 1975 in Peter Weir's hauntingly enchanting `Picnic at Hanging Rock', which led to a prominent role in Peter Greenaway's artful `The Draughtsman's Contract' (1982) as well as this episode in 1986, it is both perplexing and disappointing that Lambert's international film career has faltered. Despite appearances in several Australian features and a handful of overseas projects, since starring in Susan Dermody's 1993 largely unknown but extremely pertinent `Breathing Under Water' Lambert has only been seen in a few cameos including an ailing mother in ABC's 2001's controversial prisoners-of-war series, `Changi'.

The exclusive video rights in the UK for the Granada TV series have passed from VCI to Britannia Music so that membership is necessary to obtain copies of the videos in PAL format.

In this Granada TV Series, Jeremy Brett presented us with, in my view, the definitive portrayal of Sherlock Holmes. The attention to detail was superb with an interpretation far closer to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's creation than previously shown on film by the deerstalkered Basil Rathbone et al. Jeremy Brett's wild, haunted and melancholy performance of the second series in 1985 was, by his own admission, heavily influenced through the personal tragedy of the loss of his wife to cancer. He adapted the role somewhat for the return series and managed to introduce some levity, even though he found it difficult to play a character who was all mind and no heart.

David Burke and his successor Edward Hardwicke (who took on the role in the third series: `The Return of Sherlock Holmes') both gave intelligent performances as Dr John Watson. Jeremy Brett and Edward Hardwicke made an exceptionally good team and brought the relationship alive with a believable friendship more than any previous characterisations had done.

The series combined fine period detail and atmosphere to create a very credible late 19th century London, and the dialogue replicated the novels fairly closely although production necessities altered some aspects of the stories.

However, the Granada TV series' storyline adaptations and format may have removed some of the exploration into the incisive detective skills of Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes, and the series became sanitised with the playing down of both of Holmes' addictions to cocaine and atrocious violin scratching.

The problem may lie in actually dramatising the novels, as Jeremy Brett observed, they are better read, and he described performing the action of crawling through the bracken like a golden retriever as `hysterically funny'. The concept of the images being better seen in the mind's eye would explain why the excellent BBC radio productions of the 1990's with Clive Merrison and Michael Williams worked so well.

The choice of guest actors was consistently of a high standard and I remember ‘The Abbey Grange' in particular as it provided a personal treat to see Anne Louise Lambert (Picnic at Hanging Rock) display her unique talents in a sadly all too rare role for her. Congratulations are due to the director (Peter Hammond) on an inspired piece of casting.

The exclusive video rights in the UK for the Granada TV series have passed from VCI to Britannia Music so that membership is necessary to obtain copies of the videos in PAL format.

A good atmosphere fitting the Conan Doyle books takes you back to the days of the late 19th and early 20th century. Dialogs are often exactly or nearly the original text. Jeremy Brett plays a great Sherlock, with all the weird habits, qualities of character and humor which made this detective so popular that his return was requested after his death. Even the sense of superiority Sherlock shows is great. Watson is a good partner who is a background person, but present when necessary and so creating a good couple, and the right antipole. Just a good series for who loves the books, adding a person to a fiction character.

Holmes, having been missing for a year (falling off a 300 foot water fall while tackling your arch nemesis does tend to inconvenience you a bit) returns nuttier than ever. Hardwick is the new Watson after Burke left to join the RSC and is more fatherly; Jeremy Brett is of course the only Sherlock Holmes, the love-child of Peter Cushing and Kenneth Williams (those that have not seen the show cannot even imagine how camp he gets at times) and the show is more dark than before thanks mainly to the mental and physical problems Brett was going through at the time of his wife's death. This actually works, as Holmes goes "cold turkey" in THE DEVIL'S FOOT so your really start to believe he's burnt out and there are hints of a self-destructive personality coming out. Best of all, Watson's detective skills are approaching Holmes', a far cry from that ridiculous portrayal by Nigel Bruce. As if a man of Holmes' intellect could put up with such idiocy. Or my spelling for that matter.

These two played a very good team,I always found Nigel Bruce annoying as Watson because Watson was not an idiot. Holmes would not have tolerated a fool.

Although a good acting team I found that the dialogue had been sanitized (typical British TV,) and Holmes` cocaine addiction played down, almost to the point that he had kicked the habit. Far better his portrayal in "The private life of Sherlock Holmes" in which Watson constantly reprimands Holmes for his weakness of character.

The actors were good and their characterisation was good but the blandness of the dialogue reduced the plots almost to soap opera level.

Regular readers of my comments know that I am obsessive about films made from Holmes and Christie material. That's because a cornerstone of film narrative is the game between the filmmaker and viewer, conventions from the detective story.

So it rankles me when good stuff in the source material gets bleached out in a movie version because someone somewhere didn't understand what they had. The Granada Holmes project is a huge offender in this regard. They follow TeeVee convention which says that the characters are the thing, that situations consist not of logical ambiguities, but of attractive places.

And then when a "solution" is reached it is just fine to surprise the viewer, that there is no connection between the detection and the conclusion.

These Granada projects follow the BBC production technique of assigning a different creative team to each project. So within the approach of "faces and places" you get different styles.

I've given all that background to say that one of the episodes in this collection breaks the rules and actually produces a very fine experience. Just this one; the rest is amusing trash.

The episode in question is "The Abbey Grange," which has the happy coincidence of an adapter who understands what mystery narrative is all about and a director who understood his writer. So we get a quite effective translation of Conan Doyle. We have images early in the episode that we see that don't make sense, we experience comprehension bit by bit as images emerge from that darkness.

These two techniques seem trite, but they work amazingly well. And they accommodate Brett's translation of the character. His Holmes is tightly wound as is the written Holmes. But Brett insists on some explosive theatrics to make the point; it shows he trusts our intelligence little when he does it so frequently. Brooding and mechanical and deeply selfish would be harder to portray, but would be so much more effective.

The sweet spot of the stories came from the fact that Holmes was inhuman in most respects. And that to the consternation of the reader, he repeatedly demonstrates that people are more machines than human, that they can be sussed out every time — excepting the few evil geniuses. The TeeVee guys need to create someone with charm and appeal. A mistake, I think.

Ted's Evaluation -- 2 of 3: Has some interesting elements.

When first produced the Brett/Burke/Jeavons Holmes stories were very popular with Holmes fans. Then, after the first series, Burke upped and quit. How would fans of the show react to a new Waton?

Very well, as it turn out! Burke had already established Watson as someone who wasn't a dunderhead or suffering from senile dementia. All they needed to fill his slot was a skilled and likeable actor who didn't mind second billing.

Edward Hardwicke, who had an impressive track record without making too much of an impact, was the perfect choice. His warm and wise older Watson was more than acceptable, and not just from spite since at first Burke's defection rankled. Hardwicke was an amiable, sensible, laid-back Watson who quickly worked his way into fans' hearts.

And we still had Brett's marvelous Holmes and the occasional visits by Jeavons' iconic Lestrade.

"The Second Stain," "The Bruce-Partington Plans," "The Abbe Grange" and "Silver Blaze" are as good as anything in the Burke series. "The Priory School" is as good, despite the changes they made to Doyle for a more exciting climax. Changes, however, ruined "The Six Napoleons," though it's a welcome showcase for Jeavons, whose Lestrade is here happily close to Doyle and then some. If they'd done the story without the accretions it might be my very favorite.

"Wisteria Lodge" deserves special mention for guest star Freddie Jones. Of all the guest stars in the entire series Jones comes closest to giving Brett a run for his money. He's a sheer delight.

Then there's "The Devil's Foot." It's an unpleasant tale, but that's Doyle's fault. Unfortunately, in this episode Brett's Holmes seems to have picked up a head cold that would dog him for the rest of the series (including my favorite episode in "The Return," "The Bruce Partington Plans").

"The Musgrave Ritual' never made much sense but "updating" it from a pre-Watson tale to one with Watson works well. Unfortunately, as in the original story, it doesn't show Holmes' incisiveness well, since everyone else is simply incurious. Had I grown up in the Musgrave household I'd have discovered the secret as a boy. What's wrong with these people? Inbreeding?

Also included in "The Return" are a couple of TV movies. "The Sign of thr Four" is done very well, with Jenny Seagrove and Ronald Lacey as stand-outs and Gordon Gostelow, and actor I always enjoy, thrown in for spice. As for the much-anticipated "Hound of the Baskervilles," stick with Basil Rathbone.

"The Aventures of Sherlock Holmes" and "The Return of Sherlock Holmes" redefined the characters for a generation and are still the most admired Holes/Watson team by fans of Holmes and Doyle. Brett's the best, though Burke and Hardwicke have to share accolades.