The Norwood Builder

This episode again involves the client who finds himself in changed circumstances overnight. A contractor/builder finds that a man he doesn't know has made him his heir. Unfortunately, the man is killed and his body is burned. That would, of course, lead to the conclusion that the murderer was our young builder. At a time when a positive identification of a burned body was very difficult, there are some unanswered questions. First, of course, is why would this relative stranger wish to leave his money to this fellow. Holmes puts his usual tactics to work to figure this out. Inspector LeStrade makes his first appearance as Scotland Yard's cream of the crop. The byplay with Holmes as he jumps to conclusions is really fun. In the stories, LeStrade and other Yard men and local police officials benefit greatly from Holmes because the great detective does not aspire to public adoration. While Holmes is quite arrogant and incredibly sure of his abilities, he is usually satisfied to solve the crime rather than bask in the aftermath.

Holmes and Watson meet the unluckiest man in London, John Hector McFarlane, who stands accused of murdering Mr Oldacre in complicated circumstances.

It's a particularly good story, I love the complexities of the plot, and the deep characters, there's a lot more going on than you first think. A brilliant story,

Matthew Solon is excellent as McFarlane, I also enjoyed Rosalie Crutchley's performance, such a strong actress, with wonderful facial expressions, utterly formidable. Brett and Hardwicke are at their very best

Production values were always spot on, but they are particularly good here, from the Norwood site, to the half dug up Baker Street, it looks amazing.

A lot of quality here. 8/10

In many ways, Jeremy Brett was the quintessential Sherlock Holmes. The nuances which he brought to his portrayal of the master detective were brilliant. While other Holmes stories are better known, I found this one to be extremely well done.

David Burke was very good as Watson, bringing both personality and charisma to the time-honored role. The period flavor, casting and adaptation here were excellent.

For those new to the Holmes series, this entry will be well worth a look. For avid fans, Brett's take on the consulting detective is satisfying and memorable. Enjoy....... The game is afoot !

A young solicitor is visited by a retired builder, who apparently wants to leave his whole wealth and state to him in his will. The builder is found dead that very night, and all suspicion naturally falls on the young fellow. But before he's caught by the police, he's able to reach Sherlock and ask for his help.

This is one of my two favorite episodes from The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, which curiously have the lowest ratings of the series on imdb (the other being The Greek Interpreter). Just like The Greek Interpreter introduced Charles Gray as Mycroft Holmes, this one introduces Colin Jeavons as the unimaginative, slightly annoying but mostly lovable Inspector Lestrade. Jeavons brings a strange quality to Lestrade that I'm not sure was entirely present in the written works: Although he often ends up looking ridiculous after his incompetence is exposed next to Sherlock's brilliance, he's not that much incompetent. For me, the the TV series Lestrade is much better than the written story Lestrade, and it's a rare achievement to improve over the source material.

It's a wonderful story, with revelation after revelation, including possibly the best deductions Holmes makes. Definitely a must watch.

The Norwood Builder was a neat and intriguing story however in some ways - without extravagant settings, The Nation In Danger or grand international villains - a plain one. There appears to be less to work with. But this immaculate production instead so nicely takes us through a series of different moods as the story unfolds: Holme's restrained powerful dislike of Lestrade's provocative condescension, the latter's premature triumphalism, Holme's near despair and fear that his failure will result in an innocent man going to the gallows. But finally when all appears lost, a genuinely jaw-dropping ending when Holmes, the master magician, is able to once again summon all his powers and conjure up, to the amazement of Lestrade and viewer alike, the villain in a puff of smoke. Holmes' magnanimity in allowing Lestrade the entire credit is a stylish conclusion. The production gives us not just a clever Holmes but a completely masterly one.