The Red Headed League

Sherlock Holmes is contacted by Jabez Wilson with a strange, harmless-seeming, chain of events. Mr Wilson is red-headed and was hired by the Red Headed League to perform a minor task each day for a very decent salary. To his surprise, however, the work is suddenly stopped and his employer is nowhere to be found. Though paid handsomely he feels he has been tricked in some way. Holmes initially finds the series of events amusing but after some contemplation sees a much more sinister plot in operation.

Another very intriguing Sherlock Holmes mystery. Like many of the Holmes stories the crime is not immediately apparent, as it hasn't been committed yet. Here Holmes needs to get ahead of the criminals to prevent a crime being committed.

The other interesting thing about this episode is that we are introduced to Holmes's nemesis, Professor Moriarty.

Holmes and Watson are intrigued by the peculiar comical case of Jabez Wilson. A down on his luck pawn broker, who at his assistant's behest applies to join The Red Headed League.

They will pay a princely 4 pounds per week to the right candidate for some nominal work. Copying entries from an an encyclopedia.

After a few weeks The Red Headed League suddenly disbanded. Wilson thinks he has been made a fool of. Holmes thinks something more serious is at play here and Wilson's assistant, who started employment for him at half wages, is the key.

I have read the short story and I watched this when it was originally transmitted. In all subsequent viewings I cannot overlook that this episode has been padded to the hilt.

Holmes at a concert, Holmes and some people waiting in the dark for someone to break into the vault. Even adding Professor Moriarty into the story so it can segue into the next story.

I did enjoy Eric Porter's sinister appearance. Roger Hammond is suitably comical as the bemused Jabez Wilson but this was struggling to fit its 55 minutes running length.

I do chuckle at the notion that some time in 1985. Every red headed man in England was employed as an extra by Granada Studios.

I am a big fan of the Granada Sherlock Holmes series as I have said many, many times. This may not be exactly faithful to the original story, while Moriaty was a very welcome presence compared to the original story he feels rather thrown in and there are some very memorable and humorous bits of dialogue that didn't quite make it on screen.

However, on its own terms The Red Headed League is very, very good and reinforces what I love so much about the series. As always, a lot of care is taken into how well constructed the adaptation is visually. The photography is very skillful, the costumes beautifully tailored and the scenery and sets wonderfully meticulous and atmospheric. I was too taken with how Sarasate was portrayed and the lengths that were made to make the actor look like the violin virtuoso.

The music is once again wonderful, with themes that are both beautiful and haunting. The story is well paced and interesting, the dialogue is sometimes humorous but very often thought-provoking and the direction is solid. The acting is excellent as is consistently the case with this series. Jeremy Brett with his towering presence and gritty baritone of a voice gives a very commanding title role performance, and David Burke is a thoughtful and composed Watson. Eric Porter also does very well with his appearance as Moriaty, his performance is somewhat brief but that was a decision for the better, too much Moriaty and I personally don't think this would have been as effective.

In conclusion, maybe not as strong as The Norwood Builder, The Crooked Man and The Speckled Band, but a strong episode. 9/10 Bethany Cox

This is perhaps the best known Holmes story next to "The Hound of the Baskervilles." It involves a man, Jabez Wilson, who has been given a strange job, copying pages from the Encyclopedia Britannica in longhand. He sits at a desk in a stark room and receives payment beyond that fitting the job. Not only that, he has gotten the job because he passed muster, competing against other men with red hair. He actually went to interviews where the authenticity of the red-headed gentlemen was checked. Now, something has changed and he decides to bring his case to Holmes and Watson. One has to accept that the potential criminal enterprise has become so convoluted as to draw attention. Still, it is a delightful story which has stood the test of time. Like "The Blue Carbuncle," we are never to take anything as a life or death situation. Conan Doyle had a sense of humor. Jeremy Brett coolly investigates this with his deep tones filling the room at 221B. Well acted and portrayed with relish.

While not one of my favorites this one is certainly one of Granada's top Holmes adaptations. The story is slick, interesting, and elegantly unfolds itself. It starts out as a laughable case but it becomes serious with a bigger picture beginning to emerge and something sinister lurking beneath. It manages to be both a detective mystery and a crime story with nice touches of build up and humor. Professor Moriarty (played by Eric Porter, giving genuine meaning to word "diabolical ") makes his first appearance even though it is brief (although it was not in the original story). However, nothing is wrong with that as the series wisely used Moriarty sparingly and he would have a much larger role in the story right after this one "The Final Problem".