Sherlock Holmes (1951 TV series)

Sherlock Holmes (a.k.a. We Present Alan Wheatley as Mr Sherlock Holmes in...) was a 1951 television series produced by the BBC featuring Alan Wheatley as Sherlock Holmes, Raymond Francis as Dr. Watson and Eric Maturin as Colonel Moran. This was the first series of Sherlock Holmes stories adapted for television.[1][2]

Sherlock Holmes
Written byC. A. Lejeune
StarringAlan Wheatley
Raymond Francis
Eric Maturin
Iris Vandeleur
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes6 Episode list
Production
Producer(s)Ian Atkins
Running time35 min.
Release
Original networkBBC Television Service
Original release20 October –
1 December 1951

Production

Some sources state that a BBC filmed adaptation of "The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone" (which aired on 29 July 1951) starring Andrew Osborn as Holmes and Philip King as Watson was a pilot episode for the series[1][2][3] while others claim the "Mazarin Stone" adaptation was a separate thing entirely[2] and was filmed for the Festival of Britain.[2]

Series star Alan Wheatley claimed that the genesis of the series resided with a review of his performance in a television adaptation of Patrick Hamilton's Rope.[2]

C. A. Lejeune gave me a marvelous notice in the Observer and she finished up by saying, "If the BBC have got any sense they will commission a series of Sherlock Holmes stories and ask Alan Wheatley to play Sherlock Holmes." So the BBC, very unlike them, took this up and wrote to her and said, "All right, if you will do the scripts we will do the series," and that's how they came to be done...[2]

C. A. Lejeune did indeed pen the scripts, writing all six episodes.[4] Lejeune claimed the series strived for accuracy claiming "We have tried, as loyally as we can, to preserve the spirit and the high spirits of the original stories."[2]

In an interview for Radio Times, Lejeune stated "we picked the stories that seemed likely to give a variety of subject, while rounding out the portrait of the man..."[2]

Each 35-minute episode was aired live[5] and consequently no tapes exist of the series to date.[2] Live television had its pitfalls of which Wheatley later complained.

I must say I found it the most difficult thing to speak I've ever done in the whole of my career. Unfortunately, Miss Lejeune also did some things that are just not possible—technical things like not allowing enough time for changes. You see, television was live in those days, and in one particular scene she finished up with a sentence from me, and opened the next scene also with a sentence from me, in heavy disguise, with no time at all for a change![1][2]

Co-stars for the series included Sebastian Cabot,[6] Eric Maturin,[2] Henry Oscar,[2] and Bill Owen as Inspector Lestrade.[2]

Cast
  • Alan Wheatley – Sherlock Holmes (6 episodes)
  • Raymond Francis – Dr. Watson (6 episodes)
  • Iris Vandeleur – Mrs. Hudson (5 episodes)
  • Bill Owen – Inspector Lestrade (4 episodes)
  • Donald Kemp – PC Barker (3 episodes)
  • Pamela Barnard – 1st Nursemaid (3 episodes)
  • Sebastian Cabot – Jabez Wilson (1 episode)
  • Alan Judd – King of Bohemia (1 episode)
  • Stanley Van Beers – Inspector Forrester (1 episode)
  • Olga Edwardes – Irene Adler (1 episode)
  • Alvys Maben – Lady Hilda Trelawney Hope (1 episode)
  • Eric Maturin – Colonel Moran (1 episode)
  • Henry Oscar – Mr. Culverton Smith (1 episode)
  • Martin Starkie – Vincent Spaulding (1 episode)
  • H.G. Stoker – Colonel Hayter (1 episode)
  • Larry Burns – Duncan Ross (1 episode)
  • Clement Hamelin – Tall thin man (1 episode)
  • Thomas Heathcote – Alec Cunningham (1 episode)
  • John Robinson – Mr. Trelawney Hope (1 episode)
  • John Stevens – Godfrey Norton (1 episode)
  • Beckett Bould – Mr. Cunningham (1 episode)
  • Arthur Goullet – Mr. Merryweather (1 episode)
  • John Le Mesurier – Eduardo Lucas (1 episode)
  • Michael Raghan – Old cabby (1 episode)
  • J. Leslie Frith – The Premier (1 episode)
  • Victor Platt – PC Perkins (1 episode)
  • Nicholas Tannar – Hopeful applicant (1 episode)
  • Iris Williams – 2nd Nursemaid (1 episode)
  • Clarence Bigge – Butler (1 episode)
  • Christopher Hodge – Rejected applicant (1 episode)
  • Sam Kydd – Unimpressed onlooker (1 episode)
  • Betty Turner – Housekeeper (1 episode)
  • Tony Burton – 1st Errand boy (1 episode)
  • Gordon Phillott – Mr. Acton (1 episode)
  • Meadows White – Ostler (1 episode)
  • Vernon Gibb – Ostler (1 episode)
  • Eddie Sutch – 2nd Errand boy (1 episode)
  • John Vere – Butler (1 episode)
  • John Fitzgerald – Ostler (1 episode)
  • Max Barrett (1 episode)
  • John Boddington (1 episode)
  • Geoffrey Chater (1 episode)
  • Eric Dodson (1 episode)
  • Alexis Milne (1 episode)
  • Florence Viner (1 episode)
  • Edmond Warwick (1 episode)

Episodes
No. Title Directed by: Written by: Original air date
1"The Empty House"TBASir Arthur Conan Doyle and C. A. Lejeune20 October 1951 (1951-10-20)
Dr. Watson assists in the investigation of the murder of Ronald Frances Adair and is shocked by the unexpected return of the presumed dead Sherlock Holmes. Together they nab the last remaining henchman of Sherlock's archenemy Moriarty.
2"A Scandal in Bohemia"TBASir Arthur Conan Doyle and C. A. Lejeune27 October 1951 (1951-10-27)
Holmes is contacted by the King of Bohemia. The monarch wants Holmes to search for a photo in Irene Adler's possession which she can use to blackmail him. Despite Holmes's best efforts, Irene Adler is always one step ahead of him.
3"The Dying Detective"TBASir Arthur Conan Doyle and C. A. Lejeune3 November 1951 (1951-11-03)
Adelaide Savage requests Holmes and Watson investigate her husband Victor. Victor Savage is addicted to opium and influenced by his wicked cousin Culverton Smith, who is intent on taking over the Savage family fortune.
4"The Reigate Squires"TBASir Arthur Conan Doyle and C. A. Lejeune17 November 1951 (1951-11-17)
5"The Red Headed League"TBASir Arthur Conan Doyle and C. A. Lejeune24 November 1951 (1951-11-24)
Holmes and Watson investigate an odd vacancy Mr. Wilson applied for and lost two months later. Holmes finds that this was just to get Mr. Wilson out of the way in preparation for a bank robbery.
6"The Second Stain"TBASir Arthur Conan Doyle and C. A. Lejeune1 December 1951 (1951-12-01)
Sherlock Holmes is assigned to search for a top-secret document, without arousing suspicion from the public. After days of investigating, Holmes finds the thief was blackmailed into taking it.

Reception

The 23 October 1951 issue of The Times said "The performance was done in a proper spirit of seriousness. Mr Alan Wheatley, though rather younger and fuller in the face than the Holmes of his opponents' nightmares, yet catches the essential character."[1][2]

References
  1. Haining, Peter (1994). The Television Sherlock Holmes. Virgin Books. pp. 51–52. ISBN 0-86369-793-3.
  2. Barnes, Alan (2011). Sherlock Holmes on Screen. Titan Books. pp. 296–298. ISBN 9780857687760.
  3. "Sherlock Holmes". The Museum of Broadcast Communications. Retrieved 15 January 2012.
  4. Eyles, Allen (1986). Sherlock Holmes: A Centenary Celebration. Harper & Row. pp. 101. ISBN 0-06-015620-1.
  5. "The wide world of Sherlock Holmes". The Sherlock Holmes Society of London. Archived from the original on 9 December 2011. Retrieved 1 January 2012.
  6. Redmond, Christopher (2009). Sherlock Holmes Handbook: Second Edition. Dundurn. p. 243. ISBN 9781770705920.
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