The Game's afoot!

My first real memory of Sherlock Holmes comes from the dark and distant past of 1978.

As a young school boy I would wait with anticipation on a Sunday afternoon to hear one of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's stories dramatised in 30 minutes plays on BBC Radio 4.

The one that sticks in my mind the most was Silver Blaze. I often wonder why it sticks in my head so clearly. I can still hear Barry Foster (he played Holmes in 13 episodes of the Holmes canon, with David Buck as Dr Watson) reciting dialogue. But why? I wonder if it was because this was one of the first successful audio recording I ever did. I have no idea what happened to the recording, but I know I would have played it to death taking in the atmosphere of the story. I would have placed the 'plug-in' microphone, placing it near, but not against the speaker of the radio, with it's volume at a suitable level to avoid 'rumble'. I know that I would have done that.

Even though Barry Foster was my first radio ‘Holmes’, my all time favourite radio ‘Sherlock Holmes’ has to be Mr Clive Merrison. He has made the radio Holmes his own and totally encompasses the part. When I listen to the performances, I ‘see’ every aspect of the story. The late Michael Williams followed in the footsteps of the David Burke and Edward Hardwicke portrayals of John Watson and made him credible and human. Sadly, Michael Williams passed away and I was not sure who could replace him. Then I heard Andrew Sachs and felt he slipped into the role perfectly. However, when I read any Sherlock Holmes story, whether by Sir Arthur or a pastiche I still hear Clive Merrison and Michael Williams.

As for my first recollection of Sherlock on the screen, well it has to be the classic black and white adventures of Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce. I am sure I must have seen other actors play the part, but they were not Sherlock Holmes, Rathbone was. My favourite film? Well, that would be The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1939), with Ida Lupino and the wonderfully menacing George Zucco.

Rathbone seemed perfect for the part and Bruce’s Watson was a great foil for Holmes intellect at least that was the way I saw it then. It was not until many years later and the arrival of late Jeremy Brett and (to me) the late Edward Hardwicke that I saw the real Sherlock Holmes and Doctor John H Watson, MD.

Jeremy Brett was cultured.

Jeremy Brett was manic.

Jeremy Brett was overly dramatic.

Jeremy Brett was subtle.

Jeremy Brett was Holmes.

Edward Hardwicke was not Jeremy Brett’s first Watson but he was the best. David Burke set a standard that Edward Hardwicke not only reached but also exceeded. He was not the bumbling oaf as portrayed by Nigel Bruce, and many other who saw his performance as definitive, but a sophisticated and truly believable human being. I would have trusted this man to treat my ailments in the same way I would have asked ‘Holmes’ to solve my mystery.

That is my first memory of Sherlock Holmes, a memory that will never go away. I still adore the stories of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and some of the imitators and I am sure I always will.

Forgive me, the fog is swirling around the gas lit streets, the wheels of a Hansom cab are rattling over the cobbles and the steady clump of a client’s boots are climbing the stairs. The game’s afoot!