| Alt Name: | We Present Alan Wheatley as Mr. Sherlock Holmes in... |
| Runtime: | 35 minutes |
| Starring: | Alan Wheatley Raymond Francis Iris Vandeleur Bill Owen |
| Producer: | Ian Atkins |
| Based On: | Sherlock Holmes stories by Arthur Conan Doyle |
| Channel: | BBC Television Service |
| Num Episodes: | 6 (all missing) |
| Num Series: | 1 |
Sherlock Holmes (also known as We Present Alan Wheatley as Mr. Sherlock Holmes in...) is a British mystery television series that was produced by the BBC featuring Alan Wheatley as Sherlock Holmes and Raymond Francis as Dr. Watson. This was the first series of Sherlock Holmes stories adapted for television.[1] [2]
All six episodes were adapted by C. A. Lejeune from the stories written by Arthur Conan Doyle. The series was broadcast live long before taping was an option. It is very unlikely that telerecordings of the live broadcasts were ever made, given the BBC didn't even attempt this method until 1953.[2]
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 state the "Mazarin Stone" adaptation was a separate project entirely and was filmed for the Festival of Britain.[2]
According to series star Alan Wheatley, the genesis of the series resided with a review of his performance in a television adaptation of Patrick Hamilton's Rope:
C. A. Lejeune did indeed pen the scripts, writing all six episodes.[4] As quoted in a feature written for Radio Times, Lejeune said of the series, "we picked the stories that seemed likely to give a variety of subject, while rounding out the portrait of the man... We have tried, as loyally as we can, to preserve both the spirit and the high spirits of the original stories". Lejeune also said that "Holmes, and the Victorian world in which he mainly operated, will not be modernised in this series".[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:
In multiple episodes, Iris Vandeleur played Mrs. Hudson[6] and Bill Owen played Inspector Lestrade. Eric Maturin appeared as Colonel Moran in one episode, and Olga Edwardes portrayed Irene Adler in another episode.[2]
Each episode was introduced by Nona Liddell's rendition of Offenbach's "Barcarolle". Generally, a few very short and usually silent film sequences would be shot the day before the broadcast, such as shots of Holmes and Watson in a cab. The stage manager Cecil Petty and assistant stage manager Pamela Barnard had minor acting roles in most episodes.[2]
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]