Compared to the earlier series with Jeremy Brett, what do you think of the new Sherlock Homes movie?

The Granada series kept some of Watson’s narrations, but the fantastic screenwriters (John Hawkesworth, Alexander Baron, Jeremy Paul, T. Bowen and Alan Plater) created many funny dialogues for the exceptional actors. This largely increased the popularity of the show.

British actor Jeremy Brett was chosen for the role of Sherlock. He was not too happy at first. He mostly had romantic roles, so he felt that the part of the sleuth will not suit him.

Before his time Basil Rathbone portrayed Holmes so fascinatingly that for many he was the definitive Sherlock Holmes and he could not shake off the character. At last Jeremy accepted the part and determined to personify the detective with the utmost empathy. Years later he told the series was his most favourite work.

He was an eccentric, just like Holmes. Because of his depression he perfectly understood Sherlock’s lethargic moments and masterly depicted them. Before the shooting started the producers gave the actors one week for rehearsal, but upon Brett’s request they changed it to two weeks.

During the first week Jeremy worked on the character of Holmes, and on the second week he rehearsed with his colleagues. The first episode which was shot was The Solitary Cyclist – it functioned as a kind of warm-up for the actors. The adventure that aired first was A Scandal in Bohemia, which particularly introduced the character of Holmes.

Sherlock was not new for Brett – he played dr. Watson on stage, with Charlton Heston as Holmes. He told in interviews that it helped a lot to create the figure of Sherlock. He was mesmerized and startled by the genius, who had the same mood swings as him.

Jeremy liked classical music and jokes, just like Holmes. He was brilliant in scenes showing the different capers of the sleuth. The episode A Scandal in Bohemia met with a warm response in England.