The best interpretation of Holmes of all times. Doyle would have appreciated him more than all the others. Basil Rathbone is a good second. But what a loss for English actorship. He died so young. His memory will live forever. Thank you Mr Brett. YOU are my Sherlock Holmes.
When Burke as Watson scolds Brett as Holmes for his drug addiction in ‘A Scandal in Bohemia’, I love it! “I not only speak to you as a medical man but as a friend, HOW CAN YOU RISK SUCH DAMAGE! To the great powers with which you have been endowed!” This is exactly the way a person like Watson would react. He is not only a doctor, with knowledge of self-destructive behaviors and drug addictions, but also he is a friend (indeed, “a friend sticking closer than a brother”) to Holmes. Burke had Watson down well. You can hear the frustration in his voice.
Nigel Bruce was a great characterist actor. A Dickens' character... In the Granada series I think that sir Edward Hardwicke is less 'stiff' than his colleague Burke
Watson wasn't there to just write Holmes' stories. John Watson represented us, the reader, going on an adventure with a superhero. Watson helped us relate to Holmes, much like Jim in the Office, or Captain Hastings with Poirot.
Both Edward Hardwicke and David Burke were good at portraying Watson, but my favorite will always be David. I think both of them together captured the analytical side and the emotional side of this beloved character. Burke was very emotional as Watson, capturing Watson as a friend of Holmes, a friend who is loyal and is good to have on your side when the going gets rough. I remember how, when I was a kid and I first saw ‘The Final Problem’, seeing Watson’s reaction to losing his friend (or so he thought), and having watched so many episodes already I felt joy and excitement at seeing a new adventure with them, and now suddenly to see it come to so dark an end as this, it broke me. I wept, as Watson must have wept, at losing such a close friend. And the DVD collection I owned, ‘The Final Problem’ was the last episode, so I thought in my boyhood mind, ‘This is REALLY the end!’ Edward Hardwicke was also good at capturing the emotional side of Watson, especially in ‘The Empty House.’ But what was good about Hardwicke’s portrayal was that, although he was Holmes’ friend and soldier in battle, he was also a doctor and a problem solver. Doctors, like detectives, have to be able to solve massive problems with a minimum of clues and evidence. You can’t do that at least some of the time, you might as well not try. Hardwicke’s Watson impresses on me (as did Burke) that this man is not the buffoon Nigel Bruce portrayed him to be (although I love Bruce’s Watson as well). No, Arthur Conan Doyle wrote Watson as being an intelligent, eloquent, and capable man of his job, which was not being a great detective like Holmes but a great doctor. Together, both Burke and Hardwicke cover the character perfectly. To varying degrees, we see Watson, both the intelligent doctor and the close friend.
Watson was ahead of his time when he complained about Holmes taking drugs. A lot of doctors had no problem with their patients doing drugs or even smoking in order to clear the lungs.
Yes, addictive drugs were widely available to the public at that time and casual use wasn't really remarked on. However, I think that in this instance Watson was very concerned that his friend had gone over to quite regular use.
@@karenryder6317 exactly, it’s not stated how frequent his usage is in the show, but in the books Watson says that Holmes does it 3 times per day so if the show is true to the books on this point, it’s VERY regular usage
Jeremy Brett demostrated exactley a Sherlock Holmes that viewrs desire to watch. Therefore Jeremy Brett= Sherlock Holmes. RIP Dear Jeremy,… we watch your brilliant work all the time continuously. No one of the other actors has not could even become close to your acting as Sherlock Holmes so far.
I’ve always loved how David portrayed Watson and also how he personally chose Edward to take over when he went to work with his wife I honestly cannot pick a favourite
Jeremy Brett's was a genius and he was Sherlock Holmes. Greatest of them all. Arthur Conan Doyle daughter told Jeremy Brett that he was the Holmes of her youth ! That says it all Great Read is a book called Bending the Willow ! About Jeremy Brett and his Portrayal of Holmes , a must read!!! I have their autograph Brett's and Burkes . Thank you for this !
Edward Hardwicke was very fine as Watson. He managed to blend into the tiny circle of Watson/Holmes that Burke/Brett had created without so much as a tremor. It speaks highly of Hardwicke's acting craft. He observed Burke's Watson, took it to heart, then made the role all his own. My hat's off to him. Oh, I loved Burke in the role, and I was worried about the new Watson. After ten minutes into season 3 episode 1 my fears were utterly allayed.
Brett himself called Hardwicke the quintessential Watson. Burke and Hardwicke were friends and Burke recommended him for the role when he left it, lol.
@@derka90 For me there was never any doubt, Hardwicke was the right cast for the role, and only recently did I reconcile with Burke as a passable Watson.
Jeremy Brett. I love him very dearly and have the complete ITV dvd box set. Brilliant British Victorian drama series. Always remembered for Jeremy has reached my suol and heart.
What does that guy mean Watson wasn't there as Sherlocks assistant but only to get the scoop to write his stories. Sherlock on many occasions ask Waston if he has his own observations on the matter. He tells Waston on many occasions to bring a gun because he knows he needs manpower because most of the time it was only them two who confronted the situation at hand. He also asked Watson in certain situations, if he's willing to help Sherlock commit crime to help stop the crime. So I'd say, thats being his assistant. Plus, I forgot, Watson's medical knowledge came in handy on many occasions as well. So I'd say, Watson was there to be Sherlocks assistant, not some lackey to only observe the situation for stories to tell.
Jeremy Brett was by far the best actor and portrayer of the Sherlock Holmes character of all time. He has no equal in that respect. Absolutely brilliant.
One very interesting thing the Granada series of Sherlock Holmes did was to ignore altogether the fact that Dr Watson was married. Has anyone missed this bit? They were faithful to the stories, but one key element was totally ignored by Granada, Dr Watson was married. With the Granada version, viewers who had no idea of the books would think Watson to be a single man all the time. Interesting.
It was their decision that Watson would stay single, because they wanted to concentrate on the friendship between Sherlock and Watson, and their adventures together.
I think they ignored it for the same reason Doyle "killed off" Watson's wife before bringing Holmes back in the books: it was too much trouble to justify Watson being both a married man and a doctor in practice, yet having the time to gallivant around England helping Holmes with all his cases. 😂
I can TOTALLY understand Holmes' addiction to Morphine. I was on a morphine IV drip after surgery a decade ago and I STILL remember the dreams I had when I was on the stuff.
My best series of Sherlock Holmes. Honda of Baskerville, Blue Carbuncle, Scandel of Bohemia, Women in Green, House of Fear. Terror by Night, The Spider Women, Noise of Fear, The Spacaled Band, The Pearl of Death, The Solidarity of Cyclists and many more.
@@12348477 What happened at ITV that these great literary characters are no longer being seen? Possibly because the target demographic don't read a lot of literature and there's fear of low watchership.
Brett is hands down the best Holmes on any stage or screen, and despite his brief stay, I always enjoyed Burke's portrayal as Watson. Hardwicke was great too, but Burke is my preference.
I've known Sherlock for almost 40 years now, and on reflection I deduce that Watson was based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle himself, and Sherlock came out while experimenting with the seven percent solution, almost like a benevolent jekyl and hyde scenario. case closed.
He wanted to get closer to his toddler son, Tom, who was 3 years old at that time, and also got invited to join Royal Shakespeare Company. And now his son, Tom Burke, is also a famous actor.
@@filipematias5127 Also, David Burke and David Hardwicke were friends in real life and it was David Burke that suggested his friend David Hardwicke to the producers for the role.
Jeremy Brett was the definitive Sherlock Holmes, no doubt about that, there is no other lens by which I can see the character. I am 50 now and Jeremy Brett transfixing Sherlock marked my childhood deeply as did Spock from Star Trek by Leonard Nimoy. A good deal of my infatuation with Science early on is due to these two wonderful actors complete transfiguration on the telly screen as the unfolding of every minute detail on the mental states the characters dwell in was literally brought to real life by them. Both actors born for the part with the good and the bad that such position entails they marked the golden age of TV production as no others have not and dare I say could not really replace them as they made the absolute measure by which all other imitations will be forever compared...I as thousand of others everywhere around the globe cannot thank them enough!
I completely get why David Burke decided to leave after only one series, but I sure missed his Watson - much as I also love Edward Hardwicke. Nice to see him in this interview.
I don't agree about that comment regarding Watson as "a vlogger". Holmes often chides his literary undertakings. I think Watson was a kind of emotional support at the core. Holmes doesn't need help thinking, as was pointed out. He feels Watson doesn't approach the caaes on paper exactly as he would prefer. What does that leave? He likes having his trustworthy friend with him. Holmes wouldn't declare it as such but that's what i think.
Jeremy Brett is the best Sherlock Holmes Actor..better than Benedict Cumberbatch..but The Adventure Of Sherlock Holmes of Jeremy Brett is by far the most thrilling to watch..
David Burke was superb as Watson - such a shame he decided to leave after the second series. Understandable, as he was offered work with his wife, and would be able to be with his young son as the same time.
You and Alain delon should play Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson in either a movie or tv miniseries of the old detectives home. Along with David suchet as Hercule priority!
@@phantom.lover0527 to be more clear, he left the show to accept an offer to join the Royal Shakespeare company, in which he and his wife would go on to say was the best decision they ever made for their son.
Hey, kids, Captain Obvious aflame with passion over my favorite superhero and here it is - Watson is Sherlock's tether to the human world. Say that 3 times and it will make sense. Game's on!
Yes, Burke suggested Hardwicke as his replacement. And Hardwicke, as filming progressed was very pleased when the crew would sometimes slip up, and call him "David". He said it made him feel accepted, and that his Watson was as good as David Burke's.
Please help Alain delon do another voice that he works under! Just because he is not woke does not mean that he is not well known! It is his own unique speech pattern and voice!
David Burke was to me the best Dr Watson ever he was just superb in the role, David and Jeremy had a chemistry but not so much with Edward Hardwicke in my opinion.🔎
This series was great....good acting but a lot of its greatness came from the fact that they did stay with the original stories instead of trying to impose some post-modern woke "values," characters, or plot lines.
@@karenryder6317 Hardwicke's character was actually quite believable, and very entertaining. I found David Burke's portrayal to be corny. He didn't portray what I thought could possibly be a real person. Also, it's so sad that Jeremy Brett's mental and physical health degenerated so quickly. In the first two or three seasons he was superb.
Both detectives are unique and magnificent. They were created by different writers living in a different timeline. I both love Jeremy Brett's Sherlock and David Suchet's Poirot. I'm so grateful for Conan Doyle and Agatha Christies creating two genius detectives in fiction.
Listen, I may not be knowledgeable about Poirot as I am of Holmes, and Holmes may be my favorite detective. But both men are great detectives with their own methods. Poirot with understanding the psychological aspect of the crime and using his “little grey cells”, while Holmes with deduction, observation, and forensic science. At the end of the day: whichever detective you prefer, can’t we all just enjoy them both?
