This episode has the finest collection of Holmes - Watson - Lestrade moments (the second best one for me being The Norwood Builder). Somehow Holmes seems to be amused by Lestrade, or, at least, he takes his behaviour easy. There's a great Jeremy moment when he wakes them up, saying to Watson:"You've been overgenerous with the port." Which is not in the Canon, but I think it fits the scene perfectly. Amazing guest stars, especially loved Eric Sykes. And it's also fantastic that you had a chance to talk to David Carson again. Thanks for your awesome job.
The best part about these wonderful and complete discussions is that it makes me immediately choose to revisit and watch the episode, once I have fully enjoyed the podcast.
Even as a small kid I loved this show. I can remember making clay heads or playdoe figurs, and hide plastic pearls inside of them. And then pretend to be Sherlock and find them again 😺
This is my absolute favorite podcast on the entirety of the internet! The extraordinarily high quality of information, conversation, presentation enthusiasm and entertainment is unparalleled. These long form episodes are particularly excellent. All your great work and effort is more than appreciated! - Derek
54:56 This quote from Brett re: what helped him through the difficult Maudsley days was very profound, "...My son needed me well again. That...gave me great courage." As Lao Tzu said: "Being loved deeply by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage." A parent will face almost any danger or difficulty for the sake of their child. And so it was with Jeremy.
This bonus-length podcast just made my Christmas so much better, thank you both! As someone who is also a Star Trek TNG fan,and grew up watching both these series in the 80's and 90's, this has always been one of my very favourite episodes because of the surprise (to me) crossover appearance of Marina Sirtis. And of course, as you point out, there is just so much excellence in the story, the music and the cinematography that makes this an outstanding episode, even among such an outstanding series. It's heartbreaking to know what hell Jeremy was about to suffer after this episode, and to know how relatively poor medical treatment for bipolar was back then. I wish he had lived to have access to the knowledge and treatments we have now. As always, thank you for an excellent podcast. I always look forward to the next one.
Thank you, Anna! We feel the same about the TNG crossover, director David Carson included. I actually didn't recognize Marina Sirtis the first time I watched this episode. Possibly even the first couple times. Maybe because I wasn't expecting to see her. As for Jeremy, it's always impossible to know what's going on in an actor's life off-set, but he really fought through it for the benefit of us fans. What a legacy. -Luke
I was thinking when you were explaining about humbugs that you would perhaps tie them in with their role as an aid to stop smoking. Now that they have nicotine patches and vapes they may have fallen out of favor, but they used to be used to keep your mouth and hands busy when you were trying to quit. This makes the timing of the humbugs fit right in, since Lestrade is questioning whether or not they can smoke and Holmes says "no" (in no uncertain terms). Right after that then Watson offers the humbug. I definitely remember people who were trying to stop smoking carrying, as Watson does, bags or pockets full of humbugs to see them through. At least they were awfully big on that back in the 60s and 70s.
I have to wonder if Holmes might have been aided in his pull of the tablecloth without disturbing the dishes. According to Mythbusters it can’t be done without some camera trickery.
Watched it on ITV4 today. The scene when Holmes, Watson and Lestrade walk outside to the lamppost.. There's at least two cars in the background parked up.. How did they miss that in the production process.
Happy Boxing Day gentlemen! And thank you for the excellent podcast, the Italian translation, and most of all for the appreciation of that last scene between Holmes and Lestrade, which is so so beautiful and almost unbearably poignant. I can’t tell you how many times I nodded along on vehement agreement with your observations. Your work is so very appreciated!
So many extraordinarily interesting nuggets in this podcast. Never knew about Eric Sykes' infirmities. His character, Horace Harker, is one of my favorites in the entire series, probably right behind Frank Middlemass' Henry Baker. His role is even more impressive now. (FWIW, this was not the last Harker to appear in these episodes, as actress Susannah Harker appeared 8 years later as Adelaide Savage in "The Dying Detective")
Hearing of the hardships he had to endure makes me admire him even more, not just as an actor but as a human being. It's especially hard to know that what worried him the most about his illness was the feeling that he was burden or an embarrasment to his loved ones. I cannot imagine what that can do to one's self-esteem. It's such a shame that neuro-divergent people have to face that stigma, but hopefully we'll get to be more understanding and compassionate the more we openly talk about it.
For sure. A lot actors, speaking generally as well as specific to ones we've met, struggle with acceptance and embarrassment, perhaps more than "normal" people... and if they become a success, it's more eyes on them and more critique. It's a weird situation to get into. More compassion is the very thing we all need.
Thanks for sharing this. info. I loved him so much and couldn't get enough of his Sherlock plays. At times I caught myself believing he indeed was Holmes Arrogant man!😁 This love goes back 67 years when at 13yo I was in love with all great mystery men. Young teens! 😊 He's truly missed.🙏
Toward the end of your podcast you mentioned that Jeremy Brett didn’t receive a BAFTA and I agree he wholly deserved. Recently, I purchased a copy of LIFE magazine that was dedicated to the story of ACD and his Sherlock Holmes. There were a few references to famous actors who portrayed Sherlock. Shockingly Jeremy Brett was not mentioned. Only Basil Rathbone and Robert Downey Jr. I am a Sherlock junkie so I enjoy them all (Rathbone, Downey, Peter Cushing, Arthur Wontner, Ronald Howard, Geoffrey Whitehead) but none came close to Jeremy Brett.
@11:39 Watson says to Holmes, "Finish your coffee. There's a cab at the door. Two minutes." Holmes nearly chokes on his coffee. It's refreshing to see Watson assuming Holme's urgency of "the game's afoot.," in fact kinetically instigating the adventure while Holmes is clearing the evident fog on his brain with coffee at breakfast, mealtimes traditionally being a Watsonian institution. Then there is the comeuppance on his reference just prior to this summons of "You know, my idee fixe," that Holmes had scoffed at. So far, Edward Hardwicke is holding his own in this episode.
@@sherlockpodcast Yes, it was very accurate! I can't tell you the initial shock when I first watched this episode and Pietro started shouting the p-word for the whole world to hear, it's a pretty strong word🤣 The series was dubbed in Italian in the 80s and broadcasted on national tv, but I've never had the chance to watch it. I wonder if they censored or toned down his language a bit... The intended effect of being dropped in the middle of an argument without understanding what's going on is obviously nullified, once the episode is presented to an audience that does understand the language...I find that interesting from a media analysis perspective, and also amusing, since it wouldn't be the first time a piece of media not in Italian started with a barrage of obscenities in Italian assuming no one in the audience would ever understand (I'm thinking of the Austrian musical "Elisabeth")🤣 Love your podcast! (and Jeremy) I always like it when you go into the technical details of filmmaking, I'm very curious about that aspect of the series, and all the behind the scenes process as well.
@@hilariousbenjamin5614 Yeah, the intro must have been quite a shock to Italian speakers to not have censored back then! But I also agree it's a peculiar way around plot points for viewers with no second language skills, myself included. This has made me want to learn Japanese many times. I promise we'll continue to go into as many technical details as we can! We should have one or two surprises coming in the new year! -Luke
I love Luke's limericks! Thank you so much for getting the translation of the Italian. re: no subtitles . . . I've studied a lot of French and a little Italian, and so I could understand the gist of their conversations. A lot of British drama seems to assume the audience has at least a basic knowledge of French; the British and the French are closer than I sometimes appreciate. I also love the music when we first see Holmes, Watson, and Lestrade at Baker St. That's a lovely scene. re: the nasty gash on Pietro's neck; didn't they say it was caused by a serrated blade?
I tend to usually enjoy the idea of being lost when a conversation happens in another language... you're forced to pay attention and glean the plot from the actors and the filmmakers... but I'd seen this one so many time, it was nice to have it translated finally. Serrated blade, yes. I suppose it would leave a pretty gnarly wound. And thank you for the limerick love!
Around the 2:07:07 mark you wonder if Beppo's last name of Cicollini was a reference to a movie. David Carson says no and he's probably correct (though he's incorrect about the author of Madame Bovary, which was Flaubert, not Stendhal), but it's just possible that someone on the production team had a fondness for The Marx Brothers. In the movie "Duck Soup", Chico's character was named "Chicollini". FWIW I'd love it if you made a podcast about "The Prisoner". It's one of my favorite shows of all time and now that I think of it Patrick McGoohan would've been a great Holmes. Number Six as a character isn't miles away from Brett's Holmes, where they both share a mercurial temperament, a dry wit and an unwavering passion for doing what is right. The Jeremy Brett Sherlock Holmes Podcast is far and away the most consistently brilliant podcast I've ever heard and this episode was one of the best. Thank You! Thank you.
Thank you for listening! We hope to have a few new surprises up our sleeves in the new year. Good point about the last name. Could have been snuck in a movie reference without him knowing. We'll do one podcast at a time, but Gus is a pretty serious Prisoner fan as well. We'll see!
Thanks for this brilliant podcast of one of the very best episodes…. Merry Christmas to you… By the way have you seen the you tube clip of Homes and Watson in character singing carols in baker St I found it recently…. It’s called joy to the world a celebration of Christmas 🎄
I know this pod was done a yr ago I just started listening. After I went back and saw the the car I feel like I just found out that Santa Claus isn't real.
Sorry, but I have to correct you again. At 27:10, you said Shada was shot in 1963. It was in 1979! (The series began in 1963, hence this may have caused your confusion)
Exellent work on the podcast. Totally enlightening of the episode. Thanks for the translation of the Italian. Being Filippino with a little Spanish all I understand is "B*t@#"... "B*t@#"... shouting.
