Stephen Fry talks Sherlock and Jeremy Brett 

Whoever cast Jeremy Brett, David Suchet, and Joan Hickson in their respective mysteries was genius. All three are the best ever in their portrayals.

Once you've seen Jeremy Brett in the role, no one else will do.

Massive fan of Jeremy Brett , the tonality and richness of his voice and the mannerisms make him the best Holmes ever.

Jeremy Brett IS Sherlock Holmes to me. Unforgettable performances by a brilliant actor. May he rest in peace.

Jeremy Brett's Holmes was the definitive version for me.

I love interviewers who can ask a question of their guests, and then shut up and let them answer.

Edward Hardwicke as Watson complemented Jeremy Brett perfectly. Watson was an Army doctor with many years field experience, he was no fool contrary to the way he was portrayed by some other actors.

I'm 29 and for me Jeremy Brett is the greatest Sherlock Holmes. Benedict is great and I love him and Basil was wonderful, but there is something so engrossing and hypnotic about Jeremy's interpretation that cannot be imitated.

It's as though Arthur Conan Doyle wrote the Sherlock Holmes stories with the yet unborn Jeremy Brett in mind.

I can listen the Stephen Fry talk forever! I was shocked to hear That Jeremy Brett was never recognised for the brilliant portrayal of Holmes for me he was the best.

Jeremy Brett's performance as Sherlock Holmes reigns supreme. The Granada series is a work of art, each episode a little gem. My husband and I adore this series and often quote The Resident Patient because it was so perfectly entertaining. I also think the actor playing Moriarty stuns with subtlety and depth to present a truly plausible and terrifying villain. Astonishing acting & directing in every episode without fail, brilliant casting. Thank you for treating us with the delightful musings of Stephen Fry.

Jeremy Brett literally put his life and soul into his portrayal of Holmes.

Jeremy Brett is the ONLY Holmes. No one else will do. Ever.

I have just discovered Jeremy Brett. So enjoyable to watch. He is everything I believe Sherlock Holmes to be. Thank you Stephen Fry for your insightful observations.

Jeremy Brett was Sherlock Homes. I watched him on PBS growing up. Energy, passion, intelligence, wit, and compassion are a few of the words to describe his performance. It is always a thrill to watch them.

Brett is the greatest Holmes. I spent many rainy Saturdays in front of an open fire watching the series on Dvd with my father. A wonderful time, our love for the show brought us closer together. Thank you for uploading this, Sir.

I knew Jeremy personally he was never interested in fame or celebrity status but he was a heavyweight actor and a true gentleman he always had time for people just ask people in the days of just William whine bar in battersea I miss him so much😔

This warms my heart. I always loved Brett's Holmes and to hear Stephen Fry talking about him was lovely.

Brett was and is by far the best representation of Holmes on screen bar none.

There are many amazing Sherlock Holmes portrayals, but Jeremy's is by far THE BEST.

Jeremy Brett is Sherlock!! There is no better one! I was in love with a series...waiting impatiently every week during '80-ties, for another episode. I love it still. Jeremy Brett an exquisite actor! xxxxx

Jeremy Brett, is truly missed! It's a shame they didn't get to finish all the Sherlock Holmes series!

I'm so glad to find people talking about Jeremy Brett's Sherlock Holmes! They seemed to be so overlooked for so long!

Jeremy is Holmes because he possesses a genuine empathy of the tumult that an especially brilliant mind experiences.

Jeremy Brett was a wonderful actor and THE definitive Holmes.

Stephen Fry is a treasure. I am happy to see that Jeremy Brett is getting recognition for his craft. The man was an superior Sherlock.

This is a delightful interview in which a brilliant man savours the work of another brilliant man. I enjoyed every minute of it.

The Granada Series is so detailed and so well done.I really feel part of 1880s London.

"The sign of four", with Brett and Hardwicke, John Thaw, Emrys James, Jenny Seagrove and Ronald Lacey, made in 1987, absolutely excellent, fabulous. A full length film of nearly 2hrs with an excellent cast wonderful sets and settings. We will not see its like again.

I'm so fascinated with Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes and the Granada series. All episodes are on RU-vid. I've been reading the original stories as well. Grew up with the Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce movies and loved them, but they can't compare.

Once you've gone Brett, you'll never go back.

Favourite moment? Jeremy's face when the "Second Stain" falls into place. Masterful.

Jeremy Brett was a force of nature in his outstanding talents. It was so obvious that it was overlooked in his living days. Reminds me of Vincent van Gogh...

Brett was brilliant! It is satisfying to see the appreciation for his work in your podcast. I watched Brett as Holmes before I read the books, actually, so he will always be Holmes in my imagination. I hope Mr. Fry’s campaign is a success. I can’t think of a better man to lead the charge.

Thank you for celebrating Jeremy Brett.

Stephen Fry's passion for Sherlock Holmes is one more reason for me to love and admire him more.

Jeremy Brett is (was) my favorite Sherlock Holmes. I miss him a lot. God rest his Soul.

Jeremy Brett was the best Sherlock ever. He really had the true personality of the character down completely.

The exquisite frosting on the glorious cake of the Jeremy Brett Sherlock Holmes series is the music by Patrick Gowers!!!!! Perfect!!!

Jeremy Brett is the quintessential Sherlock Holmes for me! My favorite scene was in the episode featuring a very nasty blackmailer whom Holmes infiltrates the blackmailers home as a Plumber! His awkwardness with the maid who was attempting to make love him was priceless! Mr. Brett’s acting skills made Holmes/the Plumber’s reactions to the maid advances so very real! Holmes vulnerabilities as a man escaped so quickly he had no warning or time to compose himself! Brett played that moment exquisitely! He won my respect as the ONLY Sherlock Holmes ever! Thank you for the wonderful interview with Mr. Fry another actor whom I respect!

God, I love this man. I’m so glad to see him healthy and engaging.

Oh thank you so very much, Mr. Fry for talking about Jeremy Brett. I had once commented on your video talk about Oscar Wilde wherein I had requested you to also say a few words about Jeremy Brett, whose astonishingly high quality depiction of Sherlock Holmes in every minute way possible, be it his dressing to his smile to laugh to his strrress on letter R while speaking in that beautiful accent of his made me fall in love with that wonderful human during my school days. Alas, my wish to shake his hand at least once will never be realized for he is no more. But I am glad his images live on courtesy RU-vid. Thank you again and the two gentlemen for choosing a topic so worthy as this. For me, Sherlock Holmes was and is no one but Jeremy Brett. May the Universe bless you

Yes, Jeremy Brett was the greatest Holmes of all. He played Holmes as a genius. And of course Brett was a genius.

My husband and I have just discovered the Jeremy Brett Sherlock Holmes and we can't stop watching them! And we love the David Suchet Poirot too and said last night that Jeremy's sherlock was like dinner, meaty, intense, works your brain and the David Suchet Poirot is like desert, pleasure, light hearted and cozy.... Love them both!

Mr Brett IS Sherlock Holmes - Peace to Mr Fry too

This is absolutely wonderful! I have been telling people about Jeremy Brett's take on Sherlock Holmes since it first came out. I honestly wondered if somehow I might be alone in my appreciation of this spectacular series. How glad I am to be wrong! This was a fantastic interview as I also love Stephen Fry! My favorite Jeremy Brett Sherlock Holmes stories are the second season with Edward Hardwicke. For me, Edward Hardwicke IS Watson. He comes across as intelligent in his own right, a suitable companion for the world's greatest detective. Keep going, gentlemen. This is a treasure of a find. Well done.

My favourite holmes ever..Mr Jeremy Brett.Every nuance was perfect.

Brilliant! No one is better to listen to than Stephen Fry on the subject of Sherlock Holmes. Stephen gets it... he really gets it!

I've listened to his Audible recording over and over. Jeremy. Stephen and Sherlock. The finest Brits

I am so very glad that my introduction to Sherlock Holmes was via Stephen Fry's Audible readings of the entire Conan-Doyle canon of Holmes. He read them with such great skill that it truly sounded like a cast of many readers. That led to my watching the brilliant Jeremy Brett series on Britbox. When my parents watched the series in the 80s, I had no interest. When I heard Mr. Fry's readings, I couldn't believe what I had been missing.

An interview of interest! It was pleasing to learn that Fry knew Jeremy Brett and also Brett and Anna Massey's son David.

Brett to me is the most iconic Holmes. The depth, the passion, the thoughtfulness. He got so into character that it killed him. What a legend of the acting industry. As much as I like Cumberbatch as an actor, for the new Holmes he is flat, not passionate , compared to Brett.

I was addicted to this series, and as a young bloke somehow I understood and felt the gravitas with which Jermey Brett portrayed Holmes. To hear my favorite wise man (yes I am a Fry fanboy) is so outspokenly on the same page as me, and knows how to express exactly the feeling this Holmes gave me with his eloquent and tapestry way of telling his stories just gave me goosebumps! And what a great idea for a podcast! Thanks so much! Subscribed!

Fry is so incredibly well spoken - definitely would not have rediscovered Holmes without his audiobook series.

There were two actors who played Watson with Jeremy Brett in the Sherlock Holmes television series. David Burke and Edward Hardwicke.

What a superb and wonderful interview!! I love hearing Stephen talk about the extraordinary and amazing Jeremy Brett, and the interviewer showing so much knowledge about Jeremy as well. As an actor, Jeremy was truly brilliant, and as Holmes, he was unequaled. Well done!

Very interesting conversation. Jeremy Brett was, indeed, superb as Holmes. And although it's great to have all the films he made, it still stings that he never lived long enough to finish all the stories. David Suchet managed to film all the Hercule Poirot stories, so it would've been fantastic if the same had been the case with Holmes.

Absolutely . . . Jeremy Brett was the best Sherlock Holmes ever!! Re-watching them again. Still fabulous!

Brett was everyone's favourite. I love Fry talking about this stuff.

Jeremy Brett is the epitome of Sherlock Holmes! ❤️

Stephen Fry talking about Jeremy Brett and Sherlock Holmes... that's the stuff of fantasies! Thanks so much for this Luke and Gus. This was just so precious.

I grew up watching Jeremy Brett. He's the only Holmes for me. Exceptional.

I'm listening to the Audible Book, read by Stephen Fry. It is outstanding.

I teach English in Chiang Mai using my own method and curriculum and I am so pleased to say Sherlock Holmes is one of my senior students favourite subjects of the 150+ subjects I have created, very rewarding classes whenever they are requested..Each Lesson is preceded by viewing a Jeremy Brett Granada episode. Next lesson is in 4 hours time, must print, laminate and bind the textbooks for my students now!

Jeremy Brett was THE Sherlock Holmes bar none. I read in an interview once that he said that he thought that he wasn't very good at portraying him and I was shocked by his admission. He was the best one to play him.

Stephen Fry could make a discussion on the various grades of sand sound interesting

How do I thumb up a million times? Thanks so much you two ❤🙏

Thank you for this. it's heartwarming for Jeremy and the TV series to receive its proper due. The high production values are self-evident right from the opening shot of the credit sequence and I immediately fell in love with the series when it was first broadcast all those years ago. I was still at school at the time so the series led to me taking out the books from the library and reading all the original stories. Please don't overlook the wonderful David Burke who brought considerable depth and presence of mind to the role of Watson who, up until that point, was regularly portrayed as a bumbling oaf (his portrayal of Josef Stalin is also worth seeing in the excellent "Reilly, ace of spies." - they really don't make programmes like they used to.)

Jeremy Brett...so many fond memories of TV nights, before I even realized what great acting was. He was simply captivating and genuine.

I love Sherlock Holmes. I love Jeremy Brett. I love Stephen Fry. Thank you.

Isn't wonderful to hear someone's work reviewed with such love and in such detail.

Jeremy Brett _is_ Sherlock Holmes. I bought the Granada series some years ago and it is stunning.

What a delightful discovery! Brett was indescribably superb as Holmes, giving us everything we wanted and needed in the character but always holding something back. Thanks for giving us a place to celebrate him!

I’m so very pleased such fans exist of the great Jeremy Brett playing the one and only exquisite portrayal of Sherlock Holmes. And to see one of my favorite people Stephen Fry talk about the work is so thrilling. I grew up on the PBS broadcasts of Sherlock Holmes. Those stories and Brett’s portrayal was a rational touchstone in a sea of bad emotions and manipulation. I could look to Holmes to make rational sense of his world. Thank you for this mix of appreciation and fond remembrances.

What a wonderful thing to see! Beloved Stephen Fry, talking about our genius Sherlock Holmes, the miraculous Jeremy Brett! For me, he was the greatest Holmes of all time, and always will be...and I've seen a lot of portrayals of the character. Wonderful talk, great and intelligent questions, a pure joy to see Mr Brett remembered so very well. Thank you! ❤😊

I too think that Jeremy's greatness hasn't been proprely recognised

God bless Jeremy Brett my most favorite Sherlock Holmes EVER . Is a time machine for me every time I watch the Granada Sherlock Holmes TV show I go back when I was fourteen years old is always refreshing and nostalgic in the same time!

I remember watching every episode and season of Sherlock Holmes with Jeremy Brett . Me and my dad would wait with baited breath for the next installment great days . Bless both their souls .

Jeremy Brett was indeed the definitive Sherlock Holmes. I love both Watsons too. I was teaching acting when Edward Hardwicke began playing Watson and I wrote to him and we had a correspondence going about acting. Glad you are sharing these online. They are a joy to watch.

I like Jeremy Brett best as Holmes

Jeremy Brett is simply the greatest Sherlock Holmes ever.

When I saw this link pop up in my tl I went crazy I guess... I didn't know your podcast but this is quite an entrée to it ! Thank you so much for this because as a sherlockian and a brettist, that's pure caviar ! And now, I'm in a hurry to ear to the other podcasts !

Loved watching Brett in the Granada series when I was younger on PBS Mystery with the Edward Gorey opening. Now I own them on DVD. Best Sherlock ever!

I had no idea about this podcast up until today. I'm so delighted to find it. More people need to be introduced to the wonderful Jeremy Brett and his amazing Sherlock Holmes series. Really fantastic work guys. Thank you so much.

This showed up in my recommendations because I’m a Stephen Fry fan. But I own the Jeremy Brett DVD box set. Thanks for the Friday night treat. I subscribed.

Fry is delightful. Kind, generous, and he has the gift of gathering people into something wonderful. I wrote to him in about 1991 and he answered with a letter that's one of my most valuable possessions. He said he hoped his work didn't distress me too much 😁💕 And he's absolutely correct about Jeremy Brett, who is magical to watch and even to hear. Brett had a resonance that was a blend of rough edges and smooth, cultured tones. Had an eerie quality of sounding like he was speaking right behind you. I hope he did or does get his BAFTA.

Those who have played Sherlock Holmes since 1893: Charles Brookfield - 1893 William Gillette - 1899-1930 - 1300 Performances over 30 yrs. Sherlock Holmes movie Baffled - 1900 Silent/Short - Max Goldberg John F. Preston - 1900 Charles Rice - 1904 Karoly Baumann - 1905 Maurice Costello - 1905 Viggo Larsen - 1908 Alwin NeuB - 1908, 1911, 1914 Otto Lagoni - 1910 Holger Rasmussen - 1911 Mack Sennett - 1911-1912 George Treville - 1912 Harry Benham - 1913 James Bragington - 1914 Francis Ford - 1914 H.A. Saintbury - 1916 Hugo Flink - 1917 Sam Robinson - 1918 Eille Norwood - 1921 Silent short movie - The Dying Detective Burt Lytell - 1921 Dennis Neillson-Terry - 1921 John Barrymore - 1922 Hamilton Deane - 1923-1932 Tod Slaughter - 1928, 1930 Richard Gordon - 1930-1933, 1936 Clive Brook - 1929/1930/1932 Arthur Wontner - 1931- 1937 - Movie Series Raymond Massey - 1931 Robert Rendel - 1932 Reginald Owen - 1933 Felix Alymer - 1933 Louis Hector - 1934-1935, 1937 Bruno Guttner - 1937, 1939, 1942-1943 Orson Welles - 1938 Basil Rathbone - 1939-1946 Cedric Hardwick - 1945 Tom Conway - 1947 Howard Marion-Crawford - 1948 John Stanley - 1948-1949 Alan Napier - 1949 John Longden - 1951 Laidman Browne - 1951 Carleton Hobbs - 1952-1969 Ronald Howard - 1954 (39 episodes) Sir John Gielgud - 1954-1955 Christopher Lee - 1962, 1970, 1992 Douglas Wilmer - 1964 Peter Cushing - 1959, 1968, 1984 John Neville - 1965, 1970, 1978 Robert Stephens - 1970 Stewart Granger - 1972 John Cleese - 1973 Larry Hagman - 1974 Robert Powell - 1974 John Wood - 1974-1975 Dinsdale Landen - 1974 Leonard Nimoy - 1976 Kevin McCarthy - 1977 Roger Moore - 1976 Nicol Williamson - 1976 Christopher Plummer - 1977 Peter Cook - 1977 Paxton Whitehead - 1978 Geoffrey Whitehead - 1979-1980 Keith Mitchell - 1979 Charlton Heston - 1980 Frank Langella - 1980 Vasily Livanov - Russian TV - 1979-1981, 1983 & 1986 John Moffatt - 1981 Guy Henry - 1982 Tom Baker - 1982 Ian Richardson - 1983 Peter O’Toole - 1983 (animated TV films - Australian) Jeremy Brett - 1984-1994 Nicholas Rowe - 1984 Dinsdale Landen - 1987 Guy Rolfe - 1984 Tim Pigott-Smith - 1987 Anthony Higgins - 1987 Michael Pennington - 1987 Roger Rees - 1988 Ron Moody - 1988-1989 Clive Merrison - 1989-1998, 2002, 2004, 2008-2010 Edward Woodward - 1990 Simon Callow - 1990 Richard E. Grant 1992 Robert Powell - 1993 Patrick McNee - 1993 Anthony Higgins - 1993 1998-2019: John Gilbert - Episodes 1-18 Lawrence Albert - Episode 20 John Patrick Lowrie - Episodes 21-65 & 67-until Dennis Bateman - Episode 66 Matt Frewer - 2000-2001 Joaquim de Almeida - 2001 Richard Roxburgh - 2002 James D’Arcy - 2002 Andrew Sachs - 2004 Rupert Everett - 2004 Jonathan Pryce - 2007 Javier Marzan - 2007 Roger Llewellyn - 2009 Ben Syder - 2010 Nicholas Briggs - 2010-2018 Johnny Lee Miller - 2012-2019 Benjamin Lawlor - 2013 Igor Petrenko - Russian TV Series - 2013 Robert Downey Jr. 2009 & 2011 Benedict Cumberbatch - 2010-2016 Nicholas Briggs - 2010-2018 Seamus Dever - 2014 Ian McKellen - 2015 Euan Morton - 2015 Gregory Wooddell - 2015 Paul Andrew Goldsmith - 2015-2016 Ewen Bremner - 2016 Jay Taylor - 2017-2018 Yuko Takeuchi - 2018 (HBO Asia - female ‘Holmes’) Orlando Wells - 2018 Samuel Tady - 2011, 2014, 2017-2018 (Tady Bros. Productions/on YTube) Johnny Depp - 2018 (animation) Will Ferrell - 2018 Nicholas Boulton - 2020 Henry Cavill - 2020 Ethan Bell - 2020 (Fan Film on RU-vid) Ethan Thomas Jung - 2020 Fan Adv. (Vagabond Repertory Theater Company-RU-vid) This list is not exhaustive. however, these are some of the many actors who have played Sherlock Holmes on stage, screen, radio and TV adaptations.

Stephen Fry, Jeremy Brett, Arthur Conan Doyle.. how wonderful to come across this. God save the Queen.

One of my all time favorite performers, talking about one of my all time favorite performances! Stephen Fry & Jeremy Brett... excellent!

I've binged all the podcasts because of this interview. Thanks Gus and Luke! I'm sure Jeremy Brett would have been so excited about all your efforts!

I feel genuinely sad that I could never meet the wonderful and beautiful man that is Jeremy Brett. A man like that will live forever as long as Sherlock Holmes is on the lips of any person. Also I have to add that Mr Burke and Mr Hardwick were also superb as Watson. Even the later episodes, that are quite sad to see his slow decline in health, he is still head and shoulders above anyone else before or since. Sadly missed. If there is a afterlife, I hope one day I can meet him and say what joy he brought me over the years.

Stephen's Audible recordings were my introduction to the original stories. I actually have a few of them left, intentionally not listened to, so I can savor them. I wish I could listen to all of them for the first time once more.

Fascinating, I didn't know Fry was a member of the Magic Circle or Sherlock Holmes Society!!

Stephen Fry's remark of "deepest level of friendship" rings true, in that a deep love and bonding relationship between two men does not and should not always be classified (or dismissed) as homosexuality. In "Fry and Laurie: Reunited," Hugh's letter to Stephen clarified that kind of difference: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-mvfsBwPBCAo.html

I would log my vote for him to get a “sir” let alone a belated award for his contribution to being THE greatest Sherlock Holmes..... he is and always will be the best actor to play the perfect role. 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧😎😎😎😍😍😍

Such a pleasure to listen to Mr. Fry speak so eloquently and effortlessly. His is the intellect and heart we all look up to as we do Sherlock Holmes.

Basil Rathbone was Sherlock Holmes to me until the first time I saw Jeremy Brett in the role.

A fascinating interview with Stephen Fry. Well done guys!

Stephen Fry is such a brilliant man. Wonderful to hear his experiences.

Stephen Fry names more people per paragraph than I have yet met in 48 years. I must get out and socialize more.