Sherlock Holmes (1984 TV series)

Sherlock Holmes
Original opening title card. In subsequent series this wording would change.
Created by	Michael Cox
Starring	Jeremy Brett David Burke Edward Hardwicke Charles Gray Colin Jeavons Eric Porter Rosalie Williams
Composer(s)	Patrick Gowers
No. of series	9 (including The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, The Return of Sherlock Holmes, The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes and The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, plus 5 feature length specials)
No. of episodes	41 (list of episodes)
Production
Producer(s)	ITV Granada
Running time	50 to 104 minutes
Release
Original network	ITV
Original release	24 April 1984 (1984-04-24) – 11 April 1994 (1994-04-11)

Sherlock Holmes is the name given to the TV series of Sherlock Holmes adaptations produced by British television company Granada Television between 1984 and 1994, with the first two series bearing the title The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes on screen and being followed by subsequent sub-series bearing the titles of other short story collections by Arthur Conan Doyle. The series was broadcast on the ITV network in the UK and starred Jeremy Brett as the famous detective. His portrayal remains very popular and is accepted by some as the definitive on-screen version of Sherlock Holmes.

In addition, Holmes's faithful friend and companion Dr. Watson is portrayed as the kind of thoroughly competent sidekick that Holmes would want. Initially, Watson was portrayed by David Burke (who had earlier played the villain in an adaptation of "The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet" for the 1965 BBC series starring Douglas Wilmer and ). Burke appeared in the first year of the Adventures series before leaving to join the Royal Shakespeare Company. He was replaced by Edward Hardwicke, who played Watson for the remainder of the run.

Of the 60 Holmes stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, 42 were adapted in the series spanning 36 one-hour episodes and five feature-length specials. (The elements of two stories were combined in one episode, accounting for the different numbers.)

The series was initially produced by Michael Cox, with later episodes produced by June Wyndham-Davies. It was developed for television by screenwriter John Hawkesworth, who also wrote many of the episodes (all based on individual Conan Doyle stories). Other writers to adapt Doyle's stories in the series included Alexander Baron, Jeremy Paul, T.R. Bowen, and Alan Plater. A full-scale outdoor replica of Baker Street was constructed at Granada's studios in Quay Street, Manchester, which later formed a central part of the Granada Studios Tour tourist attraction, before that venue's closure in 1999.