THE RIVALS OF SHERLOCK HOLMES

I note that the first episode of the 1971 UK TV series, 'The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes' is being shown at 9.00 pm on Talking Pictures TV tonight.  The episode, which is titled, 'A Message from the Deep Sea', might well be of interest to Blake's Seven fans as one is the cast is Paul Darrow, who plays Dr Hart.

The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes, as the name suggests was a series which highlighted some of the other crime fiction that was published during Victorian and Edwardian times, competing with Conan Doyle's enduring creation.

This first episode stars John Neville (who incidentally played Holmes in the Tigon film, A Study in Terror) as Dr Thorndyke, a professor in Medical Jurisprudence who concerns himself purely with forensic science. Dr Hart (played by Paul Darrow), a former student of Thorndyke and assistant to the Police Surgeon is called to a murder scene. The Police Surgeon is temporarily unavailable and the case rests uneasily on Hart's shoulders. Hart persuades Thorndyke to take an interest in what at first appears to be an open and shut case, but Thorndyke isn't convinced and must use his scientific knowledge in an attempt to prevent an innocent person going to the gallows.

 As with any anthology series some episodes are better than others, but overall it's well worth a watch.