When it comes to late Victorian detectives (fictitious or otherwise), one name frequently pops up: a guy named Sherlock Holmes. But, as it turns out, Holmes wasn’t the only literary sleuth to ever match wits against the would-be criminal masterminds of London. Names such as Dr. Throndyke, Horace Dorrington, Eugene Valmont and many more may not so 
much as earn an earnest “Who?” from most modern-day mystery readers, but they all share a special place in the field of crime solving.
In 1971, Britain’s Thames Television co-produced a series entitled The Rivals Of Sherlock Holmes. An anthology series, The Rivals Of Sherlock Holmes presented a new and often original adaptation taken from the works of such once-popular crime fiction writers as R. Austin Freeman, William Hope Hodgson, and Guy Boothby to name a few — most of whom have been all-but forgotten today. Each week presented a new story starring a different character (only a few characters were ever seen more than once). Each character possessed their very own quirk that made them (and their brain) tick.
Sherlock Holmes was a good guy, plain and simple. Sure, he had a bit of a cocaine problem, but it was legal at the time. 
Many of his rivals, however, were not so good. Take, for example, Simon Carne (portrayed by Roy Dotrice): a sophisticated member of the upper-class whom everyone perceives to be a charming (if hunchbacked) individual. It just so happens he’s a thief, preying on the snooty upper-class along with his faithful valet and a box full of disguises. Then there’s Horace Dorrington (Peter Vaughn), one of the most crooked detectives you’re likely to come across (which is saying a lot). Some of the other The Rivals Of Sherlock Holmes include a sharp but irrepressibly pompous forensics teacher (John Neville as Dr. Thorndyke), a ghost chaser (Donald Pleasance as Carnacki), and even an ambiguously gay blind detective (Robert Stephens as Max Carrados).
Article comments