The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (TV Series) A Scandal in Bohemia (1984) User Reviews

First Impressions

[james_oblivion · 9/10 · 11 October 2007]

A Scandal in Bohemia has its share of "firsts." It was the first short story to feature Sherlock Holmes (after Arthur Conan Doyle introduced the character in his novel, A Study in Scarlet), it was the first episode of the excellent Granada series, and as such, it was the first time the viewing audience had the pleasure of seeing Jeremy Brett in the role of Holmes. It was also the first Granada episode I ever watched.

I went into the Granada series not knowing what to expect. I'd heard many great things said about it, and particularly about Brett, but I had no real expectations. So I decided to give it a go, and to begin at the beginning. Within a few minutes of starting A Scandal in Bohemia, I leapt out of my seat and ran to grab my favorite collection of Sherlock Holmes tales. The reason being that, although I hadn't read A Scandal in Bohemia in some time, I found that it was all coming back to me as I watched the episode. I was literally shocked by how faithful it was, and had to check the story just to be sure that it really was staying as true to the source material as it seemed to be. And indeed, it was.

Throughout the course of the various Granada Holmes series, they would consistently remain true to the source material...or, in the instances where they strayed (mostly in the feature- length adventures), at least remain true to the SPIRIT. This was quite refreshing to me, as someone who loved the stories, and had seen countless adaptations that had strayed so far from what made them great. A Scandal in Bohemia was, to that time, the most faithful Holmes adaptation I had ever seen...and, along with many of the other wonderful Granada episodes, it's still among the most faithful.

Jeremy Brett, as Holmes, is superb from the word "Go." His magnificent performance in this episode engaged me instantly, and prepared me for the 40 adventures to follow...during which time, I would come to embrace his Holmes as THE definitive screen characterization of the world's greatest detective. Brett is the character of Sherlock Holmes come to life. Everything that he was in the stories, and everything that he often WASN'T in other adaptations, Jeremy Brett had it...and his presence alone made each and every episode a delight to watch.

David Burke also bears mentioning here, as a fantastic Watson to Brett's Holmes. Not at all in the Nigel Bruce mold, a characterization which has dogged many other adaptations throughout the years, Burke brings a charm and quiet intelligence to the role that complements Holmes's eccentric brilliance perfectly and, as with anything else in this episode, stays true to the essence of Conan Doyle's original story. Burke would serve as a faithful and amiable Watson throughout the run of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, before being replaced by the equally capable and likable Edward Hardwicke.

As an initiation into the Granada Holmes entries, A Scandal in Bohemia served its purpose admirably. I was struck by how faithful it was, how capable the direction and production design were, and how wonderful the performances were. It was as if someone had breathed life into Conan Doyle's story and raised it from the page for all to see. Suffice it to say, I was mightily impressed, and have been a devotee of the Granada Holmes series, and Jeremy Brett, ever since.

A great debut to a wonderful series.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 8/10 · 2 August 2016]

Jeremy Brett's reign as Conan Doyle's famous detective kicked off with this story, one of Conan Doyle's better known tales. Hard to believe this was made back in 1984, it boasts glorious production values, it is wonderfully opulent and decadent, they went for dramatic, a touch of theatre. Glorious costumes and visuals, it's a definite treat upon the eyes, but it's the performances that make this, Brett is incredible in his first outing, his disguises are hugely entertaining, reminiscent of those donned by Basil Rathbone. David Burke does a fine job as Watson, I've always liked both him and Hardwicke equally. Gayle Hunnicutt is utterly glorious as Irene Adler, she has a delicate beauty, and a softness which the character demanded, Wolf Kahler certainly looked the part of the King of Bohemia.

Not my favourite story, as I felt there were better to come, but it's a solid opener, and worth watching for the fine performances. 8/10

A very strong first impression

[TheLittleSongbird · 9/10 · 15 May 2012]

I have always loved the Sherlock Holmes Granada series, and Scandal in Bohemia is a very strong impression. There may be a slight sense of things not quite settling in like they did later, but this is only slight. As usual, it is of high quality visually, it all feels very atmospheric and has splendid costumes and sets. The music is hauntingly beautiful and sometimes melancholic, the story is as cleverly compelling as you would expect and the script is sophisticated and thoughtful with Holmes' deductions and the whole chemistry between Holmes and Watson delighting. The acting is just as strong, with Jeremy Brett giving an ever commanding performance in the title role and David Burke a composed and intelligent(in a quiet sort of way) Watson. A Scandal in Bohemia is worth noting for the appearance of Irene Adler, played wonderfully by Gayle Hunnicutt. In conclusion, a truly promising start with little wrong, even if the overall series had episodes that were even better(The Blue Carbuncle, The Dying Detective, The Devil's Foot). 9/10 Bethany Cox

Excellent!

[sherlock-44 · 9/10 · 5 January 2007]

Holmes disguise in this one is awesome!

I like this episode because the original story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was a good one, and also this episode was the first aired(not sure about taping order) in the series, which means Jeremy Brett still looks thin and healthy, and David Burke was Watson(as we know from the credits above). Together they made a great representation of Doyle's characters.

David Burke was the first Watson in this Granada series and all these early ones are really enjoyable. Not that I don't love Edward Hardwicke as Watson also, but sometimes I think the first episodes with Burke as Waton are the best.

And of course this is the episode with the great Irene Adler, "of dubious and questionable memory."

Holmes in Love

[Hitchcoc · 9/10 · 5 February 2014]

I can't express the joy I felt when I heard that a series of Sherlock Holmes episodes was to appear on public television, and that they would be faithful, for the most part, to the original canon. I've seen them all a few times and decided to throw my two cent's worth into the mix. The first episode, "A Scandal in Bohemia," generally accepted as the first story published, gets things off on the right foot. We are introduced to Jeremy Brett, a quirky, self-absorbed Holmes, who puts his own stamp on the character. His Watson is portrayed, not as the bumbling incompetent, but as a worthy assistant who had the intelligence to write and publish the stories of his amazing friend (though seldom given credit for it by his mentor). This episode has several things to recommend it. He has a worthy adversary in Irene Adler. At no time is she the defenseless female of the Victorian novel. We have a masterful plot by Holmes to gain entrance into the woman's house to fetch the damning correspondence. We have Holmes at his best, disguising himself as he often did. We have a case of poetic justice. We also have Holmes dealing with a romantic fixation on the "one" woman. The performances are solid, the milieu of the period is nicely recreated, and we have interpretations of characters that are quite satisfying. It's too bad Irene never appears again, but then Conan-Doyle probably wasn't into sequels.

The One The Only Sherlock Holmes

[susanhudek53 · 10/10 · 30 September 2020]

As posters have stated, Jeremy Brett is the epitome of Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes. When I was growing up it was Basil Rathbone/ Nigel Bruce series that introduced me to the characters. Then I read the books. The trouble I had after reading Conan Doyle's stories was the character of Watson. Truly Holmes never suffered fools so why was Bruce's character such a bumbling fool. David Burke and Edward Hardwicke had the best portrayals of Watson...wise and intelligent as he should be. I would say if you haven't watched these shows you are missing one of the greatest British Mystery series of all time.

This is what I see when I use my imagination while reading a Holmes and Watson adventure.

[talkteav · 10/10 · 8 August 2022]

The period is romantic, with each scene displaying beautiful costumes and the perfect interior and exterior backdrops. This version of 'A Scandal In Bohemia' made me want to see more from these two actors. It will take less than fifty-two minutes for the director and actors to connect you to a classic story and its famous characters. In my opinion, as Holmes would put it when describing Irene Adler, Gale Hunnicutt is "The Woman." I have seen Batman movies where there is no Robin, but David Burke proved in this first episode that there is no Sherlock Holmes without Dr. Watson. Jeremy Brett offers the viewer a realistic version of Holmes. I could read the book now and see Brett as Holmes in each chapter. I have watched many versions of Sherlock Holmes on television and in the movies, but out of all of them, Jeremy Brett's Sherlock Holmes is the one I always come back to every year since I was twelve. Each scene is the turn of a page while I sit back, sipping on my tea with the feeling of excitement at what happens next.

As always, if you made it this far, thanks for reading, and if you watch this series, let me know what you think.

Keep it interesting, Stay Channel Surfing!

Damian at TalkTeaV.

Strong characters make for a nice episode.

[kfo9494 · 7/10 · 13 October 2013]

I made a nice error and watched many of the later episodes before viewing this season one, episode one featuring Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes. And now I am glad that I watch the later ones because this episode was the first time Holmes gave any type of credence to women as he finds an interesting woman absolutely fascinating.

Holmes is hired by the soon to be married King of Bohemia to find a woman he had an affair with some years ago. The women, an American actress named Irene Adler, has a compromising picture taken with the King that he feels could lead to a scandal in his reign. So with the help of Holmes he hopes to get the photo returned and save face with his court.

With Holmes and Dr Watson on the case and some brilliant work using facial disguises, the problem will hopefully be solved and the picture returned. But it will not be as easy as speaking a few words for the beautiful woman is not as naive as some, even Holmes, may think.

This episode is more of a laid plain than an ongoing mystery which usually tends to lessen the entertainment value. But this interesting story held up due to the strong characters which includes Gayle Hunnicutt as the enchanting Irene Adler. A woman that even Holmes must remember. Good watch.

"The Woman"

[ericksonsam60 · 8/10 · 30 April 2012]

This first Granada Sherlock Holmes adaptation with Jeremy Brett is stylish and entertaining. It elegantly displays Sherlock Holmes doing his disguises, it has baroque and wicked nature to it. The production and photography is at its best in this episode (especially in those early flashback scenes). Gayle Honnicut is superb as the sly and beautiful Irene Adler, the woman that Holmes becomes fascinated with as she becomes the only person to ever outsmart Holmes. Wolf Kahler is also quite good as The King of Bohemia. The story is poignant and memorable. Certainly a standout in the soon to be great, long running series.

A Scandal in Bohemia

[Prismark10 · 7/10 · 13 January 2019]

After Jeremy Brett, British television companies have been reluctant to make period set Sherlock Holmes stories.

The most successful reincarnation has been the modern day version of Sherlock.

Brett would add theatrical flourishes in his interpretation. The opening scenes very much sets out his Holmes. Clever, irascible and if he cannot exercise his mind then he will take the 7 per cent solution.

Watson (David Burke) is solid and reliable. He knows when it comes to intellect that he is second fiddle to Holmes.

A Scandal in Bohemia is a good introductory story with the appearance of the flamed headed Irene Adler. The King of Bohemia wants Holmes to get hold of a photograph with him and Adler.

Holmes has a cunning plan and dons various disguises. He also realises that Irene Adler is a woman of some intellect herself.

This is a wonderfully crafted story from Granada. There is just a hint here and there that the makers were stretched to bring the short story to the one hour long allotted time.

The first installment of the Brett series

[standardmetal · 10/10 · 18 August 2017]

The dialogue concerning Sherlock Holmes' cocaine use and the famous 7-percent solution was taken from Doyle's "The Sign of Four" and that is probably the real reason Brett didn't repeat it in that episode.

I'm not quite sure why Irene Adler's first name is pronounced in that rather odd way ("Eereyna") especially since she is described as an American from New Jersey but I have little doubt she was based on the "Jersey Lily", Lillie Langtry, who came from the Isle of Jersey in the English Channel. (Many of the Holmes stories were written for an American audience.)

In this story, Adler is a prima donna soprano and an "adventuress" who, like the real Langry, had affairs with many royal and noble personages.

In this episode, David Burke is Watson and Gayle Hunnicutt is the excellent Irene Adler. Though Holmes was not an admirer of the female sex, to him, Adler was always "the woman" whose cleverness surpassed his own in the long run.

Wolf Kahler played the fictional King of a fictionalized "Bohemia".

This is the first episode in the presently unsurpassed Brett-Burke-Hardwicke Grenada series.

Dynamic detecting duo...

[poe-48833 · 10/10 · 17 September 2015]

"I abhor the dull routine of existence," laments Jeremy Brett as the quintessential Sherlock Holmes in A SCANDAL IN BOHEMIA; his whole reason for Being is the solving of a Mystery and, when there are no Mysteries to be solved, he turns to... other distractions (the "seven percent solution"). "I am lost without my Boswel," he tells his loyal sidekick (and chronicler) Dr. John Watson (David Burke). A SCANDAL IN BOHEMIA is certainly a memorable episode (from a memorable series, so that's saying a lot). Holmes not only falls for "the Woman," he's outfoxed by her, as well. Jeremy Brett will always BE Sherlock Holmes, as far as I'm concerned; no one else ever came close.

A curious start

[suicidea · 9/10 · 15 January 2021]

Although it's apparently the first Sherlock Holmes story, this is nevertheless a curious choice to start off the TV series, since the story involves a king and a woman whom Sherlock admits "has a face to die for." Purely an observation on Sherlock's part, of course. But it could easily mislead the first-time viewer, as if this new series would involve the titular character in majestic cases with kings, or have love interests. Which wouldn't be too surprising, considering how far from the source material the countless other adaptations before (and since) have strayed.

Luckily, that's not the case. This is a great story, wonderfully produced and a great start. Jeremy Brett and David Burke's performances here are the key; they would either persuade you to give the rest of the series a chance, or dismiss it altogether from the start. Since they are both perfect fits for their parts, everything works.

Holmes is contacted and employed by a king, who fears that a lady from a past relation may want to ruin his upcoming wedding, which could have an impact on European history. This is no ordinary lady, she's very liberal for her time, an opera singer, and very attractive. However, as Holmes finds out soon, she wants nothing to do with the king.

Although the two title performances are always great (and I must also compliment Rosalie Williams as Mrs. Hudson, who is always a joy to see) for me, the main attraction of the Granada series has always been the production values: the sets, costumes, manners of speech and walking, faithfulness to the original material and dialogue, and the general atmosphere of the final work. This episode, like many others, delivers in all these aspects. It's far from being my favorite, but I can always enjoy it when I catch it.

A Face Men Would Die For.

[rmax304823 · 8/10 · 19 July 2012]

This was the first episode of the first season and if the plot itself is less than some of the others, it's quite good in itself because it introduces some elements that were rarely mentioned later.

It doesn't stick THAT closely to Conan-Doyle's original. Right off the bat, there's the exchange about the seven percent cocaine solution from "The Sign of Four." And the plot -- let's face it -- is about as improbable as they come. Watson throws a smoke bomb through Irene Adler's open window, causing her to reveal the hiding place of a valuable photograph, while Holmes spies on her disguised as a humble parson.

But who care about all that? Gayle Hunnicutt is Irene Adler, the notorious songbird and seducer of royalty, and as Holmes puts it, "She has a face men would die for." And indeed she does. The babe herself is from Texas, which is about as credible as the character's being from New Jersey, but she carries and conducts herself with elegance. And she really IS beautiful. Her features -- those big blue eyes, those symmetrical pink lips -- are pleasant and open, but that nose of hers is graceful but incisive. She's a knock out, and smart too. Yum.

If I remember the original in print, this episode gives her more time, and Holmes gets to express more interest in her, proving that he's not a woman trapped in a man's body. It's all to the good.

Speaking of trapped, poor Wolf Kahler, born in Kiel, plays the worried and arrogant King of Bohemia. The guy was some sort of German agent or Nazi officer in one movie after another, perhaps most notably in "Raiders of the Lost Ark," where he was horrifyingly melted by the Ark of the Covenant.

David Burke as Watson is fine. Jeremy Brett is young, slender, twitchy, and precise -- a thinking type straight out of Carl Jung's typology. The musical score is sparse but hints at Wagner's "Tristan und Isolde" theme. Make ups, as usual, are superb.

Great start

[grantss · 9/10 · 14 November 2022]

Sherlock Holmes is hired by the King of Bohemia to retrieve a photograph from one Irene Adler. Ms Adler and the King had a relationship several years earlier, the publication of which would jeopardise his imminent betrothal to the Princess of Scandinavia. Holmes finds himself up against a formidable opponent.

A great start to the series. Quite low-key by Holmes's standards as it doesn't involve a murder or a robbery or even the solving of a crime but intriguing and interesting nevertheless.

We are also introduced to Holmes and Watson and the world in which they live. A good way to get into the series.

Music score!

[rosaw · 10/10 · 12 July 2009]

Tell me how I can find out the name of the music score by Patrick Gowers. The score was when the king of Bohemia started off dancing with Irene Adler where the musicians were blindfolded. I'm a collector of sorts of fine music, somehow this melody struck me as superb. I realize this is a off-the wall request but this is a score you don't hear too often with the backdrop of all this trashy music you hear these days. The classics are still supreme if you take the time to listen with me having a background in listening pleasure of New Orleans type of music mixed with Blues, Dixieland (Pete Fountain, Al Hirt), Jazz (Louis Armstrong), Gospel (Mahalia Jackson), Rock & Roll (Aaron Nevilles, Fats Domino, Earnie Kdoe), Cajun.

Possibly the best of all the Jeremy Brett films where he played Sherlock Holmes...and also the first!

[planktonrules · 10/10 · 2 September 2023]

I am a purist when it comes to Sherlock Holmes movies. I read all the Conan Doyle stories and have a great reverence for the stories as he wrote them...without all the later additions foisted on the series by stage actors (William Gillette) and movie actors (Basil Rathbone...and a bazillion others). Because of this, I simply adore the Sherlock Holmes stories produced by Grenada Television in the 1980s and 90s which starred Jeremy Brett. Unlike the other actors playing Sherlock, Brett WAS Sherlock Holmes in every way. He lacked the cliches and just produced a very realistic and inspiring version of the fictional detective. And, of the man episodes they produced, my own personal favorite is this one, "A Scandal in Bohemia". While, of course, Brett is much of the reason, it's also because I think it's the best written of the Conan Doyle stories.

When the story begins, a Bohemian king arrives and pretends to be some lower nobleman working for the King. Holmes sees right through this and clearly he has no interest in the King's intrigues or his position. While Watson bows and shows great deference to the King, Holmes treats him like any common person, as Holmes sees that nobility doesn't mean a person is particularly noble!

So what does this guy want from Holmes? Well, it seems he had an affair with an American opera star years ago and he's afraid she'll go public about their affair once the King announces his engagement to another woman! What follows is most unusual as Holmes tries to match wits with a woman who might just prove to be more than his equal. Holmes' reaction to his is priceless...as if his final comments to his King!

The writing, acting, sets...everything...is perfect in this show. Marvelous and memorable.