Gary Hopkins: A Sherlockian Conversation
In this special interview episode, Gus and Luke are joined by Granada series writer Gary Hopkins (The Devil’s Foot, Shoscombe Old Place, The Golden Pince-Nez, The Mazarin Stone) to discuss his humble beginnings with Granada, the challenges he faced during the series run, his reminiscences of Jeremy Brett, and much more.
In addition to writing for television, Gary is also co-host of the the BCFM radio program Nostalgia Ain’t What It Used To Be on 93.2 in Bristol. Visit the site at: http://bcfmradio.com/nostalgia
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Thank you Gus & Luke for our early Christmas present with a new episode.
Cannot wait to listen!
Will post my thoughts once I settle down with a cup by the fire…
Until then, Happy Christmas and 2020 to all!
Justa
Liked this one too, guys. Especially Mr. Hopkins’ behind-the-scenes at Granada and his stories of working with Jeremy Brett. Most enjoyable!
A lovely Christmas present, to be able to listen to this! A slight correction (if that doesn’t sound too obnoxious), though. In the original story of “The Devil’s Foot,” it is Watson who drags Holmes out of the room and rouses him before he goes mad, not the reverse of what he said occurred in the story. So the adaptation wasn’t a change to the original story, but consistent with Conan Doyle, to have Holmes more affected.
“At the same moment, in some effort of escape, I broke through that cloud of despair and had a glimpse of Holmes’s face, white, rigid, and drawn with horror—the very look which I had seen upon the features of the dead. It was that vision which gave me an instant of sanity and of strength. I dashed from my chair, threw my arms round Holmes, and together we lurched through the door, and an instant afterwards had thrown ourselves down upon the grass plot and were lying side by side, conscious only of the glorious sunshine which was bursting its way through the hellish cloud of terror which had girt us in.”
The “John” addition of Jeremy’s was brilliant, of course.
I think Hopkins had a great challenge, adapting some of the “lesser” stories of the canon. “The Devil’s Foot” is the strongest of the later tales. I must say, I do wish they’d tackled some of the earlier stories, like the “Reigate Squire” and my personal favorite “The Missing Three-Quarter” rather than mined the Casebook so much. But it was really Jeremy’s health that made the last season suffer, and I appreciate having to work around the challenges that posed.
Hi Mary,
Lovely comments re: ‘The Devils Foot.’
I live in the UK and this story was the opening story of that particular seasons run.
I was fortunate to chat with Jeremy Brett in Wyndhams Theatre in London during the Sherlock run.
I’ve just re-watched the Granada ‘The Sign of Four’ which I fleetingly saw being filmed near Boudicca’s statue on the Thames while down London on a school trip.
I was able to get in touch with Mike Grimes (Granada’s set designer) who kindly sent me drawings of the both the interior and exterior drawings of the Granada sets.
I’d love to make a scale model of these sets at some point.
Best regards
Dave.
Dave,
Any chance you’d like to share those drawings with our listeners? If so, we’d love to share them! Feel free to contact me at contact@sherlockpodcast.com if you’d like to discuss. Of course, no worries, if you’d prefer to keep them private. 🙂
Best,
Gus
Thank you so much for these. I am currently working my way through your podcasts, having started the series on DVD over Christmas (I saw them originally in the 1980s and they had a big impact then. They’re still fantastic).
Thanks for listening, Liz!
I am a huge fan of Sherlock. Your podcasts are so inviting, informative and fun! Great job guys! I know it takes lots of thought, time, and juggling to make it all come together! Thanks for making my day!