What was Jeremy Brett like?
He literally took that show on his shoulders – it was extraordinary watching him work. To say that it ultimately killed him is probably too strong a judgement, but it certainly took an enormous toll out of him. He is, undoubtedly, the definitive Holmes, and I think it will be very difficult for anybody to top him. The series was geared to being accurate as far as the original stories were concerned, and his portrayal of Holmes had all the nuances you find in the books – the manic bits, the quiet bits and the drug-taking. Yet the extraordinary thing is that once he relaxed in the evening, he was a wonderfully sociable man. I recorded a two-and-a-half hour interview with him at this Manchester hotel, and he was full of fun and hilarity, chatting to the waiters and enjoying himself immensely. He was a gregarious man, but so focused when he got onto the set and began to work. You could see him changing as he took the character on, in a way I’d never seen happen with anybody before. I don’t
