The Priory School is one of my favourite episodes. It is one of those stories that starts of in one direction and then takes a turn. The end is dark in more ways than one.
Alan Howard was one of the finest actors to appear on the show. They were very lucky to have him and he was brilliant. Christopher Benjamin was also excellent, an interview with him would be a great addition to this series.
Thank you for another excellent podcast! I agree that the solving of the mystery is hard to follow (I’ve rewound so many times trying to make out what they’re saying about the horseshoes) but the episode is so beautifully filmed and poignantly scored that it’s still at the top of my list. I was delighted that you pointed out Holmes’ dismissive “No” about Huxtable’s Sidelights on Horace, one of my favorite moments of the entire series! It’s interesting that The Second Stain comes next, as I see a clear kinship between the repressed aristocratic hauteur of The Duke of Holderness and that of Lady Hilda. Holmes, in a sense, has to “break” them both.
Some years ago, I tracked down everything I could find on the Web about Jeremy Brett. It's been so long that I can't provide sources for this, so I offer it for what it's worth. Somebody in an interview was asked about the cow skeleton on the moor; it was not a prop, the interviewee said something like, "You use what you can find." re: Jeremy Brett's horsemanship: I'm pretty sure this was Jeremy, himself, saying that when he was young, he wanted to be a jockey. He's great with the horses in this episode, and I also love the way he holds the horses' bridles when Lady Eva Blackwell falls off her horse in "The Master Blackmailer"; their faces form the shape of a heart.
Yes, that quote sounds familiar to me as well. And we do know that Jeremy loved horses. There was a great story June Wyndham Davies shares with us on the Abbey Grange episode about Jeremy and horses. (I think Im right on that!)
The grand house is Chatsworth in Derbyshire. The pile of rocks that Holmes and Watson investigate and find the body on is Robin Hood's Stride. The cave at the end is Peak Cavern also known as The Devil's Arse in Castleton :)
I know I'm 3 years late on this, but just having listened to this episode, I just wanted to mention that the DVD set of The Return of Sherlock Holmes, which we have here in Finland (published by Finnkino), has the episode Priory School as the second episode on the DVD.
re: the choice to move the Duchess from France to Italy. For a visual medium where many things are not explicitly discussed, there's a problem in distinguishing the Duke of Saltire from the numerous other boys in the school. You mention that you weren't even sure if the boy shown during choir practice was he; yes, it was. The actor playing Lord Saltire had a slightly darker complexion than the average student, which I thought helped to make him easier to recognize. I thought he might have been cast because this would help him to be more recognizable, and they explained it by his wife's having been Italian.
During the intro, after "Dramatised by T.R. Bowen" fades, the boy looking to his right w/o turning his head is Nissar Modi, who played Lord Saltire. Something I didn't catch until recently was that after they show the hanging boots (football cleats?), the next thing you see is Lord Saltire's desk with an opened envelope on it, covering the lettering "LOTIRE" (the spacing at the end tells you a "T" preceded the "I") which obviously labeled this as Arthur's desk. I once saw a color copy of the B&W photo that is then displayed of Arthur with his mother Francesca and the Duke of Holdernesse, and the boy in the photo is the same one seen looking to his right, mentioned above.
yeah, I'm 3 years late but that's what happens when you just find UA-cam videos for the 1st time. Jeremy Brett rode horses since he was a child, and at one time even dreamed of becoming a jockey - which fate took care of when he grew to over 6 feet tall. Some people have criticized his very graceful dismount as being too dangerous, since there is a risk of hitting the horse's neck with your leg, but it looks like he easily cleared this mount. I was just watching his dismount as D'Artagnan in the Three Musketeers which aired in 1966 and he was dismounting the same way there. I've heard it called a Calvary dismount, and it makes sense if his father was really in the Calvary. I've also watched a lot of British Calvary officers dismount the more standard way, so I don't know if there's any truth to the matter. However, it does seem like it would give a soldier an advantage to come off facing forward toward the enemy as opposed to facing your horse's side.
Think most changed episode was”The Noble bachelor” which no crime was committed but I liked that version as horrifying as it was. One of my favourite story’s is priory school! Both versions. But people of that class weren’t supposed to show any emotions?? But in the story Holmes makes sure Watson never knows what’s going on? When he stands on his shoulders to look in window , sees Dukes son plus his illegitimate son he never mentions a word to Watson? Yet Watson has helped him throughout the day. Thought he offered £12.000 to keep quiet but he only excepts £6.000 instead?
So glad I found your podcast! I rarely meet people who give this series the appreciation it deserves. Jeremy Brett is the one true Sherlock.
Welcome! We're glad you found us.
Pp
Jeremy 's head to head with Alan Howard ( the Duke )
.... " Your point , Sir !? "......is a real treat .
Jeremy was in peak form here .
Along with Musgrave Ritual this is my fav Holmes adventure. What a blessing J. Brett was.
Director Madden sums it up perfectly: Jeremy Brett made the character of Sherlock Holmes dramatically and intellectually fascinating...
The Priory School is one of my favourite episodes. It is one of those stories that starts of in one direction and then takes a turn. The end is dark in more ways than one.
Your podcast adds a luscious dimension to the perfection of Jeremy Brett's Sherlock Holmes. Enjoyed your interview with Stephen Fry.
A luscious dimension is a lofty goal! Thank you for listening, Cat!
Excellent listening thank you.
Alan Howard was one of the finest actors to appear on the show. They were very lucky to have him and he was brilliant.
Christopher Benjamin was also excellent, an interview with him would be a great addition to this series.
Like Jeremy Brett, Alan Howard was an acting giant. He was excellent in The Perfect Spy recently shown on BBC4.
Thank you for another excellent podcast! I agree that the solving of the mystery is hard to follow (I’ve rewound so many times trying to make out what they’re saying about the horseshoes) but the episode is so beautifully filmed and poignantly scored that it’s still at the top of my list. I was delighted that you pointed out Holmes’ dismissive “No” about Huxtable’s Sidelights on Horace, one of my favorite moments of the entire series! It’s interesting that The Second Stain comes next, as I see a clear kinship between the repressed aristocratic hauteur of The Duke of Holderness and that of Lady Hilda. Holmes, in a sense, has to “break” them both.
Very good point! We're looking forward to discussing. We're hoping to have it out before the end of the year.
Looking forward to this.
On my top 3
Some years ago, I tracked down everything I could find on the Web about Jeremy Brett. It's been so long that I can't provide sources for this, so I offer it for what it's worth. Somebody in an interview was asked about the cow skeleton on the moor; it was not a prop, the interviewee said something like, "You use what you can find." re: Jeremy Brett's horsemanship: I'm pretty sure this was Jeremy, himself, saying that when he was young, he wanted to be a jockey. He's great with the horses in this episode, and I also love the way he holds the horses' bridles when Lady Eva Blackwell falls off her horse in "The Master Blackmailer"; their faces form the shape of a heart.
Yes, that quote sounds familiar to me as well. And we do know that Jeremy loved horses. There was a great story June Wyndham Davies shares with us on the Abbey Grange episode about Jeremy and horses. (I think Im right on that!)
I have the DVD box set of this series. Love it.
Thanks for reading out my telegram boys. And I loved Luke's David Burke impersonation. Ha ha!! Wonderful!
Ha! Thank you, Jeff!
The grand house is Chatsworth in Derbyshire. The pile of rocks that Holmes and Watson investigate and find the body on is Robin Hood's Stride. The cave at the end is Peak Cavern also known as The Devil's Arse in Castleton :)
I know I'm 3 years late on this, but just having listened to this episode, I just wanted to mention that the DVD set of The Return of Sherlock Holmes, which we have here in Finland (published by Finnkino), has the episode Priory School as the second episode on the DVD.
re: the choice to move the Duchess from France to Italy. For a visual medium where many things are not explicitly discussed, there's a problem in distinguishing the Duke of Saltire from the numerous other boys in the school. You mention that you weren't even sure if the boy shown during choir practice was he; yes, it was. The actor playing Lord Saltire had a slightly darker complexion than the average student, which I thought helped to make him easier to recognize. I thought he might have been cast because this would help him to be more recognizable, and they explained it by his wife's having been Italian.
During the intro, after "Dramatised by T.R. Bowen" fades, the boy looking to his right w/o turning his head is Nissar Modi, who played Lord Saltire. Something I didn't catch until recently was that after they show the hanging boots (football cleats?), the next thing you see is Lord Saltire's desk with an opened envelope on it, covering the lettering "LOTIRE" (the spacing at the end tells you a "T" preceded the "I") which obviously labeled this as Arthur's desk.
I once saw a color copy of the B&W photo that is then displayed of Arthur with his mother Francesca and the Duke of Holdernesse, and the boy in the photo is the same one seen looking to his right, mentioned above.
yeah, I'm 3 years late but that's what happens when you just find UA-cam videos for the 1st time. Jeremy Brett rode horses since he was a child, and at one time even dreamed of becoming a jockey - which fate took care of when he grew to over 6 feet tall. Some people have criticized his very graceful dismount as being too dangerous, since there is a risk of hitting the horse's neck with your leg, but it looks like he easily cleared this mount. I was just watching his dismount as D'Artagnan in the Three Musketeers which aired in 1966 and he was dismounting the same way there. I've heard it called a Calvary dismount, and it makes sense if his father was really in the Calvary. I've also watched a lot of British Calvary officers dismount the more standard way, so I don't know if there's any truth to the matter. However, it does seem like it would give a soldier an advantage to come off facing forward toward the enemy as opposed to facing your horse's side.
Oh my artesian wells and buckboards! We do not have vultures in England.
Holmes called out they were carrion crows, scavengers.
Think most changed episode was”The Noble bachelor” which no crime was committed but I liked that version as horrifying as it was. One of my favourite story’s is priory school! Both versions. But people of that class weren’t supposed to show any emotions??
But in the story Holmes makes sure Watson never knows what’s going on? When he stands on his shoulders to look in window , sees Dukes son plus his illegitimate son he never mentions a word to Watson? Yet Watson has helped him throughout the day.
Thought he offered £12.000 to keep quiet but he only excepts £6.000 instead?
A digression :: John Dillinger, removing fingerprints. ..
Cheers! -Luke
How far was The Abbey Grange's airing in the season?
The Priory School was episode of this season, The Abbey Grange is episode 5. So, we're not far away!
ඓඉංඓඊඓඓඍඓඖ්ඍංඉ්ඓඖඉ
I can't understand why the issue with the son was a problem? All those boys were someone's son. Why is it not ok?
This is not for me but thanks for the UpL.
We were expecting "" the abbey grange"".
The entire cave sequence was like attaching a Hollywood finish and to me felt cheap and out of character for the series.
The subtitles are a joke.
Adding drama by killing the son as the climax turns a Doyle story into a cheap western. Should have been more focus on how the mystery was solved.
An emasculated version.