The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (TV Series) The Norwood Builder (1985) User Reviews

A very good Holmes story, well-adapted

[revdrcac · 7/10 · 11 August 2006]

In many ways, Jeremy Brett was the quintessential Sherlock Holmes. The nuances which he brought to his portrayal of the master detective were brilliant. While other Holmes stories are better known, I found this one to be extremely well done.

David Burke was very good as Watson, bringing both personality and charisma to the time-honored role. The period flavor, casting and adaptation here were excellent.

For those new to the Holmes series, this entry will be well worth a look. For avid fans, Brett's take on the consulting detective is satisfying and memorable. Enjoy....... The game is afoot !

Holmes the Magician: perhaps the best of the series

[trimmerb1234 · 8/10 · 21 March 2009]

The Norwood Builder was a neat and intriguing story however in some ways - without extravagant settings, The Nation In Danger or grand international villains - a plain one. There appears to be less to work with. But this immaculate production instead so nicely takes us through a series of different moods as the story unfolds: Holme's restrained powerful dislike of Lestrade's provocative condescension, the latter's premature triumphalism, Holme's near despair and fear that his failure will result in an innocent man going to the gallows. But finally when all appears lost, a genuinely jaw-dropping ending when Holmes, the master magician, is able to once again summon all his powers and conjure up, to the amazement of Lestrade and viewer alike, the villain in a puff of smoke. Holmes' magnanimity in allowing Lestrade the entire credit is a stylish conclusion. The production gives us not just a clever Holmes but a completely masterly one.

An excellent, almost faultless adaptation.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 8/10 · 30 November 2019]

Holmes and Watson meet the unluckiest man in London, John Hector McFarlane, who stands accused of murdering Mr Oldacre in complicated circumstances.

It's a particularly good story, I love the complexities of the plot, and the deep characters, there's a lot more going on than you first think. A brilliant story,

Matthew Solon is excellent as McFarlane, I also enjoyed Rosalie Crutchley's performance, such a strong actress, with wonderful facial expressions, utterly formidable. Brett and Hardwicke are at their very best

Production values were always spot on, but they are particularly good here, from the Norwood site, to the half dug up Baker Street, it looks amazing.

A lot of quality here. 8/10

Front rank British TV mystery drama.

[jamesraeburn2003 · 3 December 2018]

Sherlock Holmes (Jeremy Brett) and Dr Watson (David Burke) come to the aid of a young solicitor, John Hector McFarlane (Matthew Solon), whom is accused of murdering a wealthy retired builder called Jonas Oldacre (Jonathan Adams), 'The Norwood Builder' of the title. Inspector Lestrade (Colin Jeavons) thinks he has got his man bang to rights because his walking stick, found at the scene of the crime, was the murder weapon and Oldacre had only recently made him the sole beneficiary of his will. Although the body is completely unrecognisable due to it having been set alight, the police are convinced that it is Oldacre's because the buttons from his trousers match those from one of his suits. In addition, a thumb print in blood matching that of the accused is discovered in the deceased's hall. Yet Holmes is convinced of his innocence and uncovers a dark mystery of impossible love, revenge and deception...

All in all, The Norwood Builder, made as part of ITV's acclaimed series based upon the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is front rank television. Jeremy Brett is certainly a strong contender for the best actor to have ever played Sherlock Holmes. He beautifully portrays his intelligence, eccentricities and nuances and he is ably supported by David Burke as Dr Watson who does not make the usual mistake of portraying the character as a bumbling buffoon. There is stirling support from the supporting cast with Colin Jeavons of particular note as Inspector Lestrade who delights in the fact that he appears to have an open and shut case and thinks he will beat Holmes at his own game. But, when the case is solved, Holmes, to his astonishment, allows him to take full credit for it. "His work has its own reward", Dr Watson tells him. Matthew Solon is very good as the accused man as is Helen Ryan as his distraught mother. Jonathan Adams is very good as Oldacre as is Rosalie Crutchley as his sullen and loyal housekeeper Mrs Lexington.

The dramatisation by Richard Harris is excellent piling on the clues and red herrings and the solution isn't that easily guessable. The film is much enhanced by the series' meticulous eye for period detail and the vigorous direction is by Ken Grieve.

Introducing Inspector Lestrade

[agni0504 · 10/10 · 29 April 2009]

The Norwood Builder belongs to my favorite Sherlock Holmes stories.It is the first time when Inspector Lestrade appears - he is such a great character!It is a pleasure to watch his way of investigation, he is so self-assured and narrow-minded that he tries his best to hinder Holmes and insult him.Their duel of words is very entertaining.Just watch the various expressions on the face of Holmes - simply marvelous! My other favorite is the scene where Holmes finds the witness for Lestrade.I cannot express how much I love Jeremy's smooth, velvet voice! As he shouts 'Fire'...it is soooo masculine, powerful and overwhelming!And he looks absolutely awesome: he is tall, elegant, aristocratic and graceful like a giant cat.

Colin Jeavons was an excellent choice for Lestrade, and in the later episodes we can see a kind of friendship between him and Holmes. David Burke is as good as always, and the supporting cast is fine too.

I highly recommend this Holmes tale, it is worth watching!

The Norwood Builder

[Prismark10 · 10/10 · 17 February 2019]

The unfortunate John Hector McFarlane is desperately seeking Sherlock Holmes help. He will be accused of murder and needs to tell Holmes his story.

He drafted a will for Jonas Oldacre, a retired builder and a man he never met but his mother once knew him. McFarlane is the main beneficiary of the will. He had visited Oldacre's house late at night for the signing of the will.

Oldacre has been found dead, the body burnt near his house. All the evidence points towards McFarlane, his cane even his fingerprint. The will leaving him all of Oldacre's worldly possessions now looks like a death warrant.

Lestrade (Colin Jeavons) is introduced in this episode, pleased that he can get one over Holmes. Holmes is genuinely flummoxed but one suspects not for long. Watson finds out that Oldacre may not have had that much money to leave behind.

This was a such an enjoyable episode, so well realised. You can sense what might had occurred once you find out more about Oldacre. Holmes goes into disguise, acting as a vagrant to find out more information.

There were so many little things to enjoy here. Wonderful acting; Rosalie Crutchley does little to hide her disdain as the housekeeper. Anthony Langdon as the tramp and Helen Ryan as Mrs McFarlane.

There was so much here to lend atmosphere. Just look at all that horse manure on Baker Street as Holmes and Watson run for a hansom cab.

One of the best of this series

[TheLittleSongbird · 10/10 · 3 June 2011]

I am a big fan of the Granada Sherlock Holmes adaptations, and The Norwood Builder is no exception. In fact, it is one of my favourites of this particular series along with The Crooked Man and The Speckled Band.

The story this is adapted from is wonderful, very intriguing to say the least. This is a wonderful adaptation, with strong, thoughtful writing, a thrilling story and interesting characters, especially the narrow-minded and inept Inspector Lestrade.

The direction is never too low-key or over-the-top, and the adaptation never feels rushed or pedestrian. The production values as is consistently the case with this series, even in the weaker adaptations such as The Eligible Bachelor(part of Casebook), are top notch, with evocative recreation of the period and excellent photography. The music again is both beautiful and haunting.

The acting is as good as can be. Jeremy Brett is note perfect as Holmes, David Burke, as thoughtful and as composed as ever, gives one of his better performances as Dr Watson(I prefer Edward Hardwicke, but Burke is good too) and Colin Jeavons is a sheer delight as Lestrade.

Overall, a wonderful adaptation and one of the best of this particular series. 10/10 Bethany Cox

"It was written on a train."

[suicidea · 10/10 · 15 January 2021]

A young solicitor is visited by a retired builder, who apparently wants to leave his whole wealth and state to him in his will. The builder is found dead that very night, and all suspicion naturally falls on the young fellow. But before he's caught by the police, he's able to reach Sherlock and ask for his help.

This is one of my two favorite episodes from The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, which curiously have the lowest ratings of the series on imdb (the other being The Greek Interpreter). Just like The Greek Interpreter introduced Charles Gray as Mycroft Holmes, this one introduces Colin Jeavons as the unimaginative, slightly annoying but mostly lovable Inspector Lestrade. Jeavons brings a strange quality to Lestrade that I'm not sure was entirely present in the written works: Although he often ends up looking ridiculous after his incompetence is exposed next to Sherlock's brilliance, he's not that much incompetent. For me, the the TV series Lestrade is much better than the written story Lestrade, and it's a rare achievement to improve over the source material.

It's a wonderful story, with revelation after revelation, including possibly the best deductions Holmes makes. Definitely a must watch.

LeStrade: On His Feet Again

[Hitchcoc · 9/10 · 6 February 2014]

This episode again involves the client who finds himself in changed circumstances overnight. A contractor/builder finds that a man he doesn't know has made him his heir. Unfortunately, the man is killed and his body is burned. That would, of course, lead to the conclusion that the murderer was our young builder. At a time when a positive identification of a burned body was very difficult, there are some unanswered questions. First, of course, is why would this relative stranger wish to leave his money to this fellow. Holmes puts his usual tactics to work to figure this out. Inspector LeStrade makes his first appearance as Scotland Yard's cream of the crop. The byplay with Holmes as he jumps to conclusions is really fun. In the stories, LeStrade and other Yard men and local police officials benefit greatly from Holmes because the great detective does not aspire to public adoration. While Holmes is quite arrogant and incredibly sure of his abilities, he is usually satisfied to solve the crime rather than bask in the aftermath.

Excellent, clever mystery

[grantss · 10/10 · 25 November 2022]

John McFarlane is sought by the police for the murder of Jonas Oldacre. Shortly before he is arrested he approaches Sherlock Holmes detailing the events of the evening in question and protesting his innocence. Once Inspector Lastrade arrests McFarlane, Holmes and Watson gather evidence but things don't look good for McFarlane.

Not a famous Sherlock Holmes mystery but it should be. Very clever plot with a surprising twist. Very intriguing.

As always the performance of Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes takes the episode to another level. His facial expressions, mannerisms, everything are just perfect for the role.

Out of the Closet.

[rmax304823 · 6/10 · 24 March 2010]

Jonathan Adams appears to be a wealthy builder living in Norwood. He visits the office of a young solicitor and informs him that he once knew his parents and, with no heirs himself, has decided to leave his fortune to the young lawyer. Alas, on the night the lawyer visits the builder, most of the house burns down and a skeleton is found among the ruins. The surviving artifacts indicate Adams is the dead man, and enough evidence appears to put the lawyer in jail and under the threat of the noose.

The lawyer's walking stick turns up at the half-burned house, his thumb print in blood is found on the wall, and it is revealed that the lawyer's mother once turned down a proposal from the builder, causing him to leave in a rage. Motive, means, opportunity.

Did the fresh-faced young lawyer murder Adams? Of course not.

Holmes and Watson are on the case, unravel the mystery surrounding some of the events, and cause the real villain to leap from his hiding place by smoking him out. Medical discretion forbids the description of any further plot details.

There's nothing epic or unusual about this story -- no introduction of Mycroft, Moriarty, or a masked nobleman. It's smooth and fluid. I enjoyed the story in print rather more than on the screen, without knowing why. Certainly not because of any flaws in the performances. They're all products of quality. Maybe Conan-Doyle was in a particularly evocative mood when he wrote it or something.