We love it
When Sherlock Holmes is approached by the Prime Minister himself, it looks to be the start of the greatest case of his life. A very important letter is missing from the Secretary for European Affair's dispatch box, and it is not too much to say that its publication would propel Britain into a major war. Only three men in England would handle such a document, and when one of them suddenly turns up dead, Holmes casts his eyes in that direction. And though the dead man does not have the letter, there is a mystery connected with his death - where he died there was blood on the carpet but not on the floor beneath, but looking elsewhere there is a second stain. There are mysteries within mysteries here, mysteries that only Sherlock Holmes can solve!

Every once in a while, an actor comes along who not only plays the role of Sherlock Holmes, but actually redefines the role. In 1984, veteran actor Jeremy Brett (1933-95) actually did it yet again! This fifty-minute episode, the Second Stain, was episode four of the third season, and originally aired on July 30, 1986. As an added bonus, a main character is played by Patricia Hodge, who also played Phyllida "Portia" Erskine-Brown in the Rumpole series. (By the way, if you like Jeremy Brett, you can see him in an entirely different role in My Fair Lady (1964) as Freddie Eynsford-Hill!)

I loved this tape and think that any fan of Sherlock Holmes, or just plain fan of mysteries, will love it, too. My family and I highly recommend it to you!

A mixed bag
I would have a hard time saying that this is one of the best in the series. There is very little suspense, Watson's role is smaller than usual, and I'm not sure the story holds up.

Still, this episode does have several features to recommend it. First, the comical Inspector Lestrade is at his best. Second, Brett's facial expressions are masterful. In fact, this may be his best performance. Third, the story is both deadly serious (consider that Conan Doyle wrote this 15 years before WWI) and hilarious, with Holmes' sexism and carelessness with matches providing good laughs.

In my opinion, The Hound is still the best in the series, but you really can't go wrong with any of them.

Pen Ultimate Holmes
One of the top entries in this series, and Brett continues to imbue his already flawless Holmes with still more interesting facets. A stolen letter, from a foreign hot-head, disappears from a government officials's dispatch box. Both the hapless official AND the Prime Minister (Harry Andrews in an impeccable performance) are terrified: it means war should the contents become public. Holmes realizes that too much time has elapsed for the letter to remain secret, so "prepare for war," he advises. A following visit from the official's furtive wife intrigues Holmes and Watson further, but they will not compromise the British government for the sake of a woman's wiles -- and still the contents don't surface and so there just might be a chance. A well timed murder becomes the catalyst, and so -- the adventure begins. Grenada has never been in finer form than with this terrific Victorian mystery. The cast plays with seasoned perfection (Colin Jeavons joins in again expertly as the waste-of-time Inspector Lestrade) and the results are wonderful! Edward Hardwicke remains as comfortable as a favorite slipper in playing Watson, and Brett's iconoclastic detective is just a joy to watch (his dismissive -- and dangerous -- match-tossing, scrambling and snorting on the Lucas parlor floor, etc.)! Listen to Patrick Gowers beautiful musical motif for Lord Bellinger and just enjoy this excellent and all too brief visit back in time to the Victorian wonderland of Sherlock Holmes.

One of the best episodes of entire run.
Perhaps the strongest cast assembled for a single episode. An enthralling story with particular cogent performances delivered by Jeremy Brett,Colin Jeavons,Sean Scanlan and Patricia Hodge.