Jeremy Irons in The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes on DVD

The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes: Set 1

Jeremy’s episode is The Case of the Mirror of Portugal

Sherlock Holmes wasn’t the only fictional detective in Victorian London. Inspired by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, writers of the time created a colorful cast of investigators, amateur and professional: Dr. Thorndyke, Max Carrados, “Carnacki,” Lady Molly, and more. This classic British series features some of Britain’s top character actors including Peter Vaughan (The Remains of the Day), John Neville (The X-Files), Donald Pleasence, and Jeremy Irons in his first screen appearance. SDH subtitles; 13 episodes; approx. 654 min. on 4 DVDs.

Check out the Acorn Online website.to buy a copy of the DVD set for $59.99.

Disc 1
Episode 1: A Message from the Deep Sea
When a young woman is stabbed to death in a boarding house of questionable repute, the police quickly settle on their chief suspect. A skeptical Dr. Thorndyke prefers to look deeper, privileging facts over surface motives.

Episode 2: The Missing Witness Sensation
After amateur detective Max Carrados ruins the alibi of an Irish militant accused of murder, the man’s colleagues plot their revenge. To save his life, a trapped Carrados must find a way to get a message to the outside world—one that even a blind man could understand.

Episode 3: The Affair of the Avalanche Bicycle & Tyre Co. Ltd.
Private detective Horace Dorrington sees no conflict in helping himself while helping his clients. A promising new bicycle company presents him with an opportunity to cash in on his insider knowledge. But it’s a dirty business, so Dorrington takes steps to ensure he’s not taken for a ride.

Episode 4: The Duchess of Wiltshire’s Diamonds
Does professional jealousy explain police antagonism towards Simon Carne, a celebrated and successful private detective known as “Klimo”? Or is it something more? And even though Klimo solves case after case for his clients, why are none of the perpetrators ever caught?

Disc 2
Episode 5: The Horse of the Invisible
A ghost-detective named Carnacki investigates the haunting of a country house that threatens the wedding of the homeowner’s daughter and her fiancé. Carnacki suspects supernatural forces are not at work in this case, but even a ghost buster can get it wrong.

Episode 6: The Case of the Mirror of Portugal
When a priceless gem comes within his grasp, detective Horace Dorrington cuts more than a few corners to get his hands on it. But he battles a surprisingly worthy adversary from an unexpected quarter, one as ruthless and determined as himself.

Episode 7: Madame Sara
While investigating death threats against two sisters, Dixon Druce falls under the charms of their friend, the mysterious Madame Sara. Druce tries to track down the sisters’ estranged half-brother, who stands to inherit a fortune upon their deaths. The smitten detective also starts to uncover the secrets of their alluring friend.

Disc 3
Episode 8: The Case of the Dixon Torpedo
Petty crime and international espionage intertwine when the Russian embassy hires Jonathan Pryde to do one job and his own government hires him for another. The private investigator discovers that the two cases—a money-counterfeiting operation and stealing plans for a Royal Navy torpedo—are linked.

Episode 9: The Woman in the Big Hat
When a customer slumps over dead in a tea shop, Lady Molly of the Yard searches for the mystery woman who had been seated at his table. However, she runs into resistance from the dead man’s family, who show little interest in solving the crime.

Episode 10: The Affair of the Tortoise
To solve the murder of a rich but ill-mannered government official from Haiti, PI Martin Hewitt has several pieces of evidence to consider— a dead tortoise, a voodoo doll, a blood-stained axe, and a note from “an avenger.” The one thing he doesn’t have is a body.

Disc 4
Episode 11: The Assyrian Rejuvenator
Inflated claims about the powers of an expensive elixir put private investigator Romney Pringle in pursuit of a ruthless con man. The trickster has reason to believe that his customers won’t complain, but Pringle sets out to destroy the crooked business.

Episode 12: The Ripening Rubies
An ex-con makes a rookie mistake—trying to sell a stolen ruby necklace back to the craftsman who made it. The jeweler, Bernard Sutton, soon discovers that a string of high-society women are losing their expensive adornments. Shunning the heavy-handed approach of the police, he sets his own trap to catch the thief.

Episode 13: The Case of Laker, Absconded
A junior bank clerk elopes with a fortune—but without his fiancée. The police reconstruct the absconder’s route, from bank to train station to the Continent. However, Martin Hewitt believes the trail is a little too easy to follow. With the help of the jilted lover, he embarks on a search to discover what really happened to the missing man.