#michael culver

S2E3 (Second Stain) this way

S2E5 (Abbey Grange) this way

Start of S1 here, Start of S2 here

It’s blanket Holmes!

Important context here is that this trip is to visit Holmes’s old friend (well, irritating old classmate anyway), who sent the invitation to Holmes, which Holmes decided to accept

Guess who’s happy about the trip?

Hint: It’s not Holmes

"You really have nothing to fear...unless, of course, you have something to hide".

The Compete Secret Army by Andy Priestner with a foreword by series director Michael E. Briant. Secret Army was one of the BBC's top dramas of the 1970's, featuring many familiar faces from British TV of the time.

This book, over 600 pages of it, doubles as an episode guide and as a general history of the show. The cover mimics the opening titles of each episode which featured the 'pipeline' of streets, railway tracks, canals, fields and so on that was used to return downed RAF crew from Belgium, where the series was mainly set, through France and back to England.

A truly great series which for many years, as Gareth Roberts notes on the back cover, became an unfortunate victim of the success of the BBC sitcom 'Allo! 'Allo! that openly parodied it.

RIP Michael Culver, who portrayed Captain Needa in The Empire Strikes Back

Secret Army - BBC One / BRT - September 7, 1977 - December 15, 1979

War Drama (43 Episodes)

Running Time: 60 minutes

Stars:

Bernard Hepton as Albert Foiret

Jan Francis as Lisa "Yvette" Colbert (series 1-2)

Christopher Neame as Flight Lt. John Curtis (series 1)

Angela Richards as Monique Duchamps

Clifford Rose as Ludwig Kessler

Michael Culver as Maj. Erwin Brandt (series 1-2)

Juliet Hammond-Hill as Natalie Chantrens

Valentine Dyall as Dr Pascal Keldermans

Ron Pember as Alain Muny

Eileen Page as Andrée Foiret (series 1)

Robin Langford as Cpl. Veit Rennert (series 1-2)

Timothy Morand as Jacques Bol (series 1)

James Bree as Gaston Colbert (series 1)

Maria Charles as Louise Colbert (series 1)

Gunnar Möller as Hans van Broecken

Marianne Stone as Lena van Broecken (series 1-2)

Henrietta Baynes as Yvonne (series 1-2)

Stephen Yardley as Max Brocard (series 2)

John D. Collins as Insp. Paul Delon (series 2-3)

Hazel McBride as Madeleine Duclos (series 2-3)

Nigel Williams as François (series 2)

Paul Shelley as Maj. Nick Bradley (series 2-3)

Neil Daglish as Wullner (series 2-3)

Trisha Clarke as Geneviève (series 2-3)

David Neilson as Jelinek (series 3)

Terrence Hardiman as Maj. Hans-Dietrich Reinhardt (series 3)

Michael Byrne (series 2) and Ralph Bates (series 3) as Paul Vercors

Stephan Chase as Capt. Stephen Durnford (series 3)

daily dose of granada holmes: michael culver as sir reginald musgrave

This episode had a good riddle, but the interpersonal stuff that surrounded the case was hard for me to deal with. Read my other recaps here. 

I don’t like love triangles, sex scenes (no matter how tasteful or hidden) make me squirm, scenes of social awkwardness incite almost visceral dread, and unhappy endings are hit and miss. So this episode was not particularly fun. 

Except for the mystery itself which the episode and story are named after, and pretty much all Holmes and Watson moments. Even if some of them make me Feel Things. 

For example, their first scene. Watson is rather happy to be on holiday. Holmes is miserable.  

Then Holmes distracts Watson by referring to records of “his earlier work”. A nod to the fact that the original version of this story was one of Holmes’s earlier works, told to Watson by Holmes later. The sort of thing that could make for quite dull viewing, so it’s been brought “forward” to the present for the Granada adaptation. 

They arrive, and settle in. For Holmes, to Watson’s dismay, this means using his syringe (probably with a solution of cocaine, as his behaviour afterwards is stimulated, not suppressed). The scene where Watson finds out is just heartbreaking.

Watson knocks on the door, realises Holmes is in the bath, and an impish look crosses his face as he creeps into the room. He’s happy and relaxed and, I think, thinking of surprising Holmes.

Then, after he’s seated, Watson looks around and spots the syringe, and his face just falls completely. After a thoughtful look, he gets up and leaves again. Not wanting to be with Holmes now. 

The next few minutes of the episode are rather excruciating to watch. 

The cocaine makes Holmes act, well, rather out of character. His usual mannerisms exaggerated and amplified by the drug. 

That false, loud laugh that Brett does when Holmes is like that gives me chills - it’s so unlike Holmes’s usual reserve! 

There’s also his behaviour towards Brunton the butler - something about Brunton catches his attention, and Holmes stares at him very obviously, in an almost creepy way. 

Holmes has no social filter at all when he’s under the influence and it’s painful. Not even Watson trying to cover for him by leading the conversation does much to help. 

... this has now given me Thoughts about why Holmes started using in the first place. (I know there are other reasons given in the text, and that I’m projecting parts of my own ND experience instead. Bear with me a minute.) Basically, I can’t help but observe that there’s a difference between not caring about (NT) social things, and being completely unaware of them. 

One is somewhat conscious - you can willingly say, “oh, I don’t care about what others think of me”, and then act like it. 

However, you may well be still aware of the (NT) social norms, and - with a heckton of anxiety and effort, if you’re ND - may be able to apply them if you really need/ want to. 

I would say this is Holmes’s usual behaviour (to an extent), but it’s tempered, as the situation or person calls for it. 

When he’s under the influence of cocaine, though, this awareness disappears, along with any NT social graces. It also means any hidden anxiety about needing to “get it right” disappears, because the drug makes him unaware of such things. 

I wonder if that would have been freeing for a younger Holmes...

The next Holmesian headcanon that the episode points to is something I only realised recently. Sherlock Holmes can easily be seen as dyslexic. It’s relevant here because I’d just seen the post thread linked before I watched this episode... in which Holmes asks Musgrave and Watson to read the ritual aloud to him rather than reading it himself. 

Right, the ritual! 

“Whose was it?” “His who is gone.” “Who shall have it?”  “He who will come.”

“Where was the sun?” “Over the oak.” “Where was the shadow?” “Under the elm.”

“How was it stepped?” “West eight by eight, south seven by seven, west six by six, south five by five and two by two. And so, under.”

“What shall we give for it?” “All that is ours.” “Why should we give it?” “For the sake of the trust.”

I do like these sort of puzzles! “It’s a treasure hunt!” Watson says, excited. 

Note: Brunton’s method of finding out the tree’s height from Musgrave (in the flashback scene) is very similar to Holmes’s method of finding out about the goose in BLUE. Remember, folks, when searching for information... people do like to prove others wrong! 

The height of the elm is given as 64 feet, which of course put me in mind of the “west eight by eight” line above. Unfortunately for me, that thought didn’t go anywhere! Instead, there’s a delightful moment of discovering what the “over the oak” actually means, followed by some deductive trigonometry. 

The set up for the trigonometry scene is delightful. Holmes is back in his element now - giving Mysterious instructions and marching about. 

Don’t feel bad about messing up the answer, Watson, I needed to write it out at first. (Always makes more sense when I can see it...) 

Though once you know, this is a simple one. Basically: what’s six into nine? Two-thirds. So, what’s 64 two-thirds of? ;) 

Then, more marching about, Holmes pointing his stick like an arrow. The rowboat scene, the opening of a door, the search of a room... they are briefly stymied until Watson remembers: “And under. Holmes, you’ve forgotten the ‘and under’!” Got to love it when Watson gets to be the one to Realise the important bit! 

Of course, the cellar is where things get grim again. 

I think the most notable part for me about the next few scenes is Watson explaining Holmes’s methods to Musgrave. An interesting way to introduce a flashback scene. Also a delightful bit of character bonding - Watson knowing Holmes so well, etc. 

Better to focus on that than the flashback scene itself, and its steadily building dread. 

The scenes afterward with Holmes, Watson and Musgrave in their shirtsleeves by the fire, sifting through and cleaning the “treasure” are very nice visually though. 

[Image description: a close up of Holmes’s face as he studies part of the treasure, which he’s holding level with his eyes. / end image description.]