GARY HOPKINS WAS THE YOUNGEST WRITER ON GRANADA TELEVISION HUGELY SUCCESSFUL SHERLOCK HOLMES SERIES. IN 1988, HOPKINS WAS ONLY 28. HIS FIRST OF FOUR EPISODES FOR THE SERIES, THE DEVILS FOOT MADE MANY INTERESTING ADDITIONS TO THE HOLMES STORY. HOLMES' DRUG ADDICTION TO COCAINE HAD BEEN FOR SEVERAL YEARS, AN UNCOMFORTABLE FACET OF THE STORIES IN WHAT WAS BROADCAST AS GRANADA TELEVISIONS FLAG SHIP OF HIGH PROFILE, BIG BUDGET, FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT DRAMA. IT WAS BRETT AND HOPKINS WHO CAME UP WITH AN INTERESTING SOLUTION TO THAT '7%'.
THE DEVILS FOOT EPISODE ALSO MARKS THE ONLY TIME THAT SHERLOCK CALLED WATSON BY HIS CHRISTIAN NAME. SOMETHING AGAIN THAT BRETT AND HOPKINS SUGGESTED.
GARY HOPKINS WENT TO WRITE A FURTHER THREE EPISODES 'SHOSCOMBE OLD PLACE' 'THE GOLDEN PINCE- NEZ'
AND 'THE MAZARAN STONE' ...THE LAST TWO EPISODES
AND 'THE MAZARAN STONE' ...THE LAST TWO EPISODES
PRESENTING HIM WITH MANY PLOT AND PRODUCTION CHALLENGES.
FOR THE FIRST TIME, GARY HOPKINS TELLS THE STORY OF HIS TIME WRITING FOR THE SERIES. HOW HE APPROACHED EACH ADAPTION. THE CHALLENGES WITH EACH EPISODE. WHAT IT WAS LIKE TO WORK WITH THE PERFECTIONIST JEREMY BRETT AND TWO PAST HAMMER FILM PLAYERS CHARLES GRAY AND DAMIAN THOMAS. MANY BEHIND THE SCENES ANECDOTES AND TOLD IN THREE PARTS.
THIS INTERVIEW WILL APPEAR AS A TEXT FEATURE, AS AUDIO INTERVIEW AND FILMED INTERVIEW AT THE BLACKBOXCLUB.COM WEBSITE.
THE BLACKBOXCLUB.COM WEBSITE REOPENS IN SEPTEMBER 2011. SEE FACEBOOK GROUP AND MARCUS BROOKS FACEBOOK ACCOUNT FOR NEWS AND UPDATES.
