Stars: Jeremy Brett, Edward Hardwicke, Robert Hardy, Norma West, Colin Jeavons, Nickolas Grace, Gwen Ffrangcon Davies

Director: Peter Hammond

Summary: Sherlock Holmes (Jeremy Brett) devises a cunning plan to snare a ruthless blackmailer, who has been causing widespread misery throughout London. And this time, even his loyal sidekick Dr. Watson (Edward Hardwicke) finds his campaign a little strange. In this story, based on Conan Doyle's characters, a softened version of Holmes proves that he's not all work and no play. The old chap actually falls in love.

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The Master Blackmailer is a two-hour 1991 Granada TV adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's story The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton, which for the most part sticks close to the details of the original. Holmes (Jeremy Brett) takes on the reputed king of all blackmailers, Milverton (Robert Hardy), who has made a fortune extorting money from the famous and the blue-blooded and who routinely ruins others' lives when not pleased. Unable to talk Milverton into turning over letters belonging to Lady Eva Brackenwell, Holmes decides to steal them, going undercover as a plumber and even romancing Milverton's housemaid, Agatha (Sophie Thompson), to gain better access in the house. (The ethical Watson, played by Edward Hardwicke, is upset to hear of Holmes's deception of an innocent woman.) The story builds to a surprisingly violent finale, but the real hook is Brett's performance as the disguised detective and the startling suggestion that Holmes's close contact with Agatha truly moved the bachelor sleuth. --Tom Keogh

Aspect Ratio:	4:3
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Year:	1988
Release Date:	April 28, 2003
Runtime:	103 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	C C D 9539
Label:	Granada Media
Keywords:	Sherlock, Holmes, General, Mystery, Master, Drama, Blackmailer, Whodunnit, Catalogue
Genre:	Mystery/Whodunnit