The Adventures of Shirley Holmes is a Canadian mystery TV series that originally aired from May 7, 1997, to May 7, 2000. The show was created by Ellis Iddon and Phil Meagher (of Winklemania Productions, UK) who had produced a successful series of books with HarperCollins, teaming up with Credo and Forefront to develop the TV series. Filmed in Winnipeg, Manitoba,[1] the series follows the life of Shirley Holmes, the great-great-niece of Sherlock Holmes who, with the help of ex-gang member Bo Sawchuk, tackles a variety of mysteries in and around the fictional city of Redington, Manitoba. On some occasions, she found herself matching wits with nemesis Molly Hardy (whose name is a word play on Sherlock Holmes' archenemy Professor Moriarty).
The Adventures of Shirley Holmes | |
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Genre | Mystery Family |
Created by | Ellis Iddon Phil Meagher |
Written by | Susin Nielsen Ellis Iddon Phil Meagher Therese Beaupre Elizabeth Stewart Patricia Finn Charles Lazer Rick Drew Dennis Foon Tony DiFranco Barbara O'Kelly Jordan Wheeler David Young |
Directed by | Gary Harvey Norma Bailey Rick Stevenson Graeme Lynch Kim Todd John L'Ecuyer Richard O'Brien-Moran Elise Swerhone Mark Soulard Neill Fearnley T.W. Peacocke John Paizs Anne Wheeler Scott Smith |
Starring | Meredith Henderson John White Sarah Ezer Blair Slater Brendan Fletcher Annick Obonsawin Marie Stillin Colin Fox Elizabeth Shepherd Chris Humphreys Rebecca Gibson Maggie Huculak |
Composer | Terry Frewer |
Country of origin | Canada |
Original language | English |
No. of series | 4 |
No. of episodes | 52 |
Production | |
Executive producers | Derek Mazur Kim Todd |
Producers | Kim Todd Gary Harvey Helena Cynamon Teri Woods-McArter |
Cinematography | Larry Lynn Stephen Reizes Michael Marshall Les Erskine |
Editors | Paul Mortimer Robert Lower Daria Ellerman Michael Rea |
Camera setup | François Balcaen Michael Drabot Steve Madden Lorne Bailey Robert L. O'Hara Brian Sanders Arlea Ashcroft Jay Kohne Michael Marshall |
Running time | 24 minutes |
Production companies | Credo Entertainment Group Forfront Entertainment |
Release | |
Original network | YTV |
Original release | May 7, 1997 (1997-05-07) – May 7, 2000 (2000-05-07) |
The show has been broadcast in over 80 countries and has been dubbed in French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, German, Norwegian, Russian, Serbian, Polish and Turkish.
Her performance in the show led to actress Meredith Henderson being nominated for a Gemini Award in 1998 and winning one in 1999. The show itself was twice nominated for a Gemini Award in the category "Best Children's or Youth Program or Series" in 1998 and eventually won it in 1999. In the spring of 1998 Susin Nielsen won a Gemini Award in the category "Best Writing in a Children's or Youth Program" for her screenplay of the episode "The Case of the Burning Building". In the same year, Elizabeth Stewart won a WGC Award from the Writers Guild of Canada for her writing of the episode "The Case of the Maestro's Ghost".[2]
Credo spokesperson and producer Kim Todd named a growth spurt in the cast as one of the key reasons for cancelling the show. The aging of the actors would have meant a distinct change in tone and content had the show continued.[3]
Actor | Character | Position | Seasons | |||
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1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |||
Meredith Henderson | Shirley Holmes | The great-great-niece of Sherlock Holmes | Main | |||
John White | Bo Sawchuck | Shirley's sidekick. Watson counterpart | Main | |||
Sarah Ezer | Molly Hardy | Shirley's nemesis. Moriarty counterpart | Main | |||
Annick Obonsawin | Alicia Gianelli | Shirley's friend | Main | |||
Blair Slater | Bartholemew "Bart" James | Shirley and Bo's nerdy friend | Main | |||
Brendan Fletcher | Sterling "Stink" Patterson | Shirley and Bo's easygoing friend. Sebastian Moran counterpart | Main | |||
Chris Humphreys | Robert Holmes | Shirley's father | Main | |||
Elizabeth Shepherd | Peggy Holmes | Shirley's grandmother | Main | |||
Marie Stillin | Ms. Cynthia Stratmann | Headmistress of Sussex Academy | Main | |||
Colin Fox | Mr. Arthur Howie | Sussex History Teacher | Main | |||
Maggie Huculak | Dr. Joanna Holmes | Shirley's mother | Recurring | Main | ||
No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
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1 | 1 | "The Case of the Burning Building" | Gary Harvey | Susin Nielsen | May 7, 1997 (1997-05-07) | |
When ex-gang member and "new kid" at Sussex Academy, Bo Sawchuk, is a suspect in a number of suspicious local fires, Shirley Holmes is on the case. | ||||||
2 | 2 | "The Case of the Ruby Ring" | Anne Wheeler | Dennis Foon | May 14, 1997 (1997-05-14) | |
When Sussex Academy Presidential candidate Alicia Gianelli is electrocuted at the podium, all fingers point to the obvious suspect—her opponent Sterling 'Stink' Patterson. | ||||||
3 | 3 | "The Case of the Liberated Beasts" | TBA | TBA | May 21, 1997 (1997-05-21) | |
Watson, Shirley's not very faithful and often disobedient basset hound, leads her to Redington's latest crime—a break-in at "Pete's Rare Pets". | ||||||
4 | 4 | "The Case of the Precious Cargo" | TBA | TBA | May 28, 1997 (1997-05-28) | |
Shirley notices that Rita, the cafeteria assistant, is stealing food. By following her, Shirley discovers why: Rita is hiding her young niece in the school's laundry room. | ||||||
5 | 5 | "The Case of the Alien Abductions" | TBA | TBA | June 4, 1997 (1997-06-04) | |
In one month, three citizens of Redington have been attacked and knocked unconscious with no explanation other than—one victim claims it was an alien abduction! | ||||||
6 | 6 | "The Case of the Blazing Star" | Neill Fearnley | Rick Drew | June 11, 1997 (1997-06-11) | |
Bo has quit the football team, flunking half of his classes and falling asleep at school - and he won't tell Shirley what is going on. | ||||||
7 | 7 | "The Case of the Maestro's Ghost" | TBA | TBA | June 18, 1997 (1997-06-18) | |
It is the fiftieth anniversary of the disappearance of Sussex student Maggie Hancock and Maestro Vespemi, the school's music teacher. Every year on the anniversary the Maestro's ghost comes looking for Maggie. | ||||||
8 | 8 | "The Case of the Mystery Child" | Gary Harvey | Susin Neilsen | June 25, 1997 (1997-06-25) | |
After receiving an ancient Egyptian toy from an old colleague on his deathbed, Peggy Holmes starts acting very strangely. Does the toy carry an ancient curse? | ||||||
9 | 9 | "The Case of the King of Hearts" | Norma Bailey | Patricia Finn | July 2, 1997 (1997-07-02) | |
The students at Sussex Academy cannot figure out what is wrong with the usually stern and strict Ms. Stratmann—she is smiling and laughing all the time and she is even complimenting Stink on his practical jokes. | ||||||
10 | 10 | "The Case of the Exact Change" | Norma Bailey | Charles Lazer | July 9, 1997 (1997-07-09) | |
When Stink, the class clown, goes missing from his thirteenth birthday party everyone, including his dad, thinks his disappearance is an elaborate practical joke. Everyone, that is, except Shirley. | ||||||
11 | 11 | "The Case of the Cunning Coyote" | TBA | TBA | July 16, 1997 (1997-07-16) | |
Ancient native ceremonies and a mysterious tribal trickster follow Shirley Holmes as she tries to find out what happened to a box of two-hundred-year-old bones that has gone missing from a reservation. | ||||||
12 | 12 | "The Case of the Singer's Secret" | Gary Harvey | Therese Beaupre | July 23, 1997 (1997-07-23) | |
Bo is stunned and Shirley is devastated when they find Robert Holmes, Shirley's dad, kissing the pop music superstar Leah Farrell. | ||||||
13 | 13 | "The Case of the Second Sight" | Kim Todd | Elizabeth Stewart | July 30, 1997 (1997-07-30) | |
While performing in a local theatre production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream", Shirley discovers that the lead actress, Rebecca Radcliff, is a jinx—or so the entire cast and crew believe. |
No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
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14 | 1 | "The Case of the Wannabe Witch" | Graeme Lynch | Elizabeth Stewart | January 5, 1998 (1998-01-05) | |
Could Ms. Flitt, the Sussex school librarian, be a witch? It is a possibility that Shirley must entertain as she investigates a series of ominous mishaps at Sussex Academy. | ||||||
15 | 2 | "The Case of the Doggone Cats" | TBA | TBA | January 12, 1998 (1998-01-12) | |
Barf, Stink's dog, is under suspicion when neighborhood cats start disappearing. When he is nabbed by Hoskins, the over zealous local dogcatcher, his life hangs in the balance. | ||||||
16 | 3 | "The Case of the Babyfingers" | Gary Harvey | Therese Beaupre | January 19, 1998 (1998-01-19) | |
Shirley infiltrates an organized gang of kiddie thieves after her backpack is "snatched" by a six-year-old pickpocket. | ||||||
17 | 4 | "The Case of the Bouncing Baby" | TBA | TBA | January 26, 1998 (1998-01-26) | |
Shirley and Bo join the circus as they try to find out who left a baby boy on Mr. Howie's doorstep in the middle of the night. | ||||||
18 | 5 | "The Case of the Rising Moon" | TBA | TBA | February 2, 1998 (1998-02-02) | |
Shirley's attempts to uncover the truth about a mysterious new boarding student at Sussex Academy place the young stranger's life in danger. | ||||||
19 | 6 | "The Case of the Exploding Puppet" | TBA | TBA | February 9, 1998 (1998-02-09) | |
There is trouble on the set of The Happy Valley Show: props are exploding, background walls are falling over and Freddie the Firefly recently blew his light-bulb. | ||||||
20 | 7 | "The Case of the Cryptic Creature" | TBA | TBA | February 16, 1998 (1998-02-16) | |
Sitting on the toilet becomes unsafe at Sussex Academy when the kids discover there is a slithering creature living in the water system. | ||||||
21 | 8 | "The Case of the Missing Marbles" | TBA | TBA | February 23, 1998 (1998-02-23) | |
When Bo befriends "the crazy old lady" who lives down the block, he and Shirley find themselves being pursued by a criminal impostor as they race to find a bag of stolen diamonds. | ||||||
22 | 9 | "The Case of the Mischievous Poltergeist" | TBA | TBA | March 2, 1998 (1998-03-02) | |
Bart is turning twelve—and everyone hopes his party won't be as boring as last year's. They needn't worry. Bart has a special guest lined up—his very own poltergeist! | ||||||
23 | 10 | "The Case of the Left Thumbprint" | TBA | TBA | March 9, 1998 (1998-03-09) | |
When Robert Holmes is accused of stealing a top secret government decoding key from the British Consulate, Shirley jumps to her father's defense and vows to find the real offender. | ||||||
24 | 11 | "The Case of the Golden Cave" | TBA | TBA | March 16, 1998 (1998-03-16) | |
An orienteering excursion into the deep woods brings to life a ghost story for the students of Sussex Academy. | ||||||
25 | 12 | "The Case of the Patron Saint" | TBA | TBA | March 23, 1998 (1998-03-23) | |
When a disoriented stranger appears at the Holmes' front door with Joanna Holmes' stethoscope in his hand, Shirley is certain that the man has information on her missing mother's whereabouts. | ||||||
26 | 13 | "The Case of the Broken Oath" | TBA | TBA | March 30, 1998 (1998-03-30) | |
Shirley suspects that Bo's cousin Zack, a musician, has something to do with the strange accidents that are taking other performers out of the picture and helping his career skyrocket! |
Original music was composed by Terry Frewer, although the theme tune was written and performed by show creators Ellis Iddon and Phil Meagher.
Screen adaptations of Sherlock Holmes | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Television |
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Actors by role |
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Former YTV original programming | |
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1980s debuts |
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1990s debuts |
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2000s debuts |
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2010s debuts |
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2020s debuts |
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See also |
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