Starring Graham Armitage as Sherlock Holmes and Kerry Jordan as Dr. Watson
Produced by Michael Silver Adapted for radio by Anthony Fridjhon Original music and sound design by the Springbok Radio drama unit
(Exact Springbok broadcast dates are often unlisted or fragmentary due to archival loss, but these episodes aired during the 1971–1975 run.)
Holmes and Watson are summoned to investigate a chilling and macabre mystery: a prominent London collector receives a shrunken head in the post—one unmistakably modeled after his own features. Within hours, the man is found dead under circumstances suggesting both ritual symbolism and deliberate murder.
Holmes quickly dismisses the idea of a supernatural curse, instead tracing the origins of the artifact to a South American expedition marred by betrayal, greed, and a violent dispute over tribal relics. As Holmes follows the trail, he uncovers:
A forged shipping manifest
A rival collector with a motive rooted in revenge
A secret pact made years earlier in the Amazon
And a murderer who uses superstition as a cloak for calculated crime
The final reveal—delivered with Springbok's signature dramatic flair—exposes a human motive far darker than any tribal legend.
Graham Armitage — Sherlock Holmes
Kerry Jordan — Dr. John H. Watson
Lilly Lubinsky / Diane Appleby — Featured female roles (varied by episode)
Michael McGovern / Brian O'Shaughnessy — Supporting roles
Announcer: Often John Simpson or Michael Silver
Adapted by Anthony Fridjhon, who specialized in atmospheric, exotic, and psychologically driven Holmes pastiches. His scripts often blended colonial-era intrigue with Doyle‑style deduction.
This episode is one of the most cinematic in the Springbok canon, using:
Jungle ambience
Ritual drums
Echoing chamber effects
And tense orchestral cues
to heighten the mystery.
Springbok Radio excelled at "fear‑based" mysteries, and this episode is a prime example—mixing folklore with rational deduction.
Armitage's Holmes is sharp, dryly humorous, and unflappable in the face of superstition.
Kerry Jordan's Watson provides emotional grounding, especially in scenes involving the terrified household staff.
The sound design for the shrunken head reveal is one of the most memorable in the series.
Holmes and Watson become entangled in a case involving a mysterious Spanish physician newly arrived in London—a man whose patients seem to recover miraculously… until one dies under suspicious circumstances.
The victim, a wealthy widow, leaves behind:
A cryptic letter
A vial of rare Iberian medicine
And a diary entry hinting at blackmail
Holmes suspects the doctor's past in Madrid holds the key. His investigation uncovers:
A medical scandal hushed up by Spanish authorities
A forged diploma
A secret romantic entanglement
And a deadly poison derived from an obscure Mediterranean plant
The climax—set in the doctor's candlelit surgery—features one of Armitage's finest confrontations, with Holmes exposing the physician's elaborate scheme and Watson providing crucial medical insight.
Graham Armitage — Sherlock Holmes
Kerry Jordan — Dr. John H. Watson
Michael McGovern — The Spanish Doctor
Diane Appleby / Lilly Lubinsky — Supporting roles
Brian O'Shaughnessy — Scotland Yard inspector
Announcer: John Simpson or Michael Silver
Another Anthony Fridjhon script, notable for its blend of:
Medical detail
Continental intrigue
And a villain with a tragic backstory
Fridjhon often wrote Holmes as a man deeply suspicious of "miracle cures," and this episode reflects that theme strongly.
The Springbok team created a rich Spanish atmosphere using guitar motifs and subtle flamenco rhythms.
Kerry Jordan's Watson shines here, offering medical expertise that complements Holmes's deductions.
The villain's confession scene is one of the most emotionally complex in the Springbok run.
The episode is frequently cited by collectors as one of the best "continental intrigue" stories of the series.