Basil Rathbone appeared in a series of TV commercials for Getz Exterminators ("Getz gets 'em, since 1888!'"). Rathbone also brought Holmes to the stage in a play written by his wife Ouida. Thomas Gomez, who had appeared as a Nazi ringleader in "Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror", played the villainous Professor Moriarty. Nigel Bruce was slated to portray Dr Watson once more but became too ill and the part was played by character actor Jack Raine. Bruce's absence depressed Rathbone, particularly after Bruce died on 8 October 1953, while the play was in rehearsals. The play ran for only three
Adaptations of Sherlock Holmes 1960s, there was a BBC TV series entitled "Sherlock Holmes" with Douglas Wilmer and Nigel Stock. Peter Cushing, who had earlier played the detective in the Hammer version of "The Hound of the Baskervilles", later took over from Wilmer in the lead role. The 24 part series "Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson" (1979–1980) starred Geoffrey Whitehead as Holmes and Donald Pickering as Watson. In 1982, Granada Television aired an eight-part series entitled "" which told the story of Holmes' youth. The show starred Guy Henry as Sherlock Holmes. Also in 1982, the BBC produced an adaptation of The Hound of