The Return of Sherlock Holmes: The Priory School

 "You have given me back my future..."

Another splendid episode here, with a more or less faithful adaptation of the story filmed in the glorious surroundings of the Derbyshire Dales where the Midlands meets the North, and partly filmed in Chatsworth House itself.

It should be a commonplace by now to point out that Jeremy Brett is sublime, but this episode gives him more opportunities than usual to enjoy himself with Homes' many physical and verbal mannerisms that his performance made definitive. edward Hardwick excels too, though in a slightly reduced role. It's always good to see Christopher Benjamin, too.

The story, as with Doyle's original, is an entertaining one, although it is further than most Sherlock Holmes stories from fulfilling the rules of detective fiction which did not then exist. Could there be, perhaps, in the story of the Duke's family originating as cattle thieves, a little light mockery of the whole aristocratic principle on the part of the good Dr Doyle? I ought to re-read the short story and see. But this, as an adaptation, is pretty much faultless. Right now, they bloody well all are..,