#duke of holdernesse

[edwardian-girl-next-door]

I'm thinking of making a random post about why the Granada Sherlock Holmes episode The Priory School is my favourite episode, and also just to interact with people who have opinions about it, since none of my irl friends are Granada Holmes fans. That said, I want to know people's thoughts on the Duke of Holdernesse (the episode version, played by the venerable Alan Howard). I think we can all agree that the story version is a dickwad, but the episode version...? Feel free to elaborate on your choice in the tags and/or reblogs!

Depending on how many notes this gets I might make a separate post on my opinion :)

[no-side-us]

Letters From Watson Liveblog - Oct. 30

The Priory School, Part 4 of 4

Shame on the Duke for trying to hush up what happened when there is a death involved, especially the death of someone that was trying to help in the first place.

A real twist right here. I can't remember the last story that had a secret relation be revealed like this. It certainly puts things in perspective.

Hatred/jealousy is somewhat understandable. Kidnapping much less so. In regards to the marriage, I'm not sure if that implies the Duchess knew James was actually the Duke's son or not, but I imagine she must have surmised something going on.

I wanted the killer to be a horse, but at least this way there's a concrete murderer to be arrested.

I wonder what little Lord Saltire is thinking through all this. To be kidnapped must have been fairly traumatic, then your dad shows up and you think you're rescued, then he leaves you with your kidnapper because his secretary asked him to. I hope he gets to go live with his mother at the end.

That's certainly one solution. It's unfortunate he won't face any more consequences, but I guess it's some punishment since now he definitely has no chance of inheriting anything.

Holmes not particularly caring about wealth is a great character trait, so it's nice when he does show some gratification from the rare times he does accept large payments.

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4

[faithful-grigori]

”#okay this one is going to be hard too, #Josiah Amberley is a suspicious & jealous husband who solves his perceived marital issues by building a gas chamber, #to murder his wife and her alleged lover, #Neil Gibson - I hate him the most hands down but does that justify the Worst Client label? Let's find out..., #he is an abusive husband who decides to carry out a campaign of mistreatment to force his wife to leave him, #his issues with her stem from racism and poor choices - it isn't her fault that you decided to get married without knowing each other, #he acts predatory toward a young woman in his employ. #and uses his feelings for her as a justification for his awful behavior, #he's the type of man who thinks his money and influence can do anything and is just generally a massive asshole. #Duke Holdernesse is also the type of man who thinks his money and influence can do anything, #he's created a mess for his whole family by favoring reputation over their well-being, #so it goes without saying that he is a shitty father and husband, #his youngest son's misery and willingness to run away are clear red flags, #however Holdernesse does display a desire to do better and might actually succeed, #Gibson isn't going to change on his own and we don't know if Grace actually suffers the misfortune of being saddled to him as a partner, #Amberley is a miserable man who does not seem to regret committing an atrocious crime plus he has the gall to act as a client, #But Gibson's business dealings spread to the ruin of people and nations by his own admission, #so the reach of harm he has enacted and will likely continue to perpetrate is immense, #he may not be directly responsible for murder but if he's as powerful as all that then he probably has blood on his hands either way, #So yes - Gibson does qualify for first place, #Amberly takes 2nd with Holdernesse at 3rd, #Lestrade and Lady Eva Brackwell don't qualify”

Letters from Watson: Worst Client poll 9

Poll 8 link

Oh boy we've got some DOOZIES in this round! Y'all know easily where I stand on this one but I'm dying to see others' reasonings for their votes--don't forget to add in the tags!

[tenth-sentence]

The proud lord of Holdernesse was not accustomed to be so rated in his own ducal hall.

"The Illustrated Sherlock Holmes Treasury" - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

[missanthropicprinciple]

In The Priory School the Duke of Holdernesse cuts Holmes a check for £12,000, which is worth £1,303,661.56 ($1,662,787.07) in 2023.

[stephensmithuk]

The Priory School

Published in 1904, this is the final story we're covering from Return.

It is also our first story set in the reign of Edward VII, who was a rather different monarch to his mother to put it mildly.

So, the Duke of Holdernesse's biography. Brace yourself, because this is going to need a few points to cover:

There have been a total of 40 dukedoms created in the English peerage; some of them have been recreated over the centuries after dying out due to lack of a male heir (they are nearly always male only) or the holder ends up becoming King, in which case the dukedom "merges in the Crown" and is free for further use. For example, Prince Philip was made Duke of Edinburgh as a wedding present when he married the future Elizabeth II. When he died, Prince Charles inherited the dukedom but didn't use it as he was already Prince of Wales. King Charles III then gave the Duchy to his brother Edward as a 59th birthday present, but made it life only. I will mention Edward again later.

Not counting the Duke of Cornwall, the title being explicitly linked to the oldest son of the monarch i.e. Prince William, the oldest active dukedom is Norfolk, currently with its 18th holder, Edward Fitzalan-Howard. He also holds the hereditary title of Earl Marshal, in that capacity organising both the funeral of Elizabeth II and the coronation of Charles III, something made a good deal harder when he got a six-month driving ban for driving through a red light while on his mobile. His lawyer managed to get a good part of the hearing done in private because the mitigation stuff involved discussing sensitive coronation details.

KG stands for "Knight of the Garter". Below the Victoria and George Crosses, the latter of course not yet a thing, this is the most prestigious honour you can get in the honours system. It typically goes to royals domestic and foreign, top officials including Prime Ministers and those who have done major works for the monarch personally. However, notable other cases include Sir Edmund Hilary i.e. the Everest chap. At the time, the Government made appointments, but to stop the honour being used for patronage, since 1946, the sole appointer has been the head of the order i.e. the monarch.

I could go on about the Garter, but we'll be here all day.

PC stands for Privy Counsellor, a formal group of senior advisors to the monarch, that includes top politicans. They still have a function, including intelligence sharing and can use the title "Right Honourable" even if they aren't. Some have in fact been kicked out recently for criminal convictions.

If you have multiple titles, your oldest legitimate son is allowed to use one of the junior ones as a courtesy title. Hence Lord Saltire. Pivoting back to Prince Edward, his oldest son James, aged 15, uses the title Earl of Wessex, his father's wedding present and will inherit that from his father. As a monarch's grandson, he will have the right to call himself a prince when he turns 18.

This said, it is perfectly possible for a kid to become a Duke in his own right. The other Prince Edward became Duke of Kent in 1942 aged just six when his father died in a plane crash.

Lord Lieutenants are official deputies of the monarch in the various 'ceremonial counties' (as British local government is now rather complex). They used to have a role leading the local militias and still play a role in selecting low-level judicial officials, but their main job is giving out medals and opening stuff. They also have deputies below them, who are the people you write to if you want a royal to open something.

Hallamshire was a historical area in what is now South Yorkshire, no longer a county by this point, that covers an area roughly the same as the modern-day City of Sheffield.

Preparatory schools or "prep schools" are fee-paying schools designed to prepare children for the Common Entrance Examination to get into one of the public schools like Eton or Fettes. They are frequently, but not always, boarding schools.

Yes, 13 May 1901 was a Monday.

An Eton jacket is a short (waist-length) jacket with three buttons. Outside the military, where it forms part of mess dress, it's now far more associated with service staff.

Heidegger shares his name with a German philosopher, Martin Heidegger, who had yet to come to prominence at the time. A Nazi supporter, he has the interesting distinction of being the only then-living philospher mentioned in the "Bruces' Philosophers Song" by Monty Python.

An "ordnance map" refers to the Ordnance Survey maps. Originating in 1745, when maps of Scotland were created to assist in putting the Jacobite clans then in rebellion against the government, these have been the standard maps for ramblers, the military etc. for generations and can be used to trace changes in places over time. The ones from before 1970 are now public domain and available online.

The bicycle track deductions have been debated to death by Holmesian scholars over years; Klinger covers their analysis in some depth. Doyle himself admitted he wasn't quite right.

It was a legal requirement for the details of the landlord of a pub to have their details prominently displayed at the entrance. By tradition, that was and still is above the door. However, since 2003, you legally just need the premises licence on display.

The Capital and Counties Bank had 473 branches across the UK until its 1918 acquistion by Lloyds Bank, still the largest retail bank in the UK.

Britain had "felony murder" like the US until 1957. Since Wilder is involved in the kidnapping, he would be just as liable as Hayes for the murder of Heidegger and could face the death penalty with him.

This became a matter of huge controversy in the 1953 case of Derek Bentley, also known as the "Let him have it" case. Bentley allegedly delivered those words to his accomplice in a burglary, Christopher Craig, a 16-year-old who then shot dead a police officer. Bentley himself had mental development problems with a IQ recorded of 77. Both were found guilty of murder and Craig spent ten years at "Her Majesty's Pleasure" as a juvenille offender. A recommendation for mercy in the case of Bentley was ignored by the judge and when the appeal failed, the Home Secretary David Maxwell Fyfe (who had also overseen a major increase in the persecution of gay men) declined to commute the sentence, despite 200 MPs calling for it. Bentley was hanged, but the continuing outcry was a key factor in the 1964 abolition of capital punishment in England and Wales. Bentley would get a posthumous royal pardon in 1993 and the Court of Appeal quashed his murder conviction in 1998 on the grounds of the flawed trial.

[faithful-grigori]

”#doyle is writing some good class critism”

The Duke had dropped the last attempt at self-command, and was pacing the room with a convulsed face and with his clenched hands raving in the air. At last he mastered himself and sat down once more at his desk. “I appreciate your conduct in coming here before you spoke to anyone else,” said he. “At least, we may take counsel how far we can minimise this hideous scandal.”

Gods, Doyle did a great job making me hate these rich asshole characters. A man died and went missing for days and all they care about is the damage to their reputation

[skyriderwednesday]

See this bit confused the absolute crap out of me when I was trying to gather dates for my chronology--

Because Watson sets up this paragraph talking about 'Things Holmes Did In 1895', but this is a reference to The Priory School, which cannot occur earlier than 1901.

So after being confused for a good twenty minutes, I looked again at the publication order and swore a bit -- because we won't get that story for ages, but this is a callback to the previous month's story.

So yeah. That's who the Duke of Holdernesse is. He's a guy Holmes and Watson won't meet for a minimum of six years, that Watson can only reference because these stories are written in retrospect.

[mariana-oconnor]

The Priory School pt 1

A 4-parter? Exciting. Though I'm going away in a couple of days so I don't know when I'll get a chance to properly read through it all.

Anyway, first thing's first:

I cannot recollect anything more sudden and startling than the first appearance of Thorneycroft Huxtable, M.A., Ph.D., etc.

What a name. Are those both surnames or did his parents name him Thorneycroft? If so, that's quite the name to have. It's got to be a two-part surname, hasn't it?

...so large, so pompous, and so dignified that he was the very embodiment of self-possession and solidity. And yet his first action when the door had closed behind him was to stagger against the table, whence he slipped down upon the floor, and there was that majestic figure prostrate and insensible upon our bearskin hearthrug.

He collapsed, but he did it in the most dignified manner possible.

That's a superpower.

Then Holmes hurried with a cushion for his head and I with brandy for his lips.

BRANDY!

How I have missed you! Clearly the only possible medical response to such an entrance. Give the man a brandy, let it work its magic!

Brandy, the unsung hero of the Holmes stories. The true doctor. The panacea of the ages.

"Thank you, if I might have a glass of milk and a biscuit I have no doubt that I should be better."

What? No brandy?

Milk and a biscuit? I like this guy.

“Have you heard nothing of the abduction of the only son of the Duke of Holdernesse?”

Hey wait, is that one of the stories that was mentioned in a previous story? I vaguely recall something about the Duke being kind of a dickhead. But I might be confusing matters.

By 'late Cabinet Minister' does Holmes mean that of late the duke was a cabinet minister, or that he was a cabinet minister and then he died?

And how many 'wealthiest' people in the country are there? We seem to be collecting them.

"I may tell you, however, that his Grace has already intimated that a cheque for five thousand pounds will be handed over to the person who can tell him where his son is, and another thousand to him who can name the man, or men, who have taken him.”

That's over £600,000 in today's money if anyone's wondering, which translates to Just under $750,000.

"And now, Dr. Huxtable, when you have consumed that milk you will kindly tell me what has happened, when it happened, how it happened, and, finally, what Dr. Thorneycroft Huxtable, of the Priory School, near Mackleton, has to do with the matter, and why he comes three days after an event—the state of your chin gives the date—to ask for my humble services.”

Wait, wait, wait. He called him Dr Huxtable, so that means Thorneycroft is actually his first name. Seriously?

Wow.

That's a choice.

Both by author and by fictional parents. A. Choice.

I'm glad they gave him his milk and biscuits. 😊

"It is an open secret that the Duke's married life had not been a peaceful one, and the matter had ended in a separation by mutual consent, the Duchess taking up her residence in the South of France."

This is strangely functional compared to other relationships we've seen. Apart from the custody issues. (Did the boy run off to live with his mother?) At least neither of them is actively abusing or killing the other - as far as we can tell from this information at least. A mutual separation is very grown up of them.

"Heidegger, the German master, was missing. His room was on the second floor, at the farther end of the building, facing the same way as Lord Saltire's. His bed had also been slept in; but he had apparently gone away partly dressed, since his shirt and socks were lying on the floor."

Was going to say 'suspicious', but the fact that he wasn't fully dressed seems pretty certain to point to him having observed the boy going/being taken and having taken off after him in a hurry. No self respecting kidnapper would do the job half-dressed. At least not in the early twentieth century. Imagine kidnapping someone without your waistcoat or your hat? The horror!

"It is only a few miles away, and we imagined that in some sudden attack of home-sickness he had gone back to his father; but nothing had been heard of him."

You said yourself he was sent to your school because he was miserable at home and missed his mother. Isn't it more likely he was heading to the South of France if he left by himself?

“I am not to blame, Mr. Holmes. His Grace was extremely desirous to avoid all public scandal. He was afraid of his family unhappiness being dragged before the world. He has a deep horror of anything of the kind.”

I take back everything I said about this duke being a grown up. Your child is missing. Unless you know exactly where he is and that he's safe, or you have a ransom note saying that if you tell people they'll kill him, you don't try and cover the thing up. Avoiding scandal is not more important than your son.

“Was he in the master's class?” “No; he never exchanged a word with him so far as I know.” “That is certainly very singular."

I mean, if you look out your window and see a child absconding from school grounds in the middle of the night, then you kind of have to go after him. You don't just say 'oh, well he's not in my class, it must be someone else's problem'... do you? There's a duty of care, surely.

“Well, now, you do not mean to seriously suggest that this German rode off upon a bicycle in the dead of the night bearing the boy in his arms?” “Certainly not.” “Then what is the theory in your mind?”

That the boy got into a car/carriage with someone he trusted and the German teacher set off in pursuit on his bicycle because one of the students was being kidnapped.

I do hope the poor German teacher isn't dead in a ditch somewhere. He seems to be the only person thus far with any sense (although maybe shouting to wake someone else up might have been a thought).

“His Grace is never very friendly with anyone. He is completely immersed in large public questions, and is rather inaccessible to all ordinary emotions. But he was always kind to the boy in his own way.”

Sounds like the perfect candidate for sole custody of a young boy.

“I have had some confidential talks with Mr. James Wilder, his Grace's secretary. It was he who gave me the information about Lord Saltire's feelings.”

This is the second, or maybe third, mention of Mr James Wilder, his Grace's secretary. Hmmmmm

If anyone could imitate the duke's handwriting, it would be his secretary. And he's going around talking about his employer's private affairs. Hmmm and again I say hmmmmm

"...it would be well to allow the people in your neighbourhood to imagine that the inquiry is still going on in Liverpool, or wherever else that red herring led your pack."

Huh, the phrase 'red herring', according to Google, originated in the year 1807... or 1686... or 1884...

So... that clears that up. 🤣

“The Duke is here,” said he. “The Duke and Mr. Wilder are in the study. Come, gentlemen, and I will introduce you.”

Ah, Mr Wilder, you grow more suspicious by the second.

“Hardly that, Doctor, hardly that,” said Holmes, in his blandest voice. “This northern air is invigorating and pleasant, so I propose to spend a few days upon your moors, and to occupy my mind as best I may. Whether I have the shelter of your roof or of the village inn is, of course, for you to decide.”

Telling Holmes to stop investigating something is like telling a toddler that they aren't allowed to eat the chocolate cake. Inevitably it makes them want it more. Congratulations, Mr Wilder, you just made sure Holmes is never leaving. You are stuck with him.

The nobleman's reply was interrupted by his secretary, who broke in with some heat. “His Grace is not in the habit of posting letters himself...”

Heaven forfend that a duke should post his own letters! LE GASP. He might... touch something common and contaminate his noble hands! Or the effort of such menial exertions might raise a common sweat upon his noble brow! How could you even suggest such a thing, Holmes? How dare?!

It was evident that to his intensely aristocratic nature this discussion of his intimate family affairs with a stranger was most abhorrent, and that he feared lest every fresh question would throw a fiercer light into the discreetly shadowed corners of his ducal history.

I'm not exactly predisposed to like aristocratic characters, I will admit, but this is just such a 'Really? Really really?' moment. I get stiff-upper-lip, toxic-masculinity, allergic-to-emotions, but your only son is missing. Sir, either you are dead inside or you know exactly where he is and are responsible.

[holmesillustrations]

Vote for your favourite, the top 9 will proceed in the bracket. Since theyre all different shapes and sizes, make sure to click into the full views!

Paget Eliminations

Other Artist Eliminations

Full captions and details for each illustration below the cut:

All Sidney Paget illustrations are for the Strand Jul 1891 - Dec 1904

"At the Gasfitter's Ball." Case of Identity Characters: Mary Sutherland, 'Hosmer Angel'

"He took out a very large bath sponge." Twisted Lip Characters: Bradstreet, Watson, Holmes

"The gentleman in the pew handed it up to her." Noble Bachelor Characters: Lord St Simon, Hatty Doran, Francis Moulton

"He laid his hand upon the glossy neck." Silver Blaze Characters: Watson, Col Ross, Holmes, Jockey

"We pulled him aboard the boat." Gloria Scott Characters: Gloria Scott convicts, Hudson

"He drew up the windows." Greek Interpreter Characters: Mr Melas, Harold Latimer

Frontispiece, Hound of the Baskervilles Characters: Hugo Baskerville, Hound

"Sir Henry put his hand upon my shoulder." Hound of the Baskervilles Characters: Watson, Sir Henry

"I knocked down several books which he was carrying." Empty House Characters: Holmes, Watson

"Beside him stood a very young man." Priory School Characters: James Wilder, Duke of Holdernesse

"How came you to leave the key in the door?" Three Students Characters: Holmes, Watson, Hilton Soames, Bannister

"No, my dear Watson, the two events are connected–must be connected." Second Stain Characters: Watson, Holmes

[faithful-grigori]

”#Holmes might have been lenient but Watson will publish it all, #so the scandal WILL blow up in a way or the other”

Hello friends! For the last part of Priory School by our dear Watson!

Well, our victorian husbands accused the nobleman and this is the live reaction

Sorry, sorry. I HAD to.

Well, duky boy recovers quickly and goes to the first thing hopping in his mind

TRYING TO BUY SHERLOCK HOLMES! Congrats, man, worst thing you couldn't've tried.

Half-alpha-man: I'm the one who's paying you, you CAN'T make people face the consequences of their actions! SH: Actually... I can JW: Actually... he can.

Of course, of course we can. So Watson can give, in a couple of years, the full account of how you wanted to cover the thing up! Do you read 'The Strand'? No? Do start.

DO start reading my Watson's stories, sir. You will understand a bit more things. Holmes is so cute when he brags this way uwu (Watson thinks so too)

Shocked duke noises 2.0

W-what? Time for HOLMES to be shocked. DO, talk, man, So we can fix stuff.

The duke spills the tea and they arrange things.

DO shut up, Let's just say you won't win the 'father of the year' award.

Holmes gives the duke an earful of his OPINIONS. Right opinions, i say.

And then sets down to fix the mess

Sent for getting the kid, now let's see for what this man has done. Holmes is not the police etc etc, but now they need to fix a BIG mess.

Urgh! Out of sight out of mind, eh? Not the best solution. Plus, i truly hope the Duchess reads the strand, reads the story and leaves the duke once and forever TAKING THE KID WITH HER. I know it won't probably happen, but a girl can hope.

Perfect, We had a nice, pretty paid holiday in the North with a case to have a bit of fun. My Watson had his good fill of country air and he won't torture me with the need to take a walk in a less polluted air for my health for a while, We got 12000£ of cheque. All's well save... those horseshoes? Could you explain pls?

-insert happy Holmes noises here-

And he's REALLY thinking to what to do with that money oooh yes.

[edwardian-girl-next-door]

"What law is there in such places as these?"

Little moments from Granada's The Return of Sherlock Holmes S2:Ep2, "The Priory School" (1986). Dir. by John Madden. Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes, Edward Hardwicke as Dr. Watson, Alan Howard as the Duke of Holdernesse, and Nicholas Geck as James Wilder

[no-side-us]

Letters From Watson Liveblog - Oct. 23

The Priory School, Part 1 of 4

I could comment on how peculiar the name sounds, but instead I'll just see what such a name actually means. "Thorneycroft" means a thorny field or enclosure, and "Huxtable" means a spur of land and a post of some kind. They're both from Old English, so all around a very English name for a very English character.

Also, in contrast to the previous story, I like how there's no preamble here where Watson waxes poetic about his writing and Holmes. A man falls his way into the room and the story simply begins.

Ten years old and already a lord, incredible. I don't know how British titles work, so I'm assuming this is all very much honorary and he's not technically responsible for anything.

Wow, this might be the healthiest resolution to marital issues I've seen in a Sherlock Holmes story. Especially compared to everything going on in Thor Bridge.

Considering this story will be in four parts, I like that there is a sort of in-universe reason for it. Like, Holmes has more work to do since so much time was wasted, so now there's more story to read.

Genuinely asking, how easy would it have been for a ten-year old child to make his way to France from England in 1904? Does the fact Lord Saltire is a rich, politician's son help in any way?

Holmes and Watson are much older now! That's sweet that they've been doing this for so long it's acknowledged in-story. I feel like I should re-imagine the Holmes and Watson in my mind to a more older and refined appearance than the classic and youthful ones that are currently there.

The secretary, James Wilder, is somewhat suspect to me. He said before this that he tried to stop Huxtable from going to Holmes, which isn't too bad. But here he's getting all flustered over a very simple question of who posted the Duke's letters. It's not anything damning of course, just odd.

Of all the husbands Holmes has encountered, the Duke of Holdernesse is not that bad. The bar is low of course, but he seems appropriately concerned about his missing son, he accepts Holmes' help, and he doesn't even accuse his wife of anything, which would be the obvious bad thing to do. I wonder if Conan Doyle based the Duke on any real politician of the time.

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4

[faithful-grigori]

”#He's eager for BOTH, #He knows he can do lots of nice things with those money, #And he gets to scuse the Duke!”

My friend rubbed his thin hands together with an appearance of avidity which was a surprise to me, who knew his frugal tastes.

It’s not because he’s eager for money, Watson, it’s because he’s so excited for his upcoming zinger

[bakerstreetbabble]

Granada TV Series Review: "The Priory School" (S03, E06)

It's Arthur Conan Doyle's birthday today, and today I return to my series of reviews of the Granada TV series, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Once again, the game is afoot!

The Granada adaptation of "The Adventure of the Priory School" is dramatic and action-packed (particularly towards the end of the episode). But, although it retains some of the major plot points, it bears relatively little resemblance to its source material. Material from the original story is shuffled around, we are treated to a considerable amount of horse riding and bicycle riding, and there's an interesting scene where the main villain, Mr. James Wilder, meets a nasty end in a torch-lit cave. It's certainly an engaging story, but it's not quite the story Arthur Conan Doyle wrote!

Still, there is much to recommend, above and beyond the beautiful scenery of the English countryside. Noted Shakespearean actor Alan Howard portrays the Duke of Holdernesse to great effect. (His long red beard described in the story has been replaced by bushy red sideburns.) Jeremy Brett brings his usual intensity to the role, and Watson is given quite a bit more to do than in the original. The dramatic pacing of the adaptation is quite good, I think, and less dialogue heavy than the original, so the story flows fairly convincingly. As an occasional student of Latin, I also enjoyed the tiny little detail of the headmaster, Dr. Thorneycroft Huxtable (surely one of the greatest character names in the whole Canon), greets all the students with, "Salvete discipuli!" (Hello, students!)

I was intrigued by a dinner scene towards the middle of the episode, wherein Holmes and Watson joke a bit about the origins of the Holdernesse family (they started out as cattle thieves). An outraged Dr. Huxtable gets a little peeved with Holmes' s disrespect of the Duke, which leads to a scene that is not in the original story where the detective shares his deductions on the role that the German teacher has played in the boy's disappearance. It seemed to me that it was a bit out of character to be joking about an aristocrat, as he usually shows great deference to those of high station, but the scene was certainly well played, especially with all the pipe and cigarette smoke that created a visually interesting effect.

Perhaps this is a good point to pause and consider the challenges inherent in adapting Doyle's stories to the medium of television. While they often have their fair share of action and adventure, many of the stories in the Canon tend to be rather heavy on dialogue. We are often given much of the exposition, and often much of Holmes' s investigations, in the form of characters telling other characters what has happened. To make an effective TV drama, of course, the writers have to show rather than tell, and to a great extent, most of the episodes I've watched thus far have done a pretty good job of doing so. Added to the visual nature of TV is the necessity to make stories fit into the format of a 50-minute episode. For some stories this means trimming the plot considerably, while for others it means padding the plot with more material.

Overall, I believe the adaptation of "The Priory School" is one of the better examples of handling the source material in a manner that retains much of the flavor of the original, while demonstrating a willingness to depart from the source where necessary, in order to provide a better dramatic structure for the medium in which they are working. I certainly found this to be a worthwhile installment in the series. Feel free to share your thoughts on the episode, particularly if you have ideas about how much an adaptation should adhere to the original story.

My apologies to anyone who has been following my series of Granada reviews, for skipping last week's post. We had a very busy weekend, and there simply wasn't time to watch an episode and write a review. This review will get us back on track as I near the midpoint of my viewing experience. Thanks for reading!