The Creeping Man (28 Mar. 1991)

Holmes thinks a woman's claim to have seen a man at her upstairs bedroom window is related to the theft of several apes.

Director:

Tim Sullivan

Writers:

Arthur Conan Doyle (by), Robin Chapman (dramatised by),

Stars:

Jeremy Brett, Edward Hardwicke, Charles Kay

Cast

Episode complete credited cast:
Jeremy Brett	...	Sherlock Holmes
Edward Hardwicke	...	Dr. Watson
Charles Kay	...	Professor Presbury
Adrian Lukis	...	Jack Bennett
Sarah Woodward	...	Edith Presbury
Anna Mazzotti	...	Alice Morphy
James Tomlinson	...	Macphail
Peter Guinness	...	Wilcox
Steve Swinscoe	...	Jenkins
Colin Jeavons	...	Inspector Lestrade
Anthony Havering	...	Secretary of the Zoological Society
Peter Elliott	...	Great Ape

Storyline

Sherlock Holmes is asked by Jack Bennett to investigate after his fiancée Edith Presbury sees the shadow of a man in her window in the middle of the night. The problem is that her bedroom is on the second floor and there is no way for any man to have been able to get to that window. Edith is the daughter of a notable natural scientist, Professor Presbury, a widower who is engaged to be married to a much younger woman, Alice Morphy. The Professor is quite displeased at hearing that Bennett, who also happens to be his assistant, has hired the Great Detective and Holmes and Watson are unceremoniously escorted off the property.When Holmes reads of a rash of thefts from zoos - all monkeys and apes - he slowly begins to unravel the mystery of the shadow Miss Presbury saw in her window.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 March 1991 (UK)

Filming Locations:

Grappenhall, Warrington, Cheshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Granada Television

Technical Specs

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Just after the introduction, when the naturalist's office is shown for the first time, sounds of typing can be heard in the background. They actually form the monotonic rendition of the intro music. (Performance, however, is far from perfect.)

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Quotes

[first lines]
Professor Presbury: You may inform the Secretary of the Royal Society that I have entitled my Michaelmas lecture 'Darwin's Fundamental Error'.
Jack Bennett: That'll raise a few hackles, sir.
Professor Presbury: Will it not.

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Connections

Version of Splhající profesor (1992)

User Reviews

Worst episode I've seen

Jeremey Brett is fantastic as always, but the plot is beyond ridiculous. I won't give it away, but the conclusion had me laughing out loud due to its implausibility. The direction almost seemed tongue-in-cheek to me at times--especially the shots of an obviously fake grunting gorilla. There's a few token nods to Darwin thrown around, and the sets show lots of stuffed monkeys and skeletons, but the theme of man vs. beast is not treated seriously. I have to admit, this is one of Doyle's very weakest stories, so one can't expect too, but even still, the climax and denouement are rushed, melodramatic, and don't even begin to provide any kind of teleological explanation for what we saw. Overall, it's an embarrassment to waste Jeremy Brett's talents on such a ludicrous storyline.