I've always loved the Granada Sherlock Holmes adaptations, finding them so well made and acted as well as largely compelling. And The Resident Patient is no exception to that. It is not one of my favourites of the series with some(not all) of the mystery taking some time to get going, but it has everything that I love so much about the series. The story, while not the most grippingly-paced, is a clever one, with a suspenseful enough atmosphere, a very entertaining opening scene and one of my favourite Holmes-Watson moments involving Holmes playing the violin badly while Watson is trying to work. The script is as thoughtfully written as ever, the music is still of the hauntingly beautiful quality that adds so much to the atmosphere of the series and it is a splendidly made episode with everything down from the sets, the carriages to the costumes evocatively done. The acting is great, Nicholas Clay and Patrick Newell give strong supporting performances, but every Sherlock Holmes story and episode focuses on its two leads and both are superb, David Burke is suitably quietly intelligent while Jeremy Brett becomes the iconic character of Holmes. Overall, a solid episode and adaptation. 9/10 Bethany Cox
Review of The Resident Patient
