I must confess that until a few years ago I fully believed in the deer-stalker wearing, beak-nosed incarnation of Sherlock Holmes as seen on bill-boards and children's cartoons. Then one night my father persuaded me to watch this series on TV and after that I just had to read the stories to find out what had happened.
Ever since then I have watched every Sherlock Holmes movie that ever came on TV just so I could shout abuse at it, all except this series. Of course it has its faults as does every good thing but there can be little denying that when it came to the casting of the lead it could have not been more perfect.
Brett brings such an energy to the part that is sorely missing in other adaptations. Few other Holmes's have thrown themselves onto dusty floorboards with such gusto or made the veins stand out on their brows in anger. He is deceptively charming and at the same time faintly unsettling, not to mention immensely funny at the correct moment. With him we get a Holmes who, it can be said, is a full human being, flawed but only in the way that a diamond may be flawed, that does not mean it is not still a diamond.
The supporting cast is also excellent with David Burke and Edward Hardewick providing slightly different but equally good Watson's.
Anyone who claims to be a great fan of the stories but does not like this adaptation should look again at the narratives and hang their heads in shame.
