Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
Nearly 50 years on, the BBC TV series 'Sir Arthur Conan Doyle' is celebrated in Mark Jones's book 'Conan Doyle - Mystery and Adventure'
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
Mark Jones explains how the series 'Sir Arthur Conan Doyle' came to be made (photo by Roger Johnson)
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
As the image on the screen says, the 1967 BBC TV series is (mostly) missing - a fate that befell a regrettable majority of the Beeb's early TV drama productions (photo by Roger Johnson)
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
The man who devised the 'Sir Arthur Conan Doyle' series was John Hawkesworth; nearly 20 years later he was commissioned by Granada TV to develop the classic 'Sherlock Holmes' series.
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
The late Michael Cox, producer of Granada's 'Sherlock Holmes', was properly appreciative of John Hawkesworth's talents (photo by Roger Johnson)
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
Among the other notable TV productions that benefitted from John Hawkesworth's talent are 'Upstairs, Downstairs', 'The Duchess of Duke Street', 'Danger UXB' and 'Campion'.
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
Before television, John Hawkesworth had worked on major British movies, mostly on the art side, for Vincent Korda, Sir Carol Reed and Sir David Lean among others (photo by Roger Johnson)
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
In 1959, John Hawkesworth wrote and produced the highly regarded film 'Tiger Bay', in which Hayley Mills made her acting debut (photo by Roger Johnson)
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
For 'Sir Arthur Conan Doyle', John Hawkesworth selected thirteen stories - thrilling, macabre, romantic and even comic (photo by Roger Johnson)
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
Here is John Hawkesworth's early handwritten list of possible stories for the series (photo by Roger Johnson)
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
For continuity, John Hawkesworth chose three characters, each from a different story, to be the three friends whose adventures link the series (photo by Roger Johnson)
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
Only one of the 13 instalments of 'Sir Arthur Conan Doyle' has survived, and we are privileged to see it this evening! (photo by Roger Johnson)
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
'The Mystery of Cader Ifan' is adapted from the story 'The Surgeon of Gaster Fell'.
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
The original story is set in North Yorkshire.
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
As the change of title suggests, 'The Mystery of Cader Ifan' is set in the Welsh mountains.
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
Dr Philip Hardacre (Michael Latimer) arrives at The Wynne Arms.
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
A fellow-dinner at the inn is the attractive and secretive Julia Lambert (Charlotte Rampling).
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
Hardacre tries to engage Miss Lambert in conversation.
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
Dr Hardacre takes a walk, hoping to meet Miss Lambert again.
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
Julia Lambert is not unfriendly towards Hardacre, but she seems to be always on her guard.
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
Julia Lambert and her brother go to a stone-built hut, where they sort through a remarkable amount of apparently random objects.
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
Who has lived in the stone hut - and what is it to the Lamberts?
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
Cader Ifan is a beautiful but dangerous place.
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
And whose hands are those, apparently ready to grasp the young people?
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
Dr Hardacre comes upon another clue to the mystery of Cader Ifan - a bedraggled old man (Sidney Bromley) locked in a cage. But who is he, and why is he incarcerated like this?
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
No spoilers! Many thanks to Mark Jones for a fascinating and exciting evening's entertainment (photo by Roger Johnson)