H K Fauskanger This is not a TV movie with much of a drive to it; for the most part it moves along very patiently. But it did manage to stay vaguely interesting, and somewhat more so after the half-way point. If you know something about Arthur Conan Doyle and Sherlock Holmes alike, it may be amusing to watch this interpretation of the relationship between the creator and his creation.The flashbacks to Conan Doyle's "youth" and his encounters with Dr. Bell come across as slightly awkward since the actor is obviously just as middle-aged as ever -- especially when seen in a lecture hall full of twenty-something students that are supposedly his peers.The end may not make a whole lot of sense, though. So Mr. "Selden" was actually some kind of manifestation of Holmes himself? Our first thought is then that the whole affair was psychological -- just Conan Doyle's own fantasies playing out before our eyes. But "Selden" is apparently just as visible to Conan Doyle's butler, to his mother and to Dr. Bell -- interviewing them while Conan Doyle is not even present. So do we go for a wholesale paranormal explanation here, with a fictional character entering the physical world to influence his own author? When that character is supposed to be the ultra-rational Holmes, it becomes something of a contradiction in terms to involve him in a semi-supernatural phenomenon.But be that as it may, the TV movie did manage to hold my attention throughout, despite its low-key/undramatic style and patient pacing. The relationship between Conan Doyle and his new girlfriend was also beautifully presented, in the same patient manner (and the actress wasn't hard on the eyes). We'll give the whole seven stars. Just don't expect anything like an action movie.

Prof-Hieronymos-Grost The BBC has a very good record when it comes to period drama and so it was with baited breath I awaited this new entry in the Sherlock Holmes and Arthur Conan Doyle filmography....It was written for the screen by David Pirie the writer behind the truly Magnificent Murder Rooms series that also studied the life of Doyle and his reasons for creating his most famous character Sherlock Holmes....but this just wasn't up to scratch,and mainly due to some poor writing but seeing as how Pirie has a good track record I shall put the blame firmly on the Director.....The Hound of the Baskervilles did not herald the come back of Holmes...it was The Empty House....and what about when Doyle's father dies....all his mother wants to talk about is when is he going to bring Holmes back from the dead....not very realistic.....it did look good though and the acting was equally good

nogginiscool Written by the writer who penned the excellent Murder Rooms series which chronicled ACD's adventures with Doctor Joseph Bell, I was looking forward to this and I wasn't disappointed. It was quite slow moving, with a lot of emphasis on Doyle's frustration at Sherlock Holmes which was very accurate and excellently portrayed. It was an interesting character study and very well shot ( on digital video, unusual for a period piece ). The acting was excellent all round, particularly Tim McInnery and Brian Cox although the actor who portrayed ACD, whose name I cannot remember impressed me no end. An excellent character study which has about the same amount of twists as any normal Sherlock Holmes case. Do see this if you get the chance

Shawn Watson Plus I'm not entirely sure if this is based on truth or if it's all just a complete fantasy. The idea of Doyle's life being picked apart by an apparition of the very character he created but it's a bit far-fetched to be believable. Still, it's interesting at the very least.However, very sad people like me will notice many anachronisms. Such as The Hound of the Baskervilles being hailed as Holmes' return from the grave even though it is set before his encounter with Moriarty at the Reichenbach Falls. I did find it weird that Brian Cox plays Doyle's mentor Doctor Joseph Bell while his son Alan Cox played Watson in Young Sherlock Holmes.Some nice locations and warm photography are about all this TV movie has to offer in terms of atmosphere. It's sparsely populated and some things are never quite clear. Like what was that gunshot when Kingsley briefly disappeared in the woods? Did that manifest in the cupboard actually exist? How did an apparition of Holmes, that only Doyle could see, end up questioning his mother? The score is also minimal, but could have been taken a bit further without being intrusive.For Holmes/Doyle fans and the merely curious alike.