This is a two-hour presentation from BBC broken down conveniently into four 30-minute bite sized episodes. It is typical BBC content of the time - a dull palette and a straightforward narrative shorn of much imagination. It very much follows the book which is of course the main failing of most video versions as Holmes disappears for most of the middle section as he hides on the moors. That leaves us with Watson who is portrayed by the placid unemotional Terence Rigby who could put a hummingbird to sleep just by looking at it. In other words as dull as dishwater - a black hole of personality. Now to be fair, this Watson is not the dunce that many versions unfairly make him out to be but don't invite him over to a dinner party unless you want your guests to leave early. Holmes is much better - played by Dr. Who, Tom Baker in fine fashion.


Arthur Conan Doyle had killed Holmes off some eight years previously but when he walked through the moors this idea came to him. To bring Holmes back. But not after his death at the Reichenbach Falls in 1893. This adventure takes place before that and it wasn't for another two years until Holmes turns up in new stories saying he was faking his death all this time. At least Watson didn't wake up and realize his last story was all a dream. People were thrilled to have Holmes back in any form and The Hound of the Baskervilles became his most famous story and has been done many times.

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