ITV began filming in autumn 2015 for the adaptation of Julian Barnes’ novel, Arthur and George, with a cast that includes Martin Clunes as the creator of Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The three part mini-series will take us back to the celebrated author and physician’s troubled years following the death of his wife, Louisa, in which he struggles to find anything to stir him out of his grief bound malaise, but an odd case captures his attention and suddenly the game is afoot.
Air date
The three part adaptation aired on ITV in March 2015, bringing a little for drama to the channel and it’s own slice of the Sherlock magic. Episode one went out on the 2nd March 2015 between 9pm and 10pm with the remaining two episodes airing weekly on the following Mondays at the same time. For anyone that missed out on the mini-series, you can catch up still on the ITV player, but each episode will be available to watch for just 30 days after it first aired.
Story
It’s an odd story that sees significant parallels between the author and his most famous character in more ways than one, and while the novel that the mini-series is adapted from is a work of fiction, it’s based on a true life story surrounding Arthur Conan Doyle’s investigation into what was known at the time as the Great Wyrley Rippings. It’s a random anomaly in which the actions of an author closely follow their fictional creation, so it will be interesting to see how much Clunes seems Holmes-like in the adaptation.
The story for the mini-series drama sees Conan Doyle turning his interests to the case of George Edalji, a hard-working solicitor and the son of Hampshire vicar, Reverend Shapurji Edalji, who has spent seven years in Pentonville Prison for allegedly mutilating animals and sending threatening letters, giving case the high profile name it received. Learning about the case from the newspaper headlines of the day, Conan Doyle is shaken from his apathy and arranges to meet George as he strives to clear his name and return to his work as a solicitor.
Working closely with his trusted manservant, Alfred ‘Woodie’ Wood, with yet more shades of Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson, the author endeavors to help George in his bid for justice. A big part of the latter challenge is trying to find out who the real culprit of the crimes is, while also trying to piece together what was left of his life in the aftermath of the death of his wife.
The drama is set in 1903 in Staffordshire, Hampshire and London with the backdrop of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s family home, Undershaw, in Surrey. The three part story will follow a similar path as that of the book, which was itself divided in three with around a third covering the trial and conviction of George Edalji, another third on Doyle’s life and his relationships with his first wife Louisa Hawkins and his close friend and later second wife Jean Leckie and another third on the attempts to clear George’s name.
Cast
Martin Clunes is joined on the Arthur and George cast by Arsher Ali (Four Lions) as George, Art Malik (The Jewel in the Crown, True Lies) as his father, the Reverend Shapurji Edalji and Emma Fielding (Silk) as his mother Charlotte Edalji. Charles Edwards (Downton Abbey) has also been confirmed as Woodie, Hattie Morahan (Outnumbered, Sense and Sensibility) will play Jean and Sandra Voe (Vera Drake) has been cast as Conan Doyle’s beloved Mam.
Production
The screenplay for the ITV adaptation has been written by Ed Whitmore (Waking The Dead), the producers are Martin Clunes’ wife Philippa Braithwaite (Sliding Doors) and Trevor Hopkins (Dracula), and the director is Stuart Orme. Filming got underway at the end of September 2014 in London and Staffordshire and as expected the three part drama will air in spring 2015.
First impressions
With a strong cast and an interesting plot, Arthur and George could be an impressive new drama mini-series for ITV. The trailer doing the rounds on TV at the moment looks incredibly evocative and authentic with Martin Clunes looking like an actor entirely transformed in role of Arthur Conan-Doyle.
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Martin Clunes cast as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle alongside Arsher Ali as George Edalji.
