I am a huge fan of the Granada Sherlock Holmes, and The Empty House is a strong return for a series that started with such promise and generally apart from a couple of disappointments later on was of consistent high quality. The Empty House follows on from one of the best and most special episodes of the entire series The Final Problem, the ending of which did leave room for a follow-up. While not quite as good, it is just as excellent an episode. There may be parts in the middle that feel as though the story is a little stretched, however the story overall is exciting and very clever. Three scenes stood out, the scene where Watson sees Holmes for the very first time since he was assumed dead, one of the most reflective and most moving beginnings of any of the adaptations of the series and especially the capture of the murderer, tense to start with and then a faithful and brilliantly delivered speech from Holmes(love the snarl). The production values are truly splendid, as is the typically hauntingly beautiful music, and the screenplay is of the usual thoughtful standard. Jeremy Brett is superb as always, and I do slightly prefer Edward Hardwicke's somewhat wiser and understated Watson to David Burke's. Patrick Allen is good as Moran, but Rosalie Williams and Colin Jeavons' supporting turns as Mrs Hudson and Lestrade fare best. All in all, a fine return for one of the most iconic detectives in fiction. 9/10 Bethany Cox