The corporation is making the most of the Conan Doyle franchise.
The benchmark hitherto has always been Granada TelevisionsThe Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, which began on ITV in 1984.
A forgotten gem made its debut a full year before the big budget Granada show.
Debbie Norris played the motherly Queenie, who looked out for the other members of the gang.
Hubert Rees was Doctor Watson in five episodes.
The exterior locations were shot on 16mm film.
In short, it was typical of the televison production of its era.
Its the London encountered by Tom Bakers Time Lord in the superiorDoctor WhoserialThe Talons of Weng Chiang.
Sherlock Holmes was clearly flavour of the month as Guy Henry became ITVsYoung Sherlockjust a few weeks later.
The series clearly had ambitions beyond lightweight Victorian melodrama, which was deemed acceptable childrens fare at the time.
Shown on Tuesdays and Fridays in (what those of a certain vintage would recognise as) theGrange Hillslot.
Does Julian Midwinter really exist or is a ghost somehow committing crime?
Wiggins methods are questioned by his colleagues as he becomes obsessed by the case.
This story was my personal favourite.
*The episode transmitted on 15 March was shown on BBC2 because of coverage of The Budget on BBC1.
The series was produced by Paul Stone and directed by Marilyn Fox and Michael Kerrigan.
Clearly, not one for the purists.
He retitled some of the stories so each began with the prefix The Case of… Suffice to say it has long since been deleted.
