"ARTHUR & GEORGE" - MINISERIES

Arthur and Woodie

One reason I enjoyed the miniseries Arthur and George more than dramas based on Arthur Conan Doyle's character, Sherlock Holmes, is because I have no strong, preconceived image of Sir Arthur (Martin Clunes), as I do about Holmes.  The series, based on a 2005 novel by Julian Barnes with the same title, recounts, with sometimes more and sometimes less accuracy, the true story of a case Doyle took on to prove the innocence of George Edjali.  Edalji, an Anglo-Indian solicitor, had been tried and, as the mystery writer believed, unjustly convicted of a series of crimes, because of racism. 

The script, which takes artistic liberty with both the book and Edalji's true story, is well written and well performed by the actors.  As is usually the case, the narrative in the series takes great liberties with both Barnes' book and the true story of Edalji and seems to have been filmed entirely in semi-darkess or in darkness.

The plot includes a number of twists and turns, and I had to watch one of the episodes over again, because I got lost in the weeds and confused about which characters did what.  Since I hardly ever do in mystery stories, I was a bit puffed up because I suspected the identity of one of the villains fairly early in the series.  There was something about the character - perhaps he seemed too innocent.

Throughout the series, I wondered if Alfred Wood, or Woodie (Charles Edwards), was Doyle's servant or his friend.  After reading reviews, I learned that Woodie was his friend/secretary, i. e., his Watson, and quite an obliging friend he is.  The chemistry between the actors, Clunes and Edwards, contributes greatly to the overall quality of the series.