As you may have guessed by the title of this entry, Dr. Bell and Mr. Doyle: The Dark Beginning of Sherlock Holmes is a fictionalized rendition of how Sir Arthur Conan Doyle came up with one of fiction’s most iconic characters >>> Sherlock Holmes. This movie stars the wonderful Ian Richardson (of the original House of Cards) as Dr. Bell, Doyle’s mentor.
Dr. Bell and Mr. Doyle: The Dark Beginning of Sherlock Holmes gives us a small glimpse into Doyle’s life in medical school. ( I was quite surprised by his family’s circumstances.) We are treated to what medical school in the late 1800s might have been like. Women are fighting to be seen as good enough to have the privilege of attending these universities; while it’s almost a given for rich, young men to have a seat in these lecture halls.
Dr. Bell is a medical doctor and professor who is quite different than the other teachers at the university. He doesn’t seem to question having women in his classes nor does he believe in simply teaching the medical students basic information. He has them use their deductive reasoning skills to become the best doctors possible.
Dr. Bell employs Doyle as his research assistant, which becomes an all-consuming, highly rewarding experience. It is this “internship” that Doyle uses as his basis for Sherlock Holmes’ deductive powers. According to the movie, Dr. Bell works at solving murders which the local police are unable to solve. He does so through reading all of the clues, not just the obvious.
Robin Laing gives a very good performance as young Arthur Conan Doyle in this BBC production. The costumes and sets are particularly good. The movie shows us how Sherlock Holmes could definitely have been modeled on Dr. Bell. If you enjoy terrific British made-for-TV movies, Ian Richardson, and Sherlock Holmes, I think you’ll enjoy Dr. Bell and Mr. Doyle: The Dark Beginnings of Sherlock Holmes.
PS. This movie is not available on Netflix or Acorn at this time. (When I wrote this entry, it was available on Netflix in disc format. Apparently they are waiting to re-release it, and have it on their “Save to DVD Queue” mode.)
For more ideas on movies and television shows, be sure to check my TV and Movie page on my site.
Marienne says
Hello, Danna!
I gather this isn’t coming on television soon. I tapped the link & found it in Amazon. Have you any other programming information?
Thanks,
Marienne
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Marienne, you’re right about Amazon having it, but another place to try would be your local library. Also, if you belong to the disc part of Netflix, you can reserve it for when it becomes available.
GINGER says
Have you watched the masterpiece series on PBS of Arthur and George. I have watched the first episode and have the next 2 dvred to show . I really liked it. I don’t watched much on PBS but I like this
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Ginger, I wasn’t aware that this series was on. I used to go to the PBS website on a regular basis, but they changed their site >>> not for the better! Now that they have the Mystery! shows mixed in with their Masterpiece, it has become a big jumble for me. So, no, we haven’t been watching the Arthur and George shows, but I’ll set it up now to catch the rest. Thank you for letting the rest of us know about these shows. They look like they’ll be good.
Janice says
I have also been watching Arthur and George and find it interesting. I read that it is based on a true incident in the life of Arthur Conan Doyle. After the death of his first wife, he stopped writing for a while and took up the case of a young man who wanted to clear his name after serving a prison sentence for a gruesome crime. Doyle investigated and this eventually led to changes in the law that allowed convictions to be overturned. Martin Clunes (Doc Martin) does an excellent job of portraying Doyle.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Janice, I hope that I can catch this series the second time it’s aired on PBS. The PBS site has become such a bore to navigate that I just don’t go there anymore. I used to add the PBS Mystery! line-up to my monthly television mystery movies entries, so I probably should spend more time trying to figure out what shows they’ll be playing…
Ceelee Sunshine says
This sounds really good! I think I might have seen it before on Netflix as it sounds familiar. Also I read a biography of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle but can’t remember the author. It was excellent and covered a lot of details of his life including his feud with Houdini. I borrowed the book but if I can find it in my orders I can let you know the author. It is a pretty long book but well worth the read.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Ceelee Sunshine, my husband and I both enjoyed this show, and I just wish they still had the disc available on Netflix. Well, at least they show that they’ll have it back in their circulation…
ML says
Try the PBS website. Sometimes they’ll have past programs for viewing. Also you tube! I was able to watch the Sherlock Holmes episodes starring Jeremy Brett from the 90’s as shown on PBS from this site. There’s quite a few Agatha Christie dramatizations as well and many British TV mysteries.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
ML, I didn’t know YouTube had whole shows on it. I wonder if libraries would carry this movie…
ML says
I discovered them when I was stuck at home, in bed, without any mystery books and access to the family TV. Just my laptop and the Internet. So under you tube I typed TV shows and soon I found episodes of Sherlock Holmes, Agatha Christie, Rosemary and Thyme, etc. It was my 15-year-old daughter’s idea.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
ML, when my children were quite a bit younger, a lot of times I would have to wait until they got home from school to help me out with the computer. Brava to your 15 year old daughter!
ML says
I highly recommend this video. I’ve seen on PBS (years ago) and also rented it on disc through Netflix. Perfect for those who enjoyed reading The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. It gives the audience the way deductive reasoning works but a good look at Victorian Great Britain and the medical profession.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
ML, I sure hope it becomes available (again) on Netflix. It really does give us some insight into what might have given Doyle the idea for Sherlock Holmes.
Ann says
I hadn’t heard of this. I’ve been enjoying Arthur and George too. Martin Clunes is great in it.
Ann
Rho says
Speaking of Martin Clunes, the next season of Doc Martin is coming to Acorn soon.
Donna Mc says
Well, now Amazon says the DVD is temporarily out of stock, but apparently they do have it on streaming. I’m beginning to watch more and more shows online, it seems to be the way things are going in the 21st century. Thanks for the recommendation/information, Danna. BTW, I’ve been reading Edgar Allan Poe: Complete Tales and Poems (kindle), and the introduction mentions that Poe’s detective, C. August Dupin, was part of the inspiration for Sherlock Holmes. Another interesting, curious fact of literary lore.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Donna Mc, thanks for the Edgar Allan Poe info. I had never heard that, and you’re right, it is interesting!
Deb says
Watched the series of 3 on YouTube about a year ago. Now just short clips are there. Sad.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Deb, I’m sorry to hear that, but it’s never a huge surprise when these sorts of movies are pulled from YouTube.