Quite Irregular is running a series on adaptations, of which mine is the inaugural post. Please have a wander over and look at It Was Acceptable in the 80s: ITV Adaptations and Images of British Heritage. Excerpt below!
I believe there are three series, all produced for ITV in the late 80s and early 90s, that could be considered the definitive television adaptations of their respective originals. They are the exalted series of Jeeves and Wooster, Sherlock Holmes, and Poirot, all produced for ITV in the late 80s and early 90s. (I initially thought they were all produced by Granada Television for ITV, but it turns out that dear old Poirot was actually produced by LWT. We shall soldier on nonetheless.)
Why am I drawn to these above all other adaptions? To examine this, I must leave aside the merits of the stories themselves and focus on the qualities that distinguish these particular adaptations from other adapted works. Please don’t interpret this as my being blind to the wonders of narrative, I’m just looking at why these particular versions are so striking.
In a Merry Hour: Caitlin E McDonald 