Plot Synopsis

Adapted from Julian Barnes' novel of the same name, ARTHUR & GEORGE is a three-part series that follows the separate but intersecting lives of two very different men: a half-Indian son of a vicar, who is framed for a crime he may or may not have committed, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who investigates the case. The Edalji case saw an improbable defendant, mild-mannered lawyer George Edalji, convicted for mutilating a pony and, by implication, a host of other farm animals in a slashing spree known as the Great Wyrley Outrages. The anonymous misdeeds also included poison pen letters and intimidation aimed, oddly enough, at George's family. To Doyle, the whole affair suggested blatant racism, targeting a family viewed as outsiders by the local people and officials. ARTHUR & GEORGE opens with the illness and death of Doyle's wife, Louisa. Wracked with guilt because he fears that Louisa suspected his attachment to another woman, Jean Leckie, Sir Arthur is at a low ebb -- until he receives a letter from the recently paroled George, who wants the world-renowned author of Sherlock Holmes to help him clear his name so he can resume his legal career. Unfamiliar with the Edalji affair, Doyle arranges to meet George and uses a Sherlock-style observation to deduce his innocence. He takes the case but soon finds that he attracts a great deal of unwelcome attention. For instance, in calling on the trial judge, Doyle is greeted with open arms -- and a stack of the judge's Sherlock Holmes books to autograph. Turning to business, the justice sternly warns Doyle about meddling in the case. Sir Arthur is also being tainted by his increasingly public relationship with Jean, which is deemed unseemly for such a recent widower. With Wood acting as his Watson, Doyle uncovers a rush to judgment against Edalji that provides plenty of suspects and even a connection to the real criminal mastermind who inspired Professor Moriarty. On Sunday, September 6, 2015 at 8pm (check local listings), PBS broadcast the U.S. premiere of ARTHUR & GEORGE as part of MASTERPIECE.