Victorian London was a boon for crooks--and a bane for Scotland Yard, whose job it was to thwart crime. In the pages of fiction, the citizens of the capital often turned to private sleuths for redress. But Sherlock Holmes was not the only detective in town. Contemporary writers created an impressive cast of investigators, both amateur and professional, as colorful as the criminals they set out to catch.

Some of the detectives in this classic British series work with the police. Others achieve success in spite of them. And a few even fall under official suspicion themselves. Yet all pit their wits against the best that London’s underworld has to offer in 13 finely crafted mysteries delivered by Britain’s top character actors. Stars include Peter Vaughan (The Remains of the Day), John Neville (The First Churchills), Donald Sinden (Two’s Company), Donald Pleasence (Halloween), and Jeremy Irons (Brideshead Revisited) in his first screen appearance.

As seen on public television.

DVD FEATURES INCLUDE profiles of the rival detectives and their creators.