IT was fitting that this week’s Edinburgh’s King’s Theatre play was Sherlock Holmes: The Final Curtain, as the creator of this famous literary detective, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was born in Edinburgh, studied medicine at the University and reputedly based Holmes on one of his lecturers, Dr Joseph Bell, writes our theatre critic Kerry Black.

Indeed, it is hard to walk through Edinburgh without seeing references to Holmes everywhere you go, from pubs to statues, to the Surgeon’s Hall, Conan Doyle is one of Auld Reekie’s most revered literary sons.

Sherlock Holmes has been played by everyone from Basil Rathbone to Johnny Lee Miller so I was excited to see what TV favourite Robert Powell could bring to the part, portraying Sherlock in his twilight years, when he has retired to fish and keep bees.

His peaceful life is shattered by a visit from Mrs Watson, played by another well know TV actor, Liza Goddard, who begs him to return to London with her as she believes she has seen her deceased son.

The play opens with Dr Watson (Timothy Kightley), who would give the bumbling Nigel Bruce a run for his money, narrating the tale from a BBC studio and explores Conan Doyle’s own interests of magic and spiritualism.

Meantime, Holmes’ addiction to morphine and cocaine is deftly swept under the carpet of Watson’s sumptuous consulting rooms.

On probably the hottest day of the Scottish summer so far, this slow burning play transported us back to the mid war years of class struggles and grief, with great diction and decorum!

This play will appeal to Holmes’ scholars, with references aplenty to Moriarty and murder. The best scene in the entire play was the verbal duel between Sherlock and his brother Mycroft (Roy Sampson).

Sherlock Holmes:The Final Curtain is playing at the King’s Theatre until Saturday 2nd June, nightly at 7.15pm, plus matinees. To book call 0131 529 6000 or go to capitaltheatre.com/boxoffice