Mr Holmes

Wimbledon is drawing to a close. Andy Murray went down with honour in the semis, but his brother Jamie is in the men's doubles final. The garden flourishes, Much and his snail are happy.

Last week Tony and I went to see Mr Holmes, the new movie about Sherlock Holmes in retirement. It stars Ian McKellen and picks up Conan Doyle's idea of Sherlock Holmes retiring to the south coast and keeping bees. We meet Holmes, mellowed by time but still razor-sharp, living quietly in the country and desperately trying to keep his memory from fading. There is a puzzle from his past that he needs to remember, and a touching grandfatherly relationship with the son of his war widow housekeeper.

McKellen, as usual, puts in a nuanced, moving, utterly convincing performance. The supporting cast is pitch perfect, too. There is tension, joy, and a satisfying resolution and I reckon you could take pretty well anyone to see it. And something that enchanted me all the way through was the sets. The scenery of the Sussex coast and the beautiful attention to detail. Tony, who is an expert on WW2 aircraft, said the pictures in the boy's bedroom were spot on. The furniture, the books and pens, the glimpse of a chamberpot under the bed, made the whole thing real.

Look out for Mr Holmes. I thoroughly recommend it.