Apparently true... the programme (which I still have on digital recording and will watch again later) gave the impression that it was at his home the heart was cut out by the aged and trusted family doctor but it seems to have happened at the surgery and a young assistant actually took it out. The doctor's maid found a biscuit tin to keep it in and put it in the shed (outside, in January, better than a fridge) but the doctors' cat found it....

The programme did get his increasing coldness towards his wife right, but it didn't mention that his stinginess became borderline abuse. An adopted grandfather of mine was a delivery boy and knew him. Said he was one of the meanest men he ever met; he would put out the fire in a room if it was going to be empty for more than a few minutes, never gave Christmas tips or goodies to his staff or the delivery boys, dustmen and the like and had an outside lavatory even though his wife requested one inside.

Having said that, the programme was very good, lots of shots of rural Dorset, including my own 'patch', it didn't over sweeten the romantic bits but gave the impression of a man totally engrossed in the idea of romance, but so painfully shy and incapable of showing how he felt.

It didn't mention the fact that he knew William Barnes and T E Lawrence, both authors, or that he was a long time friend of the Kings' Surgeon Sir Frederick Treves (he took out King Edward VII's appendix in 1902, delaying the coronation and at great risk but is more famous for 'discovering' and installing the Elephant Man in the London Hospital). All in all, it could have been twice as long and still been enjoyable for me, but I agree with Manitas (there's a first!) it was rather more an advert for the new adaptation of 'Tess', even featuring the same actress as Emma/Bathsheba/Tess.

LTS