We all thought that, and frequently commented to that effect...
Ian Richardson, 1934-2007.
A true actor's actor, best known for his performance as scheming Chief Whip Francis Urquart in the Beeb's House of Cards and its sequels, this commentator was delighted when Richardson played Sherlock Holmes (with humanity, warmth, and charm) in two TV movies in the '80s based, respectively, upon Doyle's The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Sign of Four, and - from 2000 onwards - returned to that specific literary world as Dr. Joseph Bell, Doyle's inspiration for the character, in Murder Rooms. He was due to begin filming a new series for the BBC next month.
The BBC's obituary: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6346637.stm
His entry from the IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0007183/ (giving some indication of his remarkable flexibility and breadth of talent).
Missed.
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I rarely bother to recommend television programmes these days. Here's an exception:
Tonight, BBC2, 21:00-21:50. Timewatch - The Last Duel.
From the Radio Times: Timewatch recalls the last days of the 600-year-old ritual of duelling, telling the story of two men who set out with pistols into the Scottish countryside on 23 August 1826 after an argument about money got out of hand...