Orson Welles' Great Mysteries(1973)

Orson Welles' Great Mysteries is a British television anthology series that aired on ITV between 1973 and 1974. Each episode adapts a classic mystery, crime, or supernatural tale from literary giants including Dickens, Conan Doyle, Wilkie Collins, Balzac, Maugham, and O. Henry. Welles himself introduces and closes each story in stylized segments he wrote and directed, lending gravitas and intrigue to the proceedings without appearing in the dramatic narratives themselves. Different casts and directors handle the adaptations, with no recurring characters or ongoing storylines—making the series a true anthology of self-contained mysteries rather than a serialized drama. The format allows each literary classic to stand alone while Welles' presence unifies the collection into a cohesive whole.