Sherlock Holmes (1989 radio series)

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Sherlock Holmes
Genre Radio drama
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Home station BBC Radio 4
Starring Clive Merrison
Michael Williams
Original release5 November 1989 (1989-11-05) – 5 July 1998 (1998-07-05)
No. of episodes64

Sherlock Holmes is the overall title given to the BBC Radio 4 radio dramatisations of the complete Sherlock Holmes stories, with Bert Coules as head writer, and featuring Clive Merrison as Holmes and Michael Williams as Dr Watson. Together, the two actors completed radio adaptations of every story in the canon of Sherlock Holmes between 1989 and 1998.

Contents

The episodes were not originally broadcast under an overall title, and aired in series with the same titles as the novels or short story collections that the episodes were adapted from. For instance, the first two episodes were based on the novel A Study in Scarlet and aired under that title on BBC Radio 4's Classic Serial programme. [1]

Episodes of the series are available on CD as well as downloads, and are occasionally rebroadcast on BBC Radio 4 Extra. [2]

Production

The BBC decided to produce radio adaptations of all sixty Sherlock Holmes stories by Arthur Conan Doyle due to the success of a 1988 radio adaptation of The Hound of the Baskervilles . [3] David Johnston produced and directed the production, which was adapted by Bert Coules, and starred Roger Rees as Sherlock Holmes and Crawford Logan as Dr. Watson. [4]

For the complete series of adaptations, Clive Merrison was cast as Holmes and Michael Williams as Watson. Both of the first two dramatisations of the series, adaptations of A Study in Scarlet and The Sign of the Four , were produced by David Johnston and directed by Ian Cotterell. Enyd Williams produced and directed the adaptation of The Valley of Fear and the 1998 version of The Hound of the Baskervilles. Each of the fifty-six short story adaptations were produced and directed by either Enyd Williams or Patrick Rayner. The head writer for the series was Bert Coules. The other writers were David Ashton, Michael Bakewell, Roger Danes, Robert Forrest, Denys Hawthorne, Gerry Jones, Peter Ling, Vincent McInerney and Peter Mackie. [3]

The broadcast of the last dramatisation, the 1998 version of The Hound of the Baskervilles, marked the first time that the same two actors had played Holmes and Watson in dramatisations of all sixty stories on radio [5] or any other medium. [2] This was not accomplished again until 2016 when the American radio series The Classic Adventures of Sherlock Holmes was completed. [6] It had almost been accomplished in the 1930s radio series The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes in which all but one of the stories (The Valley of Fear) were adapted. [7]

Bert Coules wrote a book about the radio dramatisations of the Sherlock Holmes canon. The book, titled 221 BBC, also includes information about the follow-up BBC radio series The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes . [8]

Episodes

A Study In Scarlet

Two one-hour episodes adapted from A Study In Scarlet were recorded October 1989, at BBC studios, Maida Vale, London and first broadcast on 5 and 12 November 1989.

No.
overall		No. in
series		Episode titleFirst broadcast [9]
11"Revenge"5 November 1989
22"In the Country of the Saints"12 November 1989

The Sign of the Four

The following episodes were adapted from the novel The Sign of the Four .

No.
overall		No. in
series		Episode titleFirst broadcast
31"Timbertoe"10 December 1989
42"The Great Agra Treasure"17 December 1989

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

The following episodes were adapted from the short story collection The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes .

No.
overall		No. in
series		Episode title [10] First broadcast
51"A Scandal in Bohemia"7 November 1990
62"The Red-headed League"14 November 1990
73"A Case of Identity"21 November 1990
84"The Boscombe Valley Mystery"28 November 1990
95"The Five Orange Pips"5 December 1990
106"The Man with the Twisted Lip"12 December 1990
117"The Blue Carbuncle"2 January 1991
128"The Speckled Band"9 January 1991
139"The Engineer's Thumb"16 January 1991
1410"The Noble Bachelor"23 January 1991
1511"The Beryl Coronet"30 January 1991
1612"The Copper Beeches"6 February 1991

The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes

The following episodes were adapted from The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes .

No.
overall		No. in
series		Episode title [11] First broadcast
171"Silver Blaze"8 January 1992
182"The Yellow Face"15 January 1992
193"The Stockbroker's Clerk"22 January 1992
204"The Gloria Scott"29 January 1992
215"The Musgrave Ritual"5 February 1992
226"The Reigate Squires"12 February 1992
237"The Crooked Man"7 October 1992
248"The Resident Patient"14 October 1992
259"The Greek Interpreter"21 October 1992
2610"The Naval Treaty"28 October 1992
2711"The Final Problem"4 November 1992

The Return of Sherlock Holmes

The following episodes were adapted from The Return of Sherlock Holmes .

No.
overall		No. in
series		Episode title [12] First broadcast
281"The Empty House"24 February 1993
292"The Norwood Builder"3 March 1993
303"The Dancing Men"19 March 1993
314"The Solitary Cyclist"17 March 1993
325"The Priory School"24 March 1993
336"Black Peter"31 March 1993
347"Charles Augustus Milverton"7 April 1993
358"The Six Napoleons"8 September 1993
369"The Three Students"15 September 1993
3710"The Golden Pince-nez"22 September 1993
3811"The Missing Three-quarter"29 September 1993
3912"The Abbey Grange"6 October 1993
4013"The Second Stain"13 October 1993

His Last Bow

The following episodes were adapted from His Last Bow .

No.
overall		No. in
series		Episode title [13] First broadcast
411"Wisteria Lodge"5 January 1994
422"The Cardboard Box"12 January 1994
433"The Red Circle"19 January 1994
444"The Bruce-Partington Plans"26 January 1994
455"The Dying Detective"2 February 1994
466"The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax"9 February 1994
477"The Devil's Foot"16 February 1994
488"His Last Bow"23 February 1994

The Case-book of Sherlock Holmes

The following episodes were adapted from The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes .

No.
overall		No. in
series		Episode title [14] First broadcast [9]
491"The Illustrious Client"21 September 1994
502"The Blanched Soldier"28 September 1994
513"The Mazarin Stone"5 October 1994
524"The Three Gables"12 October 1994
535"The Sussex Vampire"19 October 1994
546"The Three Garridebs"16 October 1994
557"The Problem of Thor Bridge"22 February 1995
568"The Creeping Man"1 March 1995
579"The Lion's Mane"8 March 1995
5810"The Veiled Lodger"15 March 1995
5911"Shoscombe Old Place"22 March 1995
6012"The Retired Colourman"29 March 1995

The Valley of Fear

The following episodes were adapted from the novel The Valley of Fear .

No.
overall		No. in
series		Episode title [15] First broadcast
611"The Scowrers"23 March 1997
622"The Tragedy of Birlstone"30 March 1997

The Hound of the Baskervilles

The following episodes were adapted from the novel The Hound of the Baskervilles .

No.
overall		No. in
series		Episode titleFirst broadcast
631"The Powers of Evil"28 June 1998
642"Death On The Moor"5 July 1998

The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, a series consisting of original stories written exclusively by Bert Coules was then commissioned, but following Williams' death from cancer in 2001, he was replaced by Andrew Sachs.

The episodes were based on throwaway references in Doyle's short stories and novels. They were broadcast on BBC Radio 4 across four series in 2002, 2004, 2008–2009 and 2010.

Episodes

No.

overall

No. in

series

Episode titleFirst broadcast
651"The Madness of Colonel Warburton"30 January 2002
662"The Star of the Adelphi"6 February 2002
673"The Peculiar Persecution Of Mr John Vincent Harden"13 February 2002
684"The Singular Inheritance of Miss Gloria Wilson"20 February 2002
695"The Saviour of Cripplegate Square"27 February 2002
706"The Abergavenny Murder"18 May 2004
717"The Shameful Betrayal of Miss Emily Smith"25 May 2004
728"The Tragedy of Hanbury Street"1 June 2004
739"The Determined Client"8 June 2004
7410"The Striking Success of Miss Franny Blossom"15 June 2004
7511"The Remarkable Performance Of Mr Frederick Merridew"26 December 2008
7612"The Eyes Of Horus"2 January 2009
7713"The Thirteen Watches"9 January 2009
7814"The Ferrers Documents"16 January 2009
7915"The Marlbourne Point Mystery - Part 1"5 April 2010
8016"The Marlbourne Point Mystery - Part 2"6 April 2010

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>The Hound of the Baskervilles</i> Crime novel by Arthur Conan Doyle

The Hound of the Baskervilles is the third of the four crime novels written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle featuring the detective Sherlock Holmes. Originally serialised in The Strand Magazine from August 1901 to April 1902, it is set largely on Dartmoor in Devon in England's West Country and tells the story of an attempted murder inspired by the legend of a fearsome, diabolical hound of supernatural origin. Holmes and Watson investigate the case. This was the first appearance of Holmes since his apparent death in "The Final Problem", and the success of The Hound of the Baskervilles led to the character's eventual revival.

<i>A Study in Scarlet</i> 1887 detective novel by Arthur Conan Doyle

A Study in Scarlet is a 1887 detective novel written by Arthur Conan Doyle. The story marks the first appearance of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, who would become the most famous detective duo in literature. The book's title derives from a speech given by Holmes, a consulting detective, to his friend and chronicler Watson on the nature of his work, in which he describes the story's murder investigation as his "study in scarlet": "There's the scarlet thread of murder running through the colourless skein of life, and our duty is to unravel it, and isolate it, and expose every inch of it."

<i>The Sign of the Four</i> 1890 detective novel by Arthur Conan Doyle

The Sign of the Four (1890), also called The Sign of Four, is the second novel featuring Sherlock Holmes written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Doyle wrote four novels and 56 short stories featuring the fictional detective.

The Adventure of Silver Blaze Short story by Arthur Conan Doyle featuring Sherlock Holmes

"The Adventure of Silver Blaze", one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is the first from the 12 in the cycle collected as The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes. It was first published in The Strand Magazine in December 1892.

The Adventure of Black Peter Short story by Arthur Conan Doyle

"The Adventure of Black Peter" is a Sherlock Holmes story by Arthur Conan Doyle. This tale is in the collection The Return of Sherlock Holmes. It was originally published in Collier's (US) in February 1904 and in The Strand Magazine (UK) in March 1904.

The Problem of Thor Bridge Short story by Arthur Conan Doyle

"The Problem of Thor Bridge" is a Sherlock Holmes short story by Arthur Conan Doyle collected in The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes (1927). It was first published in 1922 in The Strand Magazine (UK) and Hearst's International (US).

<i>The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes</i> Collection of short stories by Arthur Conan Doyle

The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes is a collection of short stories by Arthur Conan Doyle, first published late in 1893 with 1894 date. It was first published in the UK by G. Newnes Ltd., and was published in the US by Harper & Brothers in February 1894. It was the second collection featuring the consulting detective Sherlock Holmes, following The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Like the first it was illustrated by Sidney Paget.

The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle 1892 short story by Arthur Conan Doyle

"The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle" is one of 56 short Sherlock Holmes stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the seventh story of twelve in the collection The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. It was first published in The Strand Magazine in January 1892.

The Adventure of the Engineers Thumb Short story by Arthur Conan Doyle featuring Sherlock Holmes

"The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb", one of the 56 short Sherlock Holmes stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is the ninth of the twelve stories collected in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. The story was first published in The Strand Magazine in March 1892. Within the narrative of the story, Dr. Watson notes that this is one of only two cases which he personally brought to the attention of Sherlock Holmes.

<i>The Valley of Fear</i> Sherlock Holmes novel by Arthur Conan Doyle

The Valley of Fear is the fourth and final Sherlock Holmes novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It is loosely based on the Molly Maguires and Pinkerton agent James McParland. The story was first published in the Strand Magazine between September 1914 and May 1915. The first book edition was copyrighted in 1914, and it was first published by George H. Doran Company in New York on 27 February 1915, and illustrated by Arthur I. Keller.

The Adventure of the Norwood Builder Short story by Arthur Conan Doyle

"The Adventure of the Norwood Builder", one of the 56 short Sherlock Holmes stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is the second tale from The Return of Sherlock Holmes. The story was first published in Collier's (US) on 31 October 1903 and in The Strand Magazine (UK) in November 1903.

The Adventure of the Dancing Men Short story by Arthur Conan Doyle

The Adventure of the Dancing Men is a Sherlock Holmes story written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle as one of 13 stories in the cycle published as The Return of Sherlock Holmes in 1905. It was first published in The Strand Magazine in the United Kingdom in December 1903, and in Collier's in the United States on 5 December 1903.

The Adventure of the Three Students 1905 short story by Arthur Conan Doyle

"The Adventure of the Three Students", one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is one of 13 stories in the cycle collected as The Return of Sherlock Holmes (1905). It was first published in The Strand Magazine in the United Kingdom in June 1904, and was also published in Collier's in the United States on 24 September 1904.

<i>The Return of Sherlock Holmes</i>

The Return of Sherlock Holmes is a 1905 collection of 13 Sherlock Holmes stories, originally published in 1903–1904, by Arthur Conan Doyle. The stories were published in the Strand Magazine in Britain and Collier's in the United States.

Bert Coules English writer

Bert Coules is an English writer, mainly for the BBC, who has produced a number of adaptations and original works. He works mainly in radio drama but also writes for TV and the stage.

Clive Merrison is a Welsh actor of film, television, stage and radio. He trained at Rose Bruford College. He is best known for his long running BBC Radio portrayal of Sherlock Holmes, having played the part in all 64 episodes of the 1989–1998 series of Sherlock Holmes dramatisations, and all 16 episodes of The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (2002–2010).

The stories of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle have been very popular as adaptations for the stage, and later film, and still later television. The four volumes of the Universal Sherlock Holmes (1995) compiled by Ronald B. De Waal lists over 25,000 Holmes-related productions and products. They include the original writings, "together with the translations of these tales into sixty-three languages, plus Braille and shorthand, the writings about the Writings or higher criticism, writings about Sherlockians and their societies, memorials and memorabilia, games, puzzles and quizzes, phonograph records, audio and video tapes, compact discs, laser discs, ballets, films, musicals, operettas, oratorios, plays, radio and television programs, parodies and pastiches, children's books, cartoons, comics, and a multitude of other items — from advertisements to wine — that have accumulated throughout the world on the two most famous characters in literature."

The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is a series of radio dramas based on Arthur Conan Doyle's detective Sherlock Holmes. Written by Bert Coules as a pastiche of Doyle's work, the series was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2002, 2004, 2008–2009 and 2010. There are sixteen episodes, all of them produced and directed by Patrick Rayner of BBC Scotland. Clive Merrison stars as Holmes, having portrayed the detective in a 1989–1998 BBC radio series of dramatisations of every Sherlock Holmes story by Doyle. Andrew Sachs appears as Dr. Watson, replacing Michael Williams after Williams died following the Radio 4 run of Sherlock Holmes adaptations. Each of the stories is based on a throwaway reference from an actual Doyle short story or novel. The first two series are repeated regularly on BBC Radio 4 Extra.

Mrs. Hudson is a fictional character in the Sherlock Holmes novels and short stories by Arthur Conan Doyle. She is the landlady of 221B Baker Street, the London residence in which Sherlock Holmes lives.

Sherlock Holmes is the overall title given to the series of radio dramas adapted from Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories that aired between 1952 and 1969 on BBC radio stations. The episodes starred Carleton Hobbs as Sherlock Holmes and Norman Shelley as Dr. Watson. All but four of Doyle's sixty Sherlock Holmes stories were adapted with Hobbs and Shelley in the leading roles, and some of the stories were adapted more than once with different supporting actors.

References

  1. ↑ "Classic Serial: A Study in Scarlet: 1: Revenge". BBC Genome: Radio Times. BBC. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  2. 1 2 Coules, Bert. "The Background". The complete audio Sherlock Holmes. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  3. 1 2 Coules, Bert. "The Production Team". The BBC audio complete Sherlock Holmes. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  4. ↑ "The Hound of the Baskervilles: 1: The Baskerville Curse". BBC Genome: Radio Times. BBC. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  5. ↑ Redmond, Christopher (2009). Sherlock Holmes Handbook: Second Edition. Dundurn. pp. 231–232. ISBN   9781459718982.
  6. ↑ "Cast and Crew". Imagination Theatre. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  7. ↑ Dickerson, Ian (2019). Sherlock Holmes and His Adventures on American Radio. BearManor Media. p. 49. ISBN   978-1629335087.
  8. ↑ Coules, Bert. "The Book of the Series". The BBC audio complete Sherlock Holmes. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  9. 1 2 Coules, Bert. "Casts and Credits". The BBC complete audio Sherlock Holmes. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  10. ↑ "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Episodes from 2008". bbc.co.uk. 1 October 2008. Retrieved 21 March 2009.
  11. ↑ "The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes - Episodes from 2008". bbc.co.uk. 1 October 2008. Retrieved 21 March 2009.
  12. ↑ "The Return of Sherlock Holmes - Episodes from 2008". bbc.co.uk. 1 October 2008. Retrieved 21 March 2009.
  13. ↑ " Sherlock Holmes: His Last Bow - Episodes from 2008". bbc.co.uk. 1 October 2008. Retrieved 21 March 2009.
  14. ↑ " Sherlock Holmes: His Last Bow - Episodes from 2008". bbc.co.uk. 1 October 2008. Retrieved 21 March 2009.
  15. ↑ " Sherlock Holmes: The Valley of Fear - Episodes".
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