T H E B B C P R E S E N T S : S H E R L O C K H O L M E S ----- ----- --------------- - --------------- ----------- Bert Coules Produced Shows Rees/Crawford Version Merrison/Williams Full Canon Merrison/Sachs Version 1988 - 2010 First Show: 27 May, 1988 Last Show: 06 Apr, 2010 Number Shows: 70 45-minute Audition Show: none 5 2-hour in 2 parts 1 1.5-hour in 2 parts Series Description: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes adventures appeared on the radio waves early in the history of radio. A few adabtations were heard on various local stations in the United States. The first network appearence was on 20 October, 1930 on the National Broadcasting Network, and starred William Gillette as the great detective. Since then, there have been numerous adaptations of the Sherlock Holmes stories but it wasn't until 1998 that the complete canon of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories, all 56, and all 4 novels were dramatized by a single production company, using the same actors for Holmes and Watson. In 1987, Bert Coules, a freelance writer for radio drama, approached the BBC with the idea of producing a new version of "The Hound of the Baskervilles" for radio. On Friday, May 27, 1988, the first half of this show aired on Radio 4 from 3:00 to 4:00 PM. Roger Rees played Holmes and Crawford Logan played Watson. The second half aired a week later on June 3. The broadcasts were well received by both the press and the listening audience. Two more novels were to follow but Mr. Rees was unavailable. It was decided to go with a new cast and Clive Merrison became Holmes and Michael Williams became Watson. Both novels were again done in 2 parts each. "A Study in Scarlet" aired in November, 1989 and "The Sign of the Four" aired in December of 1989. Again, both were well received. A plan was put forth to produce more shows, this time, a series of six of the short stories. The BBC rejected this, instead suggesting the entire canon be dramatized. At the end of 1990 and into early 1991, the 12 stories anthologized in "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" aired. These were followed by 11 tales from "The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes" in 1992, 13 tales from "The Return Of Sherlock Holmes" in 1993, the 8 stories from "Sherlock Holmes: His Last Bow" in early 1994, 6 stories from "The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes" in late 1994 followed by another 6 stories from the same anthology in 1995, finishing all 56 short stories. The novel "The Valley of Fear" aired in 1997. The novel "The Hound of the Baskervilles" what remade with Merrison and Williams and aired in 1998. These shows appeal to fans of both Sherlock Holmes and dramatic radio. Merrison and Williams made an excellent Holmes and Watson. The canon is followed closely. The excellent sound effects transport you back to Sherlock Holmes' time. The acting convinces you it's real. Overall, the production values are excellent. After the conclusion of the canon, the BBC again commissioned Bert Coules to continue producing Sherlock Holmes adventures. In a similar fashion to the Sherlock Holmes shows produced in the United States in the 1930's and 1940's, these cases would be drawn from references to cases Doyle made throughout his written works. Initially, the shows were planned to star the original Merrison and Williams team. Due to Williams' untimely death, Andrew Sachs was selected to play Dr. John H. Watson. Five shows were produced, airing early in 2002 on the BBC's Radio 4, under the banner "The Furthur Adventures of Sherlock Holmes". Since then, 2 more series followed. The BBC has made the shows available on CD and they are available from various sources on both sides of the Atlantic. For more information of the shows, see Bert Coules web site: http://www.bertcoules.co.uk/sh-home.htm Chronological Log: Note: all shows are 45-minutes in duration unless as noted. Date Ep# Title ------------ --- ---------------------------------------------------- THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES Roger Rees as Holmes, Crawford Logan as Watson 27 May, 1988 1 title not known (1 hour) 03 Jun, 1988 2 title not known (1 hour) A STUDY IN SCARLET Clive Merrison as Holmes, Michael Williams as Watson. 05 Nov, 1989 1 "Revenge" (1 hour) 12 Nov, 1989 2 "The Country of the Saints" (1 hour) THE SIGN OF THE FOUR Stars Merrison and Williams 10 Dec, 1989 1 "Timbertoe" (1 hour) 17 Dec, 1989 2 "The Great Agra Treasure" (1 hour) THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES, Series 1 Stars Merrison and Williams 07 Nov, 1990 1 "A Scandal in Bohemia" 14 Nov, 1990 2 "The Redheaded League" 21 Nov, 1990 3 "A Case of Identity" 28 Nov, 1990 4 "The Boscambe Valley Mystery" 05 Dec, 1990 5 "The Five Orange Pips" 12 Dec, 1990 6 "The Man with the Twisted Lip" THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES, Series 2 Stars Merrison and Williams 02 Jan, 1991 1 "The Blue Carbuncle" 09 Jan, 1991 2 "The Speckled Band" 16 Jan, 1991 3 "The Engineer's Thumb" 23 Jan, 1991 4 "The Noble Bachelor" 30 Jan, 1991 5 "The Beryl Coronet" 06 Feb, 1991 6 "The Copper Beeches" THE MEMOIRS OF SHERLOCK HOLMES, Series 1 Stars Merrison and Williams 08 Jan, 1992 1 "Silver Blaze" 15 Jan, 1992 2 "The Yellow Face" 22 Jan, 1992 3 "The Stockbroker's Clerk" 29 Jan, 1992 4 "The 'Gloria Scott'" 05 Feb, 1992 5 "The Musgrave Ritual" 12 Feb, 1992 6 "The Reigate Squires" THE MEMOIRS OF SHERLOCK HOLMES, Series 2 Stars Merrison and Williams 07 Oct, 1992 1 "The Crooked Man" 14 Oct, 1992 2 "The Resident Patient" 21 Oct, 1992 3 "The Greek Interpreter" 28 Oct, 1992 4 "The Navel Treaty" 04 Nov, 1992 5 "The Final Problem" THE RETURN OF SHERLOCK HOLMES, Series 1 Stars Merrison and Williams 24 Feb, 1993 1 "The Empty House" 03 Mar, 1993 2 "The Norwood Builder" 10 Mar, 1993 3 "The Dancing Men" 17 Mar, 1993 4 "The Solitary Cyclist" 24 Mar, 1993 5 "The Priory School" 31 Mar, 1993 6 "Black Peter" 07 Apr, 1993 7 "Charles Augustus Milverton" THE RETURN OF SHERLOCK HOLMES, Series 2 Stars Merrison and Williams 08 Sep, 1993 1 "The Six Napoleons" 15 Sep, 1993 2 "The Three Students" 22 Sep, 1993 3 "The Golden Pince-Nez" 29 Sep, 1993 4 "The Missing Three-Quarter" 06 Oct, 1993 5 "The Abbey Grange" 13 Oct, 1993 6 "The Second Stain" SHERLOCK HOLMES: HIS LAST BOW Stars Merrison and Williams 05 Jan, 1994 1 "Wisteria Lodge" 12 Jan, 1994 2 "The Cardboard Box" 19 Jan, 1994 3 "The Red Circle" 26 Jan, 1994 4 "The Bruce-Partington Plans" 02 Feb, 1994 5 "The Dying Detective" 09 Feb, 1994 6 "The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax" 16 Feb, 1994 7 "The Devil's Foot" 23 Feb, 1994 8 "His Last Bow" THE CASE-BOOK OF SHERLOCK HOLMES, Series 1 Stars Merrison and Williams 21 Sep, 1994 1 "The Illustrious Client" 28 Sep, 1994 2 "The Blanched Soldier" 05 Oct, 1994 3 "The Mazarin Stone" 12 Oct, 1994 4 "The Three Gables" 19 Oct, 1994 5 "The Sussex Vampire" 26 Oct, 1994 6 "The Three Garridebs" THE CASE-BOOK OF SHERLOCK HOLMES, Series 2 Stars Merrison and Williams 22 Feb, 1995 1 "The Problem of Thor Bridge" 01 Mar, 1995 2 "The Creeping Man" 08 Mar, 1995 3 "The Lion's Mane" 15 Mar, 1995 4 "The Veiled Lodger" 22 Mar, 1995 5 "Shoscombe Old Place" 29 Mar, 1995 6 "The Retired Colourman" THE VALLEY OF FEAR Stars Merrison and Williams 23 Mar, 1997 1 "The Scowrers" (1 hour) 30 Mar, 1997 2 "The Tragedy of Birlstone" (1 hour) THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES Stars Merrison and Williams 28 Jun, 1998 1 "The Powers of Evil" (1 hour) 05 Jul, 1998 2 "Death on the Moor" (1 hour) THE FURTHER ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES, Series 1 Clive Merrison as Holmes, Andrew Sachs as Watson. 30 Jan, 2002 1 "The Madness of Colonel Warburton" 06 Feb, 2002 2 "The Star Of The Adelphi" 13 Feb, 2002 3 "The Peculiar Prosecution Of Mr. John Vincent Harden" 20 Feb, 2002 4 "The Singular Inheritance Of Miss Gloria Wilson" 27 Feb, 2002 5 "The Saviour Of Cripplegate Square" THE FURTHER ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES, Series 2 Clive Merrison as Holmes, Andrew Sachs as Watson. 18 May, 2004 1 "The Abergavenny Murder" 25 May, 2004 2 "The Shameful Betrayal of Miss Emily Smith" 01 Jun, 2004 3 "The Tragedy of Hanbury Street" 08 Jun, 2004 4 "The Determined Client" 15 Jun, 2004 5 "The Striking Success Of Miss Franny Blossum" THE FURTHER ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES, Series 3 Clive Merrison as Holmes, Andrew Sachs as Watson. 26 Dec, 2008 1 "The Remarkable Performance Of Mr Frederick Merridew" 02 Jan, 2009 2 "The Eyes Of Horus" 09 Jan, 2009 3 "The Thirteen Watches" 16 Jan, 2009 4 "The Ferrers Documents" THE FURTHER ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES, Series 4 Clive Merrison as Holmes, Andrew Sachs as Watson. 05 Apr, 2010 1 "The Marlbourne Point Mystery", part 1 06 Apr, 2010 2 "The Marlbourne Point Mystery", part 2 Last Update: Feb 17, 2011 This log is informational only and does not imply that I have these shows for trade or sale. The shows are still protected under copyright law and should be obtained only from authorized dealers. The log may be freely reproduced and published on a no-profit basis. Please send error corrections or additional information to Frank M. Passage, 109 Elmwood Road, Verona, NJ 07044 (email: wb2ntp@arrl.net).