Sherlock Holmes (1989 radio series)


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

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. 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.
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.
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 or any other medium. This was not accomplished again until 2016 when the American radio series The Classic Adventures of Sherlock Holmes was completed. It had almost been accomplished in the 1930s radio series The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes in which all but one of the stories were adapted.
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.

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
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 titleFirst 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 titleFirst 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 titleFirst 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 titleFirst 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 titleFirst broadcast
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 titleFirst 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 of The Further Adventures were based on throwaway references in Doyle's short stories and novels.
Four of the five original stories transmitted in 2002 are also available on audio cassette and CD, and four of the five original stories transmitted in 2004 are available on CD.

Episodes