Big Finish - The Judgement of Sherlock Holmes

The Judgement of Sherlock Holmes, written by Jonathan Barnes and directed by Ken Bentley.

The third of three recent special releases from Big Finish. Dark Eyes 3 was terrific, Frankenstein was sublime, can Holmes possibly match their high standard? This box set goes some way to explaining what Holmes did in the gap years between the Reichenbach Falls and his return to London. It links Dr Watson, Mycroft Holmes, Inspector Lestrade and the Great Detective himself as their different adventures are revealed to be linked by the fight against a sinister secret society. The story shifts across the globe as the characters try and unravel the mystery that threatens to disrupt everything the British Empire holds dear.

It's a clever juggling act to have the well known double act of Holmes and Watson separated but somehow working on the same case. Barnes manages to keep all the plates spinning and still give us all of the cracking moments of action, adventure and criminal deduction that we want from a Sherlock Holmes story. There are some terrific battles of wills as our heroes clash with the villains and try and decide the fate of England with their verbal sparring. A radio play is the perfect setting for these philosophical debates between good and evil, and interestingly here the main battle takes us all the way back to the birth of philosophical study. Well done, Mr Barnes.

Nicholas Briggs and Richard Earl are now firmly ensconced as my favourite incarnations of Holmes and Watson. They just sound perfect for the parts and deliver tremendous performances. They are ably supported by a great cast with Tim Bentinck and Jemma Churchill standing out as Mycroft Holmes and Helena Eidelmann respectively.

As ever the sound design and music are brilliant and it's all delivered with the usual high standard we expect from Big Finish. If I have any quibble it might be that the scene between Sherlock and Mycroft were they try to outdo each other with their deductive powers in a restaurant probably strayed over the line into improbability, but it wouldn't be a Homes story without some imposible feat of mental acuity.

Overall it's smashing package and my favourite of the three recent releases. Impossible to give it less than five stars.

Big Finish - The Reification of Hans Gerber

The Reification of Hans Gerber is another Big Finish original Holmes story. Written by George Mann and directed by Nicholas Briggs and Ken Bentley.

Holmes and Watson are called in to investigate the strange death of Sir Theobald Maugham and the complications of his inheritance. Family members are desperate to find his missing will but Holmes and Watson believe that his death was not from natural causes.

Now this was much more like it. The best Holmes stories that Big Finish have done recently are their own creations and this is nearly up to the same high standards of the Adventure of the Perfidious Mariner and the Ordeals of Sherlock Holmes. I'm pleased to report that it has all of Holmes' usual miraculous deductions, Dr Watson gets to examine a body and use his medical skills, and the murder mystery is satisfying with enough clues for us to think we might have a chance of solving it ourselves.

Nicholas Briggs outdoes himself as Holmes and the rest of the cast are fantastic including everybody's favourite Sontaran, Dan Starkey. The production and direction are great and once again the marvellous violin music is just splendid. 4 out of 5 magnifying glasses. Sadly it may be another year or more before we get more Sherlock Holmes from Big Finish.

Big Finish - The Final Problem & The Empty House

A special offer allowed me to fill in the gap in my Big Finish Sherlock Holmes collection. Back in their second season they brought us an adaption of the story which apparently killed off Holmes, and the story in which Conan Doyle relented and brought him back. The Final Problem and The Empty House were adapted by Nicholas Briggs and directed by Briggs and Ken Bentley.

Let me get the basics out of the way quickly. This is another splendid production with Briggs and Earl hitting the right notes as Holmes and Watson. Alan Cox who actually played Watson in the Young Sherlock Holmes movie makes a suitably evil Professor Moriarty. And the sound design and music are up to Big Finish's usual high standards.

The problem with the Final Problem is the story itself. Conan Doyle was fed up with writing Holmes stories at this point and determined to kill off his character. And he doesn't hang about with it. It takes no time at all for Holmes to fill Watson in on the details of the evil of Moriarty and then they are off to Switzerland for the final showdown above the Reichenbach falls. There is no detection at all, none of Holmes' usual deductions, and no evidence presented to support his assertion that Moriarty is the most dangerous man in London. It lacks any of the usual features of a detective mystery and is just presented as a series of events leading to the terrible fall.

The Empty House fares no better. Once Holmes has explained his escape and return to Watson he wastes no time in identifying the "second most dangerous man in London", and no sooner done so than he is apprehended. The locked room mystery that is presented at the start of the story is solved by the revelation that there was an open window all along. A fact that rather cheats with the locked room concept and provides a solution that would have been obvious if we had been given all the facts to begin with.

These two stories which mark the brief absence of Holmes from his fictional Victorian world are rather dull as examples of detective fiction. They don't represent Conan Doyle at the height of his powers, and no matter what Big Finish do they can't make them any more interesting. 3 out of 5 stout walking stocks, and those 3 marks are just for the production team.

Big Finish - The Ordeals of Sherlock Holmes

Back to Big Finish and the latest offering from their Sherlock Holmes range: The Ordeals of Sherlock Holmes by Jonathan Barnes, directed by Ken Bentley, and with Nicholas Briggs as Holmes and Richard Earl as Watson.

This is a splendid four disc box set with four cases representing the full range of Holmes' career. There is a linking theme and a villain who is not revealed until the very end. Nicholas Briggs and Richard Earl do a marvellous job of conveying their characters at all the different ages and different stages of their friendship, and the supporting cast are excellent as well. I'm a big fan of the music for the series and the whole production quality is fantastic.

Jonathan Barnes' writing seems to capture the essence of original stories and do some new and interesting things with the characters. In fact he adds a modern inflection to his stories which in places helps them surpass the originals.

I had a few minor quibbles. I'm not sure that Holmes and Watson could escape from a train that easily at their ages but still this didn't detract too much from the splendid story telling. A five start production from Big Finish and I'm really hoping they do a fourth season.

Big Finish - The Tangled Skein

A recent Big Finish sale let me pick up a copy of another of their fine Sherlock Holmes range. The Tangled Skein by David Stuart Davies - Adapted by Richard Dinnick, directed by Nicholas Briggs & Ken Bentley.

After listening to Holmes take on the Ripper this time the great detective is up against a famous fictional villain, none other than Dracula himself. After an attempt on Homes' life he and Watson are soon hot on the trail of the menace to Victorian society. They join forces with Professor Van Helsing as the realisation of what they are up against begins to take hold.

This story rattled along at a fine pace and although it didn't quite capture the heights of Hound of the Baskervilles or The Perfidious Mariner it at least put Holmes and Watson back into their original characters and allowed Briggs and Earl to deliver their usual fine performances. There is more detection and more bravery on display than in the Ripper tale and I felt much more at home with this story. My only complaint would be that it was all over and done with a bit too quickly for my liking (like this review).

Still it's another fine addition to what is currently my favourite Big Finish line and I eagerly await their third series of Holmes stories which should appear later this year. Baskervilles and the Mariner both got a full 5 stars, this is not quite as good but still gets a thrilling 4 out of 5 earth filled coffins. Gripping stuff.

Big Finish - Holmes and the Ripper

In 2010 Big Finish produced their own version of the stage play Holmes and the Ripper by Brian Clemens, directed by Nicholas Briggs.

From the Big Finish synopsis: Sherlock Holmes and Dr John Watson are drawn into one of the darkest plots ever to shake the foundations of England. There are freemasons, conspiracies and intrigues at the highest level of the establishment. But for Holmes, there is a uniquely personal element to this new and terrifying case.

Holmes and Watson up against the perpetrator of one of the greatest unsolved mysteries in criminal history? Sounds too good to miss doesn't it? Brian Clemens has had a long and illustrious career in television writing, probably best known for The Avengers. This is a stage play he wrote although I can't find out if or when it was originally produced. All the usual suspects from Jack the Ripper: The Final Solution are here: John Netley, Sir William Gull, Walter Sickert, the Freemasons and the British Royal family. Alan Moore covered much of the same ground in From Hell. Clemens adds a new character, a medium called Kate Mead who becomes something of a romantic interest for Holmes.

So there are lots of characters, lots of suspects and the creepy backdrop of those gruesome murders in the shadowy alleyways of Victorian London. But this didn't quite do it for me I'm afraid. The problem was that Holmes and Watson didn't sound right. There is nothing wrong with Briggs and Earl's typically excellent performances, but the writing didn't seem to get the characters the way that Conan Doyle originally wrote them, or how they have been portrayed in other Big Finish plays. Holmes does little of his usual intuitive deduction and seems to fall under the spell of Mrs Mead for too easily. Meanwhile Watson is written as much more bumbling and noisy than usual. He is less of the thoughtful and loyal retired soldier, and more like the Nigel Bruce version from the Basil Rathbone films which didn't work for me. The plot has to take some liberties with known facts. Obviously we can't have Holmes and Watson alter actual history so this results in some far fetched scenes where our detectives visit crime scenes and then leave them abruptly before the police arrive.

The cast are all fine and I enjoyed hearing India Fisher as Kate Mead. The direction and sound design are lovely with lots of atmospheric noises from those foggy London streets. I should also add that the theme music for these Sherlock Holmes stories is a lovely piece of music composed, I think, by Simon Slater and Jamie Robertson. I enjoyed it but the character problems kept jarring against me. So it gets another middling 3 out of 5 bloody knives. Series three of Sherlock Holmes is on the way so I may wait for that unless any of the second series stories tempt me first.

Big Finish - The Speckled Band

Having enjoyed the Adventure of the Perfidious Mariner so much I went back and found my copy of The Speckled Band from 2011, directed by Nicholas Briggs.

Holmes and Watson receive a visit from Miss Helen Stoner who fears that she is danger after the death of her sister. After hearing her strange story the detectives are soon on their way to the house of her stepfather, Dr Grimesby Roylott, but can Holmes crack the mystery of the Speckled Band in time to save her?

This is a fairly short story from early on in Holmes' career and Nicholas Briggs and Richard Earl do a good job of conveying the younger, more enthusiastic characters. Quite different to the world weary figures they portrayed in the Perfidious Mariner. Most of the action is narrated by Dr Watson so this is more like an enhanced audiobook than a full cast radio play. However they both have marvellous voices so it is an enjoyable but fairly quick listen.

At the heart of the story is a classic locked room mystery but unfortunately it is perhaps one of Conan Doyle's less convincing solutions. The lengths that the murderer has to go to in order to achieve their aims are somewhat far fetched to say the least, although this does allow for some very striking moments. And all delivered with pitch perfect performances by Briggs and Earl.

As it is not my favourite Holmes adventure it gets a mere 3 out of 5 twisted pokers, not up to the heights of the Mariner or The Hound of the Baskervilles. However, I am not deterred and think I will check out Holmes and the Ripper next.

Big Finish - The Adventure of the Perfidious Mariner

Another purchase from Big Finish day. The Adventure of the Perfidious Mariner by Jonathan Barnes, directed by Nicholas Briggs and Martin Montague.

Sherlock Holmes has retired and lives a reclusive life keeping Bees in a cottage on the South Downs. When Dr Watson pays him an unexpected visit he is followed by a man who is haunted by the sinking of the Titanic, and by a ghastly woman in white who brings death whenever she appears.

This is a cracking story. It fits neatly into one of the gaps in the Holmes canon and creates an interesting back story about a terrible mistake which has forced his retirement and driven him away from London, and from his friend Watson. In truth the murder mystery almost plays second fiddle to the powerful themes of loss, grief and a broken friendship. Of course there has to be some Holmesian magical deduction and there is plenty of it, and not all of it is explained. We just have to accept that Sherlock Holmes, a bit like the Doctor, can do certain things which are beyond the ordinary man.

The best Holmes stories start with an apparently supernatural scenario which allows the great detective to unravel the mystery and find the rational solution to the impossible puzzle. And the mysterious woman in white who leaves a trail of sea water and death is a perfect set-up, and gives us a nicely gruesome image for a radio play.

The cast are all excellent. Nicholas Briggs and Richard Earl as Homes and Watson, are spectacular. Briggs conveys Holmes' retreat into seclusion after the mistake which appears to have ruined his life. He believes his special abilities are starting to desert him and he is no longer as sure and arrogant as he once seemed. Meanwhile Richard Earl gives us a Dr Watson who is grief stricken after the death of his wife, and by the loss of his friendship with Holmes. They are both just perfect in the roles. The rest of the cast is pretty good too, Michael Maloney has a great voice and two of my Big Finish favourites, Tracey Childs and Toby Longworth round out a splendid ensemble piece.

I could quibble slightly with the medical details of the murderer's methods and the way Holmes cracks the case, but they are almost incidental features in this powerful story about loss, guilt and grief. It's a fantastic addition to the Sherlock Holmes legend and I'm going to have to get more from this Big Finish range. I enjoyed it so much that it's impossible to give it any less than 5 out of 5 ghastly apparitions. Highly recommended.

Big Finish - The Hound of the Baskervilles

This was one of the cheap titles I picked up in the Big Finish Christmas Sale:
The Hound Of Baskervilles adapted by Richard Dinnick, directed by Nicholas Briggs and Ken Bentley.

So Big Finish do lots of other stuff besides Doctor Who. Time and money prevents me from dipping into their other ranges but £2.99 for a Christmas download was too good to pass up. So here is Mr Big Finish himself, Nicholas Briggs, as a suitably intellectual and supercilious Sherlock Holmes, ably assisted by Richard Earl as a likeable and intelligent John Watson.

The story is so familiar that I won't trouble you with my usual synopsis. Suffice it to say that this is the adventure where Holmes disappears completely from the middle of the story and the weight of the investigation, and the telling the tale itself, falls on Dr Watson. Richard Earl is well up to the task, I don't know if I have heard him in any other Big Finish plays but he impressed me here as he makes Watson a thoroughly dependable and likeable companion. Samuel Clemens as Henry Baskerville, John Banks as Dr Mortimer and Barnaby Edwards as Stapleton are also all very good.

This is a great production of a rollicking good yarn. In fact the performances  direction and sound design are so good and the story so familiar that it left me contemplating some of the mysteries of Conan Doyle's original novel. What is Holmes up to on the Moor? And why does he take so long to intervene when he has clearly worked out what fate awaits the last of the Baskervilles? Sherlock Holmes is rather like the Doctor in this respect, he always understands far more than he is willing to let on until it is almost too late. Interestingly Watson even describes it as one of his friend's few "failings" in this tale.

I had forgotten what happened to the villain at the end of the adventure, which intriguingly sets up the slimmest possibility of a Big Finish sequel. Anyway a terrific tale well told by my favourite audio adventures company. 5 out of 5 Spectral Hounds. Perfection