Undershaw Saved

News has just come in that Undershaw, the former residence of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's (from 1897 to 1907) has been saved. The property, one that Doyle himself helped design, was in danger of redevelopment. But it has now found a buyer and it looks as if the building will be used as a school. Undershaw, which is located in Hindhead, Surrey, was where Doyle wrote many of his best remembered stories, the most notable of these being 'The Hound of the Baskervilles'. Shortly after Doyle sold the house it was converted into a hotel and continued to be run as such until the hotel closed in 2004. Since then the building has fallen into a state of disrepair whilst a buyer was being sought.

Undershaw during the early 1900s (with the picture showing Doyle's children on the driveway).

Undershaw now.

From the Author's Desk / Dinner Table

You may have noticed the lack of posts on my blog of late. This is down to being hard at work on the follow up to Requiem for Sherlock Holmes, which is  taking up the majority of my free time (little that there is). It's coming together nicely though and all things being equal I should have something ready for release later on this year.

Sherlock Holmes will return ..... eventually!

 Here we see the author deciding between writing, updating his blog and checking Facebook (Facebook wins).

Holmes on the Stage: Basil Rathbone

Basil Rathbone portrayed Sherlock Holmes many times on film, television and radio. Yet strangely, he appeared only once as the famous sleuth on the stage (giving a mere three performances in the play). After a try-out performance at the Majestic Theatre, Boston, 'Sherlock Holmes' opened on the 30th October 1953 at the New Century Theatre, New York. The play, which was written by Basil's wife Ouida, closed the following day.

 

Promotion photo with Basil Rathbone (Sherlock Holmes) and Jack Raine (Doctor Watson)

 Rathbone and Raine with Terrence Kilburn (Walker)

 Rathbone with Thomas Gomez (Professor Moriarty) and Jarmila Novotna (Irene Adler)

Don't Be Unkind, 221B Mine

The circle is red,
the carbuncle is blue,
Valentine's wishes from Sherlock,
and his good friend Watson too.

Happy Valentine's day.

Out With the Old Year and in With the New

Happy Chinese New Year.
Mirroring two of Conan Doyle's best stories we have moved from the Year of the Snake to the Year of the Horse. Roll on 2020 when the Year of the Rat is upon us.

Horses: Dangerous at Both Ends and Crafty in the Middle

The Dreaded Sherlock / Doctor Who Crossover

These days social media seems to be awash with fans clamouring for a Doctor Who / Sherlock crossover (or at least this seems to be the case in the small section of the web  that I generally frequent). With writer Steven Moffat firmly having a finger placed in both pies the pairing seems tantalisingly close to some. A quick Google search can show the extent of this, with one fanfiction site I found having over a thousand of crossover stories on it. Am I alone in thinking that a TV crossover story would be a terrible thing? Don't get me wrong, I love both series but I just can't see how they could possibly work together. To have the Doctor enter Holmes' world would only end up revealing a universe of things that the great detective is completely ignorant of and to my mind it would make him appear inferior by comparison (a frightening thought for any Sherlockian). I suppose the most likely way for Moffat & Co. to do a crossover would be as a sketch for Comic Relief. I think this would be preferable to me as it wouldn't interfere with the canon of each show as much as a full episode undoubtedly would. Although if a comedy crossover were to ever happen I think they have missed the boat by not doing it during Matt Smith's tenure, as his Doctor was adept a comedy. I envision that (or perhaps I should say 'I hope that') Peter Capaldi's reign will be a good deal darker than that of his predecessor.

I'm not completely against it, they just seem worlds apart to me. I mean I like fish fingers and I like custard, but only a mad man with a box would want to put the two together.

What say you?

All I want for Christmas is ...?

Looking for the perfect Sherlockian gift this Christmas? Then look no further (shameless plug begins).

Requiem for Sherlock Holmes
A collection of stories published by Hidden Tiger Books and available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle editions.

Sherlock Holmes returns in five enthralling cases. Written in an authentic style, each tale adds new layers to the legend of the great detective. When Holmes' father is arrested for the murder of a servant, Sherlock has prove his father's innocence and clear the family name. However, the fractious relationship between father and son makes the case doubly a challenge. Will they be able to put aside age-old hostilities and find the true culprit before the accused has his date with the gallows? After decades of forced absence, Holmes returns to his childhood home, in the process unlocking long-repressed feelings which force him to confront his troubled past and threaten to expose his darkest secrets. This collection also contains four short stories in which Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson pit their wits against their deadliest foes, culminating in a sea journey for Watson which takes an extraordinary turn that could solve the most fabled of mysteries.



The Theatrical Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock Holmes takes to the stage in four entertaining play scripts written between 1899 and 1921 by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and William Gillette. Even though Sherlock Holmes had fallen to his supposed death at the culmination of 'The Final Problem' in December 1893, it proved very difficult to keep the great detective down as this collection of theatrical play scripts proves. Presented are: SHERLOCK HOLMES - A DRAMA IN FOUR ACTS (1899, by William Gillette and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle); THE PAINFUL PREDICAMENT OF SHERLOCK HOLMES (1905, attributed to William Gillette); THE SPECKLED BAND - AN ADVENTURE OF MISTER SHERLOCK HOLMES (1910, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle) and THE CROWN DIAMOND - AN EVENING WITH SHERLOCK HOLMES (1921, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle). The collection also contains an introduction by Paul Stuart Hayes, which sets the scene for Sherlock Holmes’ stage debut and focuses on each of the four productions presented in this volume.

Hardback and paperback versions of both titles can also be purchased via the Hidden Tiger Website. 

(shameless plug ends)


The Lost Chronicles of Sherlock Holmes

Something else that might be of interest is the forthcoming collection The Mammoth Book of the Lost Chronicles of Sherlock Holmes by Denis O. Smith. Dennis' short story 'The Adventure of the Purple Hand', which appeared in the 1985 Penguin books publication The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is a particular favourite of mine and for that reason it's very pleasing to finally see a collection of his works in print. Unfortunately, its release is too late for the Christmas sales (it's out in January 2014 in the UK and April 2014 in the US), but you have to spend those Amazon vouchers you got for Christmas on something.


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