SHERLOCK HOLMES
I suppose like most people of my age, Basil Rathbone was my first Sherlock Holmes. I've seen countless iterations of Holmes since but Rathbone retains a special place in my heart. What does this have to do with my Holmes work? Not a lot, except that after finishing playing Holmes in movies he went on to play Holmes on radio, and that's where my first Holmes stories appeared, on radio for Imagination Theater.
RADIO
I don't write Sherlock Holmes for the radio very often. I think it's averaged out at one episode every two years, but it's always a joy to do. I love writing for Larry Albert, who plays Doctor Watson and who is one ofthe finest people you could ever meet. He's a terrific Watson too.
Truth is, I like writing Watson more than Holmes. He's the humanity in the stories. I really enjoy writing Watson as an intelligent, brave man. I know he's often shown as a bumbling Nigel Bruse type version of the character but he's a surgeon and a soldier, so he's brave and intelligent. And Holmes would not have a buffoon as a best friend. Watson may not be the deductive genius his friend is, but he's smart and emotionally intelligent, and Holmes requires that in his best friend because it's something he lacks.
The Cursed of Brokenshore
The Beast of Hyndford
The Mysterious Case
The Poltergeist of Buckley Street
The Seven Swords of Osiris
The Beast of Hyndford
The Mysterious Case
The Poltergeist of Buckley Street
The Seven Swords of Osiris
NOVELS
Sherlock Holmes: The Cursed of Brokenshore
I adapted the radio play I wrote with Claire into this short novel, which also has another radio play The Mysterious Case turned into a short story.
I adapted the radio play I wrote with Claire into this short novel, which also has another radio play The Mysterious Case turned into a short story.
SHORT STORIES
THE HOPKINS BROTHERS AFFAIR
The MX Book of New Sherlock Holmes Stories Part III: 1896-1929
The Sherlock Holmes short story I mentioned last week is in Volume 3 of... THIS! The MX Book of New Sherlock Holmes Stories, There's a lovely article about it on the Radio Times site here. My story, The Hopkins Brothers Affair, was co-written with my usual partner in crime, Claire Bartlett.
The Sherlock Holmes short story I mentioned last week is in Volume 3 of... THIS! The MX Book of New Sherlock Holmes Stories, There's a lovely article about it on the Radio Times site here. My story, The Hopkins Brothers Affair, was co-written with my usual partner in crime, Claire Bartlett.
THE UNFORTUNATE GUEST
The Further Associates of Sherlock Holmes
This is an interesting one for me, writing from a perspective other than that of Dr Watson. My interest is in how others view Holmes and Watson, and how others perceive both men and their talents.
This is an interesting one for me, writing from a perspective other than that of Dr Watson. My interest is in how others view Holmes and Watson, and how others perceive both men and their talents.
THE STRANGE CASE
in Sherlock Holmes: The Cursed of Brokenshore
This is a short story I added to the novel because I like the story. It's a two hander, very simple and as close to a distillation of Holmes and Watson as I could manage.