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Friday, 6 February 2026

A Sherlockian 2026

Sorry, I’ve been a little slow off the mark with this. 2026 promises to be a bumper year for Sherlockian content. Please find a list of currently announced productions.

Television

'Young Sherlock'

Erroneously announced in last year’s similar post, finally coming to Prime Video on 4th March 2026, an eight-episode drama based on the 'Young Sherlock Holmes' novels by Andy Lane, which were first published in June 2010, directed by Guy Ritchie. Hero Fiennes Tiffin stars as the young Holmes, having previously worked with Ritchie on 'The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare'. The show pitches itself as the origin story of the famous detective. In the reimagining, Holmes is a disgraced young man. He's raw and unfiltered, finding himself embroiled in a case that puts his freedom at risk. It's his first investigation, in which he'll need to unravel a globe-trotting conspiracy that can change his life forever. Click here for the trailer.

'Enola Holmes 3'

This second sequel has Millie Bobby Brown reprising her role as the title character, the teenage sister of the already-famous Sherlock, with Henry Cavill (Sherlock), Louis Partridge (Tewkesbury), Himesh Patel (Dr Watson), Sharon Duncan-Brewster (Moriarty), and Helena Bonham Carter (Eudoria) also reprising their roles. The film sees Enola tackling another mystery, this time on the island nation of Malta where she is flung into a nest of vipers. As the private detective juggles a new case and the next stages of her relationship with Tewkesbury, the game is truly afoot. It is directed by Philip Barantini and written by Jack Thorne, and will be released on Netflix later in the year.

‘Watson’

Series 2 begins on Sky Witness on 15th February 2026. This series features Holmes (Robert Carlyle) seemingly returning from the dead, so may have an even more Sherlockian feel.

‘Mademoiselle Holmes’

With another series of this already shown in France, and a cliffhanger involving a literal cliff to be resolved, hopefully Channel 4’s ‘Walter Presents’ will give us Series 2 later this year.

Audio

‘Sir Sherlock: The Red Letter Day’ (AUK Studios)

A new audio production from Auk Productions - ‘Sir Sherlock’ with Tom Baker MBE as Holmes and John 'K9' Leeson as Watson. Written by Gary Hopkins who wrote 3 Granada episodes, and guest starring YSH himself Nicholas Rowe. They're even doing a novelisation. Click here to support the Kickstarter (ends 4th March 2026).

The Fantastic Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Volumes 2-3 (Bleak December Audio)

A Canadian audio drama series starring Anthony D.P. Mann as Sherlock Holmes and Terry Wade as Dr. Watson, reprising their roles from the 2011 film 'Sherlock Holmes and the Shadow Watchers'. The first volume was released in October 2025, with subsequent instalments to be released in January and April 2026. Each volume comprises three stories, all tightly abridged to around twenty minutes each, with Simon Callow appearing as Moriarty. Click here to order all volumes.

Becoming Sherlock: The Red Circle/The Irregulars/The Magician (Storyside/Audible)

From the mind of bestselling author Anthony Horowitz (author of ‘The House of Silk’ and ‘Moriarty’) and American author Sarah J. Naughton, comes a trilogy set in a dystopian London in the near future featuring the world of Sherlock Holmes, like it has never been heard before. Story one is written by Horowitz with additional material from Naughton, the second by Naughton from Horowitz’s original idea, and the third by Naughton alone. At the same time as a passenger plane goes down in central London, Dr. Watson finds a man naked and beaten on the street. The man has no memory of his past but seems to have exceptional skills of deduction. This is the start of a mystery that unravels rapidly with one burning question at its heart: Who is Sherlock Holmes ? The trilogy is read by Alfed Enoch (who appeared as Private Bainbridge in ‘Sherlock: The Sign of Three’). Now available. Click here for more details and to purchase.

Sherlock & Co (Goalhanger Podcasts)

This excellent podcast continues with its updated dramatisations of canonical stories and has reached the two-thirds point, with 40 stories already tackled and 20 to go. They’re even doing a live episode as part of ‘The Rest Is Fest’ (tickets to which sold out almost immediately). Click here to listen to episodes.

Theatre

Sherlock Holmes (Open Air Theatre, Regent’s Park London)

Running from May-June 2026, Regents Park Open Air Theatre has just announced one of its Summer productions - the concisely titled ‘Sherlock Holmes’. It’s written by Joel Horwood who did the amazing NT adaptation of ‘Ocean at the End of the Lane’ and stars Joshua James (who appeared as Doctor Gorst in both seasons of Andor). More details can be found here.

Sherlock Holmes: The Hunt for Moriarty (Blackeyed Theatre - UK Tour)

This Blackeyed Theatre tour continues until May 2026. A rapid dash through multiple canonical tales leading up to the inevitable showdown at the Reichenbach Falls. Click here for my review and here for the tour dates.

Sherlock Holmes & The Sign of Four (Crime & Comedy Theatre Company - UK Tour)

Featuring 1980s Doctor Who alumni, Colin Baker (the Sixth Doctor) and Terry Molloy (Davros) as Holmes and Watson respectively (having previously played these parts on several tours of 'The Hound of the Baskervilles'), this radio play on stage is currently touring the UK. Click here for the tour dates.

Events

Brett Con 2 (The Dancehouse, Manchester)

A day-long event run by the team behind the ‘Jeremy Brett Podcast’ on 19/09/2026 full of panels with the Granada series’ cast and crew members, a special episode screening, prop and costume displays, merchandise, and opportunities for autographs and photos. Followed on 20/09/2026 with a coach trip to Leighton Hall, the real life setting for Ridling Thorpe Manor in ‘The Dancing Men’, providing an opportunity to watch one of the best loved episodes from the series, in the location where it was filmed, with the cast and crew who brought it to the screen, and a private tour of the grounds with opportunities for photos with the cast and crew. [SUNDAY NOW SOLD OUT] Click here to book tickets.

Tuesday, 30 December 2025

2025 Awards: Part One - Sherlock Holmes

Theatre/Interactive Experiences

12) Sherlock Holmes: Adventure of the Emperor's Gold (Milestones Museum)
11) Sherlock Holmes and the Man Who Believed in Fairies (Studio, Greenwich Theatre)
10) Sherlock Holmes and the Thief of Antiquity (Theatre Royal Winchester)
9) A Highly Suspect Murder Mystery: The Death of the Great Detective (theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, Edinburgh)
8) Sherlock Holmes vs Dracula (Studio, Churchill Theatre Bromley)
7) Baker Street Ladies (theSpace @ Symposium Hall, Edinburgh)
6) Sherlock in Summertown (Summertown, Oxford)
5) The Shire, Shakespeare and Sherlock [Exhibition] (Stonyhurst College, Clitheroe)
4) The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre, Chester)
3) Ms. Holmes & Ms. Watson - Apt. 2B (Arcola Theatre, London)
2) Sherlock Holmes: The Hunt for Moriarty (Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford)
1) Sherlock Holmes & The 12 Days of Christmas (Birmingham Rep)

Television/Audio

5) Sherlock Holmes Untold (Big Finish Audio)
Featuring six of the untold cases (those mentioned in passing in published accounts) unusually for Big Finish's SH output, this was released in weekly eight half-hour episodes, and I must admit that I was looking forward to it. However, despite Nicholas Briggs and Richard Earl being up to their usual high standard, it was Jonathan Barnes' scripts that annoyed me slightly, as the episodes in fact told one long story with each individual adventure being inconsequential (and given the ongoing story, not being adequately resolved), and sometimes, in my opinion, tweaking the one/two sentence tease given by Doyle too far. I found myself comparing it unfavourably to the similarly inspired 'The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes' written by Bert Coules for BBC Radio 4 (starring Clive Merrison and Andrew Sachs). [The most obvious example of this being the story of Bert Stevens, 'the terrible murderer who wanted [Holmes] to get him off in '87', which is one of the latter series' highlights] I was also disappointed that when all the episodes had been released, it was no longer possible to download individual episodes on the App, only the boxset.

4) The Fantastic Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Volume 1 (Bleak December Audio)
A Canadian audio drama series starring Anthony D.P. Mann as Sherlock Holmes and Terry Wade as Dr. Watson, reprising their roles from the 2011 film 'Sherlock Holmes and the Shadow Watchers'. The first volume was released in October 2025, with subsequent instalments to be released in January and April 2026. Each volume comprises three stories, in this case 'A Study in Scarlet', 'The Speckled Band' and 'The Dying Detective', all tightly abridged to around twenty minutes each (Mann has form for this - his audio 'Hound of the Baskervilles' featuring him as Watson to Derek Jacobi's Holmes manages to cram the entire story into 35½ minutes). This leads to versions of the story where only the vital facts are included, none of the window dressing that makes the written stories so engaging, and also means that Holmes solves every case without ever being led on a false scent or there being more than one person who might have done it. The second and third stories also introduced the presence of Moriarty (played by Simon Callow) whose increased involvement in future volumes bodes well.

3) Mademoiselle Holmes (C4)
Shown as part of Channel 4's 'Walter Presents' strand, this subtitled French show features shy French cop Charlie Holmes (Lola Dewaere), Sherlock Holmes' great-granddaughter, who after an accident and ceasing using her prescribed medication unlocks her hereditary deductive brilliance to solve crimes with the aid of Samy Vatel (Tom Villa), her Dr. Watson substitute. The relationship that Charlie has with her police colleagues reminded me of that from the early episodes of 'High Potential', one of my current favourite crime dramas. I must also admit being amused by the makers attempting to make Dewaere who is clearly a very attractive French actress, look dowdy for much of the time. Samy being a Sherlockian who has read all of Watson's accounts of her great-grandfather's cases, really appealed to me, highlighting the implications when Charlie realises that she has a direct connection to the descendants of a certain Professor of Mathematics. However, their visit in the London-set episode to a ridiculously fake Sherlock Holmes Museum slightly irked me. (Why could they not use the real one ?)

2) Watson (Sky Witness)
From the creative team behind 'Elementary' and created by Craig Sweeny (writer of 16 episodes of the former), this imagines a post-Reichenbach Dr John Watson (Morris Chestnut) having been set up in his own clinic by a legacy from Holmes, where he and his team of young medical geniuses treat out-of-the ordinary illnesses. The series is described as a "medical drama with detective elements", as Watson uses the skills he learnt working in London with the 'worlds first consulting detective' to solve medical mysteries. In the series Watson is described as 'a clinical geneticist', and this programme certainly shares a lot of genetic material with another Holmes-inspired series, 'House', but with a protagonist whose bedside manner is slightly more reasonable given that he's not the Holmes of the pairing. I must admit to enjoying this, particularly the canonical characters of Watson's (in this case ex-) wife Mary Morstan (Rochelle Aytes) who unlike her literary equivalent was not willing to play 'second fiddle' (or should that be violin ?) to Mr Sherlock Holmes, and Holmes' former criminal informer, Shinwell Johnson (Ritchie Coster) whose loyalties are unclear to say the least. Randall Park's Moriarty also plays an increasing part as the series goes on, but I am writing this before the final episode of Series 1 has been shown in the UK. However, I found myself frustrated that instead of employing identical twins to play the twin members of Watson's group, instead they employed one actor (Peter Mark Kendall) and a regular stand-in (Riley Orr).

1) Sherlock & Daughter (Discovery+)
An American mystery television series created by Brendan Foley, this series premiered in April in the United States on The CW, and features David Thewlis as the Great Detective, who finds himself having to refuse to investigate specific cases due to concerns over the safety of a kidnapped Dr. Watson and Mrs. Hudson. However, the arrival of Amelia Rojas (Blu Hunt), a young Native American woman whose mother was recently murdered and who claims that Holmes is her long-lost father, provides him with the clues that he needs to investigate the doings of the 'Red Thread' criminal syndicate, who have his friends. Thewlis' Holmes was excellent, and even if Amelia was a version of the already successful Enola Holmes (albeit a different family connection), I thoroughly enjoyed all eight episodes. I also enjoyed Ardal O'Hanlon in the role of Mrs. Hudson's brother-in-law (her sister having stepped into the 221b breach), Shashi Rami as the insurance investigator Bertram Birtwistle who teams up with Holmes, and Dougray Scott as an imprisoned Professor Moriarty. The plot also involved Moriarty's son, which seemed one child too many. [It also strikes me that three of these series posit the inconceivable notion of the emotionless Holmes procreating].