A Bit of Confusion From the BBC

The BBC Radio productions of the Sherlock Holmes stories and novels, produced during the 1980s and '90s, are outstanding. I've collected them all, and they're among my favorite lunchtime audio breaks.

Two general complaints, however:

First, the voices and stylistic deliveries of Clive Merrison (Holmes) and Michael Williams (Watson) are maddeningly similar. Unless you know the stories well, you likely will be baffled regularly as to which character is speaking.

Second, while the writing/production team turned out highly commendable broadcasts—freshly rendering the various adventures and intrigues while remaining essentially true to Doyle's published plots and characterizations—they sometimes went to problematic lengths for the sake of originality. Abrupt and rapid scene shifts leave even dedicated Holmesians confused as to what's going on, in some of the presentations. Important background information and character associations contained in the published tales often are missing. As I listen and relisten, I suspect this series of radio plays was crafted specifically for Holmes aficionados, with little regard for newcomers to the canon.

Daniel Elton Harmon
d@danieleltonharmon.com
www.danieleltonharmon.com