However Improbable

"The Adventure of the Stockbroker's Clerk" by Arthur Conan Doyle, narrated by Jack Carmichael.

“Human nature is a strange mixture, Watson. You see that even a villain and murderer can inspire such affection that his brother turns to suicide when he learns that his neck is forfeited."

Content warning (and SPOILER ALERT!): This story contains a fairy graphic depiction of a suicide attempt by hanging. It occurs about halfway through the story.

This episode is narrated by Jack Carmichael. Jack is a Kent-based Voice Over Artist/Actor and a graduate of East 15 Acting School. His personal career highlights so far include performing at Edinburgh Fringe with the comedy/puppet show "Ronnie and the Other World", puppeteering for the BBC Radio 4 Podcast "The Infinite Monkey Cage" and starring as DAX in the award-winning, sci-fi/comedy podcast "We Fix Space Junk". Jack also plays acoustic guitar, sings bass and is an amateur beat-boxer. Outside of the acting world, he enjoys running, baking and escape rooms!

Find recommended reading, more stories, info about the show and more on our website:

Holmes complains about the weather, insults a Scotland Yard detective and untangles some old family drama in this strange little story. Plus, Watson is married now! Did anything else meaningful happen? From The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, "The Boscombe Valley Mystery" is an oddly-paced, weirdly plotted short story about murderous Australians and the sins of our fathers.

Find recommended reading, more stories, info about the show and more on our website:

"The Boscombe Valley Mystery" by Arthur Conan Doyle, narrated by Sarah Kolb. “There is nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact,” he answered, laughing. “Besides, we may chance to hit upon some other obvious facts which may have been by no means obvious to Mr. Lestrade.”

"The Adventure of the Copper Beeches" is narrated by Sarah Kolb. Sarah is Colorado-based writer, podcaster, and arts marketer, with a passion for unconventional storytelling, detective stories, and rude women. You probably know her as the co-host of However Improbable! During the day, she’s a professional advocate for regional theatre, art education and gender parity in the arts. She's the marketing director at the Arvada Center, one of Colorado's largest theatre companies, and a board member of Athena Project Arts, a nonprofits that advocates for women's voices in artistic expression. Her first foray into podcasting was Superstition, a Southwestern gothic audio mystery.

Instagram: sarahjkolb

https://www.howeverimprobablepodcast.com/listen/the-adventure-of-the-copper-beeches

Find recommended reading, more stories, info about the show and more on our website:

Welcome back to our discussion episodes! From The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, "The Adventure of the Copper Beeches" is one of the nastiest tales in the canon - complete with a skin-crawling villain named Jephro Rucastle. It also stars one of our favorite women - the intrepid Violet Hunter. Sarah and Marisa check in with Holmes and Watson after our break from the stories, the creepy horror of this tale, some other iconic stories with horrible things hidden in the attic, and more.

Content warning: Deeply creepy behavior, gaslighting, abuse and imprisonment.

Find recommended reading, more stories, info about the show and more on our website:

"The Adventure of the Copper Beeches" by Arthur Conan Doyle, narrated by Sarah Kolb.

“Crime is common. Logic is rare."

"The Adventure of the Copper Beeches" is narrated by Sarah Kolb. Sarah is Colorado-based writer, podcaster, and arts marketer, with a passion for unconventional storytelling, detective stories, and rude women. You probably know her as the co-host of However Improbable! During the day, she’s a professional advocate for regional theatre, art education and gender parity in the arts. She's the marketing director at the Arvada Center, one of Colorado's largest theatre companies, and a board member of Athena Project Arts, a nonprofits that advocates for women's voices in artistic expression. Her first foray into podcasting was Superstition, a Southwestern gothic audio mystery.

Instagram: misandrywitch

Content warning (and spoilers because... yikes!): Kidnapping, gaslighting, parental abuse, violence against animals.  

https://www.howeverimprobablepodcast.com/listen/the-adventure-of-the-copper-beeches

Find recommended reading, more stories, info about the show and more on our website:

Marisa and Sarah weren't the only ones who were busy in the last year away from the show. So was Holmes - busy drinking that respect women juice. Legally.

In January of this year, the US copyright on The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes expired. This means that, for the first time, all the Holmes stories are no longer protected by copyright. What does this mean for Holmes? What do we hope comes out of it? Do we want to read your trashy Holmes romance novels? All those answers in today's case file!

Find recommended reading, more stories, info about the show and more on our website:

The Hound of the Baskervilles is the closest that Arthur Conan Doyle comes to writing a real supernatural horror story (in his Holmes tales anyway) and one adaptation stands above the rest by truly committing to that idea. Happy Halloween and welcome to our case file on Hammer Film’s Hound of the Baskervilles!

A family curse. A desolate moor. An unexplained death. A monstrous dog. Arguably one of the most famous short stories of all time, The Hound of the Baskervilles is the third of four novellas about the great detective, and the first story Doyle wrote after Holmes’s (spoilers!) apparent demise in “The Final Problem.” It all comes together into a spine-tingling mystery that Watson's writing turns into a horror tale. 

We discuss Watson's turn as a Gothic heroine, the genre-hopping joy of Hound, Dracula Daily, and how Sir Henry should have ended up with Beryl at the end of this one, actually. 

Content warning: Racism, death, British preoccupation with bloodlines - and some animals meet some nasty ends in this story. Sorry - the dog dies in this one. 

Spoiler alert: We talk extensively about what happens in "The Final Problem" and "The Empty House."

Find recommended reading, more stories, info about the show and more on our website:

The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle, narrated by Jenna Hanchey.

Chapter 13: Fixing the Nets

Chapter 14: The Hound of the Baskervilles

Chapter 15: A Retrospection

“And now I come rapidly to the conclusion of this singular narrative, in which I have tried to make the reader share those dark fears and vague surmises which clouded our lives so long and ended in so tragic a manner."

The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle, narrated by Jenna Hanchey.

Chapter 10: Extract from the Diary of Dr. Watson

Chapter 11: The Man on the Tor

Chapter 12: Death on the Moor

“That cold, incisive, ironical voice could belong to but one man in all the world."

The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle, narrated by Jenna Hanchey.

Chapter 7: The Stapletons of Merripit House

Chapter 8: First Report of Dr. Watson

Chapter 9: The Light upon the Moor [Second Report of Dr. Watson]

“But the moor with its mysteries and its strange inhabitants remains as inscrutable as ever. Perhaps in my next I may be able to throw some light upon this also.”

The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle, narrated by Jenna Hanchey.

Chapter 4: Sir Henry Baskerville

Chapter 5: Three Broken Threads

Chapter 6: Baskerville Hall

“It’s an ugly business, Watson, an ugly dangerous business, and the more I see of it the less I like it. Yes, my dear fellow, you may laugh, but I give you my word that I shall be very glad to have you back safe and sound in Baker Street once more.”

The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle, narrated by Jenna Hanchey.

Chapter 1: Mr. Sherlock Holmes

Chapter 2: The Curse of the Baskervilles

Chapter 3: The Problem

“Mr. Holmes, they were the footprints of a gigantic hound!”

In the second of 2 discussions on the novella The Sign of Four, we dive into the story's messy and rather sad interpersonal drama by shining a light on the most understated of narrators - Dr. Watson himself, and the tension that is dividing his heart. Join us for a 221B vibe check (spoilers: bad vibes) as we take a look at the state of Holmes and Watson's friendship, and why Watson makes a choice that threatens it... as well as our narrative structure. Do we die defending Miss Mary Morstan? Is Doyle actually just a bad writer? Is The Sign of Four the queerest story in the canon? 

Content warning: Drug use, murder, and serious themes of imperialism and racism. So much racism.

Listen to part 1 of our discussion on SIGN here: https://anchor.fm/however-improbable/episodes/Wild--dark-business-The-Sign-of-Four-discussion--Part-1-e1kbjrv 

Find recommended reading, more stories, info about the show and more on our website:

A young woman named Mary Morstan comes to Baker Street with a most unusual problem… kicking off a tale of treasure, murder and romance. The Sign of Four blends decadence, imperialism, dark family secrets and literal buried treasure with an almost genre-bending romantic air and some interpersonal drama. 

This is part 1 of 2 on our episodes covering Doyle's second novella. Today, we're building a theoretical backbone for this story, and examining what Holmes's actions and conflicts symbolize. We discuss Holmes's drug use as a symbol for London as a whole, what Doyle might have been trying to say about empire and power, and how SIGN is kind of like a noir.

Content warning: Drug use, murder, and serious themes of imperialism and racism. So much racism. 

Find recommended reading, more stories, info about the show and more on our website:

The Sign of Four by Arthur Conan Doyle, narrated by Paula Brett

Chapter 10 - The End of the Islander

Chapter 11 - The Great Agra Treasure

Chapter 12 - The Strange Story of Jonathan Small

“For me,” said Sherlock Holmes, “there still remains the cocaine-bottle.” And he stretched his long white hand up for it.

The Sign of Four by Arthur Conan Doyle, narrated by Paula Brett

Chapter 7 - The Episode of the Barrel

Chapter 8 - The Baker Street Irregulars

Chapter 9 - A Break in the Chain

“It is a romance!” cried Mrs. Forrester. “An injured lady, half a million in treasure, a black cannibal, and a wooden-legged ruffian. They take the place of the conventional dragon or wicked earl.”

“And two knight-errants to the rescue,” added Miss Morstan, with a bright glance at me.

The Sign of Four by Arthur Conan Doyle, narrated by Paula Brett

Chapter 4 - The Story of the Bald-Headed Man

Chapter 5 - The Tragedy of Pondicherry Lodge

Chapter 6 - Sherlock Holmes Gives a Demonstration

In the light of the lantern I read, with a thrill of horror, “The sign of the four.”

“In God’s name, what does it all mean?” I asked.

“It means murder,” said he, stooping over the dead man.

The Sign of Four by Arthur Conan Doyle, narrated by Paula Brett

Chapter I - The Science of Deduction

Chapter 2 - The Statement of the Case

Chapter 3 - In Quest of a Solution

“My mind,” he said, “rebels at stagnation. Give me problems, give me work, give me the most abstruse cryptogram or the most intricate analysis, and I am in my own proper atmosphere.” 

Some podcasters might be deterred to cover one of the most popular medical dramas of all time - that also kind of counts as a Holmes adaptations - considering we haven’t either really watched any of it. Not us though.  Today’s case file covers House M.D., and we’ve invited Twitter’s greatest House fan, Sara Ghaleb, to give us a hand.

Sara recommended a few key episodes that she thinks summarize how House is a Holmes adaptation - and so armed with that very limited knowledge, we sat down to talk about it. Tune in for the highs, lows, and accidental murders in this long-running medical drama, the joys of seeing the Holmes & Watson friendship in many different formats, and the inherent Victorian-ness of serialized television. This episode does contain some language, as well as spoilers for the show.

Today, we’re thrilled to have pastiche writer, acclaimed novelist, and the internet’s coolest Sherlockian Lyndsay Faye on the podcast! Her newest collection of Holmes stories, Observations by Gaslight, is narrated by those who knew the great detective—including beloved characters like Irene Adler and Mrs. Hudson. We discussed this newest collection of work, how she embodies the voices of characters ranging from Lestrade to Watson himself, and whether or not Dr. John H. Watson, M.D. is actually a Mary Sue.

This mini case file takes a look at the man, the myth, the legend himself - Mycroft Holmes. Sherlock’s older brother is introduced in the story “The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter” - and we discovered we have so many thoughts about the way he’s been adapted onscreen that he deserves his own episode. Join us as we take a look at some of the famous actors who have depicted Mycroft, and dig into what we love, hate, and find perplexing about his appearances onscreen.

Find recommended reading, more stories, info about the show and more on our website:

From The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, “The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter” is a tale of trepidatious translations, dire kidnappings, and Sherlock Holmes’s extended family. We discuss the true hero of this story (spoiler alert, he’s mentioned in it’s title), how Mycroft is really life goals, how Granada Holmes lets us down, and how all good dramas should end in a stabbing in today’s episode!

Content warning (and spoilers because this is a doozy!): Kidnapping, torture, starvation, violence and threats of violence, and stabbing. 

Find recommended reading, more stories, info about the show and more on our website:

“The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter” from The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, narrated by Yianni Papadimos.

“The Diogenes Club is the queerest club in London, and Mycroft one of the queerest men.”

Yianni Papadimos is a Greek-American actor and writer. His favorite credits include Nick Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Barnstormers Theatre), Matt in Swimming Upstream (Detroit Repertory Theatre, World Premiere), and Ira Stone in Laughter on the 23rd Floor (Barnstormers Theatre). Onscreen, Papadimos has been featured in projects that have premiered across the country. Favorite credits include The Tankhouse Theatre (2018 SeriesFest) and Better To Live (2015 TriBeCa Film Festival).

His first full-length musical, co-written with Ben Chavez (The Cobalteans), was an official selection of the 2015 New York Musical Festival. He received awards for Outstanding Book and Outstanding Lyrics. Elysium: An American Fable, the team’s second full-length musical, has been developed at the Village Theatre (Issaquah, WA), Ohio Northern University (Ada, OH), and the Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival (Auburn, NY). Their work has been featured at NYC venues such as Feinstein’s/54 Below, The Musical Theatre Factory, The Laurie Beechman Theatre, Dixon Place, and Don’t Tell Mama.

He proudly holds a BFA in Drama and English Literature from NYU.

Content warning (and spoilers because this is a doozy!): Kidnapping, torture, violence and threats of violence, and general nasty behavior. 

Find recommended reading, more stories, info about the show and more on our website:

One of the more sentimental stories in the canon, "The Adventure of the Yellow Face" is remarkable because Holmes’s deductive powers fail him - and Watson’s romantic sentimentality wins the day. It's also notable in how it specifically addresses race and prejudice in a way the Holmes stories usually avoid. 

Does Doyle get some credit for being not quite as awful as some of his contemporaries? Should these people have even become parents? Does Watson really solve the case first? All that and more in today's episode.

Content warning: This story contains blatant & not-so-blatant anti-Black racism.

Find recommended reading, more stories, info about the show and more on our website:

"The Adventure of the Yellow Face" from The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, narrated by Alex Gallegos.

"If it should ever strike you that I am getting a little over-confident in my powers, or giving less pains to a case than it deserves, kindly whisper ‘Norbury’ in my ear, and I shall be infinitely obliged to you.”

Born and raised in Colorado, Alex Gallegos moved to Iowa in 2015. He fell in love with the audio format of storytelling after hearing the original War of the Worlds broadcast, and about the power it held to create imagery in the audience’s mind unmatched by any conceivable feat of cinematography - even by today’s standards.

By day, he is a Systems Administrator, tinkering with computers, technology, and software, but by night, he is... actually pretty much the same thing, just paid less to do it once he’s off the clock.

Content warning: This story contains blatant & not-so-blatant anti-Black racism. 

Find recommended reading, more stories, info about the show and more on our website:

The least well-known of Doyle’s four novella-length Holmes stories, join us for this weird and riveting tale of American unions, vanishing jewelry, and Professor Moriarty’s first appearance. The Valley of Fear kicks off a new year for us and for Holmes and Watson. 

Published between 1914 and 1915, The Valley of Fear is loosely based on a true story. We discuss Moriarty as a master artist, antisemitic space Jews, whether Doyle is actually any good at writing novellas, and what this story might reveal about how much Watson lies.

Spoiler alert: We talk extensively about what happens in "The Final Problem" and "The Empty House." 

Find recommended reading, more stories, info about the show and more on our website:

The Valley of Fear, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - Part 2: The Scowrers

Chapter 7: The Trapping of Birdy Edwards

"And thence came the John Douglas who for a second time married a worthy mate, and lived for five years as a Sussex county gentleman, a life which ended with the strange happenings of which we have heard."

This episode is narrated by Dan Heidt. Dan is a songwriter and podcaster from Columbus, Ohio.  His podcast, "Flies in the Kitchen" features conversations with creative folx from all genres, in all settings.  Dan previously recorded several stories for Librivox, an online audio archive of public domain publications, and when not blabbering into a microphone, he is building SUVs for Honda Manufacturing and enjoying life with his wife and 4 cats.  His debut album, 'The View From Up Here', is available on all streaming platforms as well, for your listening pleasure.

Find transcripts, recommended reading and more on our website:

The Valley of Fear, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - Part 2: The Scowrers

Chapter 4—The Valley of Fear

Chapter 5—The Darkest Hour

Chapter 6—Danger

"It is the Valley of Fear, the Valley of Death. The terror is in the hearts of the people from the dusk to the dawn."

This episode is narrated by Dan Heidt. Dan is a songwriter and podcaster from Columbus, Ohio.  His podcast, "Flies in the Kitchen" features conversations with creative folx from all genres, in all settings.  Dan previously recorded several stories for Librivox, an online audio archive of public domain publications, and when not blabbering into a microphone, he is building SUVs for Honda Manufacturing and enjoying life with his wife and 4 cats.  His debut album, 'The View From Up Here', is available on all streaming platforms as well, for your listening pleasure.

Find transcripts, recommended reading and more on our website:

The Valley of Fear, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - Part 2: The Scowrers

Chapter 1: The Man

Chapter 2: The Bodymaster

Chapter 3: Lodge 341, Vermissa

"The iron and coal valleys of the Vermissa district were no resorts for the leisured or the cultured. Everywhere there were stern signs of the crudest battle of life, the rude work to be done, and the rude, strong workers who did it."

This episode is narrated by Dan Heidt. Dan is a songwriter and podcaster from Columbus, Ohio.  His podcast, "Flies in the Kitchen" features conversations with creative folx from all genres, in all settings.  Dan previously recorded several stories for Librivox, an online audio archive of public domain publications, and when not blabbering into a microphone, he is building SUVs for Honda Manufacturing and enjoying life with his wife and 4 cats.  His debut album, 'The View From Up Here', is available on all streaming platforms as well, for your listening pleasure.

Find transcripts, recommended reading and more on our website:

The Valley of Fear, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - Part 1: The Tragedy of Birlstone

Chapter 5: The People of the Drama

Chapter 6: A Dawning Light

Chapter 4: The Solution

"You're welcome to them—you and your public. There's the story of the Valley of Fear.”

This episode is narrated by Sarah Kolb. Sarah is a Colorado-based writer, podcaster, and arts marketer, with a passion for unconventional storytelling, detective stories, and rude women. Needless to say, she's the co-host and co-creator of this podcast. Find her on Twitter @misandrywitch.

Find transcripts, recommended reading and more on our website:

The Valley of Fear, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - Part 1: The Tragedy of Birlstone

Chapter 3: The Tragedy of Birlstone

Chapter 4: Darkness

"As I looked at the deep-set windows and the long sweep of the dull-coloured, water-lapped front, I felt that no more fitting scene could be set for such a tragedy."

This episode is narrated by Sarah Kolb. Sarah is a Colorado-based writer, podcaster, and arts marketer, with a passion for unconventional storytelling, detective stories, and rude women. Needless to say, she's the co-host and co-creator of this podcast. Find her on Twitter @misandrywitch.

Find transcripts, recommended reading and more on our website:

The Valley of Fear, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - Part 1: The Tragedy of Birlstone

Chapter 1: The Warning

Chapter 2: Sherlock Holmes Discourses 

"The greatest schemer of all time, the organizer of every deviltry, the controlling brain of the underworld, a brain which might have made or marred the destiny of nations—that's the man!"

This episode is narrated by Sarah Kolb. Sarah is a Colorado-based writer, podcaster, and arts marketer, with a passion for unconventional storytelling, detective stories, and rude women. Needless to say, she's the co-host and co-creator of this podcast. Find her on Twitter @misandrywitch. 

Find transcripts, recommended reading and more on our website:

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson (1979-1986) is sometimes known as Soviet Holmes, Russian Holmes, Lenfilm Holmes, or Old Russian Holmes. Lenfilm’s series of films have often been described as one of the best Holmes adaptations out there, with particular praise directed towards Livanov’s Holmes. 

Murderer’s eyeballs, serial killers, tandem bicycles and men crying - join us for our take on these characters and an evaluation of how handsome Vitaly Solomin is actually (so, so handsome).

This discussion contains major plot spoilers for the canon stories “The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton,” as well as “The Final Problem” and “The Empty House.” We haven’t covered them on the podcast yet, so if you’ve managed to avoid Doyle’s major plot twist and would like to avoid spoilers - save this episode for later!

Find recommended reading, more stories, info about the show and more on our website:

Holmes and Watson celebrate the winter season with a literal wild goose chase in “The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle,” from The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.

This story is filled with holiday cheer, home museums and the benefits of private detection. As we approach the end of our year, we look back on Holmes and Watson’s busy year, and contemplate Holmes’s hypocrisy, the archetype of the private detective, and what’s looming in the year ahead.

Find recommended reading, more stories, info about the show and more on our website:

"The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle" from The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, narrated by Georie Taylor. 

“My name is Sherlock Holmes. It is my business to know what other people don’t know.”

This story is narrated by Georie Taylor (ey/em/eir). A baker and voice actor in the Pacific Northwest, ey have been in podcasts for almost five years and baking for two decades. Off mic you can find em caring for eir child (a beautiful baby sourdough starter), knitting, and playing tabletop RPGs. Eir twitter is @Delta.Georie.

Find recommended reading, more stories, info about the show and more on our website:

Sherlock Holmes goes to great lengths to catch a killer... and tests the patience of his landlady, his own physical health, and the strength of his friendship with Watson. “The Adventure of the Dying Detective,” from His Last Bow does feel a little out of place - but hear us out for why this story works so well in the earlier years of Holmes and Watson’s friendship.

We discuss biological weaponry, perfect crimes, Sigmund Freud swordfighting on a train, and the powerfully moving and unspoken depths of Holmes and Watson’s care for one another. And Arthur Conan Doyle’s racism. This story is so racist.

Content warning (spoilers coming): Holmes starves himself, fakes delirium and lies to Watson. Medical malpractice, infectious disease and murder abound - as does considerable anti-Asian racism. 

Find recommended reading, more stories, info about the show and more on our website:

"The Adventure of the Dying Detective" from His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, narrated by Dan Heidt. 

"He's dying, Dr. Watson," said she. "For three days he has been sinking, and I doubt if he will last the day. He would not let me get a doctor."

Content warning (also spoilers for the twist): Illness, starvation, and some tremendous Holmesian lies. 

Dan Heidt is a songwriter and podcaster from Columbus, Ohio.  His podcast, "Flies in the Kitchen" features conversations with creative folx from all genres, in all settings.  Dan previously recorded several stories for Librivox, an online audio archive of public domain publications, and when not blabbering into a microphone, he is building SUVs for Honda Manufacturing and enjoying life with his wife and 4 cats.  His debut album, 'The View From Up Here', is available on all streaming platforms as well, for your listening pleasure.

Find recommended reading, more stories, info about the show and more on our website:

To wrap up our one-year anniversary month, we indulged in gin and “Sherlock Holmes,” (2009) dir. Guy Ritchie. It was Marisa’s first introduction to the Holmes and Watson, and reviewers have described it as either “disturbingly bad” or a “fresh reinvention” of an old classic. This steampunk roller coaster ride of a film raises some interesting questions about how we value adaptations of stories we understand to be enshrined in a literary canon. We talk about its versions of these iconic characters, why it’s mean to bisexuals, what it gets right and wrong about occultism in the Victorian era, and the enduring appeal of queer subtext in blockbusters even when we really should know better.

Content warning: The movie itself contains some cartoonishly grisly deaths, most notably by hanging. And heed the "explicit" note on this episode - it's cocktail hour and we talk like it. Contains a lot more cursing than usual, and objectification of the bisexual kind. We love and respect you for your work, Ms. McAdams, really we promise. 

Find recommended reading, more stories, info about the show and more on our website:

It’s hard to believe, but it’s been an entire year since we aired the first chapters of A Study in Scarlet. Since then, we’ve followed Holmes and Watson on adventures ranging from slapstick to sinister, and we couldn’t have done it without you. Thank you so much for listening this year!

We took a moment to reflect back on our first experiences with Holmes - and think about why this character and the stories have such a hold on our imaginations. Plus, we share listener and narrator stories about the first Holmes adaptations they remember - from Barbie video games and The Great Mouse Detective to high school English teachers and Jeremy Brett.

Thank you to Grace, Natalie, Vince, Rose, Monique, Kyle, Alaina, and Courtney for sharing your first encounters with Holmes for this episode!

Find recommended reading, more stories, info about the show and more on our website:

Underpaid employees, bank heists, and Spanish violin virtuosos. “The Red-Headed League” is the second story in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, part heist, part comedy, and all-around good time. We discuss perhaps the canon's best and least represented villain, Holmes's mental health, and the inherent sexual tension between a gentleman thief and the police detective who wants to arrest him. 

Content warning: Watson carries a gun in this episode, and there are some tense moments of drama and classism.

Find recommended reading, more stories, info about the show and more on our website:

From The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, this is "The Red-Headed League" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, narrated by Kate Murtaugh.

“My dear doctor, this is a time for observation, not for talk. We are spies in an enemy’s country."

Content warning: Watson carries a gun in this episode, and there are some tense moments of drama and classism. 

Find recommended reading, more stories, info about the show and more on our website:

Mistaken identity, evil stepfathers, and the importance of a good optician. “A Case of Identity” (from The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes) has a plot fit for a Shakespeare play - without the narrative satisfaction. In this surprisingly sinister armchair detective story, we discuss skeevy men, Peter Pan, Watson's eye for color and the complicated undercurrent of misogyny running beneath the narrative. 

Content warning: This episode some spectacularly weird and mean-spirited lies directed at a young woman, and some classic Doylish misogyny.

"A Case of Identity" from The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle, narrated by Lucille Valentine. 

“It was most suggestive,” said Holmes. “It has long been an axiom of mine that the little things are infinitely the most important."

From The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, "The Five Orange Pips" connects vanishing ships, the American Civil War, and what happens when Holmes’s considerable powers are not enough to save the day. Sarah and Marisa discuss Doyle’s depiction of the KKK and his contentious relationship with racism, the kinds of adaptations we’re excited to see in the future, the hand of God, and why Lovecraft sucks.

Content warning: This episode contains death by drowning, murder and threats of murder, discussions of suicide, and a backstory about American slavery and the KKK.

"The Five Orange Pips" from The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle, narrated by Courtney Herber.

“No; I shall be my own police. When I have spun the web they may take the flies, but not before.”

In this short story with a title straight out of a Western, Holmes hosts a sleepover and gives a man a bath. "The Man with the Twisted Lip" is perplexing not only for where it's ended up in our chronology, but for its red herring plot twist full of questionable decisions. What does the opium den represent in the Victorian imagination, and is it as racist as it sounds? How does this story explore the malleability of British social class and identity? Should the New Yorker unionize? And why on earth does everyone think Watson's middle name is HAMISH? All these answers and more in today's episode. 

Content warning: This episode contains drug abuse and addiction, racism, and some particularly Doylish lies between husband and wife.

"The Man with the Twisted Lip" from The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle, narrated by Christopher Wilson

“I reached this one,” said my friend, “by sitting upon five pillows and consuming an ounce of shag."

Book Club Case File: My Dearest Holmes, by Rohase Piercy

First published in 1988 by the Gay Men’s Press, My Dearest Holmes by Rohase Piercy is a very special pastiche that boasts something very rare—it’s one of the very few and certainly among the earliest published gay pastiches about the great detective and his good doctor. It celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2018. We're thrilled to have Rohase on the podcast today in our very first interview! We discuss her her depiction of a Holmes and Watson romance, it's reception, how queer readings have and haven't changed since the 1980s, and lots more.