So I’ve been listening to the Clive Merrison radio Holmes at the (indirect) urging of a number of you all, and I’m in love. Although I’ve only listened to a handful of the episodes so far (largely the novel-length stories), I’m sure that there’ll only be more to love as I go on. There’s a lot that makes the show wonderful, but I wanted to share some of my favorites!
The sass - particularly from Watson. Holmes gives him a hard time, and Watson gives it right back. He’s a patient man, but everyone has their limits, and Watson makes it pretty clear when Holmes is testing his.
Waton’s characterization in general. From the moment of their meeting, it’s clear that Watson respects Holmes, and admires him, and genuinely enjoys his company (usually), but he doesn’t worship him. Yes, Holmes is brilliant, but that doesn’t give him a pass on being a dick; for every disparaging comment Holmes makes about him, he has a sarcastic remark of his own. I also get the sense that Holmes says some of what he does just because he enjoy’s Watson’s comebacks.
Moriarty. Unlike the original stories, which invent Moriarty on the spot, and unlike even Granada, which introduces Moriarty in the episode prior to The Final Problem, the radio show introduces Moriarty early and develops his character well beyond what’s in the stories. Some people might mind that; I don’t. In the episode of The Final Problem, the listener gets to be a fly on the wall in Moriarty’s meetings, both academic and criminal, and learns the extent of his activities and influence. In The Valley of Fear, which I just finished, Holmes brings up his suspicions of Moriarty’s involvement in the plot to the investigator on the case, and gets a response that strongly implies that not only has Holmes been trying to bring the Moriarty issue to Scotland Yard’s attention, but that Scotland Yard is sick to death of hearing about it. I love it.
Holmes’ voice. We’ve all been lulled by the buttery tones of one Jeremy Brett, but in the stories Holmes had a voice that was almost so high-pitched as to be querulous, and Mr. Merrison fits the bill. It’s almost startling, at first, if you’ve accepted J Brett as your lord and savior the de facto Holmes, but it’s excellent in its own right and well worth the initial shock.
Judy Dench voices Mrs. Hudson. Just for one episode, and only then for a few lines, but still. Incredible.
“I’m afraid you’ll have to entertain yourself tonight.” (Holmes, to Watson, in The Valley of Fear. Need I say more?)
That’s all for now, but I’m sure I’ll find more! I probably won’t update this post since many others have done wonderful, in-depth reviews of individual episodes as well as the show of a whole (and I thought I still had some of those posts saved in my drafts so that I could link to them, but apparently not), but if you’re one of those people, I owe you a big thanks for helping me find this show!