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The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (BBC Radio) #1
The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Series of stories continuing the exploits of Arthur Conan Doyle's great detective.
1. The Madness of Colonel Warburton
Watson's ex-commanding officer alarms his family due to an interest in spiritualism.
2. The Star of the Adelphi
When a leading actor is murdered, the sleuth heads backstage in the world of theatre.
3. The Peculiar Persecution of Mr John Vincent Harden
A metal object found in a dead man's stomach gives the sleuth a vital murder clue.
4. The Singular Inheritance of Miss Gloria Wilson
The detective probes a series of audacious thefts with the return of 'The Ghost'.
5. The Saviour of Cripplegate Square
The sleuth recalls the case of an extraordinary man helping to solve a diabolical crime.
1. The Madness of Colonel Warburton
Watson's ex-commanding officer alarms his family due to an interest in spiritualism.
2. The Star of the Adelphi
When a leading actor is murdered, the sleuth heads backstage in the world of theatre.
3. The Peculiar Persecution of Mr John Vincent Harden
A metal object found in a dead man's stomach gives the sleuth a vital murder clue.
4. The Singular Inheritance of Miss Gloria Wilson
The detective probes a series of audacious thefts with the return of 'The Ghost'.
5. The Saviour of Cripplegate Square
The sleuth recalls the case of an extraordinary man helping to solve a diabolical crime.
Audiobook
First published January 1, 1986
3 people are currently reading
46 people want to read
About the author
Bert Coules
53 books12 followersBert Coules is an English writer, and dramatist, who has produced a number of adaptations and original works. He works mainly in radio drama but also writes for TV and the stage.
Coules specializes in mystery and science fiction audio and radio drama, and has written a number of adaptations, most notably as the head writer of the Sherlock Holmes radio series (1989–1998) starring Clive Merrison as Holmes and Michael Williams as Watson (the first time the entire canon had been adapted with the same two lead actors throughout). He also wrote original Sherlock Holmes scripts for the following BBC radio series The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, each based on a reference from the original stories. These were first broadcast between 2002 and 2010, and starred Merrison and Andrew Sachs as Watson, following Michael Williams' death in 2001.
He has also written adaptations of several of Ellis Peters' Brother Cadfael novels, and of works by Ian Rankin, Val McDermid, Isaac Asimov and other best-selling genre authors.
[with thanks to Wikipedia]
Coules specializes in mystery and science fiction audio and radio drama, and has written a number of adaptations, most notably as the head writer of the Sherlock Holmes radio series (1989–1998) starring Clive Merrison as Holmes and Michael Williams as Watson (the first time the entire canon had been adapted with the same two lead actors throughout). He also wrote original Sherlock Holmes scripts for the following BBC radio series The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, each based on a reference from the original stories. These were first broadcast between 2002 and 2010, and starred Merrison and Andrew Sachs as Watson, following Michael Williams' death in 2001.
He has also written adaptations of several of Ellis Peters' Brother Cadfael novels, and of works by Ian Rankin, Val McDermid, Isaac Asimov and other best-selling genre authors.
[with thanks to Wikipedia]
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
May 10, 2018
Really enjoyed this dramatization, great voice actors and it made the whole listening experience even more enjoyable!! definitely recommend ant of the BBC radio productions.
November 9, 2021
4.5 for voice talent & sound effects in BBC Radio 4 audiobook
February 17, 2020
The following review was originally published in the online newspaper The Orkney News in 2019. Link here. https://theorkneynews.scot/2019/11/11...
The Further Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes: A BBC Radio 4 series by Bert Coules
Ah yes 221B Baker Street. It has been home to many a mystery in its time: The case of Silver Blaze, The Five Orange Pips, The Adventure Of The Dancing Men and The Adventure Of The Six Napoleons just to name a few from Doctor Watson’s illustrious archives. But there are many more of which the general public remains unaware. Perhaps the principals were men and women of high import to the standing of society, perhaps Watson simply never put pen to foolscap or perhaps Holmes forbade him to tell the tale? Whatever the reason some of the tales have now been told through the writing of Mr Bert Coules.
Mr Bert Coules is a well-known name in radio dramatisation, having worked on many projects ranging from dramatisations of the Rebus novel Resurrection Men, the Brother Cadfael series and The Guns of Navarone to what he is most known for and what is most pertinent to this article: The complete Sherlock Holmes canon by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle with Clive Merrison as Holmes and Michael Williams as Watson. As a matter of fact Merrison is the first actor to have played Holmes in every story written by Doyle on radio. Sadly Mr Williams passed away in 2001 shortly after the release of the adaptation of The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes. However it was eventually decided to produce some original Holmes stories for Radio 4. Coules wasn’t quite finished with the detective.
The Further Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes is a 16 part series of audio dramas - split across four volumes when released physically (A note to readers: Volumes 3 and 4 seem inordinately difficult to obtain compared to Volumes 1 and 2) with Clive Merrison returning to the role of Holmes and Andrew Sachs as Watson produced in 2002, 2004, 2008/9 and 2010 respectively. Each story in the further adventures is based on a reference made by Watson in the original Conan Doyle stories. These references are expertly woven into a tale all their own. Be it the return of the famous cat burglar The Ghost after years of retirement, Lady Addleton who hired Holmes’s services to save the family name, one of those rare cases of Holmes’s early career of which we know or the only two-part tale in the series involving the lighthouse, the politician and the trained cormorant.
The writing is very well done with a clear effort made to keep the stories in the same spirit as the originals. If you didn’t know better I could easily imagine these stories being woven in seamlessly between the Conan Doyle originals without any obvious clues they had been written by someone else. The Abergavenny Murder and The Star Of The Adelphi are personal favourites and I will congratulate Mr Coules on achieving his goal so successfully. It genuinely does make me smile sometimes and tickle that part of my mind that loves a good mystery story.
The performances are especially notable with Merrison and Sachs - Manuel from Fawlty Towers - throwing their all into it. You truly get the sense they are really enjoying themselves. There have been many performers playing the consulting detective and his chronicler over the years but these performances should be up there with the best. The guest cast is also varied and their performances are very entertaining. Examples include Stephen Thorne as Inspector Lestrade, Tom Baker - He of the scarf (and Scratchman - link here for the interested - /theorkneynews.scot/2019/02/04/audiobo...) as a rather jovial influence on Holmes’s early career and Hugh Bonneville as noted stage performer Frederick Merridew. You never know who is going to appear next and I often find myself lost in the stories and wanting to rush to the next when they end! If that isn’t an endorsement of both the writing and the casts I don’t know what is!
In conclusion I highly recommend this series. The complete run is available on Audible digitally and for the curious Volume 2 on CD and the download version both come with an interview with Bert Coules about the series. Some of my readers may be sticklers for the Doyle originals and nothing else but I feel if anything was to come close in spirit and intention to the originals it would be this series. The mysteries are definitely worthwhile and more than a few have surprises all their own. I hope I can persuade some of you to join me in giving them a listen. My next article will be the - long delayed due to Halloween and Holmes - promised review of The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett.
Sayonara!
Nephrite
The Further Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes: A BBC Radio 4 series by Bert Coules
Ah yes 221B Baker Street. It has been home to many a mystery in its time: The case of Silver Blaze, The Five Orange Pips, The Adventure Of The Dancing Men and The Adventure Of The Six Napoleons just to name a few from Doctor Watson’s illustrious archives. But there are many more of which the general public remains unaware. Perhaps the principals were men and women of high import to the standing of society, perhaps Watson simply never put pen to foolscap or perhaps Holmes forbade him to tell the tale? Whatever the reason some of the tales have now been told through the writing of Mr Bert Coules.
Mr Bert Coules is a well-known name in radio dramatisation, having worked on many projects ranging from dramatisations of the Rebus novel Resurrection Men, the Brother Cadfael series and The Guns of Navarone to what he is most known for and what is most pertinent to this article: The complete Sherlock Holmes canon by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle with Clive Merrison as Holmes and Michael Williams as Watson. As a matter of fact Merrison is the first actor to have played Holmes in every story written by Doyle on radio. Sadly Mr Williams passed away in 2001 shortly after the release of the adaptation of The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes. However it was eventually decided to produce some original Holmes stories for Radio 4. Coules wasn’t quite finished with the detective.
The Further Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes is a 16 part series of audio dramas - split across four volumes when released physically (A note to readers: Volumes 3 and 4 seem inordinately difficult to obtain compared to Volumes 1 and 2) with Clive Merrison returning to the role of Holmes and Andrew Sachs as Watson produced in 2002, 2004, 2008/9 and 2010 respectively. Each story in the further adventures is based on a reference made by Watson in the original Conan Doyle stories. These references are expertly woven into a tale all their own. Be it the return of the famous cat burglar The Ghost after years of retirement, Lady Addleton who hired Holmes’s services to save the family name, one of those rare cases of Holmes’s early career of which we know or the only two-part tale in the series involving the lighthouse, the politician and the trained cormorant.
The writing is very well done with a clear effort made to keep the stories in the same spirit as the originals. If you didn’t know better I could easily imagine these stories being woven in seamlessly between the Conan Doyle originals without any obvious clues they had been written by someone else. The Abergavenny Murder and The Star Of The Adelphi are personal favourites and I will congratulate Mr Coules on achieving his goal so successfully. It genuinely does make me smile sometimes and tickle that part of my mind that loves a good mystery story.
The performances are especially notable with Merrison and Sachs - Manuel from Fawlty Towers - throwing their all into it. You truly get the sense they are really enjoying themselves. There have been many performers playing the consulting detective and his chronicler over the years but these performances should be up there with the best. The guest cast is also varied and their performances are very entertaining. Examples include Stephen Thorne as Inspector Lestrade, Tom Baker - He of the scarf (and Scratchman - link here for the interested - /theorkneynews.scot/2019/02/04/audiobo...) as a rather jovial influence on Holmes’s early career and Hugh Bonneville as noted stage performer Frederick Merridew. You never know who is going to appear next and I often find myself lost in the stories and wanting to rush to the next when they end! If that isn’t an endorsement of both the writing and the casts I don’t know what is!
In conclusion I highly recommend this series. The complete run is available on Audible digitally and for the curious Volume 2 on CD and the download version both come with an interview with Bert Coules about the series. Some of my readers may be sticklers for the Doyle originals and nothing else but I feel if anything was to come close in spirit and intention to the originals it would be this series. The mysteries are definitely worthwhile and more than a few have surprises all their own. I hope I can persuade some of you to join me in giving them a listen. My next article will be the - long delayed due to Halloween and Holmes - promised review of The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett.
Sayonara!
Nephrite
October 18, 2025
This was quite good. Bert Coules captured the spirit of Sherlock and expanded on it in his own way. I didn't have any favourite stories and I missed the Watson voice actor from the Complete Collection, but I warmed up to the new guy as well. It must have been a grand undertaking to continue the radio show in this manner, and it was well done.
June 27, 2021
⭐️3.5/4⭐️
December 8, 2023
This Sherlock Holmes pastiche is the nearest to the original as is the dramatisation
May 19, 2016
Review of each story in this collection:
The Madness of Colonel Warburton:
Excellent introduction into the world of Holmes and Watson and a compelling mystery in and of itself. It does assume at least some knowledge of the Holmes Mythos, but all in all a very impressive story
Favourite Bits:
* Holmes and Watson's big argument about Holmes' 7-per-cent solution is a perfect introduction for fans to the voice actors and sets up Holmes and Watson's characters for newcomers.
* Holmes stance of 'keep an open mind' is refreshingly new, although whether or not Canon supports it is up for speculation.
* I love Holmes immediately dropping his 'open mind' thing when , a true testament to their friendship.
Unfavourite Bits:
* The ending. It's a good ending, but it feels a bit too... rushed for my tastes, too much happens in such a short space of time that it doesn't give you time to process it.
* For a story with this title, there's a remarkable lack of insanity in it. Other versions of the story have the Colonel imprisoned in an asylum, or behaving eratically, whereas here... he's a spiritualist.
Verdict: Excellent story only ruined by the ending and the lack of insanity: 4/5
The Star of the Adelphi:
A very mixed bag, this one. Some bits are good, others are bad, and some are just meh. Overall it gives the impression of no impression at all.
Favourite Bits:
* The mere fact that Bert Coules manages to construct an entire mystery around a mention of makeup. That is all.
* The villain of the piece is good, a genuinely insane character that nevertheless is sympathetic and well-acted.
* It really plays up Holmes’ theatricality in this story, reciting the opening lines of Henry V the instant he gets on a stage.
Unfavourite Bits:
* The story can get a bit… cliché, at times. I mean, a lot of the actors ham it up to no end, and the story can feel a bit… silly. Plot twist after plot twist equates to you just wanting to scream.
* The entire romantic subplot feels forced and you really have to question the logic of anyone who tries to lie to Holmes, which unfortunately quite a few people do, even those who have no reason to.
Verdict: A very ‘meh’ story, nothing too standout about it: 3/5
Saviours of Cripplegate Square
Oh, now we’re talking! This is one of the best pastiches I’ve ever read/listened to, up there with Faye’s Dust and Shadow in fun, awesomeness, and sheer Nightmare Fuel.
Favourite Bits:
* The thing that makes this story? Tom Baker playing an old librarian that serves as Sherlock’s mentor. The Doctor is teaching Sherlock Holmes. That. Is. Awesome.
* The story is perfectly paced, perfectly acted and perfectly told. It is pure win.
* The entire point of the story is basically Holmes telling Watson a deconstruction of Romeo and Juliet – instead of loving someone enough to die for them, these people love someone enough to kill for them.
Unfavourite Bits:
* There is one minor issue: at some points in the story, Holmes talks to Watson, and at others he talks to Baker’s character, but it’s rather hard to figure out which is which. I’m really scraping the barrel in terms of criticisms here.
Verdict: Absolutely sublime: 5/5
The Madness of Colonel Warburton:
Excellent introduction into the world of Holmes and Watson and a compelling mystery in and of itself. It does assume at least some knowledge of the Holmes Mythos, but all in all a very impressive story
Favourite Bits:
* Holmes and Watson's big argument about Holmes' 7-per-cent solution is a perfect introduction for fans to the voice actors and sets up Holmes and Watson's characters for newcomers.
* Holmes stance of 'keep an open mind' is refreshingly new, although whether or not Canon supports it is up for speculation.
* I love Holmes immediately dropping his 'open mind' thing when , a true testament to their friendship.
Unfavourite Bits:
* The ending. It's a good ending, but it feels a bit too... rushed for my tastes, too much happens in such a short space of time that it doesn't give you time to process it.
* For a story with this title, there's a remarkable lack of insanity in it. Other versions of the story have the Colonel imprisoned in an asylum, or behaving eratically, whereas here... he's a spiritualist.
Verdict: Excellent story only ruined by the ending and the lack of insanity: 4/5
The Star of the Adelphi:
A very mixed bag, this one. Some bits are good, others are bad, and some are just meh. Overall it gives the impression of no impression at all.
Favourite Bits:
* The mere fact that Bert Coules manages to construct an entire mystery around a mention of makeup. That is all.
* The villain of the piece is good, a genuinely insane character that nevertheless is sympathetic and well-acted.
* It really plays up Holmes’ theatricality in this story, reciting the opening lines of Henry V the instant he gets on a stage.
Unfavourite Bits:
* The story can get a bit… cliché, at times. I mean, a lot of the actors ham it up to no end, and the story can feel a bit… silly. Plot twist after plot twist equates to you just wanting to scream.
* The entire romantic subplot feels forced and you really have to question the logic of anyone who tries to lie to Holmes, which unfortunately quite a few people do, even those who have no reason to.
Verdict: A very ‘meh’ story, nothing too standout about it: 3/5
Saviours of Cripplegate Square
Oh, now we’re talking! This is one of the best pastiches I’ve ever read/listened to, up there with Faye’s Dust and Shadow in fun, awesomeness, and sheer Nightmare Fuel.
Favourite Bits:
* The thing that makes this story? Tom Baker playing an old librarian that serves as Sherlock’s mentor. The Doctor is teaching Sherlock Holmes. That. Is. Awesome.
* The story is perfectly paced, perfectly acted and perfectly told. It is pure win.
* The entire point of the story is basically Holmes telling Watson a deconstruction of Romeo and Juliet – instead of loving someone enough to die for them, these people love someone enough to kill for them.
Unfavourite Bits:
* There is one minor issue: at some points in the story, Holmes talks to Watson, and at others he talks to Baker’s character, but it’s rather hard to figure out which is which. I’m really scraping the barrel in terms of criticisms here.
Verdict: Absolutely sublime: 5/5
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 26, 2017
pretty great set of stories. I enjoy most of the sherlock re-makes, but the origional is so great. I reconized a good number of the first few stories from modern adaptions, but the last 3/4ths of the series was all new and really exciting. Holmes is so easy to hate, but Watson makes it impossible. He's a great superhero with a flawed personality...
Although holy shit this was long, definitely the longest i've spent on one "book" where I actively read every day. thought it was for sure about to finish up and my progress was at 64%...
Although holy shit this was long, definitely the longest i've spent on one "book" where I actively read every day. thought it was for sure about to finish up and my progress was at 64%...
September 1, 2011
I actually liked this series better than the first one I listened too. The BBC radio broadcast makes a great theater of the story and way it is presented. With this one a lot of interesting stories, like one with Sherlock solving the crime with only a man falling dead in his study to go on. Highly recommend.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews