THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES

I am sure that everyone must know, by now, of the dreadful curse of The Hound of the Baskervilles that is said to blight the family of the Baskervilles.

Sherlock Holmes (Nicholas Briggs) is consulted when the last surviving member of the Baskerville family arrives in England to take up the family seat following a curious death with singular features.  Holmes, being a little busy to fill his time awaiting the outcome of vague rumours and long stories of the distant past, sends the estimable Dr Watson (Richard Earl) to accompany Sir Henry to Devonshire, with instructions to report back anything and everything in succinct facts.

The Hound of the Baskervilles is so familiar a story that doesn’t utilise Holmes to his fullest, yet everyone who does a Sherlock Holmes series leaps upon this one like some kind of badge of honour.  Almost as though you can’t be considered a “real” Sherlock Holmes without having faced the Hound in the same way that you can’t be a “real” Doctor Who until you’ve faced the Daleks.

It’s not a story that allows Holmes to stretch his deductive skills, nor the actor to stretch his range.  Instead, we have a familiar story that offers itself up to comparisons, not in how faithful it is to the source material, but more how it deviates.  From the Hammer version with the spiders to the authentic versions that incorporate Laura Lyons to the Arthur Wontner pseudo-sequel with Moriarty.

The Big Finish version, adapted from the Conan Doyle original by Richard Dinnick, is more authentic than many, although perhaps not as accurate and true to source as some.  Having listened to the first 45 minutes so far (of this two-hour adventure), the minor deviations so far seem to have been done to prevent Watson from falling into the “Nigel Bruce” trap of idiocy.  The examining of the stick, that often puts Watson in his place, omits the “putting Watson in his place” bit while still conveying the same meaning.

The star of this adventure is, once again, Richard Earl doing a very good turn as Dr Watson.  Given that Watson does the narration in these Holmes’ tales, it’s important to have an actor with an accessible voice that is pleasing to listen to for the duration.  Earl has a great “Watson” voice that draws you into the story.

So far, I’ve been very pleased with the Big Finish Sherlock Holmes adventures.  Nicholas Briggs portrays Holmes well, using a voice that sounds like neither the Daleks nor like Nicholas Briggs.  Prior to listening to these adventures, I didn’t expect to find myself wishing that we had this Sherlock Holmes on TV rather than the Benedict Cumberbatch version.  I’m sure that Briggs/Earl partnership would easily transfer to live action, and they definitely should be given the chance.