So now I move onto the other end of the Sherlock Holmes
adaptation spectrum, and really, the amazing series I’m talking about today
could not be more different than Sherlock. We travel from TV to radio, from episodes
that are few and far between to one of the largest collections that exists. But
both made by the BBC.
I refer, of course, to the BBC’s complete adaptation of
Sherlock Holmes, starring Clive Merrison and Michael Williams. Sometimes I find
myself forgetting that this series is radio and not TV. The images painted by
these two remarkable voices are so vivid and evocative that I can practically
see the smoke-filled upper room of 221B Baker Street when I hear them. In fact,
this is the adaptation I listen to most regularly myself. They are also about as
close to the originals as it is possible to be, and every change that is made
is clever, subtle, and emphasises the strengths of the characters.
So, let’s begin.
The detective himself:
The voice of Sherlock Holmes in my head is that of Clive
Merrison. That basically says all you need to know about his performance. He
manages to capture the complexities of the Holmes character, the anger, the
frustrations, the ambitions. I totally buy that he would one day take me to a violin
concert, and then the next deliberately endanger my life to further one of his
own plans. He appears ruthless, yet gentlemanly. The risks he takes and well proportioned,
and the pain he feels whenever he has to endanger someone to further his own
gains is clear. The thing about this Holmes is that he is so completely,
extraordinarily human. He makes mistakes, he works hard to improve. And the character
does what all characters must do, it changes.
This is something that is often lost in the process of adaptation, but here it
is allowed to shine through. The young, immature Holmes who’s great ambition is
to be renowned as the world’s greatest detective is replaced by a more modest,
thoughtful character, with a greater understanding of the world and his place
in it.
Every intricacy of Holmes’ character is captured, from his
tortured moments to his greatest joys. We see the addict, the violinist, the
detective in a variety of new colours. Most of this, I think, comes down to the
masterful work of Merrison, who truly lives and breaths the role.
This is Sherlock Holmes as he should be. I have absolutely
no hesitation in giving ten deer stalkers out of ten for the portrayal of Holmes.
The loyal Doctor:
John Watson here is left to… well, to be John Watson. He is
soft and kind, he is respectful, he is haunted by his past, he struggles with
the morality of what he does. He is also, of course, an artist himself. Although
they certainly could have cut out the many sectiosn of the stories where Watson
and Holmes discuss the stories Watson writes, here they leave them in. He
really has his own motivations, he loves Holmes but he has his own life too.
You can hear the frustrations in his voice, but the true and genuine affection
too. Again, Michael Williams is the
voice of John Watson in my head. I feel like I’m saying that a lot.
They really don’t shy away from Watson’s injuries, mental
and physical here either. There are moments when he has nightmares, where he
meets an old friend and has to talk about his time in the war, I feel his pain,
I understand the things he’s lost. And I understand the strength of character
that he has that he is able to get up anyway, to carry on living and doing the
most amazing things. One episode that really touches me is the adventure of the
empty house, which begins with the death of Mary Watson, which leaves her
husband a broken man, especially coming so soon after the supposed death of his
best friend. His narration is breathtakingly sad, and sets up the return of Holmes
perfectly. Seriously, if you listen to any of the episodes of this adaptation,
pick this one. Watson’s reaction to Holmes being alive is so perfect, it’s
restrained, but the depth of emotion is completely clear. You can’t tell
whether Watson wants to strangle Holmes or hug him, and the scene finishes with
the most triumphant violin flourish.
So, this John Watson gets a whopping ten stethoscopes out of
ten. I’m not quite sure what he’ll do with all of them…
The other characters:
This is something that the radio adaptation really doesn’t shy
away from. It has 45 minutes per episode, and often introduces a new or
returning detective, a villain, a victim, numerous other satellite characters
and often a friend or two of Watson’s as well. And, honestly, it somehow works.
I may not completely know a character after their first appearance, but the
salient facts, as Holmes would put it, are all presented to me clearly. Watson’s
first impressions of a detective are often enough for me to form an opinion on
them too, and I feel little is lost from the books.
Of course, there are some… problems. Particularly revolving
around the female characters. One of the things about closely adapting a book
series from the Victorian era is that, well, the views presented may be
Victorian. Mrs Hudson is the famous example, but actually Mary Watson hardly
gets a word in either. The affection the main duo have for these characters is
clear, but…. Surely it couldn’t do any harm to throw in a few words here and
there?
And actually, in the later stories, especially those written
by Bert Coules, they do. This is one of the ways I can tell a Coules story from
a Conan Doyle story, the difference between Mrs Hudson being mentioned and Mrs
Hudson speaking.
One thing I have always loved about radio adaptations is
that certain things are left to the imagination. Especially the villains. There
is something so wonderful about picturing Moriarty as this bright eyed, super
intelligent professor, or Colonel Moran, the excellent soldier, fallen to
killing over a gambling debt.
So, I award a handy eight cigars out of ten for the rest of
the characters. A noble effort indeed, but still some improvements that could
have been made.
The Stories:
Well, the stories are almost exact copies of the original
stories, so there’s not much to add here. One of the only things that does
change is the introduction of a short preview of a later part of the story
before the titles. Sometimes, this works really well, adding suspense and a healthy
level of threat to the story, but occasionally I feel it takes away from the
mystery slightly. It might reveal just a little too much. I sort of wish that
they had shown a little more digression about when to use them and when not to.
Otherwise, they’re great. If they ever cut things out from the
original, I don’t notice it. And again, the acting helps. Pure emotion can
carry over where the plot itself fails. I can find myself enjoying the Blue Carbuncle
because of the compelling performance of Merrison, for example.
So, of course, this gets ten out of ten. Because you can’t
touch the original.
The big picture:
So, this is amazing. The definitive. The most complete. The acting
Is awesome, the casting is awesome, the music is….awesome. That violin is
perfectly tuned to the story, I can imagine Holmes sat in his room playing that
melancholy, yet intriguing tune. It fits so perfectly. If you are new to Holmes
you should listen to this because it’s an easy way of getting to know the
characters and the stories. If you already know and love Holmes you should
listen to this because the presentation is amazing, and the performance gives a
new edge to Holmes and Watson without ruining anything that was already there.
At this point, I’m only two reviews into this series, and I
strongly suspect that I have already covered the best adaptation out there. The
complete BBC audio adaptation gets a massive 38/40, setting the bar really, really high.
Sometimes the classic option really is the best.
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