John Gielgud, Ralph Richardson and Orson Welles in 'THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES'
The Final Problem
Light Programme, 21 December 1954 21.00
128K
The original tales of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle dramatised for radio by John Keir Cross
A Harry Alan Towers production Directed by Martyn C. Webster
12-' The Final Problem '
Sherlock Holmes: John Gielgud
Dr Watson: Ralph Richardson
Professor Moriarty: Orson Welles
Replies
Earlier today I did replace the old version of this (The Final Problem) that I had on Onedrive with a version from the 4 Extra broadcast.
Onedrive - Gielgud & Richardson BBC & WRCA-NBC 1955
There didn't seem to be much point in doing the same with the Cedric Hardwicke and Finlay Currie version of The Speckled Band from 1945 which 4 Extra broadcast on the same day. The version I have on Onedrive was taken from either 4 Extra or Radio 7 in recent years. It's broadcast as part of the 3 hour show The Game's Afoot which either Radio 7 or 4 Extra have aired a few times in recent years.
Coming soon on 4 Extra will be a broadcast of Hobbs & Shelley's The Solitary Cyclist. This story wasn't included in the BBC's two retail collections.
Also there's a reading of The Six Napoleons by Nigel Stock. I have some BBC Nigel Stock readings on Onedrive including The Six Napoleons but the Onedrive version is around 25 minutes whilst the coming 4 Extra program is 45 minutes so I'm not sure where that's from.
4 Extra will also airing a combined version (1 hour 50 min) of the 2 part Roger Rees and Crawford Logan version of The Hound of the Baskervilles.
The last program of interest is titled Chosen Companions - Extracts from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's stories of Sherlock Holmes, chosen by Richard Usborne, and read by Carleton Hobbs. From 1970. Of all these recent 4 Extra broadcasts this is the one I'm looking forward to the most as I've never heard it.
I don't know if the BBC have any other plans for old Holmes programs. The 4 coming programs I mentioned have been added to The Holmes Service page since I last looked last weekend.
BBC The Holmes Service
Like you, I'm awaiting the Hobbs. I'm also curious about the final entry - the listing is for the Merrison LAST, but it shows as "15 minutes." ???
Didn't notice that Merrison length Bob. But you know what - thinking about it now I know that 4 Extra have given program lengths in the past which were wrong and they were for programs which were not due to go out for another week or two as well.
Maybe that Nigel Stock reading is the one we already have.
I suspect that the Stock reading _is_ the one we have. :>(
As for program lengths, I agree. I just capped a new reading of Dylan Thomas' Under Milk Wood, which the BBC showed as 90 minutes. It ran just under two hours after a little editing.
Bob