Sherlock Holmes: The Valley of Fear post-show Q&A at Southwark Playhouse Borough

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s ‘consulting detective’ Sherlock Holmes, with his ever-loyal sidekick and usual narrator Dr Watson, holds the Guinness World Record as the most portrayed human literary character in history. What is the enduring appeal? And what are the challenges of adapting Sherlock anew?

Between 1887 and 1927, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote four Sherlock Holmes novels and 56 short stories which, over the century since, have spawned well over 25,000 adaptations. In living memory, we can all name multiple famous Holmes-Watson pairings, including, of course, in recent years Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman, and Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law.

At Southwark Playhouse following a 2022/23 tour, Blackeyed Theatre’s acclaimed staging of Sherlock Holmes: The Valley of Fear receives its London premiere with Bobby Bradley and Joseph Derrington taking on the roles of Holmes and Watson – and very much feeling the weight of literary and performance history.

The Valley of Fear is adapted and directed by frequent Blackeyed Theatre collaborator Nick Lane. It follows a 2018 success with The Sign of Four and precedes the company’s third Sherlock instalment – entitled The Hunt for Moriarty – which will head out on tour in autumn 2025.

For yesterday’s post-matinee Q&A, I was joined onstage by Adrian McDougall, artistic director of Bracknell-based Blackeyed Theatre, which is now celebrating its 20th birthday with 26 productions under its belt, as well as the five-strong, code-cracking, time-hopping, multi-roling ensemble cast of The Valley of Fear (left-right): Blake Kubena, Bobby Bradley, Alice Osmanski, Gavin Molloy (whose characters include mastermind baddie Moriarty) and Joseph Derrington.

Will we all still be as obsessed with Sherlock Holmes in another 137 years? Short answer from the company and assembled super-sleuths in the audience: an emphatic yes.

Sherlock Holmes: The Valley of Fear continues at Southwark Playhouse Borough until 13 April 2024.

Q&A video

Q&A photos

Event photography by Alexandra Guerrero.

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