Sherlock Holmes: A Baker Street Dozen

The Sherlock Holmes: A Baker Street Dozen cd-set is an excellent reproduction of the 1954 BBC radio series. The stories are told in a way that is faithful to the original stories by Arthur Conan Doyle. There are 13 stories on 6 CD's, so the story lengths are ideal for even relatively short car trips.

The programs feature John Gielgud as Holmes and Ralph Richardson as Dr. Watson. In a long stage, radio, TV, and film career, Richardson appeared in Long Day's Journey Into Night, Our Man In Havana [Non-US Format, PAL, Region 2, Import] and Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes to name three. Orson Welles appears in a couple of the stories as Dr. Moriarty.

Gielgud is so good that the listener 'hears' Holmes and not Gielgud. Richardson carries off Watson to perfection portraying him as Doyle intended: Holmes' intelligent companion and assistant.

If you enjoy Doyle, you should check out the superb Exploits and Adventures of Brigadier Gerard (New York Review Books Classics) and The White Company.

This 6-CD set contains fully dramatized radio adaptations of twelve stories from the so-called Sherlock Holmes canon -- four novels and fifty-six stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. First aired by the BBC in 1954, these radio plays feature Sir Henry Richardson as Dr. Watson and the incomparable Sir John Gielgud as Sherlock Holmes, with a sinister reading of Dr. Moriarty by Orson Welles.

There are so many good things about Sherlock Holmes: A Baker Street Dozen. First, the casting, which was so important in the days of radio drama. Gielgud's Holmes is neither too laconic nor too supercilious, the two main temptations in playing this role. Richardson plays Dr. Watson with humor and intelligence -- and no toadying, even when Holmes is asking him to fetch his violin, a whisky and soda, the tobacco from the Persian slipper...

The production itself is superb, from the scripts adapted by John Kier Cross to the original musical embellishment to the clarion-voiced announcer introducing each episode. This is not an an alternative to reading the stories but an audio theater experience -- and a very successful one.

Finally, the stories themselves are, as always, intriguing. Blackmailers, stalkers, murderers, purloiners, all fall to the power of deduction. From the comfortable menage a deux at 221A Baker Street, Holmes prevails again and again. I never made a systematic reading of "the canon" but now I'd like to do that, after listening to this thoroughly enjoyable set. If you are a Holmes fan or have fond memories of radio dramas, this one's for you.

Linda Bulger, 2008

I'm 25. I first heard Gielgud and Richardson's "The Speckled Band" back when I was in 6th grade. I found copies of the Baker Street Dozen stories at my local library, and would constantly check them out, over and over again. Around 8 or 9 years ago, I bought my own copies in a cassette boxed set, which have since worn out.

So I was more than thrilled to see this, the Baker Street Dozen stories on CD, and separated into chapters, at that! There are websites that have copies of these stories, but they are in terrible quality, or chopped up. For stories that were first recorded in 1953, they sound like they were recorded yesterday. I have a bunch of old radio broadcasts on CD, ranging from THE SHADOW to MURDER AT MIDNIGHT and THE GREEN HORNET, and their quality ranges from horrible to fair. But THIS, my friends, is British radio at its finest; fully dramatized, with music and sound effects that fit right into the story, characters that come to life, and stories that will keep you listening over and over again.

It seems everyone in America can't look past the Sherlock Holmes ideal with Basil Rathbone and his rendition of the great detective... nobody really bothers to look or listen to other actors' versions of the character. Sir John Gielgud is, in my opinion, the greatest portrayer of Holmes. EVER.

To wrap this up... if you're a Sherlock Holmes fan, GET THIS. Trust me, you won't be disappointed. The acting is superb, the quality is astounding for something that's over 50 years old, and the replay value is higher than high, because these stories are timeless. The game is afoot, and you should come along...

I pick this audiobook up recently and have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. Gielgud and Richardson were simply amazing in their respective roles as Holmes & Watson, and I believe the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle himself would have approved.

Worth mentioning is another item I read recently, The Crime Doctor. This book depicts EW Horung's sleuth, Dr. John Dollar, in his exploits in England and throughout Europe.

Both products recieve 5 stars from me.

These great recordings were made for the BBC in 1954 and were first aired in the UK that year and in the US in early 1955. The casting is perfect John Gielgud as Holmes and Ralph Richardson as Watson could not be beaten for a radio broadcast, and this probably still holds true to this day 53 years later. Although I think Jeremy Brett would push Gielgud close even without the visual aspect.

The addition of Orson Welles as Prof Moriarty in the story The Final problem is the icing on the cake. That penetrating voice is chilling and truly Holmes/Geilgud meets his match in Welles/Moriarty. Any Sherlock Holmes fan should get these historic recordings - you really don't know what you are missing.