Big Finish Calls Conan-Doyle’s Spectral Hound For Halloween

Synopsis: Young Dr Mortimer ventures from Devonshire to Baker Street, with news of the death of his friend, Sir Charles Baskerville. Can it really be that the grisly legend of the Hound of the Baskervilles might have something to do with the case? Holmes will have none of it, but even he must accept that dark forces are at work. Dark forces that it seems Dr Watson must face alone…

Classic Scares: The Hound of the Baskervilles was the perfect monster-that-wasn’t-a-monster tale for Halloween. Big Finish pulled out all the audio stops, accentuating the creepy, gothic atmosphere. Every howl of the Hound, every beat of the hoof, and every scream or squelch upon Grimpen Mire was perfectly realized. Nicholas Briggs and Richard Earl’s performances matched the caliber of the audio production. Indeed, as superb as the entire cast was, I have to single out Earl, as Watson drove the narrative during Holmes’ absence. It wasn’t a minor thing to provide the unreliable narrator Watson must be structurally with gravitas. As for the script, I truly appreciated the restraint in the adaptation by  Richard Dinnick. He wasn’t afraid to let Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle’s story alone. Dinnick understood that he didn’t need to add any deconstructionist bells and whistles. He just needed to let a master story teller tell his tale on a stormy night.

You can purchase The Hound of the Baskervilles here: www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/the-hound-of-the-baskervilles-19

Written By: Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle, adapted by Richard Dinnick

Directed By: Nicholas Briggs & Ken Bentley

Cast

Nicholas Briggs (Sherlock Holmes), Richard Earl (Dr Watson), Samuel Clemens (Sir Henry Baskerville), John Banks (Dr Mortimer/Mr John Barrymore/Selden/Postmaster/Lestrade), Barnaby Edwards (Mr Jack Stapleton), Charlie Norfolk (Miss Beryl Stapleton/Mrs Eliza Barrymore/Laura Lyons)