Episode 323: Sherlock Holmes and the 12 Days of Christmas

by Scott Monty November 30, 2025

“Particularly bright and joyous” [THOR]

Forget about the silence you might think is suggested by the word “pantomime.” British panto is a raucous, musical, holiday tradition that expects the audience to be as loud as possible, booing the villain and cheering the hero. It’s usually a comic, theatrical retelling of a fairy tale — like Cinderella or Aladdin — with slapstick for the kids, cheeky innuendo for the adults, and a cast that includes a campy "Dame" (a man in an over-the-top dress).

Now Holmes, Watson, and the world of 221B have been lovingly added to the panto tradition in Sherlock Holmes and the 12 Days of Christmas, playing through January 18, 2026, at England’s Birmingham Rep. The show is also a genuine whodunnit: West End stars are being murdered in mid performance. Can Sherlock Holmes solve the case?

It’s all the work of our guests Humphrey Ker and David Reed, writers and stars whose love of the Victorian Age, history, and classic literature has infused almost twenty years of collaboration. You’ll hear about their work creating radio plays for the BBC, stage shows for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and their adventures as two-thirds of the comedy troupe “The Penny Dreadfuls.”

You’ll also learn how Sherlock Holmes and the 12 Days of Christmas came about, and how it came to inspire new songs by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber — creators of some of the most enduring musicals in history.

Then it’s on to our review of Sherlockian society activities in the second half of January in "The Learned Societies" segment. The remarkable Madeline Quinones caps her series of Holmesian podcast reviews with her final report in “A Chance of Listening,” with our thanks and admiration. And the Canonical Couplet quiz tests your Sherlock Holmes knowledge, with a prize from the IHOSE vaults for the winner. Send your answer to comment @ihearofsherlock.com by December 14, 2025 at 11:59 a.m. EST. All listeners are eligible to play.

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