The Hound of the Baskervilles

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's most celebrated Sherlock Holmes story gets a gloriously funny makeover.

When Sir Charles Baskerville is found dead on his estate, with a look of terror still etched on his face, and the paw prints of a gigantic hound beside his body, the great detective Sherlock Holmes is summoned from Baker Street, with Dr Watson in tow, to unravel the mysteries surrounding his death, and investigate the ancient curse of the Hound of the Baskervilles...

Packed full of the verbal and visual ingenuity that hit comedy team Peepolykus is known for, and offering abundant opportunities for riotous comedy and slapstick, The Hound of the Baskervilles will suit any theatre company looking to dust off their deerstalkers for a sublimely funny adaptation of a classic tale.

It was adapted by Olivier Award nominees Steven Canny and John Nicholson, and first performed by Peepolykus at the West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds, in 2007, before transferring to the West End. It has since become a firm favourite with theatre companies – both professional and amateur – around the word.

This revised, definitive version of the play was first seen in a revival at Theatre by the Lake, Keswick, in 2024, directed by John Nicholson.

'A wonderfully barking spoof' —Telegraph

'A mad hilarity that will make you feel quite sane' —Sunday Times

'Delightfully playful characterisation and good tweaks to the original plot... bursts with imagination, intelligence and twinkling irreverence' —Guardian

'A masterclass in madcap energy… a fun and fresh Sherlock Holmes romp' —The Stage

'A happy blend of madcap humour and surreal comedy with at least one laugh per minute… a superb, extremely amusing, feel-good evening's entertainment' —LondonTheatre1

'Only the most pure of purists could fail to be entertained by this very funny and inventive take on one of the great archetypes of English literature' —British Theatre Guide

'A delightful take on the classic Sherlock Holmes story' —Broadway World

'A wonderfully barking spoof'

'A mad hilarity that will make you feel quite sane'

'Delightfully playful characterisation and good tweaks to the original plot... bursts with imagination, intelligence and twinkling irreverence'

'A masterclass in madcap energy… a fun and fresh Sherlock Holmes romp'

'A happy blend of madcap humour and surreal comedy with at least one laugh per minute… a superb, extremely amusing, feel-good evening's entertainment'

'Only the most pure of purists could fail to be entertained by this very funny and inventive take on one of the great archetypes of English literature'

'A delightful take on the classic Sherlock Holmes story'

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859–1930) was a British writer and physician, most famous for his Sherlock Holmes stories, which are milestones in the field of crime fiction.Steven Canny is a writer, director and producer for BBC Radio and has worked as an Associate Director and Dramaturg for Complicite.His plays include adaptations (with John Nicholson) of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Hound of the Baskervilles (Peepolykus, 2007) and H. G. Wells's The Time Machine (Original Theatre, 2023).John Nicholson is a writer, director and performer. He is Co-Artistic Director of Peepolykus, with whom he has toured throughout the UK and worldwide since 1995.As a writer, his work includes: King Arthur (Le Navet Bete, 2024); The Time Machine, co-written with Steven Canny (Original Theatre, 2023); Treasure Island (Le Navet Bete, 2019); Dracula: The Bloody Truth (Le Navet Bete, 2017); The Massive Tragedy of Madame Bovary, co-written with Javier Marzan for Peepolykus (Liverpool Everyman, 2016); and The Hound of the Baskervilles, co-written with Steven Canny for Peepolykus (West Yorkshire Playhouse, 2007).He has also written extensively for BBC Radio, including Richard's Rampage, and the four-part series Trespasser's Guide to the Classics (2015).As an actor, he has numerous television credits, particularly across the BBC and ITV.

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