The Abergavenny Murder

"The Abergavenny Murder" is the first episode of Series 2 of the BBC Radio 4 series The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, written by Bert Coules. It was first broadcast on May 18, 2004. When a client collapses dead on the floor of 221B Baker Street, Sherlock Holmes is determined to solve his case before the forces of Scotland Yard arrive.
==Plot==
At Baker Street, Sherlock Holmes is despondent. A recent series of successes by Inspector Lestrade has left him with no major cases. That changes when a client stumbles into the room and asks for his and Watson's help before collapsing dead shortly afterwards.
Through a thorough examination of the corpse, Holmes determines that the man is James Davison, the butler of the late Lord Abergavenny. Davison was arrested on suspicion of murdering his master on seemingly incontrovertible evidence, but escaped from jail. However, Holmes determines that he was innocent. Lord Abergavenny was murdered by another person; most probably his son, who would have been angry about his father concealing his unmanageable debts. Lestrade arrives just as Holmes wraps up his investigation, and Holmes gleefully prepares to show off his success.
==Cast==
* Clive Merrison as Sherlock Holmes
* Andrew Sachs as Dr John Watson
* Ioan Meredith as James Davison
==Trivia==
* The case was inspired by a reference in "The Adventure of the Priory School": "...the Abergavenny murder is coming up for trial."
* This episode is unique, in that the mystery is performed entirely in real time.
* There are several references to canon Holmes stories, including impressing a client by determining he is a Freemason who been to China ("The Adventure of the Red-Headed League"), and murder by blow-darts (The Sign of the Four) and a snake on a bell-pull ("The Adventure of the Speckled Band"). Holmes also mentions the case of "the politician, the lighthouse, and the trained cormorant", an unpublished case mentioned in "The Adventure of the Veiled Lodger" that is revisited in the radio series finale.
Category:Adaptations: radio
Category:The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (radio series)