The Marlbourne Point Mystery, Part 2

"The Marlbourne Point Mystery, Part 1" is the second part of the two-part episode that comprises the fifth and final series of the BBC Radio 4 series The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, written by Bert Coules. It was first broadcast on April 6, 2010, the day after Part 1 was broadcast. In it, Holmes faces an old enemy as the shocking truth behind the mystery of the politician, the lighthouse, and the trained cormorant is finally revealed.
==Plot==
Sherlock Holmes proves that Harold Jefferstone's "suicide" was a trick, after using a wicker dummy to successfully fool Dr Watson into thinking that he had jumped off the balcony of the old lighthouse. He explains that Sir Charles Steele was involved in some shady business, and planned to fake his own death as he knew the government was catching on. Jefferstone had been manipulated into testing whether the trick would be convincing, but then killed when he threatened the plot by leaving money for his father after his supposed death.
Sir Charles arrives at Marlbourne Point for the inauguration ceremony for the new lighthouse, and Holmes tells him that he and Watson are returning to London. However, they actually head to the old lighthouse to wait for Sir Charles with Constable Powell. When Sir Charles arrives late that night, Holmes asks Powell to arrest him. Mycroft unexpectedly arrives, and declares Sir Charles under arrest for high treason. He thanks Holmes and Watson for their assistance to the government for unravelling Sir Charles' plot, and admits that he has been watching him for some time.
Next, they set a trap to catch Sir Charles' assistant, Mr Lade; after catching him, Holmes reveals that Lade is none other than the notorious Frederick Merridew. Merridew is nonchalant at being caught by Holmes again, as he asserts that Holmes once again lacks the evidence to convict him, as he did in the Turner case. However, Holmes reveals that this time he has additional evidence: elements of Merridew's disguise found on Harold's body will finally see him hang.
Back at 221B Baker Street, Holmes muses that thanks to Watsons' stories, the two of them have become immortal; the bell rings, and the two declare "The game is afoot!
==Cast==
* Clive Merrison as Sherlock Holmes
* Andrew Sachs as Dr John Watson
* Richard Dillane as Frederick Merridew
* James Laurenson as Mycroft Holmes
* Piers Wehner as Constable Powell
* Nigel Hastings as Sir Charles Steele
* Pik-Sen Lim as Mrs Chang
* Joseph Cohen-Cole as Harold Jefferstone
* Bruce Alexander as Mr Jefferstone
* John Biggens as Dr Scanlon
* Tessa Nicholson as Elizabeth
* Bert Coules as Postmaster
==Trivia==
* The case was inspired by a reference in "The Adventure of the Priory School": ""I deprecate, however, in the strongest way the attempts which have been made lately to get at and to destroy these {Watson's} papers. The source of these outrages is known, and if they are repeated I have Mr. Holmes’s authority for saying that the whole story concerning the politician, the lighthouse, and the trained cormorant will be given to the public."
* Frederick Merridew is based on a line from "The Adventure of the Empty House", where Holmes mentions a "'Merridew of abominable memory.'" In The Further Adventures, he first appeared in the Series 3 episode "The Remarkable Performance of Mr Frederick Merridew", portrayed by Hugh Bonneville, where he escapes justice for a murder he commits.
* With the conclusion of Part 2, Clive Merrison had portrayed Sherlock Homes seventy-five times on BBC Radio 4.
* Though the quote "The game is afoot!" is strongly associated with Holmes, the only canon story he says it in is "The Adventure of the Abbey Grange".
Category:Adaptations: radio
Category:The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (radio series)