“The May Day when last I heard”*

Sherlock Holmes at the Proms!

Yes, it’s true, and the date is Sunday 16 August 2015. The event is called Prom 41: Sherlock Holmes – A Musical Mind. For those who can’t be there, it will be broadcast live on BBC Radio3 (and it will be available on the BBC iPlayer for 30 days afterwards).

Here’s the Telegraph article on this story, and from Classic FM, 10 musical facts about Sherlock Holmes which might just strike the right note for you.

Author Ruth Rendell dies aged 85

The BBC News story is here.

Since 2009, ‘The Penguin Complete Sherlock Holmes’ (as members will or should know by now, the approved Crew edition for studies is ‘The Penguin Complete’) has included a foreword by Ruth Rendell.

A Capital Return!

The Sherlock Holmes Society of London’s Mini Festival Weekend starts on Thursday 14 May.

William Gillette’s Sherlock Holmes

There’s a screening of the restored 1916 classic at the San Francisco Film Festival on 31 May. Apparently, wearing flowers in your hair is optional if you’re going to San Francisco (the Flower Pot Men are buzzing around in my head as I write this, closely followed by Scott McKenzie!).

When will we get to see it nearer home? How long is a piece of string? In the meantime, here’s an excellent article from the BFI’s ‘Sight& Sound’  (a  magazine which is always an absorbing read!).

New Zoids do Sherlock

Episode 2 of ITV’s new topical puppet comedy animation sketch show includes a SH sketch (Catch it here). Episode 4 is due on Wednesday 6 May at 9pm (haven’t checked out episode 3 yet). Be warned!  If you loved Spitting Image, you might be disappointed. New Zoids is but a pale imitation of that iconic series.

Cu na mBaskerville

The Linen Hall Library, Belfast is holding a monthly Irish Language Book Club as part of the Líofa programme launched by the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure to encourage and promote the use of the Irish language. Book clubs have been set up all across Northern Ireland and all clubs will read the same titles.

Saturday 6th June – Cu na mBaskerville / Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Looking ahead

The Linen Hall Library is one of Belfast’s oldest and most treasured institutions. This Halloween, The Wireless Mystery Theatre Company will be giving a performance of The Hound of the Baskervilles there. It’s the first time they’ll have presented this production in the Greater Belfast area, as far as I know. More details will be announced when they come to hand.

Mr Holmes

Here’s an article on Mr Holmes (the new Sherlock Holmes film due in UK and Irish cinemas on 19 June) which you may not have seen before. To be precise as to detail, we have it on the good authority of Empire magazine that it’s Mr Holmes, not Mr. Holmes. 

The Great Mouse Detective

Is this the perfect gateway drug to Sherlock Holmes?

Sherlocked

A report on the recent fan convention from the Mirror and talking of cons, here’s the gen on the Conan Doyle Con, due in Birmingham on 30 May.

*Card!