“You remember that terrible murderer, Bert Stevens, who wanted us to get him off in ’87? Was there ever a more mild-mannered, Sunday-school young man?” said Sherlock Holmes to Doctor Watson in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s short story The Adventure of the Norwood Butler. 

But what really happened when this accused killer sought out the Great Detective’s aid? The truth behind the case is revealed in The Adventure of the Music Hall Hearties, the third of eight weekly full-cast audio episodes comprising the serialised audio drama Sherlock Holmes Untold. 

When Holmes (Nicholas Briggs) and Watson (Richard Earl) are called into Newgate Gaol to consult with Bert Stevens (Jack Holden), they soon discover that there is more to the young man’s case than the police have discovered, and uncover a scandal within the acclaimed performance group the Music Hall Hearties. 

Sherlock Holmes Untold is now available to purchase for just £24.99, exclusively here. This purchase will grant you access to all eight weekly episode downloads, as well as the complete serial as a box set download to own once all episodes have been released. 

The Adventure of the Music Hall Hearties 

London, 1887. A young man by the name of Bert Stevens is accused of committing the most appalling crime and languishes in Newgate Gaol. He has but days left to him before he is due to hang. 

Then: an eleventh hour visit from the man who might yet save his life – that celebrated Baker Street detective, Mr Sherlock Holmes!  

Sherlock Holmes Untold: The Adventure of the Music Hall Hearties guest stars Nicholas Boulton as Josiah North, Harriet Kershaw as Esmerelda North, Robert Whitelock as Anthony Kingsley, Christopher Naylor as Jasper Cranfield, and Luke Barton as Rosborough. 

Lead actor Nicholas Briggs said: “Holmes is called to a condemned man’s cell, and it’s not clear whether Holmes is judging the man or not. There has been a terrible murder, and this fellow is convinced of his innocence. It’s potentially a crime of passion, if it is a crime at all. 

“And we hear from the woman who the condemned man was having an affair with. What do we think of her? Well, we’re not sure. But this all does, I promise you, link in to the whole story. I would say, bear in mind that nothing is quite as it seems, even when Holmes comes to a definite conclusion!” 

Writer Jonathan Barnes said: “This story is from another tantalising reference in Doyle, to a young man, Bert Stevens, who tried to get Holmes to get him off for murder – a tiny hint from which you could extrapolate in any direction that you like. I’ve tried to be true in all of these, though, to honour the sense of the story that Doyle is gesturing towards. 

“So the way that Holmes talks about Bert Stevens is not, this is an arch criminal or a villain. But this is someone who’s made a terrible mistake. The best of Doyle’s stories are often quite morally murky, and that’s what we’ve tried to do here.” 

There will be an ‘after show’ discussion for this episode in this week’s edition of the Big Finish Podcast, due to be released on Friday, with producer and presenter Iain Meadows joined by special guests Jonathan Barnes, Nicholas Briggs, Richard Earl, Robert Whitelock, and Harriet Kershaw, as well as Laurence Delosion and Mark Jones from the Sherlock Holmes Society of London. 

Next week on Sherlock Holmes Untold, Holmes and Watson help a grieving widow investigate a most unusual club, in The Adventure of the Amateur Mendicant Society. 

Sherlock Holmes Untold is now available to purchase for just £24.99 as a series of digital downloads to own, released weekly exclusively from www.bigfinish.com.

All the above prices (including pre-order and multibuy bundle discounts) are fixed for a limited time only and guaranteed no later than 31 January 2026.