The Hound of the Baskervilles Playtext

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by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Steven Canny and John Nicholson

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 world.

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.