However Improbable

From The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, "The Five Orange Pips" connects vanishing ships, the American Civil War, and what happens when Holmes’s considerable powers are not enough to save the day. Sarah and Marisa discuss Doyle’s depiction of the KKK and his contentious relationship with racism, the kinds of adaptations we’re excited to see in the future, the hand of God, and why Lovecraft sucks.

Content warning: This episode contains death by drowning, murder and threats of murder, discussions of suicide, and a backstory about American slavery and the KKK.

A transcript of this episode is available here: https://www.howeverimprobablepodcast.com/transcripts

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"The Five Orange Pips" from The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle, narrated by Courtney Herber.

“No; I shall be my own police. When I have spun the web they may take the flies, but not before.”

Courtney Herber is a historian of early modern England and she studies performance, theatre, and power. She recently defended her dissertation on consortship in Tudor and early Stuart England and Scotland and has published her work on representation, memory, and popular culture in several peer-reviewed collected editions. She also has wanted to be a voice actor since she first watched Sailor Moon in the mid-90s and has always loved a good murder mystery. www.courtneyherber.com

Content warning: This episode contains death by drowning, murder and threats of murder, discussions of suicide, and a backstory about American slavery and the KKK.

Find recommended reading, more stories, info about the show and more on our website:

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In this short story with a title straight out of a Western, Holmes hosts a sleepover and gives a man a bath. "The Man with the Twisted Lip" is perplexing not only for where it's ended up in our chronology, but for its red herring plot twist full of questionable decisions. What does the opium den represent in the Victorian imagination, and is it as racist as it sounds? How does this story explore the malleability of British social class and identity? Should the New Yorker unionize? And why on earth does everyone think Watson's middle name is HAMISH? All these answers and more in today's episode. 

Content warning: This episode contains drug abuse and addiction, racism, and some particularly Doylish lies between husband and wife.

A transcript of this episode is available here: https://www.howeverimprobablepodcast.com/transcripts

Find recommended reading, more stories, info about the show and more on our website:

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"The Man with the Twisted Lip" from The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle, narrated by Christopher Wilson

“I reached this one,” said my friend, “by sitting upon five pillows and consuming an ounce of shag."

This episode is narrated by Christopher Wilson. Christopher is a stage and voiceover actor currently based in Chicago, IL. He has provided his voice to numerous game, commercial, eLearning, and podcasting projects, including Unwell: A Midwestern Gothic Mystery, Superstition and The Unexplored Places. He also co-hosts Backstage Gaming, a podcast looking at video-game storytelling. Twitter: @CJWilsonVO. Website: www.cjwvoice.com

Content warning: This episode contains drug abuse and addiction, racism, and some particularly Doylish lies between husband and wife. 

Find recommended reading, more stories, info about the show and more on our website:

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Book Club Case File: My Dearest Holmes, by Rohase Piercy

First published in 1988 by the Gay Men’s Press, My Dearest Holmes by Rohase Piercy is a very special pastiche that boasts something very rare—it’s one of the very few and certainly among the earliest published gay pastiches about the great detective and his good doctor. It celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2018. We're thrilled to have Rohase on the podcast today in our very first interview! We discuss her her depiction of a Holmes and Watson romance, it's reception, how queer readings have and haven't changed since the 1980s, and lots more.

Follow Rohase on Twitter at @PiercyRohase. The Raven's Bunker: https://www.theravensbunker.com/ 

A transcript of this episode is available here: https://www.howeverimprobablepodcast.com/transcripts

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Other than Holmes and Watson themselves, Irene Adler (of dubious and questionable memory) may be the most adapted character from the canon. And most of the time, modern adaptations do not do her justice. She played a prominent role in four recent TV and film adaptations of the stories - depicted as a professional thief, a sex worker, a European (for some reason?) and literally a fictional character.

Today, we discuss the many faces of Irene Adler. Spoilers abound! 

A transcript of this episode is available here: https://www.howeverimprobablepodcast.com/transcripts

Find recommended reading, more stories, info about the show and more on our website:

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Shotgun weddings, scandalous photographs, and a seven per-cent solution all come together in perhaps the most beloved story in the canon, featuring the woman who casts the longest shadow: Irene Adler, of dubious and questionable memory. "A Scandal in Bohemia" was Doyle's first short story about Holmes and Watson, and its impact colors the way we consider the rest of the canon. Kings and Boswells, romances and menswear and Holmes's misogyny. What truly is the point of Scandal? And why does everybody forget about Godfrey Norton? 

Thanks to Natalie, Madeline, Jamie, Madison, Robert and Sara for sending in their thoughts about all things Irene Adler! 

Content warning: This episode is filled to the brim with Holmes's misogyny, and also the threats of blackmail and arson.

A transcript of this episode is available here: https://www.howeverimprobablepodcast.com/transcripts

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"A Scandal in Bohemia" from The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle, narrated by Natalie Hunter.

"And that was how a great scandal threatened to affect the kingdom of Bohemia, and how the best plans of Mr. Sherlock Holmes were beaten by a woman’s wit."

This story is narrated by Natalie Hunter. Natalie has been a fan of the Holmes stories for as long as she can remember; her all-time favourite adaptation is the Granada series, though Great Mouse Detective holds a special place in her heart. A research administrator by day, Natalie plays Jenny Millay on Superstition, and is involved in various performance projects including the global remote choir The Self-Isolation Choir. Find her on Twitter @nataliehunter. 

Content warning: This episode is filled to the brim with Holmes's misogyny, and also the threats of blackmail and arson.

Find recommended reading, more stories, info about the show and more on our website:

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Holmes and Watson go on a much-deserved vacation—and naturally, crime follows them. “The Adventure of the Reigate Squire” introduces us to one of Watson’s old friends, and an unusual case of burglary, amateur theatrics, and how minutiae can solve murder. We discuss Holmes's health and Watson's desire to do something about it, as well as handwriting, holiday tropes, Essie Davis, and the meta experience of interactive detective fiction.

Content warning: This episode contains some falsehoods Holmes intentionally directs at Watson. We have a conversation about Holmes's mental health.

A transcript of this episode is available here: https://www.howeverimprobablepodcast.com/transcripts

Find recommended reading, more stories, info about the show and more on our website:

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"The Adventure of the Reigate Squire" from The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle, narrated by Kyle Carey Miller.

"Watson, I think our quiet rest in the country has been a distinct success, and I shall certainly return much invigorated to Baker Street to-morrow.”

This episode is narrated by Kyle Carey Miller. Kyle is a proud graduate of Wright State University, where he earned his BFA in Acting with an Emphasis in Musical Theatre. Kyle has worked around the country including at the Texas Shakespeare Festival, Short North Stage, and Renaissance Performing Arts. Favorite Credits include: The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Heather’s the Musical, Macbeth, La Cage Aux Folles, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, War of the World’s, and More than a Muse. An avid Sherlock fan—especially of the BBC series—Kyle is thrilled to be narrating the works of legendary author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle for However Improbable Podcast.

Content warning: This episode contains some falsehoods Holmes intentionally directs at Watson

Find recommended reading, more stories, info about the show and more on our website:

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