Main characters of ‘A Sherlock Carol’

Following its success in the United States, the ‘A Sherlock Carol’ show is playing at the Marylebone Theatre this season, delighting audiences with its humour and mystery. Blending Dickens’ famous novel, A Christmas Carol, with the unique sleuthing of Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes, it tells the story of the peculiar death of Ebenezer Scrooge. Let’s take a look at the characters in this fun, seasonal play.

Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock Holmes is one of fiction’s best known and most loved detectives. Something of a rogue, he’s a master of deduction, cracking cases that his contemporaries in Scotland Yard are unable to fathom. In ‘A Sherlock Carol’, it is three Christmases since Holmes’ infamous confrontation with Moriarty at the Reichenbach Falls, and the detective has become a miser himself, with little appetite for solving crimes. Then he runs into a now grown up Tiny Tim, who persuades him to investigate the mysterious death of Ebenezer Scrooge. Holmes must face his own ghosts to solve the case.

Ebenezer Scrooge

The miserly protagonist of Dickens’ novel, Ebenezer Scrooge is first described as a “squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner”. He has no time or patience for Christmas, until one fateful year when the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future teach him the error of his ways. In the play, several years have passed since that night, and having kept Christmas well and become a generous benefactor to ‘Tiny’ Tim Cratchit, he has passed away under strange circumstances. His spectre reappears to guide Holmes on his journey to the truth.

The Countess

The Countess of Morcar is none other than Irene Adler, who appears in the Holmes story, ‘A Scandal in Bohemia’. Although she appears in just one story, besting Holmes and disappearing with her new husband and an incriminating photo of herself and the King of Bohemia, she fascinates the detective and is mentioned in other stories. In ‘A Sherlock Carol’ she shows up again, now a countess, and is portrayed as an old flame of Holmes’.

Dr Watson

Dr Watson is Sherlock Holmes’ faithful friend and the narrator of the Holmes stories. He’s intelligent, curious and patient, putting up with Holmes’ frequent depressive episodes and helping him back on his feet. In the play, Watson has married Mary Morstan and is somewhat estranged from the detective since the Reichenbach Falls confrontation. He also has another identity, which is revealed at the end.

Dr Timothy Cratchit

The ailing ‘Tiny Tim’ from Dickens’ story, Timothy Cratchit is now a respected but impoverished doctor at the struggling St Bernard’s Hospital for Children. He’s concerned about the nature of his friend Scrooge’s death, and entreats Holmes to take on the case.

‘A Sherlock Carol’ is playing at the Marylebone Theatre from 18 November 2022 to 7 January 2023, and tickets start from £10. As a specialist ticket seller, KX Tickets offers access to a range of events from musicals and dance to drama and comedy. Whether you’re coming to the capital for London Theatre Week or a London theatre break, purchase your tickets with us today.