The Adventures of Harry Nile The Adventures of Harry Nile (1976–present) is a radio series that first aired as part of
Imagination Theatre in 1996. It features Harry Nile, a fictional American detective in Los Angeles and later Seattle. The series takes place from the 1940s to the 1960s. The character and series were created by
Jim French. Harry Nile is a private detective who is not rich or famous but has integrity. He is assisted on his cases by Murphy, an intelligent former librarian. Nile was formerly a cop in Chicago; his real last name was Niletti, but he changed it before he joined the police force to protect his family from potential retaliation from the Mob. Jim French explained the origins of Harry Nile's name: "It's a twisted anagram of 'Harry Lime', a favorite character from the film
The Third Man. Originally, I thought I'd make Harry Nile a more mysterious character than he finally came to be." The first four episodes aired as part of Jim French's anthology radio series
Crisis. The first episode of
The Adventures of Harry Nile aired in
Crisis in 1976 and aired again under the new series title
The Adventures of Harry Nile in 1977. The series had a 12-year hiatus from mid-1978 to late 1990. A sub-series titled
War Comes to Harry Nile (2007–2016) aired as part of
The Adventures of Harry Nile, and follows the title character's adventures during World War II. There are 18 episodes in
War Comes to Harry Nile. As of 2019, six episodes of
The Adventures of Harry Nile are new productions of previously used scripts. For instance, episode 124, "Little Boy Lost" (2000), is a re-working of episode 34, "The Case of The Midnight Caller" (1992). The series announcers have included Jay Green, Terry Rose, Jack Spencer, and Jim French.
AudioFile also published a review in 2016 of the five-episode serial ''You Shouldn't Detour Off Route 66'', in which the reviewer commented that the serial reflected "the noir style, pace, and sound effects of old-time radio" and was "easygoing family entertainment".
John V. Pavlik wrote in a 2017 book that the series is among shows setting "the standard for contemporary digital audio dramatic quality".
The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1998–present) is a radio series featuring the fictional detective
Sherlock Holmes, created by
Arthur Conan Doyle. The series has 168 episodes as of September 2024 (not including
The Classic Adventures of Sherlock Holmes). The episodes are pastiches written by the series creator,
Jim French, as well as M. J. Elliott and other writers. Before the start of the series, French obtained permission from the estate of
Jean Conan Doyle to use Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson, and other characters in radio dramas. In
The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Sherlock Holmes was portrayed by John Gilbert through episode 18 (which aired in 2000), and has been played by
John Patrick Lowrie since episode 21 (2001).
Dr. Watson is portrayed by Lawrence Albert. the last two episodes with Rick May were recorded in late 2019 but were first broadcast in May 2020. Leonore "Lee" Paasch played
Mrs. Hudson from 1998 through 2013.
Ellen McLain has played Mrs. Hudson since episode 137 (2019).
Mycroft Holmes has been portrayed by
Frank Buxton (in one 1998 episode), Ted D'Arms (2000–2006), and Terry Edward Moore (since 2011). The announcer is mainly Dennis Bateman. Lowrie was the announcer for the early episodes which featured Gilbert as Holmes. Two brothers of
Professor Moriarty, Colonel Moriarty and Mr. Moriarty (a station master), appear as villains. All three brothers are named James Moriarty. The series has thirteen double-length episodes as of 2019, such as "The Adventure of the Borgia Ring" (2012) and "The Adventure of the Irregular Client" (2013). Some episodes are based on miscellaneous stories by Arthur Conan Doyle. A different book with a similar title,
Sherlock Holmes On the Air!, was published in 2016 with scripts for two episodes of the series by Steven Philip Jones and two by M. J. Elliott. A collection of scripts written by multiple writers for the series was published in 2017 in the book ''Imagination Theatre's Sherlock Holmes
, with all royalties donated for the preservation of Undershaw. All the scripts written by Jim French for the series were published in a three-volume set in 2019, with all royalties again being donated for the preservation of Undershaw. In their 2012 book The Sherlock Holmes Miscellany
, Roger Johnson and Jean Upton wrote that Lowrie brings an "incisive authority" to the character of Holmes. In a review written for the publication of the scripts by Jim French, The Sherlock Holmes Society of London wrote, referencing the 1940s radio series The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, that The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes'' is "gratifyingly reminiscent of the days when listeners tuned in every week to hear Rathbone and Bruce as Holmes and Watson. The main difference is that IT's Watson, played by Lawrence Albert, is not only brave and loyal, but intelligent."
The Classic Adventures of Sherlock Holmes The Classic Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (2005–2016) is a series of radio adaptations of all 60 of
Arthur Conan Doyle's
Sherlock Holmes stories, and aired on
Imagination Theatre in addition to the other series
The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. The stories were all adapted by M. J. Elliott. The dramatizations were recorded and aired in a different order than the original stories were published. For instance, the first episode is based on the short story "
The Adventure of the Yellow Face".
John Patrick Lowrie and Lawrence Albert, who play Holmes and Watson respectively in
The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, played the same roles in
The Classic Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Also in the cast were Lee Paasch as Mrs. Hudson,
Rick May as Inspector Lestrade, John Murray as Inspector Tobias Gregson, and William Hamer and Jeffrey Hitchin as Inspector Stanley Hopkins. The announcer was Dennis Bateman.
The Hilary Caine Mysteries The Hilary Caine Mysteries (2005–present) is a radio series about the fictional investigator Hilary Caine, an independent young woman who has the ability to investigate cases using a reasoned train of thought. The series has 22 episodes.
Imagination Theatre writer M. J. Elliott created the Hilary Caine character. The series takes place in the 1930s. Hilary Caine is employed by the English tabloid
Tittle-Tattle Magazine as an investigator. Her cases are published in the magazine under the banner of
Hilary Caine, Girl Detective, all rewritten by the magazine staff to remove Hilary's various personality quirks and present her in the most positive light. As a result of living a real and imaginary life, Hilary is apparently confused on occasion about where fact ends and fiction begins. For instance, she sometimes claims to have met famous fictional detectives such as Sherlock Holmes. Hilary Caine was played by Karen Heaven through 2017.
Raffles, the Gentleman Thief Raffles, the Gentleman Thief (2004) is a radio series following the adventures of fictional gentleman thief
A. J. Raffles, created by
E. W. Hornung in 1898. The series has 20 episodes as of October 2020. Sergeant Clyde is an original creation of the radio series and is implied by references in the first episode, "The Ides of March", to have been named after
Jeremy Clyde, who voiced Raffles in the BBC radio series
Raffles.
Raffles, the Gentleman Thief does not have any double-length episodes.
Kerides, The Thinker Kerides, The Thinker (2006–2016) is a mystery radio series set in Alexandria, Egypt in approximately 276 BC. The series has 18 episodes. It was created by writers Iain McLaughlin and Claire Bartlett. The central characters of the series are Kerides, a young Greek scholar who uses observation and logical thinking to solve crimes, and Adrea, an outspoken former slave. Kerides's ability to solve crimes earns him the attention and patronage of Pharaoh's Grand Vizier and the commander of the Palace Guard. Recurring characters include Mentep, the Pharaoh's Grand Vizier, General Karnak, the general in charge of Pharaoh's palace security, and Armarna, Adrea's mother.
Murder and the Murdochs Murder and the Murdochs is a comedy-mystery radio series that debuted in March 2020. Set in modern New York, the series follows fictional private detectives Maxine Murdoch and her daughter Piper. The series is written by M. J. Elliott. It stars
Cynthia Lauren Tewes as Maxine and Andee Albert as Piper.
Short series Several short radio series have aired on the program, including
Mr. Darnborough Investigates (2005–2015, 3 episodes, starring David Natale as amateur detective Freddie Darnborough and Gary Schwartz as his valet Cecil),
Phoenix Rising (2005–2019, 6 episodes, starring Caitlin Frances as police detective Dena Rising), and
The Chronicles of Anthony Rathe (2006–2019, 6 episodes, starring Terry Edward Moore as retired criminal lawyer Anthony Rathe). Many stand-alone shows have also aired on
Imagination Theatre. ==References==