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Ahead of Sherlock Holmes Day on May 22, Birmingham Rep has unveiled key casting for its upcoming world premiere of “Sherlock Holmes and the Twelve Days of Christmas,” with co-writers Humphrey Ker and David Reed stepping into the iconic roles of Holmes and Watson.
The new comedy whodunnit, set to bow at Birmingham Rep on Nov. 14, and run through Jan. 11, 2026, will feature original songs by the legendary musical theater duo Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber.
The production will be helmed by Phillip Breen with Becky Hope-Palmer. The storyline involves a series of mysterious deaths among West End performers, with Holmes discovering an intriguing connection to “The Twelve Days of Christmas.”
Ker, who recently took home an Emmy for his work as executive producer on FX/Disney+’s “Welcome to Wrexham,” where he also serves as community director for the soccer club, will don the deerstalker as the famed detective. His recent credits include NBC’s “American Auto” and Apple TV+’s “Mythic Quest.”
Reed, whose television credits include “Endeavour,” “Beyond Paradise,” “Father Brown,” and “Ghosts,” will play Dr. Watson. His writing credits span radio comedy plays and the Audible Original series “Zeroes.” Margaret Cabourn-Smith and John Kearns will round out the cast as Mrs. Hudson and Lestrade, respectively.
“As diehard Sherlock Holmes fans, Dave and I are absolutely delighted to have tricked the Birmingham Rep into allowing us to write and star in a wildly silly Holmes and Watson adventure,” said Ker. “And to do it with such beloved friends and collaborators in Margaret, John, Tim, Andrew and directing superstar Phil Breen is the stuff of dreams. Can’t wait to don the deerstalker, dust off the needle full of morphine and BECOME Sherlock Holmes.”
“Humphrey and me have been obsessed with the characters of Holmes and Watson ever since we met on a stage in Edinburgh some 20 years ago,” Reed added. “We pastiched them in our first radio series ‘The Brothers Faversham’ and crowbarred them into our turns on BBC Two improvised sketch show ‘Fast & Loose.’ To now get to play them in earnest is quite honestly a dream come true.”
The holiday-themed mystery marks another significant collaboration for Rice and Lloyd Webber, adding to their legendary partnership that has produced such theater classics as “Jesus Christ Superstar,” “Evita,” and “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.”
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