Podcast Drama · 2026-07-04
Sherlock & Co. Investigates as True Crime — Now Also on BBC Sounds
Sherlock & Co., a British audio drama podcast that reimagines Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson as present-day true-crime podcasters, is joining the BBC Sounds platform after surpassing 20 million streams and downloads worldwide.
Launched in October 2023, the series follows Dr. Watson, a former British Army doctor, as he documents his investigations with Sherlock Holmes in the format of a true-crime podcast — a framing device that gives the show its modern twist on the classic Conan Doyle stories. Produced by Holy Smokes Audio in partnership with Goalhanger, the podcast draws roughly 800,000 downloads a month, with close to 40 percent of its audience in the UK and Ireland and around 30 percent in North America.
The show has aired more than 130 episodes so far, alongside five Casefile episodes, five "Behind the Fourth Wall" behind-the-scenes episodes, six audiobook-style readings of the original text, and six so-called Nightcaps. In 2026, BBC Sounds launched a two-year trial admitting podcasts from a small number of independent producers — so far Significant Productions and Audio Always — onto its platform; Goalhanger (one of Sherlock & Co.'s producers) already had a presence on BBC Sounds with "The Rest Is History," which set the precedent for this move.
The show mainly reaches listeners under 30, with an audience skewing more LGBTQ+ than average. It has already won the Webby Awards' People's Voice prize (2025, Scripted Fiction Podcast category), an ARIA Award (2024), and first place in the Pod Bible Listener Polls (2023); a live show is scheduled at London's Southbank Centre in September 2026.
🎧 Sherlock & Co. — Apple Podcasts
Cast & Crew
- Creator Joel Emery
- Director Adam Jarrell
- Sherlock Holmes Harry Attwell
- Dr. Watson Paul Waggott
- Mariana Ametxazurra (Mrs. Hudson) Marta da Silva
Sources: PodcastingToday · Verge Magazine · Pocket-lint
This article was partly machine-composed.