Noiser Debuts 'A Study in Scarlet' with Hugh Bonneville

RADIO ONLINE | Tuesday, September 22, 2026 | 4:52pm CT

A Study in Scarlet

Podcast producer Noiser is expanding its "Sherlock Holmes Short Stories" series with "A Study in Scarlet," narrated by actor Hugh Bonneville and released as a seven-episode podcast series.

The production follows the success of "Sherlock Holmes Short Stories," which Noiser says was the second biggest podcast on BBC Sounds last year. Bonneville, known for "Downton Abbey" and the "Paddington" films, returns as narrator.

First published in "Beeton's Christmas Annual" in 1887, "A Study in Scarlet" was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's first novel and introduced Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson. Conan Doyle was 27 when he wrote the story, which became the beginning of the detective series that would define much of his career.

"Bringing A Study in Scarlet to life with Hugh Bonneville feels like uncovering an original blueprint of modern detective fiction," said Noiser founder and CEO Pascal Hughes. "This is the story that first introduced the world to the iconic duo, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson."

The mystery begins in Victorian London with Watson's first encounter with Holmes and a murder investigation before shifting thousands of miles away to Utah for a story involving love, betrayal and revenge.

Noiser says it is following the accessibility of the original publication, which sold for a shilling and included advertising, by making the podcast available free with ad support.

The seven-episode "A Study in Scarlet" launched September 17 in the existing "Sherlock Holmes Short Stories" podcast feed, with new episodes released twice weekly. It is available across podcast platforms including Apple Podcasts and Spotify, as well as ad-free through BBC Sounds.