A classic railway mystery: two men and a woman disappear from a moving train between London and Manchester, and the body of another young man is discovered in their carriage. Who is he, how did he get there, and what became of the original travellers? And what is the significance of the multiple watches found on the body? Story begins at 00:01:20 'The Man with the Watches' is not a Sherlock Holmes story, although it is sometimes referred to as an unofficial "bonus" Holmes story, due to the solution to the mystery proposed in the narrative by "a well-known criminal investigator" - could this be the great detective himself? (Let me know what you think in the comments!) The story was originally published in 'The Strand Magazine' in July 1898, the second in a series of 12 unrelated short stories by Conan Doyle under the umbrella title 'Round the Fire Stories'. This was during the decade of "hiatus" after Conan Doyle had killed Holmes off at Reichenbach in 'The Final Problem' (1893) and before he resurrected him in 'The Empty House' (1903); however as this story is specifically dated as taking place in 1892, he leaves open the possibility that the well-known investigator might be Holmes. Interestingly, the following month's instalment in the 'Round the Fire' series was to be another train-based mystery featuring an intervention from "an amateur reasoner of some celebrity at that date" (1890): 'The Lost Special' is an interesting companion piece to this tale. I've previously recorded it for this channel, available here: ua-cam.com/video/NeDm07CNmTg/v-deo.html
Thank you dear Simon, another wonderful performance of a superb story from the talented Sir Arthur Conan Doyle! Great to hear from you, congratulations on your success in your latest production!
Excellent! I would recommend anyone to listen to "The Thirteen Watches" BBC radio drama with Clive Merrison as Holmes. They basically take this story as inspiration and add Holmes into the mix.
I enjoyed this one. It is new to me, I enjoyed your rendition. You have introduced me to a number of authors I have missed, and was always a fan of this period of weird tales.
Definitely Holmes material finding an outlet during the hiatus! Love ACD stories and how as ever, you give each narrator a distinctive voice, while still sounding like Simon - thank you!! 🙏🏽🎭
It’s really nice to have this for the cold winter months to come. Been having a rough time and your classy readings help me get a good night sleep. Only channel I support. Well worth it. Please keep going sir. You have quite the talent.
@@BitesizedAudio It's a curious thing, how your crisp, polished reading/acting style eventually becomes part of the story, to the extent that it recedes into the background and we find ourselves observing a "believable" reality rather than merely listening to a skilled narrator "create" it [in partnership with the author, of course]. I am charmed by the fact that you are happy to help people get to sleep, without minding that in doing so, you make us temporarily forget all about you! Quite the [humble] talent, indeed. Thank you!
One of the bests .I just hit the like botton even before hearing a single word Thanks sir for this great reading ,notice that english is not my native lg but the third one . And i can understand you soooo easily and clearly, thank you again
Hello, and thank you for another very enjoyable reading. I discovered to my surprise how suspenseful (and mischievous) are the adventures of some Victorian and Edwardian rogues like Morrison’s Dorrington and Freeman’s Romney Pringle. Dare one hope?
Mr Simon, this is kind of sorta another Sherlock Holmes story... indirectly. I'd read/heard it one time before, but really enjoyed your narration and characters.
Thank you so much, i so look forward to listening to your stories., helping to pass the long night., and during the day too! So many wonderful stories, read as always by your goodself.💐
@THEPAGEBURNER1979 I do have more on my list but none in the pipeline right now; funnily enough after a recent spate of ghost stories I've had loads of comments asking "any more detective stories coming up?". I will get back to it asap I promise. With my recent upload of 'The Ash Tree' I've now finished the complete volume of M. R. James' 'Ghost Stories of an Antiquary', so I'm going to put those all together as a single long video when I get a moment, hopefully in the next week or two.
Hi Simon. You have the perfect voice and accent to read M.R. James. Especially the myriad times when he says, “I don’t have time to go into the details of (whatever) now.”; or, “The details of (whatever) are not important to this story.” Such a typical schoolmaster. Your voice is perfect for him.
I certainly have more Max in the pipeline... he's probably my personal favourite of the "rivals of Sherlock Holmes" - due to other commitments I'm not able to record a new one just yet, but will return to him asap in the new year
In the video game, Assassins creed syndicate; you can solve murder mysteries with the help of a young Mr. Doyle himself. A quaint little Easter egg it is.
@jenncornthwaite2763 Hello Jen, I don't compose I'm afraid (I can play the piano sufficiently well for my own amusement, and I sing in choirs, but that's the extent of my musical abilities!). You may be thinking of Ian over at HorrorBabble? I seem to remember he does some composition IIRC. The music I use here mostly comes from the UA-cam creator library and the opening piece is by Esther Abrami
So, was *The Empty House* published in 1903 after The Hound of the Baskervilles in 1902 ... published or just not published when written? *Doyle* had to bring *Holmes* back of course in *The Empty House* both my favorites but, hard to choose
@mijiyoon557 Yes indeed, 'The Hound' was first serialised in 'The Strand Magazine' in 1901, during the hiatus, but Doyle chose to set it in 1889, a few years before Holmes's demise, so there was no need to resurrect him at that stage. I think the huge popular success of that story perhaps encouraged him to go back to writing Holmes stories, at which point he decided to bring him back from the dead
I had not come across this story - very many thanks for including it in your series. The intriguing rerence to 'a letter from a well-known criminal investigator [about 16:50] made me wonder if this was an aoblique reference to Sherlock Holmes - but the style of the letter is more like Dr Thorndyke who frequently talks about the 'synthetic method' of detecting crimes. However, this story was published in 1898, while the first Thorndyke book [The Red Thumb-mark] did not come out until 1907 (though the date of the crime was 1901). So was R.Austin Freeman's imagination set off by reading 'The Man with the Watches' perhaps? Another mystery! Looking forward, as always, to your next reading.
Thank you. I've had to lose it for the moment due to my current role on stage, but haven't had chance to record a new intro yet. But I've had a few nice comments about it, so the beard may return when time allows...
A classic railway mystery: two men and a woman disappear from a moving train between London and Manchester, and the body of another young man is discovered in their carriage. Who is he, how did he get there, and what became of the original travellers? And what is the significance of the multiple watches found on the body? Story begins at 00:01:20
'The Man with the Watches' is not a Sherlock Holmes story, although it is sometimes referred to as an unofficial "bonus" Holmes story, due to the solution to the mystery proposed in the narrative by "a well-known criminal investigator" - could this be the great detective himself? (Let me know what you think in the comments!) The story was originally published in 'The Strand Magazine' in July 1898, the second in a series of 12 unrelated short stories by Conan Doyle under the umbrella title 'Round the Fire Stories'. This was during the decade of "hiatus" after Conan Doyle had killed Holmes off at Reichenbach in 'The Final Problem' (1893) and before he resurrected him in 'The Empty House' (1903); however as this story is specifically dated as taking place in 1892, he leaves open the possibility that the well-known investigator might be Holmes. Interestingly, the following month's instalment in the 'Round the Fire' series was to be another train-based mystery featuring an intervention from "an amateur reasoner of some celebrity at that date" (1890): 'The Lost Special' is an interesting companion piece to this tale. I've previously recorded it for this channel, available here: ua-cam.com/video/NeDm07CNmTg/v-deo.html
Oooh! I'm so looking forward to listening!
Thank you for posting a new story-I know how very busy you are. 😍
arthur conan doyle, mark twain, j r tolkein , hg wells, jerome j jerome , carl willem grimm, f scott fitzgerald etc
Mr. Stanhope has NO equal ! I don’t watch TV anymore! After dinner clean up I listen to a story every night!
Thank you kindly!
Only one? I must listen til I fall asleep!
Love this story, I went to see you in War Horse at the Sunderland Empire, my daughter and I were in tears, what a fabulous production.
Thanks so much for coming. Yes, it's a very special piece of theatre and I feel very privileged to be part of it
Mr Stanhope you've done it again. 😊
Sending thanks and best wishes.
Thanks Simone, same to you
You are the master. I know every time I see your posts that I can expect excellent narration, enunciation, and a great selected story. Thank you.
Kind of you to say, thank you!
I love this story. It’s one of the best actual mysteries Conan Doyle wrote. So much intrigue and misdirection. Thanks, Simon!
It is a good one, I think... better than many of the lesser Holmes stories!
What a wonderful surprise thank you Mr. Stanhope
I clicked "like" immediately. I like Simon's narrative style, and I've read this story before. It's a known winner before I even hear it!
Thank you for your trust!
Thank you dear Simon, another wonderful performance of a superb story from the talented Sir Arthur Conan Doyle!
Great to hear from you, congratulations on your success in your latest production!
Excellent! I would recommend anyone to listen to "The Thirteen Watches" BBC radio drama with Clive Merrison as Holmes. They basically take this story as inspiration and add Holmes into the mix.
Excellent narration Simon! I never get tired of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's wonderful mysteries! Thank you!
Merry Christmas everyone!
🎄😊🧑🎄⛄🎅
Merry Christmas to you from a very windy Scotland, just the night for a tale like this. The Winter Solstice too, very atmospheric
I enjoyed this one. It is new to me, I enjoyed your rendition. You have introduced me to a number of authors I have missed, and was always a fan of this period of weird tales.
Definitely Holmes material finding an outlet during the hiatus! Love ACD stories and how as ever, you give each narrator a distinctive voice, while still sounding like Simon - thank you!! 🙏🏽🎭
Glad to know you enjoyed it, thanks Stephanie
It is a great story and very well narrated. Thank you, Simon. You look very Shakespearean with that beard. 😅.
Thoroughly enjoyed this little tale, the narration being excellent, thank-you
Loving the beard old chap.
Hello Simon! This is a really good story...looking forward to your rendition later in the evening.
Hope things are going well at the theater
@along5925 Thank you! Yes, all good thanks... busy but keeping well
Great to hear simon narration .sir Arthur is so much more than the great sherlock homes. Thank u simon ❤❤❤😃
He was indeed. Thanks Shirley
It’s really nice to have this for the cold winter months to come. Been having a rough time and your classy readings help me get a good night sleep.
Only channel I support. Well worth it. Please keep going sir. You have quite the talent.
Thanks so much for your support @MaximillianG.C Glad to help you get to sleep! Best wishes
@@BitesizedAudio
It's a curious thing, how your crisp, polished reading/acting style eventually becomes part of the story, to the extent that it recedes into the background and we find ourselves observing a "believable" reality rather than merely listening to a skilled narrator "create" it [in partnership with the author, of course]. I am charmed by the fact that you are happy to help people get to sleep, without minding that in doing so, you make us temporarily forget all about you! Quite the [humble] talent, indeed. Thank you!
One of the bests .I just hit the like botton even before hearing a single word
Thanks sir for this great reading ,notice that english is not my native lg but the third one .
And i can understand you soooo easily and clearly, thank you again
Thank you for your confidence in advance! Best wishes
Hello, and thank you for another very enjoyable reading. I discovered to my surprise how suspenseful (and mischievous) are the adventures of some Victorian and Edwardian rogues like Morrison’s Dorrington and Freeman’s Romney Pringle. Dare one hope?
Ah yes indeed, great suggestions. Both have been on my possibles list for a while... I'll try to get around to them before too much longer
A great story. Your narrations are masterful as always and highly enjoyable. Thanks Simon!
Appreciated, thank you!
Excellently done. Thank you .
Thank YOU!
Mr Simon, this is kind of sorta another Sherlock Holmes story... indirectly.
I'd read/heard it one time before, but really enjoyed your narration and characters.
Hi, Simon! It's good to see your face around the place. Still treading the boards? I hope you are having great fun.
Thanks for the story.
I am, thank you!
Thank you so much, i so look forward to listening to your stories., helping to pass the long night., and during the day too! So many wonderful stories, read as always by your goodself.💐
How marvellous Simon and SO Appreciated.Oh And Unexpected.Yes indeed.
Excellent... Thank You!!
Hell yea great to hear from you Sir Simon how is the show going😅
All going well thanks PB, I have a few days off this week so am catching up with things here on YT and planning some future uploads. Good to be busy!
@ got any ghost stories coming up
@THEPAGEBURNER1979 I do have more on my list but none in the pipeline right now; funnily enough after a recent spate of ghost stories I've had loads of comments asking "any more detective stories coming up?". I will get back to it asap I promise. With my recent upload of 'The Ash Tree' I've now finished the complete volume of M. R. James' 'Ghost Stories of an Antiquary', so I'm going to put those all together as a single long video when I get a moment, hopefully in the next week or two.
Wonderful reading as always. Thank you. Rich storytelling😊😊😊
Thanks as always, Simon!
An excellent mystery, excellently narrated too.
Thank you so much Simon 😍😊
You're most welcome Nicky, glad to know you enjoyed it
Hi Simon. You have the perfect voice and accent to read M.R. James. Especially the myriad times when he says, “I don’t have time to go into the details of (whatever) now.”; or, “The details of (whatever) are not important to this story.” Such a typical schoolmaster. Your voice is perfect for him.
Thank you Simon ❤
Bravo and thanks again
All the young dudes, indeed! Who knew the Victorians were aware of that epithet? ❤
The possible gay subtext is interesting. Excellent reading, as always. Thank you.
I think sometimes there must have been more of a gay scene in London in this time frame than we usually think about- and Sir Arthur knew it.
Thanks!
Terrific ❤❤
Thanks
Motre Ernst Brahma/Max C.Thanknyou I do enjoy your voice. The best Narrator on youTube.♥️🤎💚✌️🙏
I certainly have more Max in the pipeline... he's probably my personal favourite of the "rivals of Sherlock Holmes" - due to other commitments I'm not able to record a new one just yet, but will return to him asap in the new year
I don’t know how I missed this…. Everything in its perfect timing I suppose! ❤❤❤
Great story. Thank you, Sir. ❤
In the video game, Assassins creed syndicate; you can solve murder mysteries with the help of a young Mr. Doyle himself. A quaint little Easter egg it is.
Another presentation of excellence 👏
Simon, is the opening song one you wrote? I know you've previously said you compose.
@jenncornthwaite2763 Hello Jen, I don't compose I'm afraid (I can play the piano sufficiently well for my own amusement, and I sing in choirs, but that's the extent of my musical abilities!). You may be thinking of Ian over at HorrorBabble? I seem to remember he does some composition IIRC. The music I use here mostly comes from the UA-cam creator library and the opening piece is by Esther Abrami
So, was *The Empty House* published in 1903 after The Hound of the Baskervilles in 1902 ... published or just not published when written? *Doyle* had to bring *Holmes* back of course in *The Empty House* both my favorites but, hard to choose
@mijiyoon557 Yes indeed, 'The Hound' was first serialised in 'The Strand Magazine' in 1901, during the hiatus, but Doyle chose to set it in 1889, a few years before Holmes's demise, so there was no need to resurrect him at that stage. I think the huge popular success of that story perhaps encouraged him to go back to writing Holmes stories, at which point he decided to bring him back from the dead
Very nice yarn
Sir Simon indeed
Thank you so much, Simon! I hope your play is going well.❤
Hello Simon, hope alls well with you. x
All good thanks, hope all's well with you too
I'm happy
Glad to hear it!
I forgot it was you were reading when I was listening to the American narration. Well done on that accent!
Thanks for posting
Most Excellent.
The beard really suits you, Simon.
Great choice. Many thanks.
❤😊
I had not come across this story - very many thanks for including it in your series. The intriguing rerence to 'a letter from a well-known criminal investigator [about 16:50] made me wonder if this was an aoblique reference to Sherlock Holmes - but the style of the letter is more like Dr Thorndyke who frequently talks about the 'synthetic method' of detecting crimes. However, this story was published in 1898, while the first Thorndyke book [The Red Thumb-mark] did not come out until 1907 (though the date of the crime was 1901). So was R.Austin Freeman's imagination set off by reading 'The Man with the Watches' perhaps? Another mystery!
Looking forward, as always, to your next reading.
An interesting question, thank you!
Nice
Simon, really liking the goatee. It suits you.
Thank you. I've had to lose it for the moment due to my current role on stage, but haven't had chance to record a new intro yet. But I've had a few nice comments about it, so the beard may return when time allows...
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
++++Thank YOU!
Thanks for listening
Dziękuję
Facial hair 💯