Bo Poraj will play the great detective, with Marc Antolin as his loyal Dr Watson, when Sherlock Holmes and the Twelve Days of Christmas opens its first London season at Alexandra Palace Theatre in November.
Bo Poraj, known to television audiences from Miranda, will play Sherlock Holmes when Sherlock Holmes and the Twelve Days of Christmas comes to London this winter, its producers confirmed on 29 October. Olivier Award nominee Marc Antolin joins him as Dr Watson in the festive comedy whodunnit, which starts previews at Alexandra Palace Theatre on 24 November 2026.
Baker Street regulars are well covered: Vivien Parry is Mrs Hudson and John Ramm plays Lestrade, with Mia Jerome cast as Queen Victoria. The full London company is:
- Bo Poraj - Sherlock Holmes
- Marc Antolin - Dr Watson
- Jonnie Broadbent - Arthur Stone
- Annabel Brook - Ernie
- Wayne Cater - Wotan
- Mia Jerome - Queen Victoria
- Olivia-Faith Kamau - Estella Bottle
- Mia Overfield - Clifford
- Vivien Parry - Mrs Hudson
- Emily Pithon - Professor Murray
- John Ramm - Lestrade
- John-Luke Roberts - Fafner
- Charlie Russell - Athena Faversham
- Edward Bourne and Margot Jardine - swings
Poraj said he was "absolutely thrilled to be playing such an iconic role", adding: "This is one of the funniest scripts I have read in a long time, and to be performing it at the breathtaking Alexandra Palace Theatre is the ultimate Christmas treat." Antolin promised audiences "the Sherlock and Watson you know, but wrapped in tinsel, stuffed with jokes, and tied together with phenomenal songs".
The play, by Humphrey Ker and David Reed, had its first outing at Birmingham Rep last Christmas, when its songs were written by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber. For the London run, Rice's lyrics are paired with music by Howard Goodall. Phillip Breen directs, and the production is presented by Eleanor Lloyd Productions, Eilene Davidson Productions and Heartaches Limited, the team whose staging of Mark Gatiss's A Christmas Carol has filled Alexandra Palace Theatre over several festive seasons.
Ker and Reed, both original cast members of the comedy The Penny Dreadfuls on stage and on radio, set their mystery in the theatres of Victorian London, where performers begin dropping dead mid-scene and Holmes traces the deaths to the carol of the title. "We've basically done our absolute damnedest to pack in everything we love about Christmas into one show: Laughter, songs, fabulous costumes, goodwill to all and a series of gruesome and elaborate killings," the pair said. "We couldn't be happier to be bringing our original Sherlock Holmes adventure to the actual Victorian theatre where they film Jools Holland."
Behind the scenes, Mark Bailey designs, with lighting by Anna Watson and sound by Luke Swaffield for Autograph Sound. Georgina Lamb is choreographer and movement director, Renny Krupinski is fight director, and the illusions come from Chris Fisher and Dr Will Houstoun. Casting is by Helena Palmer, Leo Munby is musical director and Matthew French is orchestra manager.
Press night is 1 December 2026. Performances run Tuesday to Saturday at 7.30pm and Sunday at 5pm, with matinee times varying through the run, and tickets start at £20. A captioned performance is scheduled for 3 January 2027 at 1pm and an audio-described performance for 12 January 2027 at 7.30pm. Sherlock Holmes and the Twelve Days of Christmas is booking now at Alexandra Palace Theatre from 24 November 2026 to 17 January 2027.
