Sherlock Holmes And The 12 Days of Christmas

If you want to see the funniest, most original Christmas show of 2025, then you need to make your way to the Birmingham Rep. Sherlock Holmes and the 12 days of Christmas is just hilarious, a laugh out loud riot of a show that mixes the World’s greatest detective and the London’s theatre land. Holmes, assisted by the always loyal Watson attempts to hunt down a serial killer with a real hatred for Christmas entertainers, particularly those who relate, in some way, to the Twelve Days of Christmas song. However, Holmes, after a sojourn in Germany, is no longer the only detective in town, and he may just lose his crown to a new kid on the block, and a women at that. Athena Faversham is certainly as smart and clever as Holmes, but could she be more than that, and does someone really want Holmes dead. All these questions, and many more, are answered over a couple of hours of madcap, thoroughly entertaining theatre. I loved it.

The script is sharp and very funny, with each character being given the opportunity to shine. Humphrey Ker plays Holmes fairly straight, as a clear genius, so it is all the funnier when he descends to a silly game of one upmanship with the feisty Helena Wilson as Athena. David Reed is wonderful as Watson, he gives the comedy an edge of pathos as Holmes’s taken for granted sidekick, giving the show a few ‘awww’ moments. John Kearns is very funny as the overstretched Inspector Lestrade, whilst there are scene stealing turns from Margaret Cabourn-Smith, Cameron Johnson, Susan Harrison and Deborah Tracey. The beauty of the whole cast is that they look like they’re having a whale of a time, and this is, quite frankly, infectious.

The funny lines come thick and fast, if you miss one, another comes along straight after. The songs work well to keep the increasingly outrageous story line flowing at a brisk pace, and the staging is suitably Dickensian, which obviously always works well for Christmas.

This is Sherlock Holmes as you’ve never seen it before. Gloriously silly – a must see this Christmas.

Sherlock Holmes and the 12 days of Christmas

Birmingham Rep

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