MURDER ROOMS
Home of the books and the chilling TV detective series
'The cliffhanger adventures of Bell and Doyle keep us enthralled .' New York Times
MURDER ROOMS as a concept began in January 2000 when Murder Rooms, the Dark Beginnings of Sherlock Holmes topped the TV ratings chart on British TV.
This two part series, our origin story, gained rave reviews for its portrayal of a new kind of period detective. It told the story of the real Sherlock Holmes, the pioneering forensic detective Joseph Bell, to whom Arthur Conan Doyle wrote:
'It is to you that I owe Sherlock Holmes'.
But it was only the beginning
JUNE 2007
Pegasus have now successfully taken over from St. Martins Press as the series publisher in the US and 'The Dark Water' has consequently sold more copies in the US than any other title before it even enters paperback. 'The Dark Water' , the most praised title of all in England, ( being described as "equal to anything Doyle wrote" and 'indispensable' by the UK's Independent and Time Out respectively ) was equally praised in the US.
" Pirie's subtle storytelling gifts, which may remind ghost story aficionados of M.R. James and Sherlockians of 'The Hound of the Baskervilles', elevate this novel far above the run-of-the-mill pastiche." said Publishers Weekly.
Now 'The Patient's Eyes' has just been republished in paperback in the US and Pegasus follow it with 'TheNight Calls'.
For the great reviews of other books in the series see our review pages.
And don't forget that at last on July 27 2006, MPI and the BBC released the entire first series in the US in a a 360 minute 2-disc DVD set featuring 'The Patient's Eyes', 'The Photographer's Chair', 'The Kingdom of Bones' and 'The White Knight Stratagem'. The only exclusion is the original 'Murder Rooms' pilot which has been widely available in the USA for years under the title 'Dr. Bell and Mr. Doyle'.
Note though that the original MURDER ROOMS has NEVER been shown in its entirety on DVD. Its full running time on BBC was 120 minutes while its DVD / video release has always been 102 minutes. Around fifteen minutes of scenes have therefore always been missing .
In July 2005 'The Strange Case of Arthur Conan Doyle' created by Murder Rooms author David Pirie was shown on BBC2. This extraordinary feature- length biographical exploration starring Douglas Henshall , Tim McInnerny, Brian Cox and Sinead Cusack, won widespread critical praise. It was directed by Cilla Ware and produced by Richard Downes for BBCTV. The Mail said its revelations were equal to any knife-edge thriller.
All of this follows the hugely successful publication in America of 'The Patient's Eyes' in August 2002 which received rave reviews everywhere from Publishers Weekly and the New York Times to the Washington Post and has now been reprinted several times. You will find these reviews on our book page alongside the UK reviews.
The first two books are currently being translated into Italian and Japanese for their first two non-English outings.
The TV show won 'Best Detective ' last year at the Sherlock Holmes Magazine awards at London's Crimescene Festival at the National Film Theatre.
The second series of MURDER ROOMS aired in the US from 22nd July 2002 on WGBH.
MURDER ROOMS , the website , will always being you news of major new developments including:
And the whole MURDER ROOMS controversy with your contributions
The second TV series reviews page here. In January 2002 we aired in Australia to a great reception.
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MURDER ROOMS originally aired in the UK on BBC2 TV on 4th and 5th January 2000. The Daily Telegraph wrote: 'Nobody who watched could have felt short-changed...I can't wait for tonight's concluding episode...' The Daily Mail wrote: 'wit, style and a real feeling for the period...Ian Richardson is perfectly cast...the game really is afoot.' The Financial Times wrote: 'easily stands comparison with the best ....Ian Richardson was wonderfully watchable.' The Mail on Sunday wrote: 'ingenious and believable...what I won't understand is if the BBC doesn't make a series out of this drama.' The Guardian wrote: 'The premise is ingenious.. clever, atmospheric and entertaining.' The Sunday Telegraph wrote: ' a premise with a real touch of genius ...the script skillfully weaved episodes from Doyle's own past into a richly textured, constantly wrong-footing plot. ... with a denouement as clever as anything that had gone before...' RATINGS: MURDER ROOMS topped the BBC2/Channel4/Channel 5 chart on the week ending 9th January 2000, with both episodes in first and second position out of 30 shows and nearly five million people watching. Its audience share increased on the second night. Among shows it beat: 'The Simpsons,' 'Friends', 'Robot Wars' and 'Countdown'. It also won double the audience of the heavily promoted high budget all-star Channel 4 drama 'Longitude'. September 2001: THE BOOK The books including 'THE PATIENT'S EYES'' is now available in hardback and paperback from Random House in the UK and in hardback from St. Martins Press in the US. If you want to read more about the books, go to the books page here |
And MURDER ROOMS enjoyed similar success on TV in America. The US TV premiere on WGBH Boston on Thursday May 18th 2000 , concluded Thursday May 25th The New York Times : 'David Pirie's witty and intelligent script t buttresses facts with considerable research tabout Victorian Edinburgh and an obvious affinity for the Holmes stories...the superbtIan Richardson expertly conveys a plausible tprototype with his Dr. Bell.. ..the filmmakers thave made the streets and laboratories of their 19th century Edinburgh seem gothic and so sinister...there are many crimes to contend with...also poignant relationships and even big issues......a satisfying Sherlock Holmes story.' ttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt Variety: 'Writer David Pirie has crafted a clever blend of historical evidence and fiction in the grand manner of a traditional Holmes mystery.......director Paul Seed has created a dark and dangerous world underneath the pomp and circumstance of Victorian Scotland ...a world of inequities into which Seed and Pirie eloquently weave the story without lecturing....Richardson is perfection as Bell...generating both intensity and passion.' New York Magazine: A dandy puzzle...Bell is equally persuasive telling Arthur that 'I have long considered a monograph on criminal fathers' or advising the rest of his students that 'the charlatan s always the pioneer'...But everything depends on Elspeth...And when Dolly Wells (Sleepy Hollow) takes off her cross-dressing cap to let down her dark red tresses...we are smitten...' US Financial Times: Irresistible...Whereas Barry Levinson's 'Young Sherlock Holmes' was on the whole a tacky add-on, this is just as Doyle would have wished: morose, sordid and deeply sceptical about human nature...particularly with regard to Americans.
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Mystery of Holmes: Originating writer David Pirie explains the background to the series.
The Dark Secrets of Doyle: exclusive uncut version of article run by UK's Sunday Times
As our ROOMS grow, a note on accessing our site: We now have two equally usable internet addresses. You can find us as before on murder-rooms.com but for ease of use we can also be reached on plain and simple murderrooms.com