Podcast Summary: Sherlock Holmes Short Stories
Episode: "The Adventure of the Creeping Man: Part Two"
Host/Narrator: Hugh Bonneville (as Dr. Watson)
Date: November 13, 2025
Podcast by: NOISER
Overview
In this gripping conclusion to "The Adventure of the Creeping Man," Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson travel to Camford to investigate the bizarre and dangerous transformations of Professor Presbury. The case intensifies with night vigils, shocking observations, and the eventual revelation of a sinister scientific experiment gone wrong. Holmes methodically unravels the mystery, tying together strange clues: attacks by a wolfhound, climbing escapades, and foreign correspondence—ending with a sobering warning about the consequences of tampering with the nature of humanity.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Holmes and Watson Arrive at Camford ([00:32]–[03:00])
- Travel and Planning: Watson recounts Holmes’s strategic approach as they head to Professor Presbury’s home, using the professor’s supposed memory lapses as a pretext for their visit.
- Quote:
- Holmes: “We will assume that he is a little hazy as to what he does at such times. If we insist that we are there by appointment I think he will hardly venture to contradict us. Have you the effrontery necessary to put it through?” (02:00)
2. First Confrontation with Professor Presbury ([03:00]–[06:40])
- Tense Reception: Presbury is cold and suspicious, aggressively denying any need for Holmes’s services. The encounter nearly turns violent, diffused only by Bennett’s intervention.
- Quote:
- Presbury: “Now sir, it seems to me that your position is a very questionable one.” (06:07)
- Memorable Moment: The professor visibly loses composure, shaking his fists and nearly blocking Holmes and Watson from leaving.
3. Reviewing the Evidence ([06:40]–[11:29])
- Observation of the House: Holmes inspects the exterior for clues related to the impossible sighting of the professor at his daughter’s second-floor window. The presence of a creeper and water pipe suggests potential climbing abilities.
- A New Link: Bennett provides the address of Dorak, the professor’s secret London correspondent.
- Quote:
- Holmes (re: the climbing): “It would certainly be a dangerous exploit for any normal man.” (09:14)
- Telegram Investigation: Holmes sends Mercer to investigate Dorak, confirming mysterious Prague connections.
4. Holmes’s Theorizing: The Nine-Day Cycle ([11:29]–[13:50])
- Pattern Uncovered: Holmes reviews Bennett’s diary and deduces the professor’s behavioral outbursts occur at nine-day intervals, likely after taking a certain drug.
- Hypothesis: The substance acquired in Prague intensifies Presbury’s violent tendencies and may lead to physical transformation.
- Quote:
- Holmes: “Let us then form the provisional theory that every nine days the professor takes some strong drug which has a passing but highly poisonous effect... He learned to take this drug while he was in Prague and is now supplied with it by a bohemian intermediary in London.” (12:42)
- Watson’s Doubts: Watson expresses skepticism about linking the wolfhound, Prague, and strange nocturnal crawling, but Holmes reassures him the case is progressing.
5. Laying the Trap ([15:08]–[18:40])
- Preparations: Holmes advises Bennett to keep watch the following Tuesday night, expecting a climactic event based on the cycle.
- Surveillance: Holmes, Watson, and Bennett plan to monitor Presbury without interference, enlisting the coachman MacPhail if needed.
- Quote:
- Holmes: “At the worst the lock should not be very formidable... Well, we can do no more until we see how things develop.” (18:39)
6. The Midnight Vigil ([18:40]–[21:07])
- Staking Out: Holmes and Watson hide in the bushes, awaiting the professor’s transformation.
- Clue: Holmes notes Presbury’s thick, horned knuckles—a sign of unusual physical exertion or transformation.
- Quote:
- Holmes: “Always look at the hands first, Watson, then cuffs, trouser knees, and boots. Very curious knuckles which can only be explained by the mode of progression observed by—Oh Watson, Watson, what a fool I have been. It seems incredible and yet it, it must be true.” (20:17)
7. The Creeping Man Revealed ([21:07]–[25:54])
- Transformation Witnessed: Presbury, under the influence of the drug, crouches and scuttles on all fours, climbing the house’s ivy with animalistic agility.
- Disturbing Encounter: He goads his loyal wolfhound Roy into a frenzy; the dog eventually breaks free and attacks, nearly killing Presbury.
- Quote:
- Dr. Watson: “In all our adventures, I do not know that I have ever seen a more strange sight than this impassive and still dignified figure, crouching frog-like upon the ground, and goading to a wilder exhibition of passion, the maddened hound.” (23:10)
- Aftermath: Bennett and Watson save the professor, treat his wounds, and keep the scandal contained.
8. The Secret Box and the True Explanation ([25:54]–[31:00])
- Discovery: Holmes and Watson search the professor’s locked box, uncovering vials, a hypodermic syringe, and letters from Dorak and H. Loewenstein in Prague.
- Sinister Science: The Prague scientist congratulates Presbury on his “progress,” warning the serum is dangerous and that the “serum of anthropoid” might have been less hazardous than the “black-faced langur” extract used (the latter explaining the animalistic changes).
- Quote:
- Letter from Loewenstein: “It is possible that the serum of anthropoid would have been better. I have, as I explained to you, used black faced langur because a specimen was accessible. Langur is, of course, a crawler and climber, while anthropoid walks erect and is in all ways nearer.” (28:18)
- Moral Reflection: Holmes explains the ultimate cause was Presbury’s desire to regain youth to woo a younger woman, warning of the dangers of attempting to circumvent nature.
- Quote:
- Holmes: “When one tries to rise above nature, one is liable to fall below it. The highest type of man may revert to the animal if he leaves the straight road of destiny.” (29:45)
- Holmes: “The material, the sensual, the worldly would all prolong their worthless lives... It would be the survival of the least fit. What sort of cesspool may not our poor world become?” (30:24)
9. Case Closed ([31:00]–[32:10])
- Holmes’s Final Analysis: The wolfhound’s attacks were triggered by the animal scent of the transformation serum; the “creeping man” at Edith Presbury’s window was the professor acting on his animal impulses.
- Solution Summary: All bizarre occurrences—climbing, crawling, dog attacks, and foreign correspondence—stemmed directly from the failed scientific quest for youth.
- Parting Note: Holmes and Watson prepare to leave, the secrets kept within the household.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- On Holmes’s approach:
- Watson: “Compound of the busy bee and Excelsior. We can but try. The motto of the firm.” (02:10)
- On the professor’s transformation:
- Narrator: “With his dressing gown flapping on each side of him, he looked like some huge bat glued against the side of his own house, a great square dark patch upon the moonlit wall.” (22:11)
- On scientific hubris:
- Holmes: “When one tries to rise above nature, one is liable to fall below it.” (29:45)
Timestamps of Important Segments
- 00:32 — Recap of Part One and setup for the current investigation
- 03:00 — First tense meeting with Professor Presbury
- 09:14 — Examination of the professor's house and climbing possibilities
- 11:29 — Holmes deduces the nine-day drug cycle
- 15:08 — Plans laid for next week's surveillance
- 18:40 — Holmes and Watson begin their midnight stakeout
- 20:17 — Holmes notices the professor's thickened knuckles and realizes the animalistic transformation
- 21:07 — The professor is observed in full transformation; dramatic confrontation with the wolfhound
- 25:54 — Discovery of the serum, letters, and final explanation
- 29:45 — Holmes’s philosophical warning about science and human nature
Tone
The narrative combines the classical tone of Conan Doyle’s original stories with Hugh Bonneville’s measured, suspenseful narration. Holmes is clinical, sharply observant, with flashes of dry humor and philosophical musing, while Watson remains practical, compassionate, and occasionally incredulous.
Summary for New Listeners:
This episode blends gothic suspense, classic deduction, and speculative science in a tale that is equal parts mystery and cautionary fable. It stands as a compelling entry in the Sherlock Holmes canon, exemplifying Holmes’s genius for observation, his deep understanding of human (and animal) behavior, and his capacity for moral reflection on the limits of scientific ambition.