Pop Quiz! Take one classic work of fiction, an iconic detective and a talented trio of actors and what do you get? A fast-paced version of The Hound Of The Baskervilles at Eastbourne’s Devonshire Park Theatre that will leave you howl-ing with laughter and asking: Who Let The Dogs Out?

The acclaimed Eastbourne Theatres team have triumphed again with this laugh-out-loud-every-second version of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic murder mystery featuring Sherlock Holmes and his sidekick Dr Watson.

Entrenched in the local theatre scene, it isn’t summer in Eastbourne until you’ve seen one of the Eastbourne Theatres productions, but following on from The 39 Steps, Around the World in 80 Days and last year’s genius interpretation of The Invisible Man, this show has taken the team’s skillset to a whole new level.

From curtain up, with an expertly mimed introduction by Tom Richardson (Coronation Street and Abigail’s Party) as the doomed Sir Charles Baskerville, the audience is kept on their toes with shocks, surprises, and just plain (but brilliant) silliness at every turn.

Richardson is joined by Andrew Pollard as Holmes and Devonshire Park Theatre favourite Ben Roddy as Dr Watson, and, from the off, this is a riotous romp of a show that leaves the audience, as well as the actors, breathless.

The story is well known. The Hound of the Baskervilles, written by Conan Doyle in 1901, is set on Dartmoor where Holmes and Watson are summoned from Baker Street to investigate the grisly murder of Sir Charles, apparently the latest victim of a supernatural hound who, legend has it, preys on the family.

So far, so simple until the trio – playing multiple characters at breakneck speed – smash through the fourth wall to step out of character and become themselves in front of the packed theatre.

Cue an evening that delivers the unexpected with gusto including recapping the entire first half again after the interval at a million miles an hour. It’s a masterclass in comic timing and impeccable acting ability between a trio who are at the top of their game.

Pollard (Emmerdale, Womanhood and Hollyoaks) is a great Holmes, but he shows his versatility playing myriad characters, and each one is a study of character in the minutiae. The pace of the show is so fast that by the end there’s no time for a costume change and yet, with an arch of an eyebrow or an affectation in his voice, it’s immediately clear who he’s playing.

Roddy (the funniest man every summer at the DPT!) and Richardson match him every step of their way, creating a chemistry that’s infectious.

The trio don’t just rely on their naturally comedic characters though – there are clever props, plenty of mime and slapstick moments that make the show slick, sharp and oh soooooo funny.

The farcical thriller is based on a true(ish) story. There was a real Baskerville Hall with a legend of a supernatural hound, but its owner begged for the Hay-on-Wye location to be kept a secret to stop curious tourists from invading.

So Conan Doyle, who retired to nearby East Dean after writing 56 short stories and four novels, set his murder mystery in Dartmoor where an ‘evil squire’ Richard Cabell had killed his wife. The murderer died in 1677 but his ghost was said to roam the moors with a pack of phantom hounds.

This imaginative Eastbourne adaptation offers a brand new and hilarious twist on the greatest detective story of all time. The set and costume design by Julie Godfrey, the lighting design of Ryan Tate and sound design of Charlie Tipler all add to the in turns menacing and madcap atmosphere on stage.

The two hour show flies by so fast you won’t want it to end. Watch it, tell your friends and go back to watch it again with them. After all, it’s far from Elementary, my dear Watson.

Five Stars.

The Hound of the Baskervilles is at the Devonshire Park Theatre until Saturday 31 August, 2024. Tue - Sat Evenings 7.45pm, Wed & Sat Matinee's 2.30pm. Tickets from £23 available at eastbournetheatres.co.uk