In Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s short story The Five Orange Pips, Doctor Watson referenced several cases which he and Sherlock Holmes had investigated in 1887, and which remained undisclosed, including the adventure of the Amateur Mendicant Society. Undisclosed until now, that is. 

In the fourth of eight weekly episodes of serialised audio drama Sherlock Holmes Untold, Watson (Richard Earl) is surprised to see Holmes (Nicholas Briggs) arm in arm with a young woman. But this is no mere romantic stroll, as Holmes is helping the widow Esmerelda North (Harriet Kershaw) investigate her late husband’s secret – his membership of a peculiar club. 

What do the members of the Amateur Mendicant Society want with London’s homeless population?  Finding the answer will require Holmes to venture into murky waters – and he may even need the assistance of his brother, Mycroft (The Archers star Timothy Bentinck). 

Sherlock Holmes Untold is now available to purchase for just £24.99, exclusively here. This purchase will grant you access to all eight weekly episode downloads, as well as the complete serial as a box set download to own once all episodes have been released. 

The Adventure of the Amateur Mendicant Society

Christmas, 1887. A grieving widow receives a curious invitation from a club of which her late husband seemed to be a member: the Amateur Mendicant Society. 

Dr Watson and an uncharacteristically distracted Holmes investigate, only to pick up the thread of a mystery which will have dreadful ramifications for decades to come. 

The cast of Sherlock Holmes Untold: The Adventure of the Amateur Mendicant Society also includes Harry Myers as Fleet, Christopher Naylor as Jasper Cranfield, and Luke Barton as Rosborough. 

Lead actor Nicholas Briggs said: “Holmes is drawn to very strong, intriguing women, and that happens here with the character of Esmeralda North. Watson discovers Holmes with her and thinks, oh, have I intruded on something? It’s not quite clear what Holmes thinks, and Watson is completely bamboozled. 

“It’s been really good to play opposite Harriet Kershaw – she’s amazing. I haven’t worked with her for years and years, and it’s lovely when you’re reminded of how brilliant someone is. There are so many different layers going on, and it’s excellent writing by Jonathan Barnes, always is.” 

Writer Jonathan Barnes added: “The Amateur Mendicant Society is another story based on a stray reference, tossed in by Doyle and not explained at all, to this club held in a furniture warehouse in London. So we’re investigating this, and trying to tell a weird, creepy story in its own right.” 

On the inclusion of Sherlock’s brother Mycroft, Barnes said: “The Sherlock-Mycroft relationship is further evidence of what an incredibly skilled writer Doyle was. Mycroft has this exasperation of the elder brother, but underneath it a real mutual respect and somewhere, love. I’ve always loved Tim Bentinck’s performances as Mycroft, and he and Nick work really well together, so if I can, I will often bring Mycroft back.” 

There will be an ‘after show’ discussion for this episode in this week’s edition of the Big Finish Podcast, due to be released on Friday, with producer and presenter Iain Meadows joined by special guests Jonathan Barnes, Nicholas Briggs, Richard Earl, Timothy Bentinck, and Harriet Kershaw, as well as Laurence Delosion and Mark Jones from the Sherlock Holmes Society of London. 

Next week on Sherlock Holmes Untold, a seemingly impossible vanishing takes place in London, and the detective duo must investigate The Strange Disappearance of James Phillimore. 

Sherlock Holmes Untold is now available to purchase for just £24.99 as a series of digital downloads to own, released weekly exclusively from www.bigfinish.com.

All the above prices (including pre-order and multibuy bundle discounts) are fixed for a limited time only and guaranteed no later than 31 January 2026.