Comedy duo Innes Lloyd have entertained Melbourne audiences for over ten years with their hilarious adaptations of well-known literary characters, including Dracula and Frankenstein. In 2026, they are bringing a brand-new show to the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, The Lost Casebook of Sherlock Holmes.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle teased readers with hints of other daring adventures for Sherlock Holmes and Dr John Watson. These cases were left untold…until now. Innes Lloyd take three of these legendary, never-written mysteries and explode them onto the stage in a bold, high-energy, laugh-out-loud theatrical event.
Audiences will face the peril of Ricoletti of the Club Foot and His Abominable Wife, and puzzle over the enigma of Colonel Warburton’s Madness. They will shudder at the terror of The Giant Rat of Sumatra.
The Scoop sat down with David Innes and Rob Lloyd ahead of the season and talked all things comedy, including sandwiches without ham, mild cardio and public domain chaos.
Across four novels and 56 short stories, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle only hinted at these three cases. What gave you the confidence to say, “Don’t worry, Arthur, we’ve got this”?
Lloyd: There’s always been something tantalising about these infrequently mentioned but never published ‘missing’ adventures in the Sherlock Holmes canon. These are always dropped with off-handed flair by either Holmes or Watson. Fans have been speculating for over a century about what these stories could be about and why they were never written as official stories.
From a comedy/creative point of view, it’s the perfect vehicle to create an original Holmes story that can go anywhere and explore any weird, wild, wonderful idea, but still connected to the official Holmes world. You can either be a massive Sherlock Holmes fan or only know very little to get into this show. No homework required!
Innes: You’ve got Lloyd, that’s why. A man who scuttled away from the harshness of the Dubbo sun to bury himself in the timeless children’s classics that are the complete Sherlock Holmes collection. Anyone who says, “Um, actually, my favourite Sherlock Holmes is Ian Richardson,” is bound to be an expert on the subject. So, take it from me that we’ve got this, because we have an absolute authority on the matter!
You’ve tackled Dracula, Frankenstein, even James Bond… what is it about public-domain chaos that calls to you?
Innes: Avoiding copyright fees. Also… James Bond isn’t public domain, so uh… nobody look up our previous shows on YouTube, will you? But jokes aside, we love a big, bold adventure, and these sorts of stories lend themselves to a rollicking good theatrical romp.
Lloyd: These characters, heroes, and villains are my myths and legends! They’ve leapt off the page and into our connective consciousness! They’ve jumped to the small screen, the big screen and of course, the stage!
Innes and I love exploring these characters because they represent fundamental aspects of what makes us what we are as humans. Heroes we aspire to! Villains we challenge! Good versus evil! Right and wrong! What do you stand for?
Plus, they are so flexible…they can be adjusted, adapted and transformed in infinite ways, to fit the current times and issues. There is no limit to what you can create using these characters, with comedy, drama, action, and horror!
The giant rat of Sumatra: misunderstood icon or genuine menace?
Innes: Misunderstood icon. Rats are incredibly clever and beautiful creatures. It’s not his fault he’s big and controlled by… oh, I better not give that away.
Lloyd: Spoilers! You’ll have to come see the show! I’m really excited about presenting this story. This title has even inspired a classic Doctor Who adventure…The Talons on Weng-Chiang! We have the amazing, award-winning puppet designer/maker Donna Prince creating our giant rat…it will no doubt fill the audience with both terror and wonder!
After ten years together, who is Holmes and who is Watson in your working relationship?
Lloyd: BAGSIES BEING HOLMES!
Innes: Oh, I am definitely Watson. Lloyd has the gravitas to stand, hands on hips, on rocks at Dartmoor, being all dashingly heroic. I just look like I got lost on the bus tour.
I love that. A 9pm slot feels deliciously late for Victorian intrigue. Should audiences expect danger? Drama? Mild cardio?
Innes: Probably just sleepiness. It’s past my bedtime!
Lloyd: There will be danger that Innes will fall asleep on stage. Mid-scene. Audiences can then expect the drama of me watching my scene partner take a quick snooze on stage. Then witness me getting my mild cardio for the day, trying to keep Innes upright and awake for the remaining 30 minutes of the show.
Why is the Melbourne International Comedy Festival the perfect place to unleash this particular beast?
Innes: A Comedy Festival without Innes Lloyd would be like a sandwich without ham. We gotta be there! We show the audience a fun time and fill them in on delicious fun facts.
Lloyd: This is our eleventh year of doing the Comedy Festival! We have premiered all our latest shows here! It’s the creative mecca for comedy types. We love being part of the community and energy of this festival.
If Holmes himself reviewed the show, what would he deduce about you two?
Innes: He would say,“I had neither kith nor kin in the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and was therefore as free as air, or as free as an income of eleven shillings and sixpence a day will permit a man to be.
Under such circumstances, I naturally gravitated to Innes Lloyd shows, that great cesspool into which all the loungers and idlers of the Empire are irresistibly drained. There I stayed for some time at the Impro Melbourne Theatre in West Melbourne, leading a comfortless, meaningless existence, and spending such money as I had, considerably more freely than I ought.”
Lloyd: “My mind rebels at stagnation. Give me Innes, give me Lloyd! Give me their most obscure reference or the most intricate homage, and I am in my own proper atmosphere, in the audience of an Innes Lloyd show.”
Brilliant! If you could adapt one literary character who is absolutely off-limits, who would it be?
Innes: Horace Rumpole, of Rumpole of the Bailey fame.
Lloyd: The Scarlet Pimpernel.
Finish this sentence: “The game is afoot… and so is the…”
Innes: …contents of my shoe.
Lloyd: …hope it’s good eating.
The Lost Casebook of Sherlock Holmes is presented by Innes Lloyd and premieres at the 2026 Melbourne International Comedy Festival. 31 March – 5 April at 9pm at the Impro Melbourne Theatre. 21 – 23 Stanley Street West Melbourne Vic 3003.
Grab your tickets here.
Website: https://www.inneslloyd.com.au/
Socials: https://www.instagram.com/inneslloyd/
Images supplied.
Created in partnership with Innes Lloyd. For more information about our partnerships, visit here.
