Mysterious events were afoot in the latest offering from Blackeyed Theatre.

Sherlock Holmes and The Valley of Fear recently played at Sale’s Waterside - a lovely little arts centre in the centre of the town.

The setting is late 19th century England, with a switch back in time to rural Pennsylvania.

Holmes and his trusty sidekick Dr Watson are called out to investigate the murder of John Douglas, who has had his head blown off by a shotgun.

The events, in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s thrilling final Sherlock Holmes’ novel, start with the tale of intrigue and murder stretching from 221B Baker Street to an ancient, moated manor house to the bleak Pennsylvanian Vermissa Valley. 

Faced with a trail of bewildering clues, Holmes begins to unearth a darker, wider web of corruption, a secret society and the sinister work of one Professor Moriarty.

This production, carried out by just five actors playing numerous parts, was professionally done and had the audience on tenterhooks throughout.

It flitted from the manor house in Surrey to Vermissa with ease, with the actors expertly shifting from one accent and character to the next.

Holmes, played smoothly by Luke Barton, was slick in his delivery of the world-famous detective, even drawing out a few comedic moments with  Joseph Derrington, who played Watson. Indeed, Watson was the link to most of the scenes in the manor house and it was his narrative which kept the story flowing.

This was a gem of a play and the theatre company is definitely one to look out for in the future.