The Man with the Twisted Lip - Part One

Transcript

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Sherlock, this.

Are you serious? An early Christmas present? You didn't have to do this, you big detectiving.

Sorry, what? What? What is this? You're welcome. You are now a Sherlock and co-member.
Go to patreon.com forward slash Sherlock and co.

Sherlock.

Did you get me a Patreon membership for Christmas? Yes. You said it was the perfect Christmas gift.
Yeah, but not for me. I...
I run the members' club.

Yeah, no, this is great. Love it, mate.

I love it. Merry Christmas.
Yeah, you too. Give the gift of Sherlock and Co.
membership today. Who are you talking to? Oh, right, the listeners.
Yeah, good. Good work.

Oh, oh, oh, Merry Christmas.

I'm not going to do it all in this voice. That's even annoying me.
Hi, all. Welcome to a Christmas Adventure.
I will be your Christmas Adventurer for this one.

It's that time of year, so why not gift your loved one a Patreon membership? Go to patreon.com forward slash Sherlock and Co or go to the various shopping options we have.

Explore the links in the description.

What we got for you? Swearing and all around...

Yeah, I want to say seediness, but that may come across snobbish.

No, no, I'm sticking with seediness. I'm gonna go with that.
We go to drug abuse, we go to sex work, we go

where else do we go? Well, you'll find out. Strap in, get cracking, and I'll see you at the end.

This Christmas will be the best Christmas. It's always the very best time of the year.
Oh, these are so good, man. Hey, hands off my Christmas pies.
I washed my hands yesterday. What's the problem?

The problem is, I've had my eye on that tart, and you've swooped in. Watson, I feel I must rectify your misogynistic language.
Her name is Ruby St. Clair.

She is a friend of mine, and I do not wish for her to feel uncomfortable at our Christmas party. Sherlock? Yes.
I'm talking about that.

Your indispensable key to the city, your human encyclopedia of London, is eating my turkey berry tarts. Off!

You know, at Christmas, people usually feed the homeless. They don't steal food off them.
They're mine, right? And you've eaten...

Twel

Twel you've eaten twelve. One for each day of Christmas.
What does that even mean, Wiggins? I don't know. I need a cigar.
Have you got one? And you got any brandy, too?

I do not have cigars and brandy. Why not? Oh, um.

What was the reason? Uh, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, because we're not in the drawing room on the Titanic. What does that even mean, John Boy? I will take you to the brandy, Wiggins.
Ah, thank you.

What word do we have brandy, exactly? Can I... Can I have one? Sherlock! Sherlock!

My name is Dr. John Watson, once of the British Army Northumberland Fusilier Regiment, now a true crime podcaster based in central London.

I don't have much experience in criminology, so this is mostly a record of how I met possibly the most brilliant and bizarre person I have ever and will ever know.

Join me as I document the adventures of Sherlock Holmes.

And I'm

Welcome back to this Christmas special edition of Night Night with Nigel. That was Mandy Mae White with Snow is Falling.

And that was for Stephen and Diane in Northampton, who are celebrating their 30th Christmas together this year. And they're doing that by emigrating to Dubai.
Country has gone to the

okay, well,

quite a long letter. Yes, they're spreading Christmas cheer to the

Arabian Gulf.

Charlie in Southend says, I would like to say Merry Christmas to my beautiful wife of 17 years old. To

wait.

17? Come here.

Okay.

No. Yeah, that needs a comma there.
Charlie.

Wife of 17 years, comma. Old age has brought us even closer together, and I can't wait to start 2026 with you by my side.
Beautiful.

Charlie asks, Nigel, can you please, please play I Didn't Know I Loved You by Gary Glitter? Um

no,

I don't think I won't um profess to have expert knowledge, but I have skim read the station's policy on this and we do not play songs by that particular artist and a few others, actually, who will sadly remain nameless.

I mean, most of them are dead. I've seen the list.
But, yeah. Sorry, Charlie.
That is nons.

Put your teeth in, Nigel. That is not something I can do.

Ruby and Lee are. No, no, sorry.
That's Ruby in Lee in South East London says, this message is for my beloved husband, Neville, who went missing around this time, five years ago.

Oh, Ruby, I'm so sorry. Ruby goes on to say, I know you're still out there.
I and our beautiful boy, Noah, miss you so much, he still gets those secret gifts you leave him every year.

Please, please come home to us.

Wow. Well, for Ruby and Noah, and indeed Neville, it's Cozy for Christmas by the Stargazers.

All packed? All packed. You know, you got my gifts for

La Familia? Si, Senia. They will be very, very happy.

T-selection, Big Ben keyrings, and Sherlock and Co. merch.
You can't go wrong. You cannot.
And you, my big bruly friend, I will see you in the new year. Yes, I will.
Yes, I will. And you will get...

Well, I can't tell you what you're getting for Christmas, but it is from a very expensive meat market, and it really stinks, so I know it must be good. Okay, bye-bye.
Bye-bye. Have a good one.

Message me when you land. Bye-bye.

And then there were two, my friend.

Well, me, you, and Graham.

Two and a bit.

So what do we think about a walk in the park? Hey, then maybe a Christmas Guinness or two in the volunteer? Hmm?

Guessing that snort sound is a yes.

Come on then.

Hello everyone.

I hope the Christmas season is treating you well. in all of its twinkly, jingly warmth.

As you may be able to tell,

I am the only human at 221b Baker Street this year. I will of course pay Carol Watson a visit over the Christmas period, but

yeah, Mariana is heading back home for some family fun, and Sherlock is

working away over this period. What that means, I don't quite know, but

Yeah, he's not the most forthcoming man.

So that might be his way of saying he's also spending time with family.

Yeah, he didn't want to talk about it. I didn't want to probe.
So here we are.

The greenery of Regent's Park is crunching beneath my feet. A light, frosty sheen clings to every surface.

The swans, the ducks, and

well the one or two geese that didn't get the migration memo move slowly across the icy waters.

Gotta say, the city feels

quiet, like it's having a breather. All those Christmas celebrating residents have jumped on planes, trains, packed up cars and gone to family and friends the world over, I expect.

Universities are emptied, schools closed, out-of-office emails are pinging out from every commercial building around the place. It is a different London, that is fair to say.

Yeah, you too, mate. Mike, pop in boxing day.
Cheers, Matt.

Yeah, well, come on, Arch. I think we line up a Christmas film.
What do you think?

Home Alone would be pretty apt, wouldn't it? Not bad, shout out. I finished Sherlock's advent calendar chocolate.

It was delicious, but I might need to think about how I replace that in case he suddenly appears. And, um,

whisper it, but maybe,

maybe,

I cook that beef Wellington I have. Yeah,

not a bad idea. Cook that baby, go halves on it.
Alright, maybe I'll have the majority, but you can get a few chunks in your bowl. Hello.
Hi.

You okay? Yes. I'm just waiting for a friend.
Okay.

Are you a friend of Mariana? Because she's in Spain for a few days. No, I am a friend of John.

John Watson? Yes. I'm always up for making new friends.
Dio. Dio.

Sorry, I don't recall where I know you

from. Oh, you are John Watson? Yes.

I'm Dio Whitney. My husband is Isa Whitney.
Oh, um, University of London. Yes.
Yes, he said. He showed me your detective show, and he said that you are university together.
Yeah.

Oh, bloody hell, that's a blast from the past. Hey, the ghost of Christmas past.

Oh, God, sorry. I didn't.
I didn't.

Do you want to?

Ah, there you go, Dio.

Thank you. Got an abundance of chocolates and biscuits, too, if

that's needed. Don't feel bad about taking them.
I will thank you in January.

Sorry about the ghost joke. If if Issa is is is no longer with us.
I'm I'm so sorry. He is.

He is alive

for now. Ah, okay, okay.

R right. Is there anything I can help with?

I can't find him.

Is

I mean, maritally, is everything... It's been a lot, a lot worse.

We are strong. We are strong for our children, you know? Yeah, of course.
And I thought he was happy.

Even with everything. Scoliosis, if I remember correctly? Yes.

A few years ago, he had become addicted to codeine.

He had a lot of pain after a physiotherapy program, and he was prescribed them.

Then I found out he was getting friends to prescribe it for him.

And then, when they would no longer do it, he was doing it himself. Yeah, I remember getting uh

I got an email from him in um 2020, 2021, maybe that would be around the right time, yeah.

He found it very difficult to detach himself from the painkillers, and he had told me that he had substituted the addiction with something else.

I asked, he said it was safe, he was doing it in a controlled way, and this would not affect his lifestyle. I

just assumed it was cannabis.

That kind of made sense to me. I had heard it before.
It didn't seem all that bad, but I can understand why Aisa might be embarrassed about that. Especially with kids now.

So,

yes, I thought it was that.

And it's not that? I don't think so. You don't think so? This summer just gone.
One day before he headed to work, he left his phone. Not for long, not all day.

He came right back, maybe three or four minutes after he left.

But I saw he had a reminder for an appointment at a place called Clinic. Like Clinic, but with K's instead of the C's.
K-L-I-N-I-K? That's right. Okay.

And I thought...

Well, no, I didn't think much about it. But I get a message that evening.
He has to stay out late for work and he's going to get a hotel. I think, all right, that's okay.

But in September, I see the reminder again. Clinic.
And the same thing happens again. I have to work late.
Hotel. October, same again.
Then November, the same. In fact, twice in November.

Clinic notification, night in a hotel.

So

what day are we today? Monday. Okay, so I spoke to him.
I confronted him on Friday night. I was gentle.
I said I was here to help. He would not tell me.

He begged me, begged me, John, to not take this away from him. He kept saying this, Dayo, do not take this from me.
And I said, What, Aisa? Take what from you? Is it a woman?

Do you have somebody in the city for yourself?

We don't settle the argument. We're getting too loud.
The children are in bed.

We say we will discuss it over the weekend.

I wake up the next morning

and

he's not there.

He's not there.

Tu mereces distrutar the favoritos por menos. Ja sel na Big Mac, make nuggets.
O un

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Hello, mate.

Have you seen Wiggins?

He's over there by Waterloo Bridge. Ah, lovely.
Thank you. Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas to you, mate.

Oh, here we go. Here to take more from me, are you?

Well, yes, actually. Full of Christmas cheer, aren't you, John Pal? Correct.

I forgot to give you your Christmas gift. Oh, my Christmas gift now, is it? Oh, come on, Wiggle.
We go way back. You're a bloody good friend.
You are. So, I got you.

Ta-da!

Is that a box of cigars? It is a box of cigars, yes. The very finest money can buy.

Well, the finest my money can buy. Thank the listeners, too.
They helped out. Oh, thanks.
These are decent.

Well, I have decent listeners that buy harmful tobacco substances for homeless men in London, apparently. That's uh, yeah, that that's top, John.
That's proper stuff. Merry Christmas, man.

What, to you, too, mate. To you,

too.

Um, if you were feeling the Christmas cheer swelling up inside you, right,

and you felt like you needed to act upon that spirit of this the most wonderful time of the year,

you could actually give me a gift. Right.

Do you see any wrapping paper about the place, John Boy? Doesn't need to be a physical gift.

Oh, couldn't Luna Hope?

People get lonely this time of year, pal. I hear you.
No, we can't get off. Oh, get off.
Jesus, what do you want, man? Spit it out. I want some information.

All wrapped in a bow and nestled under my tree, please. Speak normally.

I want to know about a place. A place? Yeah, a place I can't locate, but I know exists.
Name? Clinic. K-L-I-N-I-K.
Nothing online about it at all. Yeah, I know it.

But I'm not going in there unless I have to. What? Who are you looking for? Isa Whitney.
My age, my height. Poor fella.
Shut up. Shaved head, black, has scoliosis, so quite an unusual gait.

But the wonky spine thing, yeah? Scoliosis, yep. A friend of mine, she rubbed this fella down the other week.
Said he was in a bad way. Thought he might hurt himself or someone else.
What?

How do you even know that? Cause I know everything.

Wiggins. This way, John by.
What do you mean? Rubbed him down. Wiggins.
Wiggins.

Hello, Mr. Wiggins.
Hey, Cassie. Hi.
John, this is Cassie. Hi, John.
You want a Christmas rub from a professional girl? Uh, no, I'm I'm alright, actually. Oh, and John, this is Cassie as well.

Hello, Mr. John.
Hello, Mr. Wiggins.
But yeah, hi, hello, there. And she's Cassie there, and that is Cassie.
Right. It's what it says on the visa.
They all share it. They know more efficient that way.

Save the planet. Just print the one form and I'll take the same name and address.
The Chinese are seriously clever, man. Hello, everyone.
Sorry, why have they got so many security cameras?

To watch for police. For who? Sorry? Police.
Right, why?

Mr. John, you can't get naked now.

Mr. Aisa.
Yes, he was in there ten days ago. Ten days ago, right, uh and you sensed he was distressed? Very tears, crying, but not from Le Pen.

He was very sad. He said very funny things.

Funny things like

what? They don't make sense to me. As in what, like a language barrier? That it was total blah blah no sense.
He in and out of sleep. I was very heavy.
Right.

What's

what are you thinking? Cassie, you still know Laska at clinic? I know Mr. Laska, yes.
Could you tell him, uh,

tell him Wiggins is coming?

Yeah, thanks for that, mate. Thanks a lot.
People have massages naked, John. What's the problem, man? They're looking out for police.

You're not looking down on women that might be involved in sex work from time to time, are you?

No, no, no, no, no, absolutely not. Then what's your problem? Why are you judging them?

All right, fine, fine, fine. I apologize.
So you should.

Snobby bastard, man. Jesus.
What is Clinic Wiggins? Where is it? We're not far. Get in.

Oh, nice work, mate. We'll make brief work of this.

Not a place to be excited about, pal.

For nearly 200 years, it was a leaky, damp old dungeon that served the opioids of the city. It was an opium then? Yep.
It doesn't sound like one now. It sounds quite upmarket, if anything.

Kinnick with the K. The K is for Ketamin, John.

Oh, shit. Of course.
He...

Isa is using it for pain relief. He's in pain still.
And now, if he's in there,

I bet he's addicted.

To keep the bad bastard outside your city walls.

Because the second you let one through,

the second you let your guard down, it's never just one. It's another.
And another and another and you think you can handle it, but you can't.

Before you even arm yourself to take it on, to rid yourself of this invader.

Time's up.

You've lost.

Right, yeah, well, Merry Christmas, mate.

Just through here. Right down this alley.
Yeah, that's the one. Where are we exactly? Swandom Lane, Limehouse.
Mate, you think they're just gonna let us walk in?

No.

Right. So, what is the game plan? Just ask if Ice is in there and see if they can escort him out.
Last car ain't gonna do that for you, but Cassie has warned him I'm coming.

Oh my god, you're gonna beat him up? No, I'm not gonna beat him up. I'm gonna get the knot to go in there and I'm gonna drag your friend out for you.

They'll let you do that if they think he's one of mine, yeah. What makes you so sure? It'll be my fourth time this year.
Oh,

stay off the drugs, John. Yeah, tell Sherlock that.
I do

often.

Hello?

What's down there?

A lot of lost souls, I'd say.

Where's your man, Lasker? He'll be tending to his

patience. Patience? Victims? Take your pick.

Here we go.

Oh, I see the little elf, but where's your sack and big fluffy beard, eh, Wiggins?

Laskar, this is John. Hey, Chris.

Okay. I haven't got anyone for you.
You do? And he's one of mine. Nope, checked.
None of your lot.

Now, if you want treatment, put your phones and devices in the lockers and head on through. You can close the locker, mate.
You're not taking my phone.

What makes you so sure that you don't have one of mine in there, by the way? Got the high rollers today, for the most part.

None of your little...

Street urchins. I thought you were so low you had no one to look down on, Lascar.
Watch you. You have a doctor in there.
His name is Isa Whitney. John.

He suffers from scoliosis and he needs professional attention. A crippled man is entitled to self-medication.
That crippled man is a leading practitioner. He has a wife and children.
And a bad habit.

That we will help him fix. We don't break them out of their stupors.
Oh, yeah? Why not? Bad for business.

I bet.

Come back in the morning. I'll see that he paces himself.
All right, Lascar. No.
John, excuse me. Bring him out here.
I'm not gonna ask again. Wiggins, who is this exactly? Never mind who I am.
This

here is the phone number of the greatest detective this country has ever produced. Possibly the most important private investigator in the world.

If you do not let us through, I call the number. And what's he gonna do? Find out every single thing

about you.

A phone number.

Uh-huh.

You think I'm scared of a phone number, do you? You should be. Try me.

I'm gonna do it. Oh, I'm sure.
Right, this is it. Oh, I'm bracing myself.
You made me do this.

That's sad. Where is that coming from? The lockers.

Sherlock! Looks like you're a great detective. There's a bad habit, too.

I'll send him out when he's done.

Sherlock! Keep your voice down, eh? Don't want to wake your pal.

Shut the fuck up. What's that now? Hey!

Whoa, whoa, hey, hey, put the knife away. You shut your mouth.
And I'll grant that wish, little man. No, no, no.
Now shut it. Laska.
Ow. Oisa Whitney is in there.
Bust it out, the period!

John, I am literally... I am out the door.
And do this. Do this before your Christmas break.
It's not a Christmas break. I'm a detective.

I'm old a substantial amount of time back due to the hours I've worked, all right? Can you give me a hand with these gifts? No, I mean, yeah, I will. Tom, I think Sherlock is in there.

And where is this exactly? Clinic. A clinic? Good for him.
About time. No, it's a...

It's

a ketamine den. Alright, picture an opium den.
Now put some wellness bullshit spin on it, okay? You got that? Not really. We've got to get him out of there.
And another guy as well, actually.

For God's sake. Anything else? Tom,

I know this isn't right, okay? This place...

There is there is something really, really wrong. What did Sherlock say he was doing exactly? He said he was working.
Right. Well, there you go.
Tom, please, please, mate, it's Christmas, please.

Even if he's planning to...

Even if he wants to stay in there until New Year's Day, you and I and Gwen know

he can't. He can't.

He can't spend Christmas in there, mate. He can't.

Hey, whoa, whoa, whoa! I hope you're planning on chopping Brussels sprouts with that thing, son. Tom Gregson, Scotland Yard.
You can't just come in here. Oh, yes, I can.
This is a private business.

I'm having a look around. Show me what you got here.
I'm not showing you my place of work, sir. You show me yours, I'll show you mine.
How about that, eh?

Get off! You can't do it! You can't do this!

Good God.

Right, pick out a couple of things, then we're off.

Merry Christmas. Thank you, mate.
Thank you.

Excuse me. Hello.
No.

Sorry, mate. Oh, stepped on.
Jesus, you're going in the recovery position. Best be safe.

Right. Um.

Ah, sorry. Excuse me.

Aisa!

Aisa Whitney!

Got any cash, boss? No, I do not. Why?

Watch where you're treading. How about you watch where you're lying around while you're off your tits?

Get off me!

Where is this man?

No phones in here. Oh, sorry, you have no screen time detox, are you?

God, you... You need to see a doctor.
It eases my pain. Oh, I'm talking about the wounds on your face.
You need to see a doctor. Do you understand me? Mm-hmm.
Leave him alone. How about you?

Mind your own business. Can't you see the man's disfigured? Hey, I said leave it.
Shut up. Who are you telling to shuddle, mate, eh? You! He acts right.

I suggest you move out of my face- A- Out of my face right now! You ate my chocolate. I ate

my Advent calendar chocolate, you deceitful little bastard, John.

Me, deceitful? No apology either. Deary me.
Oh, I am this close.

This close to punching you directly in your face, do you know that? What are you doing here?

What are you doing here? Why are you following me? Why are you always following me? No, why are you always following me? Every case I do by myself, you are lurking in the background.

Excuse me, this is my case. It's mine.
It's mine.

Isa Whitney is my friend. My friend.
Wait, what? Stop. Stop.
You stop. Stop.
Look, just...

I need to get Isa Whitney now. He has got a family.
Sherlock, he is in a lot of pain. It is Christmas.
How many times have you professed that it's Christmas just to get your way in here? I haven't.

How many times? That's probably the third. Hmm.
Honesty at last. Sherlock.
Find him and meet me outside. I'll get him a cab.
Thank you.

There.

Hot Christmas booze. How kind? Thought you'd need it.
Ketamin, not acceptable, but alcohol acceptable. Interesting.
No, not interesting, actually. Very ordinary, uninteresting logic.

You think alcohol is not harmful? Extremely interesting. Stop saying interesting.
And no, I don't think it isn't harmful. Of course it is, but

just because society indulges... Here we go.
Society.

Society indulges in things that are harmful does not mean that we then get to extrapolate that further down the line and say, oh no, this is fine, because alcohol also bad. Yeah.
Oh no, this is...

No, I'm just going to shove heroin in my arm. It's only literally 10,000 times stronger than pure alcohol and that bad.
So bad is fine. That bloke stepped on my toe.
That's bad.

Murder also bad, so I'll murder him.

Stab, dead.

You're scaring the children. Yeah, and you're scaring me.
Why? Because, Sherlock, you...

You were in a crackden during the Christmas holidays.

It wasn't a crackdown, then I wouldn't frequent such a thing because crack cocaine news has become too talkative, and you know I can't tolerate that. You know what I mean? I know what they do there.

I know what you're on.

You don't. Wiggins told me.
It's ketamine. That's why we're arguing about ketamine, because you're taking ketamine.
I thought we were arguing about ketamine because Isa Whitney is on ketamine.

Both, it's both. I'm not taking ketamine, John.
Sherlock. I'm not.
Oh.

Then.

What are you doing in there and why would you lie to me? I did. Lie to you.
Yes, you did. No, I didn't.
You did. You said you were away working.
And I was.

What? I was working.

Please watch the gap between the train and the platform.

This station is Pipper Green.

Every Christmas for five years.

You've been working on this for five years.

Yes.

How did I not know this?

Because I'm

ashamed, I suppose. Ashamed of what? That I haven't solved this case.
Ruby.

The friend from the Christmas party. Yes.

Once a client. Now a friend.

Now, I suppose,

a source of guilt. She, the rose, yet its its thorn digs into my side.
What's...

What did she come to you for? Her husband, Neville Sinclair, disappeared five years ago. He was a rather successful trader in the city, married to Ruby, and had a son together, Noah.

Noah. Noah has Angelman syndrome.
Angelman? I.

I'm not familiar. A deletion or mutation of chromosome 15.
Non-verbal, global development delay,

learning complications. Right.

Wow, that is tough for Ruby. Ruby's husband and Noah's father, Neville, went missing on Christmas Eve 2020.
His coat was dredged from the Thames three months later. A man, Mr.

Boone, was arrested for his murder that summer and later released. Lack of evidence.
Right.

Tricky one.

But, Watson, the real tricky thing about this case is what it asks of me.

What

does it ask of you? What this case asks of me

is to believe

in Christmas miracles. Oh, exactly.
Because

every 25th of December, Noah wakes up to a gift from his father.

This is my stop. Wait, wait.
This year, I'd like to give them the gift they really want. You think you can

figure this out after five years? The festivities have got me feeling that anything is possible.

This is the season, dear Watson.

And Sherlock Holmes is coming to town.