I’M A very lucky lad. I get to see lots of shows: some good, some “naff,” none unworthy of comment. But despite this, sometimes I find that I fancy something just a bit different.

Now when I say “different,” I don’t necessarily mean utterly “wacko” and avant-garde, just something that’s not your bog-standard missionary position type of theatre, but which doesn’t involve the theatrical equivalents of swinging from chandeliers or wearing handcuffs, either.

So, given my mood, Sherlock Holmes & The Crimson Cobbles caught my eye.

Now, Sherlock has been “done to death,” but this production comes at things from a different angle. It looks at the interface between fiction and reality, where Holmes has become real in the minds of many, while the real Whitechapel murders of Jack The Ripper have become folklore.

Set in “a Victorian London defined by lazy literary clichés” (Sherlock’s words,) just three actors play all the parts; Alasdair Buchan (Sherlock,) Ben Tolley (Dr. Watson) and Neal Craig (everyone else.) Scenes are short and punchy, with some amusing visual depictions of Holmes’ signature deductive reasoning. If I’m honest, the first half of the play dragged a bit – you knew where it was going, but it never seemed to get there, but thankfully the pace picked up after the break, with plenty of quick-fire gags to keep us in the plot.

Of course, Holmes solves the case, but there are a few twists and turns en route to revealing the (possibly) unexpected identity of Jack The Ripper, who may, or may not, be real.

There were some hard-core Sherlock fans in the audience, who seemed ecstatically happy with the treatment of their hero in this quirky tale. For my part, I enjoyed trying something a little bit different. And if that’s what you fancy, then The Salberg Theatre rarely disappoints.

Sherlock Holmes & The Crimson Cobbles comes To The Lights, Andover, on Tuesday, 3 October.

Tickets start from £10. Go to thelights.org.uk for more information.