On TV last night

Stepkids: Don't Ruin My Big Day (C4)

READERS didn't take the news of Sherlock Holmes's death well. The creator of the Baker Street detective, Arthur Conan Doyle, was threatened, insulted and mocked by grieving fans of the sleuth.

He maintained it was justifiable homicide when he sent Holmes and his arch enemy Moriarty over the Reichenbach Falls. He was so fed up with his literary creation that he couldn't bear to hear his name, making his publisher refer to Holmes as "your friend".

The most famous author in the world at the time wanted to write novels about other things. David Pirie's one-off drama probed the reasons behind Doyle's decision to kill off his famous detective, although the line between fact and fiction became increasingly blurred.

The mysterious Selden was assigned to research and write Doyle's biography, a story involving a mad father locked in an asylum, a mother with a new beau and a wife dying of consumption.

The production looked handsome and Douglas Henshall's Doyle sparred with the enigmatic Selden (Tim McInnerny) to great effect, but it all seemed a bit plodding and too clever by half.

Family worries too in Stepkids: Don't Ruin My Big Day - "although it would make great television if you did," as the director might have whispered to the participants.

This wasn't a good advertisement for marriage between divorced people with children. The problems seemed to outweigh the pleasure in many cases. Much scowling by children, family arguments and the threat of violence marred the run-up to the big days of three couples with 23 stepchildren between them.

The degree of selfishness displayed by some parents in the face of opposition from youngsters was excusable considering the awful, foot-stomping behaviour of the teenagers with whom they were dealing.

Equally understandable was a reluctance by other offspring to embrace a new mum or dad. When mother-of-three Jackie decided to wed father-of-one Nick just three months after meeting, their children's comments that they were rushing into marriage seemed reasonable, especially when it emerged Nick had been married three times before.

One of Angie's daughters set out on a personal vendetta to break up her mother's relationship. She even threatened Max with a billiard cue, leading Angie to throw her daughter out of the family house.

I was worried by Richard's choice of bride, Ellen, whom he met seven years ago through a lonely hearts column. Richard wanted to wait to get married until his daughters were older. Now 18 and 19, they seemed no happier about the forthcoming nuptials.

Ellen, with two grown-up sons from her previous marriage, stated from the start that she wasn't prepared to be a parent to Richard's girls. That didn't stop her trying to discipline them or banning one from the wedding.

This obviously upset Richard a lot. "Maybe I am the wicked stepmother," she suggested. I found it difficult to disagree.

Mr Shell's Seaside Spells, The Southlands Centre, Middlesbrough

WHEN we were greeted by a bunch of children brandishing SOP banners, I wondered just how much fun this show would be for our two reviewers - Jack, five, and an experienced theatre-goer, and his three-year-old friend Luc, who was on his first trip to a show.

But we discovered SOP stood for Save Our Pier, and the little ones soon got into the swing of booing and hissing, cheering and clapping, and chanting SOP with the passion of future protesters, led by the very determined Wendy Weir.

The show is based around the hapless Mr Sandy Shell, who needs to find his box of tricks from the bottom of the sea and perform the magic spell to save the pier. After winning the youngsters' trust by pretending to be shy of children, Mr Shell had plenty of young fans rooting for him.

The baddie of the show was the 'orrible Council Inspector Hector Fludd, who was so scary in his black top hat and cape that he drove a tearful Luc from the theatre. Luckily, Charlie the caretaker saved the day, with his bright and breezy jokes and the slapstick bumping into people and falling over. Even putting up a deckchair was an ordeal for Charlie, but he got a lot of laughs and Luc returned to enjoy the performance.

Jack loved the jokes and has been asking everyone what you call someone who sleeps at the bottom of the sea? (A kipper). Meanwhile, Luc was very struck by Charlie grappling with the giant octopus. Children were keen to take part in the magic tricks on stage and at the end of the show they all got to shake Mr Spell's hand.

This was a colourful and fun production by Magic Carpet Theatre, a feelgood start to the summer holidays.

Christine Fieldhouse

At Darlington Arts Centre on August 10, 11am and 2.30pm Box office (01325) 486555