A father who beat leukaemia and lost his fiancée to sarcoma has taken on the voice of Sherlock Holmes to say that cancer does not define sufferers.
Brett Harman has provided an audio narration of a new chapter for Arthur Conan Doyle’s collection of short stories ‘The Return of Sherlock Holmes’.
It is through the ‘Part of the Story’ campaign being run worldwide by pharmaceutical company Pfizer which argues ‘portrayals of cancer continue to be simplistic and developed for dramatic effect so that characters are represented as either terminally ill or miraculously cured, which does not reflect the lived experience of most people affected by the disease’.
“I’ve always loved reading Sherlock Holmes, especially when I used to work as a teacher,” said Brett. “I wanted to get involved because of how the campaign resonated with me.
“It’s now ten years since I was told I was in remission and I’ve not let my life be determined just by cancer.
“I don’t want my daughter to grow up scared of that word.”
The new short story included on online versions of the book, including on Spotify and You Tube, is called ‘The Adventure of the Silent Hiss’.
It sees the famous detective navigate a cancer diagnosis while successfully solving another mystery.
“I had a great time doing the narration and the team there were fantastic,” continued Brett. “It’s a great story they’ve come up with that has a fantastic twist and is available for anybody to listen to online.
“Sherlock doesn’t let the cancer define who he is.
“When I was diagnosed I still wanted to work and reach my goals.
“I think when I was younger I was quite fearful and worried about cancer and that’s partly due to the way the media dramatise it as life-ending, but that’s not always the case. I’m proof that people can go on and build a life.”
On bringing such a renowned character to life, Brett said: “Sherlock is very positive but also comes across as a little cantankerous without being rude.
“He’s a bit more RP (Received Pronunciation) than my Lincolnshire brogue.
“I’ve taken what others have done previously and put my own twist on it.
“The story is narrated from Watson’s perspective so I had to do his and a host of other voices.”
Brett continues to run the Rush Hour Escape Rooms in Red Lion Street which he set up with his partner Hannah.
His film podcast Brettflix has a large and ever-growing following and he’s excelled in the world of voice acting after setting up a professional studio in his Spalding home.
It’s led to work around the film industry including recently with Aardman Animation on the new Shaun the Sheep movie and having a go as a stuntman for Disney+.
This is while bringing up four-year-old daughter Summer who was born while Hannah was battling a rare form of cancer, something she died from in 2024 just weeks before her 30th birthday.
“Summer’s doing really well and grown up a lot,” Brett continued. “I think she’s going to get her height from me.”
You can listen to the extra chapter on Spotify or on YouTube.
