Chronology Kerfuffle Over I Hear Of Sherlock Everywhere

For Immediate Release

April 1, 2026

(DETROIT)— A contentious debate about chronology is once again raging among Sherlock Holmes enthusiasts, but in a whole new realm. Fans are pitted against fans, friendships are dissolving, social media relationships are being left in tatters. Even families are clashing over one simple question:

What is the best order to listen to episodes of I Hear Of Sherlock Everywhere?

"When it comes to Sherlock Holmes podcasts, IHOSE is the pre-eminent source for Sherlockian knowledge," said podcast expert Maddelyn Kin-Yoness (no relation). "Everything you ever wanted to know about the canon can be found in all of the IHOSE episodes."

Most casual IHOSE-ian fans believe the date of release/publication is probably the best, especially for people who are new to the world of Sherlock Holmes podcasts. However, many IHOSE scholars scoff at the notion that there is only "one true" order of the episodes.

"True Star Wars fans don’t just watch the movies in release order! That’s ludicrous!" said Schotte Mahntee (no relation). "So, too, is there a particular order to listen to IHOSE. Like, there are a lot of episodes you should probably skip entirely."

While there are alternative orders to listen to IHOSE, opinions vary wildly when it comes to what the actual metric should be used in deciding the order. The rift began as IHOSE researchers began creating their own chronologies (or indices). 

"It’s not a question of what order the episodes were produced and released," said Kin-Yoness. "It’s a question of their order of importance or the order of the events being discussed."

Alternative chronologies can be based on anything, from the publication dates of the canonical stories being discussed to the age of the interview guests or even the number of publications written by interviewees.

One prominent chronologist, Skawtt Doil (no relation), has organized his index based on the alphabetical order of the predominant color of Scott Monty’s bow ties. Of course, this has caused no small amount of outrage among other chronologists.

"This is a rather unfortunate blunder by Mr. Doil, as Scott often wears 'No Tie,' which has caused a huge glut in the N section of his index," said Monnickeh Shhh-Mitt (no relation), the Sherlock Holmes Chronology Chair at Oxford University (or Cambridge; no one really knows for sure). "It’s actually laughable, and Mr. Doil is in danger of being drummed out of the Society of IHOSE Chronology Knowledgists for such a flighty and un-serious index."

When it comes to the IHOSE source material, the actual Sherlock Holmes stories have been laid out based on the dates they took place, according to vague clues and half-hidden hints discovered by obsessed researchers. For example, William S. Baring-Gould introduced his The Annotated Sherlock Holmes in 1967, and Leslie S. Klinger’s The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes was published in 2005–06.

"The chronlogizing of IHOSE episodes is a relatively new endeavor," said Buhrte Whoaldur (no relation), president of the Society of IHOSE Chronology Knowledgists. "For too long, Sherlockian chronologists have arrogantly hogged the spotlight, been invited to all the best parties, and gotten all the girls or guys. Well, it’s about time we SICKos get our moment in the spotlight, too."

Unlike the canonical chronologies developed by Baring-Gould and Klinger, which only vary slightly from one another, IHOSE chronologies can differ wildly as researchers fight and argue over which criteria should be used in sorting the episodes.

"For example, look at when Nicholas Meyer appeared on IHOSE," said Whoaldur. "He appeared on episode 85, 178, and, most recently, 317. But, should you listen to those episodes in 'one-two-three’ order? Or do you sort them based on the number of times Meyer shamelessly namedrops and plugs his Hollywood accomplishments?"

The field has gotten so contentious that fistfights have broken out at past conferences.

The next meeting of the Society of IHOSE Chronologists will be held the same week as the 2028 Baker Street Irregulars Conference in Atlantic City, New Jersey. This year’s chronology contest will be decided by a winner-take-all battle royale steel cage match.

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