Sherlock Holmes was made the famous (some might say the most famous) detective of the 19th century by the writings of Arthur Conan Doyle. In the 20th century his existence as a real person was a matter of debate.
Profile
Biography
Life and career
Holmes had several notable relatives: Siger, Sherringford, Mycroft and Genevieve. Early in his career, a murder investigation led Holmes to become involved with the intrigues of Faction Paradox and the Celestis (FP: Erasing Sherlock).
In 1887, Holmes and Watson assisted the Doctor in battling the Old One known as Azathoth (NA: All-Consuming Fire). Later in 1887 Holmes and Watson traveled to Cheldon Bonniface 2010 to attend the wedding of Bernice Summerfield and Jason Kane, uncovering the schemes of the Master during the festivities (NA: Happy Endings). Bernice's further adventures would eventually reacquaint her with Holmes's family (BFBS: The Adventure of the Diogenes Damsel). In 1894, Holmes investigated The West End Horror (novel by Nicholas Meyer) and may or may not have encountered the Eighth Doctor at the time (EDA: The Gallifrey Chronicles).
Having completed a second run of Holmes stories for publication in The Strand Magazine, Conan Doyle got tired of writing stories about the detective, and wrote a story where a villain, Moriarty, caused Holmes' death. This failed to stick. (DWM: Character Assassin)
- Historically, The Final Problem appears to have been written under a separate contract to the earlier stories that with it comprise The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, published in 1893. The Empty House, which explains how Holmes faked his death, was set in 1894. Moriarty appeared in NA: All-Consuming Fire and was (somewhat obliquely) mentioned as a real person in NA: The Death of Art and BNA: Ghost Devices.
Like all humanoid life, Holmes was reborn into the City of the Saved but, thanks to the Remembrance Tank technology of The Remote, multiple versions of him were created by the populace, most of them based on film and television depictions of him, rather than Holmes himself. Many of these Holmes iterations joined together to establish the Great Detective Agency (FP: Of the City of the Saved...).
Other information
Minor references and mentions
- Perhaps in tribute to Holmes, the Fourth Doctor adopted the detective's trademark style of dress during a visit to 1883 London. (DW: The Talons of Weng-Chiang)
- The Doctor and Frobisher came across an illusion of Sherlock Holmes in his study. The Doctor described Holmes as fictional. (DWM: Funhouse)
- The Doctor quoted a saying of Holmes', to which his companion Ace described him as a fictional character. The Doctor asserted that you could still have spoken with him. (NA: Timewyrm: Revelation).
- The Doctor lived for a year as practically a neighbor of Holmes as he lived in a house at 107 Baker Street in Victorian London (BFA: The Haunting of Thomas Brewster).
Holmes' status as fiction
A noted above, different accounts attribute disparate levels of "reality" to Holmes, variously suggesting that he existed as a real person named Sherlock Holmes, some that he never existed, and others that Holmes and Watson were authentic historical figures under different names, whose identities Watson's literary agent Arthur Conan Doyle concealed (NA: All-Consuming Fire). To further disguise the identity of his clients, Conan Doyle instructed his illustrators to dress 'Holmes' in the deerstalker and cape the Doctor had been wearing when the writer met him in 1880 (MA: Evolution). In accordance with this, the most substantial information regarding Holmes' encounters with the Doctor and his companions has been provided in the subjective form of diary entries written by Bernice Summerfield and 'Watson' (NA: All-Consuming Fire, Happy Endings).
Some who've made his acquaintance, such as Kadiatu Lethbridge-Stewart, still seem to regard him as not-quite real (BFBS: The Final Amendment).
While specificlly discussing Holmes in every instance, the Doctor has hinted (NA: Timewyrm: Revelation, EDA: The Gallifrey Chronicles) at some permeability between "fiction" and "reality".
Behind the Scenes
General information
Many commentators, including Colin Baker, have noted a similarity between the characters of the Doctor and Holmes. Both character have enjoyed rare levels of popularity and longevity as British fictional characters in multiple media. Tom Baker played Holmes in a 1982 television serial adaptation of The Hound of the Baskervilles.
The version of Sherlock Holmes depicted on the cover of All-Consuming Fire is based upon arguably the most famous cinematic portrayer of the role, Basil Rathbone.
Crossovers in other works
The Kim Newman short story collection Secret Files of the Diogenes Club, a work which mixes the Sherlock Holmes and other continuities, features his creation the Cold from his Time and Relative, set in the Doctor Who Universe.
Doctor Who actors who have played Sherlock Holmes
- Michael Caine
- Peter Cushing
- John Cleese
- Jonathan Pryce
- Tom Baker (the only actor to officially play both Sherlock Holmes and The Doctor)
Cleese, Rupert Everett, Matt Frewer and Christopher Lee, all of whom have played Sherlock Holmes, were all considered for the role of the Eighth Doctor in the TV movie.
See also
