Dr. Watson wasn't stupid. He was a successful doctor, perhaps not brilliant in crime and deduction matters but, brave, loyal, an excellent writer and a true gentleman. Maybe Conan Doyle himself was a bit resentful of Dr. Watson's success.
Watson was most often the narrator, and had to be dim enough that Holmes had to constantly explain things to him. If Watson understood all that Holmes did, then Doyle had no artifice to use to explain Holmes’ thinking.
Doctor Watson: Holmes you have a brilliant, analytical mind. To what school of learning do you attribute the development of your abilities? Was it private school or University? Sherlock Holmes: ( measured pause ) Elementary my dear Watson, Elementary.
It's my understanding that while most of the techniques etc. in the Sherlock stories are only *maybe* invented by Conan Doyle, the clue in "Silver Blaze" is legitimately ACD's. If the dog doesn't bark, or the burglar alarm doesn't go off, etc., then you know it was an inside job...
Sherlock: "And then there is the curious event of the dog in the night." Reply from the rather-arrogant estate owner: "But the dog did Nothing in the night!" Sherlock: "That Is the curious event." 🙄🤣
Gregory, the Scotland Yard detective: "Is there any other point to which you would wish to draw my attention?" Sherlock: "only to the curious incident of the dog in the night." Reply from Col. Ross, the rather-arrogant estate and horse owner: "But the dog did Nothing in the night!" Sherlock: "THAT is the curious incident." 🙄🤣
Thanks, Lance. I've been a fan of A.C.D. since I was a kid. I have two volumes, all of Holmes, one from 1920 of the later stories and a reprint from 1950 of the first set with all of the original Strand magazine illustrations by Sidney Paget & others. Of all of the actors, Jeremy Brett is the one for me.
Yes, Jeremy Brett's work is the best of the many portrayals of Holmes. These productions acknowledge Holmes drug use (unlike some movies) and don't treat Watson as a bumbling fool. I have the entire set and watch them in order every few years.
A lot of the imagery we have of Holmes and Watson , such as the deerstalker hat, Watson's mustache, and the Holmes' pipes are due to Sidney Paget, the illustrator used for The Strand magazine. Thanks THC for the story on Sherlock Holmes! Well done!
Funny, I was just about to write what you wrote. Another fun fact is that in none of the novels the phrase “Elementary my dear Watson” appears. It’s only in the movies the phrase is used.
Holmes used the word elementary at least once, although without the "my dear Watson". He was also described as smoking a clay pipe, not the more elaborate type. I think extensive moustaches were very common at the time so not really a distinctive characteristic.
While it’s true that the popular image of Holmes is largely due to Sidney Paget’s sharp illustrations, the pipe, to which you made reference, ie a meerschaum, owes everything to an American actor and playwright, William Gillette (1853 - 1937). He was the first to take Holmes on to the stage and screen. So convincing was his interpretation that Conan Doyle almost felt that his fictional character had come to life. Gillette found the style of pipe shown in The Strand Magazine illustrations by Paget to be too small and insignificant for the stage and used a meerschaum instead. It was he who is credited with being the first to utter the phrase "Elementary, my dear Watson" -a phrase that never appears in Conan Doyle's stories
@@markshrimpton3138 I believe the now world famous deerstalker hat was attributed to Gillette as well, if I’m not mistaken. In the books Holmes kept his tobacco in the toe of a Persian slipper by the fireplace and smoked three different pipes: a churchwarden style clay, a briar, and a cherry wood.
@@Legionmint7091 I think you are probably correct. A British gentleman at that time would never have worn such an item in the city, though Gillette was American and regarded the deerstalker as quintessentially English. Initially however it was ease of use on stage that caused Gillette to predominantly use the deerstalker rather than a Bowler or Topper. His four-act play, Sherlock Holmes, in association with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, was premiered in 1889 at the Garrick Theatre in New York. Conan Doyle generally approved of Gillette’s interpretation, especially when the money flowed his way. Paget himself only showed Holmes sporting a deerstalker in an illustration for the story The Boscombe Valley Mystery and that appeared in The Strand Magazine in October 1891. I’ve been unable to discover any instructions to the artist, either from Doyle or the publisher, requesting that he showed Holmes in a deerstalker. But that’s not surprising considering that very few of Paget’s original drawings have survived.
That was interesting. Conan Doyle created a larger than life character so popular he found himself unable to let go of it. And still popular down into our day. That's a hell of a good legacy.
As an amateur artist & historian who loves to write fiction it amazes me how often people leap at the idea’s of mine which I didn’t think would be all that popular and the ideas I was most excited about are oftentimes dud’s.
One of my friends had a basset hound named Sherlock. Although he was very lovable, he definitely was not the smartest dog 🐕. But he did have a nose for finding the true scent of things!
Watson was stupid? What did Doyle think of his fellow man? 🤨 Thank you for the video. Fun stuff😊 I ❤ Sherlock stories & I'm very happy Doyle stuck with Sherlock and Watson as the names.
in a late in his life interview circa 1925 Doyle refers to Watson as 'his rather stupid friend" as one of the few recordings of Doyle it gets a lot of exposure but Watson through the books is a competent doctor and is only when standing next to holmes does he seem less intelgent, like a reasonable playwright seems dull if put into a comparrison with shakespeare.
@@GravesRWFiAI was confused when I heard that as well. Because Doyle seemed to write Watson as more of a pupil to Holmes. Throughout the stories he learns Holmes' methods and begins to use them himself. Eventually Watson is even sent out by himself to the Baskervilles in Hound of the Baskervilles to investigate for Holmes.
I’ve always been struck (often not positively) by the…dichotomy of Arthur Conan Doyle, how he created what’s probably the most rational and skeptical character in the history of literature while he himself was a staunch believer of the paranormal and supernatural. It’s a mystery, almost an enigma, that I think not even Sherlock could solve.
Fascinating video as always, thanks history guide. I was delighted to see P. G. Woodhouse on the cover of the strand magazine. Are Jeeves and Wooster a suitable subject of history that deserves to be remembered? Have a great holiday season!
Jeeves and Wooster have an entire A&E television series devoted to their (mis)adventures, starring Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry. It's been out for years.
@@mctavish199 totally know that. But the history around the dissipated, post war wastrels is fascinated. With the crash of the grain prices so many of these peers were castle rich and land poor. Hence the frequency of get rich schemes as a side story to so many of the novels. And more
I fell in love with mysteries when I was 9 years old, and watched a black and white movie, a Sherlock Holmes story. It stared Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes. And, I was hooked!!! 70 years later, still read and watch mysteries on film. There is a part of my library devoted to my hero, Sherlock.
I’ve also watched Vincent Price & Diana Rigg’s intros & conclusions to episodes of the Sherlock Holmes TV series starring Jeremy Brett on “Mystery!” on TH-cam. I learned a lot more about Sherlock Holmes & Sir Arthur Conan Doyle from these intros & conclusions. The Final Problem was the last of the original Sherlock Holmes stories Conan Doyle wrote in 1893, but then Conan Doyle wrote about what really happened to Holmes at Reichenbach Falls in the story The Empty House nearly a decade later.
Hello from Detroit Michigan brother thank you for sharing your knowledge and expertise and for taking us on your adventure through time and space and GOD-BLESS
Some literary critic (I've forgotten who) points out that the path taken by Holmes to Reichenbach Falls (where he's supposed to have died) follows on branch at a Y-junction. If you follow the other branch you get to the glacier where Dr. Frankenstein has his final confrontation with his Monster. The argument is that this was an intentional nod by Conan Doyle to Shelly-Wolfenscroft and that he was killing off his own monstrous creation.
I've had to remind myself that Holmes was a fictional character a number of times. Regardless of his origin, I'm grateful to have been able to read the stories.
The brilliance of Edgar Allan Poe and C. Auguste Dupin in hiding a missing document in plain sight is one of the most brilliant deductions ever. It is in simple in its elegance. I read the Purloined Letter when I was 8-years-old and have never waivered in that opinion. Thank your Mr. Poe for inventing Sherlock Holmes, Lt. Columbo, Miss Marple, Hercule Poirot and The Mentalist.
My only gripe with the Holmes books is the lack of distinction between deductive reasoning and inductive reasoning. (Inductive reasoning moves from specific observations to broad generalizations. Deductive reasoning works the other way around.)
When I was a teenager my Dad told me a story of Doctor Bell which is perhaps apocryphal. Supposedly while serving as an assistant to Bell, Doyle witnessed a memorable example of the doctor's keen abilities as an instructor. Bell was demonstrating to a class of medical students how to detect the presence of sugar diabetes by dipping one's finger into a vat of urine and tasting it for sweetness. He then had each student come forward and duplicate his example. Once the entire class was again seated he informed them that the real purpose of his demonstration was to emphasize the importance of the power of observation. "Had you but paid closer attention to my actions, you would have noticed that I dipped my middle finger into the vat, but tasted my index finger." What student was likely to forget that lesson?
Conan Doyle's library included the volume _Knots Untied_ by George S. McWatters, one of the first private detectives in the U.S.--and a man who really deserves a biography.
Well done! This video filled in some holes, even for those of us with a life-long addiction to the stories. Now do the same for "Prof. Moriartys' inspiration...Adam Worth!
I read an anecdote many years ago in Reader's Digest where A. C. Doyle described observing Dr. Bell examining a man complaining of pain in his cheeks. Dr. Bell accurately listed off various conclusions about the man based on his observations, which were confirmed by the man to be correct. Finally Bell asked, "Are you a musician?" The man said, "Yes, Doctor, I play in the Regimental Band." Dr. Bell then said, "It's obvious that this man's pain in his cheeks comes from the high pressure he exerts blowing on a brass instrument. What instrument do you play, soldier?" The man replied, "I play the drum, Doctor."
Several years ago, I read an edition of L'Histoire magazine on Spinoza. Some of the articles were about the influence he had on the various authors. I recently came across a note I had made regarding Arthur Conan Doyle. Doyle was evidently quite an admirer of Spinoza, who made his living grinding lenses. Doyle included the magnifying glass in Holmes' tools as a symbol of the presence of the rational, penetrating mind of Spinoza in the character of Holmes.
I have been listening since the first couple months you have been posting these. (I still kick myself for the faux pas of mistaking your subject of Hedy Lamarr.) I think I have enjoyed this one the most. Thank you for your efforts in bringing all these posts to us!
Just to think, if it wasn't for Sherlock Holmes, I would never know who Basil Rathbone was. As brilliant as Jeremy Brett is as Holmes, Rathbone will always be my favorite. ❤
To me. Rathbone and Bruce are the true images of Holmes and Watson. If a new movie ( or TV show) is made the new actors must look exactly like Rathbone and Bruce. If they don't, I won't watch the new show. It will look fake. Some decades ago I went for a job interview near Baker street. I found the spot where No 221B should have been but no sign of Holmes's habitat.
When my kids were young we would checkout a Holmes video form the library every Saturday and made that our family movie night. They look back with great fondness on those nights.
My mom liked all the Sherlock Holmes stories, and so do I. Mom also liked the Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce movies. Sherlock Holmes was brilliant, and he struck me as a very focused, perhaps aloof person. Sort of like Dr. Temperance Brennan the main character on "Bones", a TV series I enjoyed watching.
As THG said, it was just Doyle's own description. I like how this is kind of referenced in the BBC Sherlock where he occasionally diminishes Watson's intelligence even though is at least of average intellect and above average in practicality/capability.
Personally, as a writer myself, have been inspired by the ways Sherlock (or sureluck) solved cases. He inspired and taught me, if I can use the word, to listen, look (observe), analyse, and solve everyday problems.
I have always questioned why Dr. Watson was portrayed as an older, and overweight man when in Doyle's portrayal, Dr. Watson met Holmes, a veteran, when they were both young. He had no difficulty in keeping up with Holmes on 6 mile hikes and helping to subdue dangerous criminals. He also married Mary Marsden, unlike the movie, where it shows Watson as much older and Marsden marries the younger Shoto. Just a thought...
Another possible reason for the name Sherlock is that Doyle's mother went to live in Masongill in North Yorkshire (and in consequence his first marriage took place in nearby Thornton in Lonsdale church). When visiting his mother he would have travelled to the nearest railway station, at Ingleton, where there was a memorial to Randall Hopley Sherlock, brother of the village's vicar, who had been killed by lightning whilst standing on the platform.
There is an interesting British made docudrama from 2005 called "The strange case of Sherlock Holmes and Arthur Conan Doyle" where Dr Bell is portrayed by the great actor Brian Cox and is well worth a watch if you can locate it on the net.
If Sherlock Holmes is the great British detective, then Nero Wolfe is the great American detective. Would love to see an episode about Wolfe and his creator being Rex Stout.
Thank you Team THG. My earliest recollection is in the 1950's being introduced to Sherlock Holmes & Dr. Watson by the serialized episodes being run on TV. Even now, I watch reruns and imitations as if totally new.
I read eons ago that Doyle grieved the loss of his son in The Great War that he never wrote another Holmes episode. He was reported to believe in Spiritualism.
Holmes was killed off in "the final Problem" you say 'program' in this. He killed Holmes because he felt Holmes was distracting people from his other writings. Bell is well noted for the tricks of observation, but to some extent doyle was himself Holmes- something his wife declared at one point "You know you are Holmes- in fact in later years Doyle like holmes, got involved in cases where he believed the police had made a mess of things. In "the man with the twisted lip" Watson's wife, to the amusement of sherlockian societies, does call Watson 'James" instead of John.
I noticed in one of the drawings of Holmes how much Basil Rathbone resembled it. He was great in all the Holm movies. Thank you for sharing. Have a great day and stay safe.🙂🙂
It seems, perhaps, that Sir A. Conan Doyle may have been prone to demonstrate his admiration for specific people by "roasting" them, such as is done in modern "roasts" of celebrities. It's also kind of funny how Sherlock Holmes shared the same fate as Superman, i.e., both were killed off much to the dismay and even outrage of fans which would inevitably result in the "rebirth" of the two famous super-characters. Lastly, and although I'm not sure how this fact may be interpreted in context of all being presented, it should be remembered that Sir A. Conan Doyle accepted and promoted the "Cottingley Fairies" as being real. Whether or not the fairies were real is not the point; the fact that Doyle accepted them to be real is the point.
Yes, I could do many more episodes on Doyle, who was also a famous spiritualist, knighted not for writing Sherlock Holmes, but for a non-fiction book about the Boer War. There are far more biographies written about ACD than books he actually authored.
Ironically, when the stories were written, that address did not exist. The street has been renumbered since to create a 221B, which is now the Sherlock Holmes Museum.
Back in the day, Baker Street did not go far out enough to reach the 200's. The street was extended in the 20th Century, absorbing what I believe was Chelsea Street at the time.
At 12:21, by interesting coincidence, the magazine cover mentions another famous British author who was an avid Holmes fan and may have coined the phrase "Elementary, my dear Watson."
Actually that oft repeated phrase was coined by the American actor and playwright William Gillette (1853-1937). It was he who took the great detective on the stage in a highly successful play “what he wrote”. He also used the meerschaum pipe, finding the small pipe illustrated by Sidney Paget in The Strand Magazine to be to small and fiddly.
I love Doyle's Holmes and his White Company serieses. One of my favorite books is a rendering of the Holmes series as it looked when published in the Strand Magazine.
A lovely and informative account of a fictional character who transcended literature itself to become a cultural icon. Your work, as always, is sharp and clear. Thanks so much.
His fans also got London to create a 221 B Baker Street. I remember visiting Baker and it wasn't there but today there is a 221 B Baker Street. and a Sherlock Holmes store there today.
It seems to me that Holmes' ego would not allow him to admit any detective especially any fictional one. Doyle may have nit picked his predecessors writings to give voice to Holmes while giving credit to them.
Certainly it was a way for Doyle to give credit. But, when you hear what Doyle had to say in 1927 about why he created Holmes, it seems like he really did feel that there was something lacking in his predecessors. I think that there is some sincerity in Holmes’ comments, and that it was also a way for Doyle to emphasize that Holmes was a unique creation, and not a copy of those characters whose methods he found lacking.
It used to be taught to medical students to check the patient's breath. The doctor that delivered me and took care of me for the first years of my life could tell a lot about the patient by the patient's breath.
youtube has about 10 sherlock holmes movies with basil rathbone and about 40 movies with jeremy brett. both actors are my favorite sherlock holmes. i always wondered why doyle made holmes a drug user. i like your videos, history guy.
He possibly didn't want him to come across as a perfect paragon. Holmes was very smart of course but also a disturbed and troubled character. Maybe Doyle had encountered people while working as a doctor who were highly intelligent but found it difficult to keep their minds suitably occupied, and were therefore unfulfilled and took to drugs or alcohol.
@@TheHistoryGuyChannelPeter Cushing was also in a Hammer Films version of The Hound of the Baskervilles. (No, autocorrect, I don't mean basketballs 😂)
Like others, you imply that Doyle’s characterization of Watson is unflattering, but I disagree. Holmes, of course, would put him down, but he also loved him. Watson was brave, good-looking (even Holmes said so), smart, loyal, and adventurous. He just wasn’t brilliant and imaginative like Holmes. Still, a good man and a better friend. I think Doyle created Watson to be very much like himself so it would be easy to tell stories from Watson’s perspective.
@@TheHistoryGuyChannel I stand corrected. I’ve read the entire Sherlock Holmes canon 4 times in my life and have formed my own opinion of Watson. I suppose I projected that upon Doyle.
@@eatiegourmet1015 Maybe I wasn't clear enough? "...no funny connotation" simply meant that "coq" is not a funny word in French, unlike in English. It's exactly the same as "phoque" (seal), which almost inevitably draws surprised or offended reactions in anglophones, but not in French (of course since it only means the said animal). As for our sense of humor, don't worry, we have a great one. Perhaps different, but definitely hilarious.
Holmes is the greatest literally accomplished. People over 100 years later are still writing him to ask for help. It's a shame Sir Arthur Conan Doyle didn't like him. I shall now set off on a Sherlock Holmes binge... I think Sir Christopher Lee is an underrated Holmes. But Ronald Howard is my favorite.
Watch the episodes with Jeremy Brett on the PBS "Mystery" series from the '80s and early '90s, and see if that doesn't change your mind. Jeremy was absolutely brilliant (my opinion) as Sherlock. And Edward Hardwicke was likewise superb as Dr. John Watson, on the second of the series, "The Return Of Sherlock Holmes". Both have left us now, sadly. I can never watch these programs too often.
@@conradinhawaii7856 I'm fond of Jeremy as Sherlock. The only fault I can find with him is his laugh, Sherlock's laughs were silent and never in front of his clients. As for Watson I have never seen a better one than David Burke. I was sad that he didn't continue. However, Edward Hardwicke is the second best, so I was able to adjust.
Regarding the clamored-for return of Sherlock Holmes, the stories of the Baker Street detective continued (as you no doubt know) even after Doyle's passing. Some very good Holmes stories have appeared from Baker Street Irregulars and other authors, even including some pastiches by Isaac Asimov. One of my favorites is "The Seven Per Cent Solution" by Nicholas Meyer.
LOVE learning the origins of the 'Murder Mystery' Genre! I'm a big fan of Sir ACD and 'Sherlock Holmes' and an even bigger fan of Agatha Christie and her stable of detectives! Please do a series on Agatha Christie and the histories behind herself and her famous (and not-so-famous) sleuths! Thank you!
It was an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation which established in that universe's canon that Holmes was a fictional creation of Conon Doyle. It would have been far more interesting had Geordie programmed the holodeck with the description of the Sherlock Holmes stories as written by Dr. John Watson instead-- establishing the conceit that the Star Trek universe was the same one Holmes and Watson once inhabited. It would have made Spock's mention of a human ancestor (in _The Undiscovered Country)_ all the better if he was citing Holmes rather than Conon Doyle.
1/4/2024 Having been a big fan of Sherlock Holms stories, I found myself thinking that Dr, Watson was in fact Doyle himself. The two characters always seemed to be counter play, between the two, and although Holms was a brilliant person, he ALWAYS deferred to Watson about anything medical, adding Watsons own observative ability, though limited. Arthur Conan Doyle also inspired other British mystery writers. I'm sure that Agatha Christy read every one of Doyle's stories, bringing to life Hercules Poirot, one of Britain's most beloved detectives in literature. Several modern day British TV detective shows all pulled from Sherlock Holms, like Foyle's War, Father Brown and Inspector Morse. I have never read an American mystery or TV mystery that measured up to any of them. Thanks for telling us all this "back" story. I just loved hearing it. ;-)
The Dr Watson of the stories is anything but stupid. He is of above average intelligence, but seems lesser in comparison to Holmes’ genius. Holmes, on the other hand, had a very spotty education, interested in nothing that does not affect his chosen profession.
Others have also stood up for Watson. But I do feel obligated to note that the comment about Watson being “rather stupid” came directly from Arthur Conan Doyle.
Sherlock Holmes had nothing on Lt. Columbo, who could sleuth with the best of them. On the other extreme was the French detective, Inspector Clouseau, who bumbled his way, solving cases mostly be accident. Great characters all.
Which is why I always shake my head when I hear about ACD's embracing of psychic phenomena as fact. Yes, i understand that he has lost numerous family members and needed to find solace somewhere...it just felt like finding out that Mr. Spock consols himself by going out of his way to weep loudly in public and being generally irrational to innocent bystanders. Interest is one thing...endorsement is another. Nobody has to agree with me. I just had to get it out there.
One of my all time favorite characters FROM literature. My favorite actors playing the characters are of course Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce. Watson was quite capable of deducing things as was Holmes, but Holmes being the MAIN character, Watson couldn't steal the show.
Typically enjoyable segment from our genial host. However ... Doyle's attempted killing of Holmes took place in a story titled "The Final Problem," not "The Final Program."
Same thing happened to Isaac Asimov (Foundation) and Douglas Adams (Hitchhiker's Guide To The Universe). They both had to write additional stories to satisfy fans who demanded more.
Thank heaven for the fan base, because Conan Doyle's best Holmes story - The Hound of the Baskervilles, a masterpiece - was published 8 years after author had killed Holmes off in The Final Problem. Hound was a huge success and led to the character's eventual revival. I also read that Conan Doyle initially intended The Hound of the Baskervilles to only feature Dr. Watson as the detective figure - and Watson does a lot of standard detective work in it - but ultimately felt he had to include Holmes and dated the case before Holmes' supposed demise.
Dr. Watson wasn't stupid. He was a successful doctor, perhaps not brilliant in crime and deduction matters but, brave, loyal, an excellent writer and a true gentleman. Maybe Conan Doyle himself was a bit resentful of Dr. Watson's success.
I’d say that Doyle saw himself in his character Watson, and was being somewhat ironic and self-deprecating in his comments.
Compared to Holmes Watson was the things that Doyle said
Watson is often portrayed as an idiot in many of the movies, but he is an essential asset to Holmes in the short stories and novels.
He was an active youthful strong man in his prime, not a doddering elderly idiot portrayed in most theatrical elements
Watson was most often the narrator, and had to be dim enough that Holmes had to constantly explain things to him. If Watson understood all that Holmes did, then Doyle had no artifice to use to explain Holmes’ thinking.
Doctor Watson: Holmes you have a brilliant, analytical mind. To what school of learning do you
attribute the development of your abilities? Was it private school or University?
Sherlock Holmes: ( measured pause ) Elementary my dear Watson, Elementary.
😂
Thanks. That is how I remembered the origins, but wasn't sure... a great Character...
It's my understanding that while most of the techniques etc. in the Sherlock stories are only *maybe* invented by Conan Doyle, the clue in "Silver Blaze" is legitimately ACD's. If the dog doesn't bark, or the burglar alarm doesn't go off, etc., then you know it was an inside job...
Sherlock: "And then there is the curious event of the dog in the night." Reply from the rather-arrogant estate owner: "But the dog did Nothing in the night!"
Sherlock: "That Is the curious event." 🙄🤣
Gregory, the Scotland Yard detective: "Is there any other point to which you would wish to draw my attention?"
Sherlock: "only to the curious incident of the dog in the night."
Reply from Col. Ross, the rather-arrogant estate and horse owner: "But the dog did Nothing in the night!"
Sherlock: "THAT is the curious incident." 🙄🤣
When I read Sherlock Holmes stories I always imagine Jeremy Brett playing the character.
Jeremy Brett was the quintessential Sherlock Holmes.
I always saw myself
Not me.
Much better than the movies with Basil Rathbone.
He was the best Sherlock
The history of Scotland Yard might make a good video for your channel
Bobbies and Peelers!
Thanks, Lance. I've been a fan of A.C.D. since I was a kid. I have two volumes, all of Holmes, one from 1920 of the later stories and a reprint from 1950 of the first set with all of the original Strand magazine illustrations by Sidney Paget & others. Of all of the actors, Jeremy Brett is the one for me.
Yes, seen my millions more viewers. However, for me it will always be Basil Rathbone and the 1950's TV serialization.
I agree absolutely - Rathbone it is and always will be!@@donalddodson7365
Yes, Jeremy Brett's work is the best of the many portrayals of Holmes. These productions acknowledge Holmes drug use (unlike some movies) and don't treat Watson as a bumbling fool. I have the entire set and watch them in order every few years.
A lot of the imagery we have of Holmes and Watson , such as the deerstalker hat, Watson's mustache, and the Holmes' pipes are due to Sidney Paget, the illustrator used for The Strand magazine. Thanks THC for the story on Sherlock Holmes! Well done!
Funny, I was just about to write what you wrote. Another fun fact is that in none of the novels the phrase “Elementary my dear Watson” appears. It’s only in the movies the phrase is used.
Holmes used the word elementary at least once, although without the "my dear Watson". He was also described as smoking a clay pipe, not the more elaborate type. I think extensive moustaches were very common at the time so not really a distinctive characteristic.
While it’s true that the popular image of Holmes is largely due to Sidney Paget’s sharp illustrations, the pipe, to which you made reference, ie a meerschaum, owes everything to an American actor and playwright, William Gillette (1853 - 1937). He was the first to take Holmes on to the stage and screen. So convincing was his interpretation that Conan Doyle almost felt that his fictional character had come to life. Gillette found the style of pipe shown in The Strand Magazine illustrations by Paget to be too small and insignificant for the stage and used a meerschaum instead. It was he who is credited with being the first to utter the phrase "Elementary, my dear Watson" -a phrase that never appears in Conan Doyle's stories
@@markshrimpton3138 I believe the now world famous deerstalker hat was attributed to Gillette as well, if I’m not mistaken.
In the books Holmes kept his tobacco in the toe of a Persian slipper by the fireplace and smoked three different pipes: a churchwarden style clay, a briar, and a cherry wood.
@@Legionmint7091 I think you are probably correct. A British gentleman at that time would never have worn such an item in the city, though Gillette was American and regarded the deerstalker as quintessentially English. Initially however it was ease of use on stage that caused Gillette to predominantly use the deerstalker rather than a Bowler or Topper. His four-act play, Sherlock Holmes, in association with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, was premiered in 1889 at the Garrick Theatre in New York. Conan Doyle generally approved of Gillette’s interpretation, especially when the money flowed his way. Paget himself only showed Holmes sporting a deerstalker in an illustration for the story The Boscombe Valley Mystery and that appeared in The Strand Magazine in October 1891. I’ve been unable to discover any instructions to the artist, either from Doyle or the publisher, requesting that he showed Holmes in a deerstalker. But that’s not surprising considering that very few of Paget’s original drawings have survived.
That was interesting. Conan Doyle created a larger than life character so popular he found himself unable to let go of it. And still popular down into our day. That's a hell of a good legacy.
As an amateur artist & historian who loves to write fiction it amazes me how often people leap at the idea’s of mine which I didn’t think would be all that popular and the ideas I was most excited about are oftentimes dud’s.
One of my friends had a basset hound named Sherlock. Although he was very lovable, he definitely was not the smartest dog 🐕. But he did have a nose for finding the true scent of things!
Watson was stupid?
What did Doyle think of his fellow man? 🤨
Thank you for the video. Fun stuff😊
I ❤ Sherlock stories & I'm very happy Doyle stuck with Sherlock and Watson as the names.
in a late in his life interview circa 1925 Doyle refers to Watson as 'his rather stupid friend" as one of the few recordings of Doyle it gets a lot of exposure but Watson through the books is a competent doctor and is only when standing next to holmes does he seem less intelgent, like a reasonable playwright seems dull if put into a comparrison with shakespeare.
@@GravesRWFiAI was confused when I heard that as well. Because Doyle seemed to write Watson as more of a pupil to Holmes. Throughout the stories he learns Holmes' methods and begins to use them himself. Eventually Watson is even sent out by himself to the Baskervilles in Hound of the Baskervilles to investigate for Holmes.
I’ve always been struck (often not positively) by the…dichotomy of Arthur Conan Doyle, how he created what’s probably the most rational and skeptical character in the history of literature while he himself was a staunch believer of the paranormal and supernatural. It’s a mystery, almost an enigma, that I think not even Sherlock could solve.
That has been a weird juxtaposition to me as well (Cottingley faeries!). Maybe he wrote a character to balance out his own eccentricities.
@@dj-kq4fz Yeah, that is certainly a valid theory.
Fascinating video as always, thanks history guide. I was delighted to see P. G. Woodhouse on the cover of the strand magazine. Are Jeeves and Wooster a suitable subject of history that deserves to be remembered? Have a great holiday season!
Jeeves and Wooster have an entire A&E television series devoted to their (mis)adventures, starring Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry. It's been out for years.
@@mctavish199 totally know that. But the history around the dissipated, post war wastrels is fascinated. With the crash of the grain prices so many of these peers were castle rich and land poor. Hence the frequency of get rich schemes as a side story to so many of the novels. And more
I fell in love with mysteries when I was 9 years old, and watched a black and white movie, a Sherlock Holmes story. It stared Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes. And, I was hooked!!! 70 years later, still read and watch mysteries on film.
There is a part of my library devoted to my hero, Sherlock.
Though he's never too humble, there is no police like Holmes.
I’ve also watched Vincent Price & Diana Rigg’s intros & conclusions to episodes of the Sherlock Holmes TV series starring Jeremy Brett on “Mystery!” on TH-cam. I learned a lot more about Sherlock Holmes & Sir Arthur Conan Doyle from these intros & conclusions. The Final Problem was the last of the original Sherlock Holmes stories Conan Doyle wrote in 1893, but then Conan Doyle wrote about what really happened to Holmes at Reichenbach Falls in the story The Empty House nearly a decade later.
Hello from Detroit Michigan brother thank you for sharing your knowledge and expertise and for taking us on your adventure through time and space and GOD-BLESS
Some literary critic (I've forgotten who) points out that the path taken by Holmes to Reichenbach Falls (where he's supposed to have died) follows on branch at a Y-junction. If you follow the other branch you get to the glacier where Dr. Frankenstein has his final confrontation with his Monster. The argument is that this was an intentional nod by Conan Doyle to Shelly-Wolfenscroft and that he was killing off his own monstrous creation.
Good Friday morning History Guy and everyone watching. Make the last 31 days of 2023 count. Have a nice weekend.
I've had to remind myself that Holmes was a fictional character a number of times.
Regardless of his origin, I'm grateful to have been able to read the stories.
Love this! I a big Sherlock Holmes fan.
As for Watson's name: in one short story (I forget which one), his wife says of him, "James has gone to bed."
Yes, and at other times a friend’s wife refers to him as Dr. Jack.
Conan Doyle made quite a few errors of this kind. I think we can forgive him.
The Man With The Twisted Lip.
Have a great weekend History Guy 🤓and Classmates!
The brilliance of Edgar Allan Poe and C. Auguste Dupin in hiding a missing document in plain sight is one of the most brilliant deductions ever. It is in simple in its elegance. I read the Purloined Letter when I was 8-years-old and have never waivered in that opinion. Thank your Mr. Poe for inventing Sherlock Holmes, Lt. Columbo, Miss Marple, Hercule Poirot and The Mentalist.
My only gripe with the Holmes books is the lack of distinction between deductive reasoning and inductive reasoning. (Inductive reasoning moves from specific observations to broad generalizations. Deductive reasoning works the other way around.)
Holmes' brother Mycroft was the much smarter of the two.
When I was a teenager my Dad told me a story of Doctor Bell which is perhaps apocryphal. Supposedly while serving as an assistant to Bell, Doyle witnessed a memorable example of the doctor's keen abilities as an instructor. Bell was demonstrating to a class of medical students how to detect the presence of sugar diabetes by dipping one's finger into a vat of urine and tasting it for sweetness. He then had each student come forward and duplicate his example. Once the entire class was again seated he informed them that the real purpose of his demonstration was to emphasize the importance of the power of observation. "Had you but paid closer attention to my actions, you would have noticed that I dipped my middle finger into the vat, but tasted my index finger."
What student was likely to forget that lesson?
I've heard that story too. Interesting stuff for sure!
Conan Doyle's library included the volume _Knots Untied_ by George S. McWatters, one of the first private detectives in the U.S.--and a man who really deserves a biography.
Well done!
This video filled in some holes, even for those of us with a life-long addiction to the stories.
Now do the same for "Prof. Moriartys' inspiration...Adam Worth!
I really like Sherlock Holmes, but I liked Charlie Chan a bit better for the humor always brought forth by the antics of his sons.
Outstanding as usual. Thanks THG. Elementary my dear Watson.
I read an anecdote many years ago in Reader's Digest where A. C. Doyle described observing Dr. Bell examining a man complaining of pain in his cheeks. Dr. Bell accurately listed off various conclusions about the man based on his observations, which were confirmed by the man to be correct. Finally Bell asked, "Are you a musician?" The man said, "Yes, Doctor, I play in the Regimental Band." Dr. Bell then said, "It's obvious that this man's pain in his cheeks comes from the high pressure he exerts blowing on a brass instrument. What instrument do you play, soldier?" The man replied, "I play the drum, Doctor."
Love it. Readers Digest had funny stories in it 🤣🤣
Brilliant episode, HG, thank you.
Good stuff! How about a follow up on the legacy of Sherlock Holmes?
How much time do you have? Why not try a little sleuthing yourself?
Great detective work THG. You tracked down the trail of the great detective and ran him to ground.
Several years ago, I read an edition of L'Histoire magazine on Spinoza. Some of the articles were about the influence he had on the various authors. I recently came across a note I had made regarding Arthur Conan Doyle. Doyle was evidently quite an admirer of Spinoza, who made his living grinding lenses. Doyle included the magnifying glass in Holmes' tools as a symbol of the presence of the rational, penetrating mind of Spinoza in the character of Holmes.
I have been listening since the first couple months you have been posting these. (I still kick myself for the faux pas of mistaking your subject of Hedy Lamarr.) I think I have enjoyed this one the most. Thank you for your efforts in bringing all these posts to us!
Hedley!
Just to think, if it wasn't for Sherlock Holmes, I would never know who Basil Rathbone was. As brilliant as Jeremy Brett is as Holmes, Rathbone will always be my favorite. ❤
To me. Rathbone and Bruce are the true images of Holmes and Watson. If a new movie ( or TV show) is made the new actors must look exactly like Rathbone and Bruce. If they don't, I won't watch the new show. It will look fake. Some decades ago I went for a job interview near Baker street. I found the spot where No 221B should have been but no sign of Holmes's habitat.
When my kids were young we would checkout a Holmes video form the library every Saturday and made that our family movie night. They look back with great fondness on those nights.
@7:25 I thought THG was going to say there was an irony in Holmes being so scientific, since Doyle believed so deeply in Spiritualism.
That was certainly an irony in Doyle. But a biography of Doyle would require several more episodes.
My mom liked all the Sherlock Holmes stories, and so do I. Mom also liked the Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce movies. Sherlock Holmes was brilliant, and he struck me as a very focused, perhaps aloof person. Sort of like Dr. Temperance Brennan the main character on "Bones", a TV series I enjoyed watching.
Watson isn't dumb, he's usually only a step or two behind Sherlock.
As was pretty much everyone else. For the exception of his Brother Mycroft.
Hey, I didn’t say he was. Arthur Conan Doyle did.
As THG said, it was just Doyle's own description. I like how this is kind of referenced in the BBC Sherlock where he occasionally diminishes Watson's intelligence even though is at least of average intellect and above average in practicality/capability.
Which is better shown in the 2nd Brett Watson: Edward Hardwicke.
@@robertgerrity878
And wasn't Edward Hardwicke absolutely wonderful as John Watson? 💖
I patterned my entire career as Detective, then Detective Sergeant, after some of Holmes’ lessons.
Personally, as a writer myself, have been inspired by the ways Sherlock (or sureluck) solved cases. He inspired and taught me, if I can use the word, to listen, look (observe), analyse, and solve everyday problems.
I have always questioned why Dr. Watson was portrayed as an older, and overweight man when in Doyle's portrayal, Dr. Watson met Holmes, a veteran, when they were both young. He had no difficulty in keeping up with Holmes on 6 mile hikes and helping to subdue dangerous criminals. He also married Mary Marsden, unlike the movie, where it shows Watson as much older and Marsden marries the younger Shoto. Just a thought...
Another possible reason for the name Sherlock is that Doyle's mother went to live in Masongill in North Yorkshire (and in consequence his first marriage took place in nearby Thornton in Lonsdale church). When visiting his mother he would have travelled to the nearest railway station, at Ingleton, where there was a memorial to Randall Hopley Sherlock, brother of the village's vicar, who had been killed by lightning whilst standing on the platform.
There is an interesting British made docudrama from 2005 called "The strange case of Sherlock Holmes and Arthur Conan Doyle" where Dr Bell is portrayed by the great actor Brian Cox and is well worth a watch if you can locate it on the net.
If Sherlock Holmes is the great British detective, then Nero Wolfe is the great American detective. Would love to see an episode about Wolfe and his creator being Rex Stout.
and the detective is still well and investigating in the 21st century 😊
Love your channel! So entertaining and informative!! Cheers from Canada 🇨🇦
Thank you Team THG. My earliest recollection is in the 1950's being introduced to Sherlock Holmes & Dr. Watson by the serialized episodes being run on TV. Even now, I watch reruns and imitations as if totally new.
Thank you!
I read eons ago that Doyle grieved the loss of his son in The Great War that he never wrote another Holmes episode. He was reported to believe in Spiritualism.
Thank you Mr. History Guy: IMO: To me: this is the best video and research you have shared. Love, from Canada :0
Holmes was killed off in "the final Problem" you say 'program' in this. He killed Holmes because he felt Holmes was distracting people from his other writings. Bell is well noted for the tricks of observation, but to some extent doyle was himself Holmes- something his wife declared at one point "You know you are Holmes- in fact in later years Doyle like holmes, got involved in cases where he believed the police had made a mess of things.
In "the man with the twisted lip" Watson's wife, to the amusement of sherlockian societies, does call Watson 'James" instead of John.
I noticed in one of the drawings of Holmes how much Basil Rathbone resembled it. He was great in all the Holm movies. Thank you for sharing. Have a great day and stay safe.🙂🙂
Pie’s “Murders in the Roue Morgue “ was not believable. Even a little.
It seems, perhaps, that Sir A. Conan Doyle may have been prone to demonstrate his admiration for specific people by "roasting" them, such as is done in modern "roasts" of celebrities. It's also kind of funny how Sherlock Holmes shared the same fate as Superman, i.e., both were killed off much to the dismay and even outrage of fans which would inevitably result in the "rebirth" of the two famous super-characters. Lastly, and although I'm not sure how this fact may be interpreted in context of all being presented, it should be remembered that Sir A. Conan Doyle accepted and promoted the "Cottingley Fairies" as being real. Whether or not the fairies were real is not the point; the fact that Doyle accepted them to be real is the point.
Yes, I could do many more episodes on Doyle, who was also a famous spiritualist, knighted not for writing Sherlock Holmes, but for a non-fiction book about the Boer War. There are far more biographies written about ACD than books he actually authored.
@@TheHistoryGuyChannel an episode of his knighthood via his book about the Boer War is definitely history worth remembering.
I’m betting Joseph Bell will feature in future shows.😁
Try the wonderful audio versions of the Holmes stories read by Stephen Fry. He was born to give voice to the classic tales.
I will, based on your recommendation. I am just now starting to dabble in listening to audio books. Thank you for the tip.
@@eatiegourmet1015I recommend looking up for classic radio on TH-cam. There's Sherlock Holmes. There's other series and even radio plays of movies.
Nice deerstalker hat in the background, there’s a group of people that actually look for 221 b Baker Street , flat that’s they look for
Ironically, when the stories were written, that address did not exist. The street has been renumbered since to create a 221B, which is now the Sherlock Holmes Museum.
Back in the day, Baker Street did not go far out enough to reach the 200's. The street was extended in the 20th Century, absorbing what I believe was Chelsea Street at the time.
I've listened to a lot of the Sherlock Holmes audiobooks. They're very interesting.
At 12:21, by interesting coincidence, the magazine cover mentions another famous British author who was an avid Holmes fan and may have coined the phrase "Elementary, my dear Watson."
Actually that oft repeated phrase was coined by the American actor and playwright William Gillette (1853-1937). It was he who took the great detective on the stage in a highly successful play “what he wrote”. He also used the meerschaum pipe, finding the small pipe illustrated by Sidney Paget in The Strand Magazine to be to small and fiddly.
If you want to meet true fanatics, attend a meeting of the Baker Street Irregulars.
I've always loved this channel.😊
I love Doyle's Holmes and his White Company serieses. One of my favorite books is a rendering of the Holmes series as it looked when published in the Strand Magazine.
Dashiel Hammett had a low opinion of Sherlock Holmes.
A lovely and informative account of a fictional character who transcended literature itself to become a cultural icon.
Your work, as always, is sharp and clear.
Thanks so much.
Basil Rathbone was the only one who played Sherlock the best.
Thank you for putting your magnifying glass on this topic I really appreciated the closer look into this historical character.
Probably the neatest summation of the evolution of both Holmes and Watson and criminology yet.
Absolutely fascinating!
Good job 👍
His fans also got London to create a 221 B Baker Street. I remember visiting Baker and it wasn't there but today there is a 221 B Baker Street. and a Sherlock Holmes store there today.
Yup- they renumbered the street to create a fictional address.
Great video!
It seems to me that Holmes' ego would not allow him to admit any detective especially any fictional one. Doyle may have nit picked his predecessors writings to give voice to Holmes while giving credit to them.
Certainly it was a way for Doyle to give credit. But, when you hear what Doyle had to say in 1927 about why he created Holmes, it seems like he really did feel that there was something lacking in his predecessors. I think that there is some sincerity in Holmes’ comments, and that it was also a way for Doyle to emphasize that Holmes was a unique creation, and not a copy of those characters whose methods he found lacking.
I really enjoy your channel. I am not a Sherlock Homes fan but I found this video informative. Thank You so much 😊
Nice hat in the background as always a connection
It used to be taught to medical students to check the patient's breath. The doctor that delivered me and took care of me for the first years of my life could tell a lot about the patient by the patient's breath.
youtube has about 10 sherlock holmes movies with basil rathbone and about 40 movies with jeremy brett. both actors are my favorite sherlock holmes. i always wondered why doyle made holmes a drug user. i like your videos, history guy.
I also loved the series with Peter Cushing. So many good Sherlocks!
He possibly didn't want him to come across as a perfect paragon. Holmes was very smart of course but also a disturbed and troubled character. Maybe Doyle had encountered people while working as a doctor who were highly intelligent but found it difficult to keep their minds suitably occupied, and were therefore unfulfilled and took to drugs or alcohol.
@@TheHistoryGuyChannelPeter Cushing was also in a Hammer Films version of The Hound of the Baskervilles. (No, autocorrect, I don't mean basketballs 😂)
Love Sherlock Holmes..have all of my life.
Dr Watson and Holmes, Scully and Mulder. A winning recipe.
Sure, ignore Poirot and Hastings.
Like others, you imply that Doyle’s characterization of Watson is unflattering, but I disagree. Holmes, of course, would put him down, but he also loved him. Watson was brave, good-looking (even Holmes said so), smart, loyal, and adventurous. He just wasn’t brilliant and imaginative like Holmes. Still, a good man and a better friend. I think Doyle created Watson to be very much like himself so it would be easy to tell stories from Watson’s perspective.
Respectfully, I don’t imply anything, I quote Doyle directly.
@@TheHistoryGuyChannel I stand corrected. I’ve read the entire Sherlock Holmes canon 4 times in my life and have formed my own opinion of Watson. I suppose I projected that upon Doyle.
Lecoq translates as 'the rooster' in French and is usually pronounced 'lecock'. There's no funny connotation in French...
They're not renowned for their sense of humor; maybe for their Coq au vin. But they aren't on the same page as English language humor.
@@eatiegourmet1015 Maybe I wasn't clear enough? "...no funny connotation" simply meant that "coq" is not a funny word in French, unlike in English. It's exactly the same as "phoque" (seal), which almost inevitably draws surprised or offended reactions in anglophones, but not in French (of course since it only means the said animal). As for our sense of humor, don't worry, we have a great one. Perhaps different, but definitely hilarious.
Another enjoyable end to the evening. Good night
Holmes is the greatest literally accomplished. People over 100 years later are still writing him to ask for help. It's a shame Sir Arthur Conan Doyle didn't like him. I shall now set off on a Sherlock Holmes binge... I think Sir Christopher Lee is an underrated Holmes. But Ronald Howard is my favorite.
Watch the episodes with Jeremy Brett on the PBS "Mystery" series from the '80s and early '90s, and see if that doesn't change your mind. Jeremy was absolutely brilliant (my opinion) as Sherlock. And Edward Hardwicke was likewise superb as Dr. John Watson, on the second of the series, "The Return Of Sherlock Holmes". Both have left us now, sadly. I can never watch these programs too often.
@@conradinhawaii7856 I'm fond of Jeremy as Sherlock. The only fault I can find with him is his laugh, Sherlock's laughs were silent and never in front of his clients.
As for Watson I have never seen a better one than David Burke. I was sad that he didn't continue. However, Edward Hardwicke is the second best, so I was able to adjust.
Happy holidays history dude 🎉🎉🎉
Thank you for the commentary.
Regarding the clamored-for return of Sherlock Holmes, the stories of the Baker Street detective continued (as you no doubt know) even after Doyle's passing. Some very good Holmes stories have appeared from Baker Street Irregulars and other authors, even including some pastiches by Isaac Asimov. One of my favorites is "The Seven Per Cent Solution" by Nicholas Meyer.
Anthony Horowitz (of the TV series Foyle's War) has also written a Sherlock Holmes novel.
This was amazingly Fun!!
LOVE learning the origins of the 'Murder Mystery' Genre! I'm a big fan of Sir ACD and 'Sherlock Holmes' and an even bigger fan of Agatha Christie and her stable of detectives! Please do a series on Agatha Christie and the histories behind herself and her famous (and not-so-famous) sleuths! Thank you!
It was an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation which established in that universe's canon that Holmes was a fictional creation of Conon Doyle.
It would have been far more interesting had Geordie programmed the holodeck with the description of the Sherlock Holmes stories as written by Dr. John Watson instead-- establishing the conceit that the Star Trek universe was the same one Holmes and Watson once inhabited. It would have made Spock's mention of a human ancestor (in _The Undiscovered Country)_ all the better if he was citing Holmes rather than Conon Doyle.
1/4/2024
Having been a big fan of Sherlock Holms stories, I found myself thinking that Dr, Watson was in fact Doyle himself. The two characters always seemed to be counter play, between the two, and although Holms was a brilliant person, he ALWAYS deferred to Watson about anything medical, adding Watsons own observative ability, though limited.
Arthur Conan Doyle also inspired other British mystery writers. I'm sure that Agatha Christy read every one of Doyle's stories, bringing to life Hercules Poirot, one of Britain's most beloved detectives in literature.
Several modern day British TV detective shows all pulled from Sherlock Holms, like Foyle's War, Father Brown and Inspector Morse. I have never read an American mystery or TV mystery that measured up to any of them.
Thanks for telling us all this "back" story. I just loved hearing it. ;-)
Please note, "skein" is correctly pronounced "skane". (I before E except after C or when sounded as A as in neighbor or weigh.)
As other have said 'The final problem'. 'The Final Programme' is actually a rather odd film from 1973.
The Dr Watson of the stories is anything but stupid. He is of above average intelligence, but seems lesser in comparison to Holmes’ genius. Holmes, on the other hand, had a very spotty education, interested in nothing that does not affect his chosen profession.
Others have also stood up for Watson. But I do feel obligated to note that the comment about Watson being “rather stupid” came directly from Arthur Conan Doyle.
What would he have thought about poor Nigel Bruce! @@TheHistoryGuyChannel
Sherlock Holmes had nothing on Lt. Columbo, who could sleuth with the best of them. On the other extreme was the French detective, Inspector Clouseau, who bumbled his way, solving cases mostly be accident. Great characters all.
Which is why I always shake my head when I hear about ACD's embracing of psychic phenomena as fact.
Yes, i understand that he has lost numerous family members and needed to find solace somewhere...it just felt like finding out that Mr. Spock consols himself by going out of his way to weep loudly in public and being generally irrational to innocent bystanders.
Interest is one thing...endorsement is another.
Nobody has to agree with me. I just had to get it out there.
One of my all time favorite characters FROM literature. My favorite actors playing the characters are of course Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce. Watson was quite capable of deducing things as was Holmes, but Holmes being the MAIN character, Watson couldn't steal the show.
Typically enjoyable segment from our genial host. However ... Doyle's attempted killing of Holmes took place in a story titled "The Final Problem," not "The Final Program."
Years ago I visited London, and took a day trip to 221B Baker Street, where Holmes Apartment exists.
Same thing happened to Isaac Asimov (Foundation) and Douglas Adams (Hitchhiker's Guide To The Universe). They both had to write additional stories to satisfy fans who demanded more.
Thank heaven for the fan base, because Conan Doyle's best Holmes story - The Hound of the Baskervilles, a masterpiece - was published 8 years after author had killed Holmes off in The Final Problem. Hound was a huge success and led to the character's eventual revival.
I also read that Conan Doyle initially intended The Hound of the Baskervilles to only feature Dr. Watson as the detective figure - and Watson does a lot of standard detective work in it - but ultimately felt he had to include Holmes and dated the case before Holmes' supposed demise.