Adaptations of Sherlock Holmes
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Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a " consulting detective" in the stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with observation, deduction, forensic science and ...
by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle have been very popular as adaptations for the stage, and later film, and still later television. The four volumes of the ''Universal Sherlock Holmes'' (1995) compiled by Ronald B. De Waal lists over 25,000 Holmes-related productions and products. They include the original writings, "together with the translations of these tales into sixty-three languages, plus Braille and shorthand, the writings about the Writings or higher criticism, writings about Sherlockians and their societies, memorials and memorabilia, games, puzzles and quizzes, phonograph records, audio and video tapes, compact discs, laser discs, ballets, films, musicals, operettas, oratorios, plays, radio and television programs, parodies and pastiches, children's books, cartoons, comics, and a multitude of other items — from advertisements to wine — that have accumulated throughout the world on the two most famous characters in literature."


Board games

The board game ''
221B Baker Street 221B Baker Street is the London address of the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes, created by author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. In the United Kingdom, postal addresses with a number followed by a letter may indicate a separate address within a ...
'' (
Gibsons Games Gibsons Games (Gibsons) is an independent, family-owned British board game and jigsaw puzzle manufacturer, and one of the oldest of its kind in the United Kingdom. Gibsons is the trading name of H. P. Gibsons & Sons Ltd. The company is now run by ...
) was first developed in 1975, and the book-based game '' Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective'' (Sleuth Publications) was published in 1981. Multiple expansions have since been published for both games. The board game ''A Study in Emerald'', released in 2013, was based on the Sherlock Holmes pastiche " A Study in Emerald" by
Neil Gaiman Neil Richard MacKinnon GaimanBorn as Neil Richard Gaiman, with "MacKinnon" added on the occasion of his marriage to Amanda Palmer. ; ( Neil Richard Gaiman; born 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, gra ...
. Other Sherlock Holmes board games include ''Watson & Holmes'' (Ludonova, 2015), ''Beyond Baker Street'' (Z-Man Games, 2016), and ''Sherlock Holmes and Moriarty's Web'' (2016). Card games based on Sherlock Holmes include ''I Say, Holmes!'' (2007, updated 2014), ''Holmes: Sherlock & Mycroft'' (Devir Games, 2015), and ''Clash of Minds: Holmes vs Moriarty'' (2019).


Comic strip

Three ''Sherlock Holmes'' adaptations have appeared in American newspapers. The first, titled ''Sherlock Holmes'', ran from 1930 to 1931. ''Sherlock Holmes'' was drawn by Leo O'Mealia (who later drew covers for ''
Action Comics ''Action Comics'' is an American comic book/ magazine series that introduced Superman, one of the first major superhero characters. The publisher was originally known as National Allied Publications, and later as National Comics Publications ...
'') and distributed by the
Bell Syndicate The Bell Syndicate, launched in 1916 by editor-publisher John Neville Wheeler, was an American syndicate that distributed columns, fiction, feature articles and comic strips to newspapers for decades. It was located in New York City at 247 West 4 ...
. A short-lived half-page Sherlock Holmes comic strip appeared daily and Sunday in the 1950s, written by radio scriptwriter
Edith Meiser Edith Meiser (May 9, 1898 – September 26, 1993) was an American author and actress, who wrote mystery novels, stage plays, and numerous radio dramas. She is perhaps best known for bringing adaptations of Sherlock Holmes stories to radio in the ...
and drawn by Frank Giacoia. The third adaptation "Mr. Holmes of Baker Street" by Bill Barry appeared in 1976-1977. This adaptation of the famous detective was not very popular down south, but experienced a series of faithful followers in northern states.


Books


Novels/Novellas

There are many novels, novellas, and short stories featuring Sherlock Holmes that were written by authors other than Arthur Conan Doyle.


Comic books

Despite the character's near-ubiquitous presence in other media and household recognition, in comic books Sherlock Holmes has been limited to the occasional miniseries or guest appearance. Sherlock Holmes cover artist Walt Simonson has speculated that this may be because the period setting is so difficult to draw.
DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. ( doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with the ...
' ''Sherlock Holmes'' one-shot (cover-dated September–October 1975) adapts "
The Final Problem "The Final Problem" is a short story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle featuring his detective character Sherlock Holmes. It was first published in ''The Strand Magazine'' in the United Kingdom, and '' McClure's'' in the United States, under the title ...
" and "
The Adventure of the Empty House "The Adventure of the Empty House", one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is one of 13 stories in the cycle collected as ''The Return of Sherlock Holmes''. It was first published in ''Collier's'' in the ...
". The one-shot's creative team of Dennis O'Neil (writer) and
E. R. Cruz Eufronio Reyes Cruz (born 1934) is a Filipino comics artist best known for his work on mystery comics and war comics for DC Comics in the 1970s and 1980s. Biography E. R. Cruz began his career as an artist by drawing for such publications as ''L ...
(artist) had coincidentally just come off of adapting another pulp crimefighter for DC,
The Shadow The Shadow is a fictional character created by magazine publishers Street & Smith and writer Walter B. Gibson. Originally created to be a mysterious radio show narrator, and developed into a distinct literary character in 1931 by writer Walter ...
. O'Neil and Cruz would each shortly take an additional turn at the character: '' The Joker'' #6, written by O'Neil, pitted Holmes (actually an actor suffering a head injury) against the title character, and the 50th anniversary issue of ''
Detective Comics ''Detective Comics'' is an American comic book series published by Detective Comics, later shortened to DC Comics. The first volume, published from 1937 to 2011 (and later continued in 2016), is best known for introducing the superhero Batman i ...
'', drawn by Cruz, additionally commemorated the 100th anniversary of Sherlock Holmes.
SelfMadeHero SelfMadeHero is an independent publishing house which specialises in adapting works of literature, as well as producing ground-breaking original fiction in the graphic novel medium. SelfMadeHero's books are distributed in the U.S. by Abrams Boo ...
published "Hound of the Baskervilles", adapted by Ian Edginton and illustrated by Ian Culbard, in May 2009. In ''
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen ''The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen'' (''LoEG'') is a comic book series (inspired by the 1960 British film ''The League of Gentlemen'') co-created by writer Alan Moore and artist Kevin O'Neill which began in 1999. The series spans four vol ...
'', Holmes appears in a flashback sequence depicting the climactic scene of "The Final Problem" and is still believed by the public to be deceased, although it is revealed in the second volume that Mina later meets with him. In the 1990s, Caliber Comics issued a four-part ''Sherlock Holmes Reader'' which features quotes from Holmes, a map of 221-B Baker Street, and canon story adaptations as well as individual stories such as ''Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Holmes'' and ''The Sussex Vampire''. 2009 brought the Black House Comics series ''The Dark Detective: Sherlock Holmes''. The series is written by Christopher Sequeira with covers by
Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
winning artist Dave Elsey. In 2010,
Boom! Studios Boom! Studios (styled BOOM! Studios) is an American comic book and graphic novel publisher, headquartered in Los Angeles, California, United States. History Origins In the early 2000s, Ross Richie and Andrew Cosby had been working in ...
published a four-part series entitled '' Muppet Sherlock Holmes'' which featured
Gonzo Gonzo may refer to: People * Gonzo (nickname), a list of people with the nickname * Radislav Jovanov Gonzo (born 1964), Croatian music video director Radislav Jovanov, also known as Gonzo * Matthias Röhr (born 1962), German musician whose sta ...
as Holmes, Fozzie Bear as Dr. Watson, and
Kermit the Frog Kermit the Frog is a Muppet character created and originally performed by Jim Henson. Introduced in 1955, Kermit serves as the everyman protagonist of numerous Muppet productions, most notably ''Sesame Street'' and ''The Muppet Show'', as well ...
as Inspector Lestrade. In 2013, ''New Paradigm Studios'' began publishing a monthly, ongoing series entitled ''Watson and Holmes.'' The series re-imagines Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson as living in the 21st Century and living in Harlem. The BBC series Sherlock (see:
Television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed be ...
in this article) has a manga adaptation published in
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...
by
Kadokawa Shoten , formerly , is a Japanese publisher and division of Kadokawa Future Publishing based in Tokyo, Japan. It became an internal division of Kadokawa Corporation on October 1, 2013. Kadokawa publishes manga, light novels, manga anthology magazines ...
. The English translation of this series is being released by Titan Comics in the UK and US.


Film

It has been estimated that Sherlock Holmes is the most prolific screen character in the history of cinema. The first known film featuring Holmes is '' Sherlock Holmes Baffled'', a one-reel film running less than a minute, made by the
American Mutoscope and Biograph Company The Biograph Company, also known as the American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, was a motion picture company founded in 1895 and active until 1916. It was the first company in the United States devoted entirely to film production and exhibition, ...
in 1900. This was followed by a 1905
Vitagraph Vitagraph Studios, also known as the Vitagraph Company of America, was a United States motion picture studio. It was founded by J. Stuart Blackton and Albert E. Smith in 1897 in Brooklyn, New York, as the American Vitagraph Company. By 1907, ...
film '' Adventures of Sherlock Holmes; or, Held for Ransom'', with H. Kyrle Bellew and J. Barney Sherry in unlisted roles. It was long believed that the film starred
Maurice Costello Maurice George Costello (February 22, 1877 – October 29, 1950) was a prominent American vaudeville actor of the late 1890s and early 1900s who later played a principal role in early American films as leading man, supporting player, and director ...
as Sherlock Holmes, but
Leslie S. Klinger Leslie S. Klinger (born May 2, 1946, in Chicago, Illinois) is an American attorney and writer. He is a noted literary editor and annotator of classic genre fiction, including the Sherlock Holmes stories and the novels '' Dracula'', ''Frankenst ...
has written that the identification of Costello in the role is flawed. Klinger states that the first identification of Costello with the role was in Michael Pointer's ''Public Life of Sherlock Holmes'' published in 1975 but that Pointer later realized his error and wrote to Klinger stating Many similar films were made in the early years of the twentieth century, most notably the 13 one- and two-reel silent films produced by the Danish Nordisk Film Company between 1908 and 1911. The only non-lost film is ''Sherlock Holmes i Bondefangerkløer'', produced in 1910. Holmes was originally played by Viggo Larsen. Other actors who played Holmes in those films were Otto Lagoni, Einar Zangenberg, Lauritz Olsen, and
Alwin Neuss Alwin is a German and Dutch form of Alvin and may refer to: * Alwin-Broder Albrecht (1903–1945), German naval officer, one of Adolf Hitler's adjutants during World War II *Alwin Berger (1871–1931), German botanist and contributor to the nomenc ...
. In 1911 the American Biograph company produced a series of 11 short comedies based on the Holmes character with Mack Sennett (later of Keystone Kops fame) in the title role. By 1916, Harry Arthur Saintsbury, who had played Holmes on stage hundreds of times in Gillette’s play, reprised the role in the 1916 film '' The Valley of Fear''. The next significant cycle of Holmes films were produced by the
Stoll Pictures Stoll Pictures was a British film production and distribution company of the silent era, founded in April 1918. Background During the early to mid-1920s it was the largest film company in Britain and one of the biggest in Europe. Its major domes ...
company in Britain. Between 1921 and 1923 they produced a total of 47 two-reelers, all featuring noted West End actor Eille Norwood in the lead with Hubert Willis as Watson.
John Barrymore John Barrymore (born John Sidney Blyth; February 14 or 15, 1882 – May 29, 1942) was an American actor on stage, screen and radio. A member of the Drew and Barrymore theatrical families, he initially tried to avoid the stage, and briefly att ...
played the role in a 1922 movie entitled ''
Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a " consulting detective" in the stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with observation, deduction, forensic science and ...
'', with Roland Young as Watson and William Powell in his first screen appearance. This Goldwyn film is the first Holmes movie made with high production values and a major star. Clive Brook played Sherlock Holmes three times: ''
The Return of Sherlock Holmes ''The Return of Sherlock Holmes'' is a 1905 collection of 13 Sherlock Holmes stories, originally published in 1903–1904, by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle. The stories were published in the ''Strand Magazine'' in Britain and ''Collier's'' in ...
'' (1929), as part of the
anthology film An anthology film (also known as an omnibus film, package film, or portmanteau film) is a single film consisting of several shorter films, each complete in itself and distinguished from the other, though frequently tied together by a single theme ...
''
Paramount on Parade ''Paramount on Parade'' is a 1930 all-star American pre-Code revue released by Paramount Pictures, directed by several directors including Edmund Goulding, Dorothy Arzner, Ernst Lubitsch, Rowland V. Lee, A. Edward Sutherland, Lothar Mendes, O ...
'' (1930), and ''
Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a " consulting detective" in the stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with observation, deduction, forensic science and ...
'' (1932). In 1931
Raymond Massey Raymond Hart Massey (August 30, 1896 – July 29, 1983) was a Canadian actor, known for his commanding, stage-trained voice. For his lead role in '' Abe Lincoln in Illinois'' (1940), Massey was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor. Amo ...
played Sherlock Holmes in his screen debut, '' The Speckled Band'', while Arthur Wontner played Holmes in five British films from 1931 to 1937.
Basil Rathbone Philip St. John Basil Rathbone MC (13 June 1892 – 21 July 1967) was a South African-born English actor. He rose to prominence in the United Kingdom as a Shakespearean stage actor and went on to appear in more than 70 films, primarily costume ...
and Nigel Bruce played Holmes and Watson in ''
The Hound of the Baskervilles ''The Hound of the Baskervilles'' is the third of the four crime novels by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle featuring the detective Sherlock Holmes. Originally serialised in ''The Strand Magazine'' from August 1901 to April 1902, it is set ...
'', which launched a 14-film series. Rathbone is regarded as the Holmes of his generation. Peter Cushing played Sherlock Holmes along with Nigel Stock as Dr Watson in a 16 part series from 1968 to 1969 in the debut ‘‘Hound of the Baskervilles” as part of Hammer Horror. The series was broadcast on the BBC. This was the first depiction of Holmes in colour. In the 1970 film '' The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes'', Holmes is portrayed by
Robert Stephens Sir Robert Graham Stephens (14 July 193112 November 1995) was a leading English actor in the early years of Britain's Royal National Theatre. He was one of the most respected actors of his generation and was at one time regarded as the nat ...
, Dr. John H. Watson by Colin Blakely and Mycroft Holmes by
Christopher Lee Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee (27 May 1922 – 7 June 2015) was an English actor and singer. In a long career spanning more than 60 years, Lee often portrayed villains, and appeared as Count Dracula in seven Hammer Horror films, ultim ...
. The 1971 film ''
They Might Be Giants They Might Be Giants (often abbreviated as TMBG) is an American alternative rock band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. During TMBG's early years, Flansburgh and Linnell frequently performed as a duo, often accompanied by a dr ...
'' explores the premise of a deranged man who believes himself to be Sherlock Holmes, with a psychiatrist becoming his Watson. In 1976, ''
The Seven-Per-Cent Solution ''The Seven-Per-Cent Solution: Being a Reprint from the Reminiscences of John H. Watson, M.D.'' is a 1974 novel by American writer Nicholas Meyer. It is written as a pastiche of a Sherlock Holmes adventure, and was made into a film of the same na ...
'' was released, adapted from the novel of the same name which was written as a pastiche by the American writer
Nicholas Meyer Nicholas Meyer (born December 24, 1945) is an American writer and director, known for his best-selling novel ''The Seven-Per-Cent Solution'', and for directing the films '' Time After Time'', two of the ''Star Trek'' feature films, the 1983 tele ...
. The film sees Sherlock Holmes being treated for a cocaine addiction with the help of
Sigmund Freud Sigmund Freud ( , ; born Sigismund Schlomo Freud; 6 May 1856 – 23 September 1939) was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, a clinical method for evaluating and treating pathologies explained as originating in conflicts i ...
. '' Young Sherlock Holmes'', a film about Sherlock Holmes's early adventures as a child, was released in 1985. In 1986 Walt Disney released ''
The Great Mouse Detective ''The Great Mouse Detective'' (also known as ''The Adventures of the Great Mouse Detective'' for its 1992 theatrical re-release and ''Basil the Great Mouse Detective'' in some countries) is a 1986 American animated mystery adventure film produc ...
'', an animated animal film based on the tradition of Sherlock Holmes. Robert Downey Jr. and
Jude Law David Jude Heyworth Law (born 29 December 1972) is an English actor. He received a British Academy Film Award, as well as nominations for two Academy Awards, two Tony Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards. In 2007, he received an Honorary Cés ...
portray Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson, respectively, in the film ''Sherlock Holmes'', directed by Guy Ritchie and released in 2009, and its sequel, '' Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows'', released in 2011. In 2015
Ian McKellen Sir Ian Murray McKellen (born 25 May 1939) is an English actor. His career spans seven decades, having performed in genres ranging from Shakespearean and modern theatre to popular fantasy and science fiction. Regarded as a British cultural i ...
played a 93-year-old Sherlock Holmes in the film ''
Mr. Holmes ''Mr. Holmes'' is a 2015 British-American mystery film directed by Bill Condon, based on Mitch Cullin's 2005 novel '' A Slight Trick of the Mind'', and featuring the character Sherlock Holmes. The film stars Ian McKellen as Sherlock Holmes, La ...
''. A parody of the Sherlock Holmes franchise, titled '' Holmes & Watson'', was released in late 2018, featuring Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly in the titular roles respectively. Henry Cavill portrays Sherlock Holmes in the 2021
Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...
film '' Enola Holmes'' and its 2022 sequel, ''
Enola Holmes 2 ''Enola Holmes 2'' is a 2022 mystery film and the sequel to the 2020 film '' Enola Holmes'', both of which star Millie Bobby Brown as the title character, the teenage sister of the already-famous Victorian-era detective Sherlock Holmes. The ...
''. The films follow the adventures Enola Holmes (
Millie Bobby Brown Millie Bobby Brown (born 19 February 2004) is a British actress and producer. She gained recognition for playing Eleven in the Netflix science fiction series ''Stranger Things'' (2016–present), for which she received nominations for two Prim ...
), who is portrayed as the younger sister of Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes ( Sam Claflin).


Internet

In January 2004, the BBC posted five new Sherlock Holmes short stories on their "Cult" website, along with RealAudio files of the stories, as read by Andrew Sachs and Hannah Gordon. The audio productions were done in association with BBC 7, but are no longer available. The texts of all five short stories are still posted, with accompanying illustrations and illustration galleries, as well as an edited transcript of an interview with Bert Coules. The short story texts can also be downloaded as eBooks in three different formats.


Music

Composer Jon Deak wrote a work for solo double bass based on ''The Hound of the Baskervilles'', complete with narration and sound effects to mimic radio plays of the 1920s. Progressive rock musicians Clive Nolan amd Oliver Wakeman released a concept album titled ''The Hound Of The Baskervilles'' about the story of the same name in 2002. "Nano (singer)#Biography, Scarlet Story", the opening theme of the NHK puppetry ''Sherlock Holmes (puppetry), Sherlock Holmes'' is titled after "A Study in Scarlet". And a song titled "Agra Treasure" that is made for the show is sung in "The Adventure of the Cheerful Four", one of the episodes of the series based on "The Sign of the Four". In the episode, some of the characters are modeled after the members of the Beatles.


Radio

In the 1930s, writer, actress, and producer
Edith Meiser Edith Meiser (May 9, 1898 – September 26, 1993) was an American author and actress, who wrote mystery novels, stage plays, and numerous radio dramas. She is perhaps best known for bringing adaptations of Sherlock Holmes stories to radio in the ...
was largely responsible for first bringing Holmes to American radio listeners. Meiser loved the Holmes stories, helped sell the show to the NBC radio network and found a sponsor. She wrote for the 1930–1936 radio series ''The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (radio series), The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes'', both adapting Doyle's classic tales and writing new adventures in the Holmesian style. The first show she adapted was "The Adventure of the Speckled Band." It was broadcast on October 20, 1930, and featured William Gillette in the lead role. For most of the series, Richard Gordon (actor), Richard Gordon played Holmes and Leigh Lovel played Watson. One famous radio appearance starred Orson Welles as Sherlock Holmes in an adaptation of one of William Gillette's plays. This was broadcast in September 1938 as part of ''The Mercury Theater on the Air'' series on CBS Radio. Meiser also wrote for the radio series ''The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes''.
Basil Rathbone Philip St. John Basil Rathbone MC (13 June 1892 – 21 July 1967) was a South African-born English actor. He rose to prominence in the United Kingdom as a Shakespearean stage actor and went on to appear in more than 70 films, primarily costume ...
and Nigel Bruce were cast after appearing in the 1939 film ''The Hound of the Baskervilles''. NBC’s Red and Blue networks carried the series until 1942. After that the shows were then written by the team of Dennis Green and Anthony Boucher. Then the Mutual Broadcasting System picked up the series, which it ran until 1947. Rathbone left in 1946 and was replaced by Tom Conway; Nigel Bruce remained for another season, with the proviso that Meiser continue to contribute “new adventures”. Meiser's adaptations and original stories won praise from Conan Doyle's family for their faithful adherence to the original characterization. After a change of networks, there were two more pairings: John Stanley as Holmes and Alfred Shirley as Watson in 1947–48 and Stanley and "George Spelvin" (a pseudonym used by Wendell Holmes (actor), Wendell Holmes so he wouldn't be confused with the Sherlock Holmes character) in these roles in 1948–49. Both Stanley and Conway emulated Rathbone when performing Holmes to aid in continuity for the audience. John Gielgud played Holmes for BBC radio in the 1950s, with Ralph Richardson as Watson. Gielgud's brother, Val Gielgud, appeared in "The Bruce-Partington Plans", perhaps inevitably as Mycroft Holmes. As this series was co-produced by the American Broadcasting Company, known American actors also appeared, such as Orson Welles as Professor Moriarty in "The Adventure of the Final Problem". Carleton Hobbs portrayed Holmes in BBC broadcasts in a Sherlock Holmes (1952 radio series), 1952–1969 radio series, with Norman Shelley playing Watson. Many of these were broadcast on Children's Hour. Of the many actors who have portrayed Holmes and Watson for the BBC, the Hobbs and Shelley duo is the longest running. There have been many other radio adaptations (over 750 in English), including a more recent BBC Radio 4 run featuring Clive Merrison as Holmes and Michael Williams (actor), Michael Williams as Watson. Together, the two actors completed adaptations of every story in the canon in a Sherlock Holmes (1989 radio series), 1989–1998 radio series. ''The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes'', a new series consisting of original stories written exclusively by Bert Coules, was then commissioned, but following Williams's death from cancer in 2001, he was replaced by Andrew Sachs. The episodes of ''The Further Adventures'' were based on throwaway references in Doyle's short stories and novels. The complete canonical run is available on CD and audio tape. ''The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes'' is also available on CD as four box sets, each containing four episodes. BBC Radio 5 (former), BBC Radio 5 broadcast six new stories by John Taylor as ''The Unopened Casebook of Sherlock Holmes'' in 1993 with Simon Callow as Holmes and Nicky Henson as Watson. Taylor also wrote four stories as ''The Rediscovered Railway Mysteries'', which was broadcast on BBC radio and narrated by Benedict Cumberbatch. BBC Radio 2 also broadcast in 1999 a more ribald six-episode parody, spoof series featuring Holmes and Watson entitled ''The Newly Discovered Casebook of Sherlock Holmes'' starring Roy Hudd as Holmes ("England's greatest detective, master of disguise and toffee-nosed ponce"), Chris Emmett as Watson ("contributor to the British Medical Journal, Which Stethescope Magazine and inventor of the self-raising thermometer") and June Whitfield as Mrs. Hudson. Titles in this series included "The Case of the Clockwork Fiend", "The Mystery of the Obese Escapologist", "The Case of the Deranged Botanist", "Sherlock Holmes and the Glorious Doppelganger", "Holmes Strikes a Happy Medium" and "The Demon Cobbler of Greek Street"; they usually turned out to have Holmes's mortal enemy Moriarty (Geoffrey Whitehead) behind each mystery. This series has since been rebroadcast on BBC Radio 7. Starting in 1998, U.S. radio producer Jim French (radio), Jim French was given permission from the Conan Doyle estate to produce new, original Sherlock Holmes stories for radio in North America. These are presented within the ''Imagination Theatre'' program on radio stations and XM satellite radio. The new stories are also broadcast under the banner ''The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes''. Holmes was played by John Gilbert until 2000, and subsequently by John Patrick Lowrie. Watson is played in all shows by Lawrence Albert. Scripts are by Jim French, M. J. Elliott, Matthew Booth, John Hall, Gareth Tilley, J R Campbell and Lawrence Albert. In 2005, with adaptations written by M. J. Elliott, French and his company began a new series based on Conan Doyle's original tales called ''The Classic Adventures of Sherlock Holmes''. Many episodes are available on CD as well as downloadable from the ''Imagination Theatre'' website.


Stage

The first actor known to have played Holmes on stage is Charles Brookfield in November 1893, appearing at the Royal Court Theatre in ''Under the Clock'', a musical parody of Holmes and Watson written with Seymour Hicks, who played Watson. However, the actor most associated with Holmes on stage is William Gillette, who wrote, directed, and starred in a popular play entitled ''Sherlock Holmes (play), Sherlock Holmes'' in seven different productions on Broadway from 1899 (filmed in 1916), while the stories were still being published, to 1930. His version of Holmes, dressed in deerstalker hat and Inverness cape and smoking a large curved Smoking pipe (tobacco)#Calabash, calabash pipe, contributed much to the popular image of the character. The deerstalker hat appears occasionally in Paget's original illustrations for ''The Strand'', but it is by no means a part of Holmes' regular clothing. Doyle's text is even vaguer, referring only to a travelling cap with earflaps in the passages with the relevant illustrations. He is also described as smoking several different types of pipes, varying them with his mood. The calabash pipe is associated with Sherlock Holmes because early portrayers, particularly Gillette and
Basil Rathbone Philip St. John Basil Rathbone MC (13 June 1892 – 21 July 1967) was a South African-born English actor. He rose to prominence in the United Kingdom as a Shakespearean stage actor and went on to appear in more than 70 films, primarily costume ...
, made an artistic decision to use something large and easily recognized as a pipe. A calabash pipe has a large air chamber beneath the bowl that provides a cooling and mellowing effect. Holmes preferred harsh and strong tobaccos and therefore would eschew such a pipe. In fact, most stories, particularly "The Adventure of the Copper Beeches," described him as preferring a long-stemmed cherry-wood or a clay pipe. Holmes is tangentially referred to in an unfinished play by L. Frank Baum and Emerson Hough called ''Plays of L. Frank Baum#The King of Gee-Whiz, The King of Gee-Whiz'' (1905). In Langdon McCormick's 1905 play, ''The Burglar and the Lady'', Holmes is pitted against the fictional criminal A. J. Raffles (character), A. J. Raffles, created by E. W. Hornung. McCormick did not secure permission from either Doyle or Hornung to use their characters. In the first twenty years of the 20th century, Harry Arthur Saintsbury played Holmes on stage in Gillette's play more than 1,400 times.Robert W. Pohle, Douglas C. Hart, ''Sherlock Holmes on the screen: the motion picture adventures of the world's most popular detective'' (A. S. Barnes, 1977), pp. 54, 56, 57 In subsequent revivals of this production, Holmes was played by John Wood (English actor), John Wood, John Neville (actor), John Neville, Patrick Horgan,
Robert Stephens Sir Robert Graham Stephens (14 July 193112 November 1995) was a leading English actor in the early years of Britain's Royal National Theatre. He was one of the most respected actors of his generation and was at one time regarded as the nat ...
and Leonard Nimoy. Frank Langella played Holmes in a 1981 production for Home Box Office, HBO. In 1923, the play ''The Return of Sherlock Holmes (play), The Return of Sherlock Holmes'' ran for 130 performances at the Shaftesbury Theatre, Princes Theatre, London. It was written by Arthur Rose and J. E. Harold Terry, and starred Eille Norwood as Holmes and Henry Hugh Gordon Stoker, H. G. Stoker as Watson. One of the performances was attended by Conan Doyle. ''Sherlock's Last Case'' by Charles Marowitz ran on Broadway in 1987, starring Frank Langella. ''The Secret of Sherlock Holmes'' by Jeremy Paul was staged in London's West End in 1988, with Jeremy Brett and Edward Hardwicke reprising their television roles as Holmes and Watson. It was revived in the summer of 2010 at the Duchess Theatre, this time starring television actors Peter Egan as Holmes and Robert Daws as Watson. Two musicals - ''Baker Street (musical), Baker Street'' in 1965, and ''Sherlock Holmes: The Musical'' in 1988 — have been written around Holmes, as well as a ballet. ''Sherlock & Watson: Behind Closed Doors'', a short play by Darren Stewart-Jones premiered at the Gay Play Day LGBTQ theatre festival in Toronto in 2013 and also played both the Hamilton Fringe Festival and the London One Act Festival in Ontario, Canada in 2014. The play imagines a romantic involvement between the two characters. In 2007, Peepolykus Theatre Company premiered a new adaptation of ''The Hound of the Baskervilles'' at West Yorkshire Playhouse in Leeds. Adapted by John Nicholson (playwright), John Nicholson and Steve Canny, directed by Orla O'loughlin with Javier Marzan as
Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a " consulting detective" in the stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with observation, deduction, forensic science and ...
, the production involves only three actors. Following a UK tour, it transferred to the Duchess Theatre in London’s West End. This adaptation continues to be presented by both amateur and professional companies around the world. An abridged version of Peepolykus's adaptation was recorded in front of a live audience with the original cast for BBC Radio 4 (directed by Alison Hindell) and broadcast in 2012. A DVD of the stage version and CD of the radio version is available via the Peepolykus website. In 2015, the Arena Stage in Southwest, Washington, D.C. premiered a comedic adaptation of ''The Hound of the Baskervilles'' authored by playwright Ken Ludwig entitled ''Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery''.


Television

There have been many television incarnations of Sherlock Holmes, varying in faithfulness to the source material from direct adaptations of Holmes stories, most notably ''The Hound of the Baskervilles'', to new stories set in the present day and even the future.


Television series

One of the earliest television appearances was the 1951 BBC mini series ''Sherlock Holmes (1951 TV series), Sherlock Holmes'' starring Alan Wheatley as Holmes and Raymond Francis as Watson. Three years later, the first American adaptation of Holmes and Watson, ''Sherlock Holmes (1954 TV series), Sherlock Holmes'' was produced by Sheldon Reynolds (producer), Sheldon Reynolds in 1954, and starred Ronald Howard (British actor), Ronald Howard as Holmes and Howard Marion-Crawford as Doctor Watson produced in Paris, France. In the 1960s, there was a BBC TV series entitled ''Sherlock Holmes (1965 TV series), Sherlock Holmes'' with Douglas Wilmer and Nigel Stock. Peter Cushing, who had earlier played the detective in the Hammer Film Productions, Hammer version of ''The Hound of the Baskervilles'', later took over from Wilmer in the lead role. The 24 part series ''Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson'' (1979–1980) starred Geoffrey Whitehead as Holmes and Donald Pickering as Watson. In 1982, Granada Television aired an eight-part series entitled ''Young Sherlock: The Mystery of the Manor House'' which told the story of Holmes' youth. The show starred Guy Henry (actor), Guy Henry as Sherlock Holmes. Also in 1982, the BBC produced an The Hound of the Baskervilles (TV serial), adaptation of The Hound of the Baskervilles, starring Tom Baker as the detective. Jeremy Brett starred as Holmes in a Granada Television adaptation screened from 1984 to 1994, ''Sherlock Holmes (1984 TV series), The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes'', with David Burke (British actor), David Burke and subsequently Edward Hardwicke as Watson. All but 18 of the Conan Doyle stories were filmed before the death of Jeremy Brett from a heart attack in 1995. Between 1984 and 1994, 36 episodes and five films were produced over six series. Brett and Hardwicke reprised their roles as Holmes and Watson in 1988-89 in a West End stage play, ''The Secret of Sherlock Holmes'', written by Jeremy Paul. An animated series, ''Sherlock Holmes in the 22nd Century'', brings Holmes (voiced by Jason Gray-Stanford) into the future through the marvels of science. There is also a Japanese animated series called ''Sherlock Hound'' featuring anthropomorphic canine characters with the titular character voiced by Larry Moss (acting coach), Larry Moss in the English dub. Several of its episodes were directed by Hayao Miyazaki. Another Japanese anime series called ''Case Closed (manga), Case Closed'', based on the manga of the same name, features a main character by the name of Conan who is heavily influenced by Sherlock Holmes. The children's television series ''The Adventures of Shirley Holmes'', which ran from 1996 to 1999, features a main young, modern-day female character (portrayed by Meredith Henderson) who claims to be a distant descendant of Sherlock Holmes himself and has inherited his intellect in solving crimes. In 2007, the BBC released ''Sherlock Holmes and the Baker Street Irregulars'', a children's series focusing on the Baker Street Irregulars and starring Jonathan Pryce as Holmes. In 2009, the BBC began making ''Sherlock (TV series), Sherlock'', created by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss. Three seasons of three 90-minute episodes each were broadcast in 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2016, starring Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock and Martin Freeman as John. Professor Moriarty, Moriarty appears as a recurring villain. A special episode, "The Abominable Bride", was broadcast in January 2016, with a limited cinematic release worldwide. The fourth series aired January 1, 2017, with regards to it being potentially the final season - due to Cumberbatch and Freeman's busy schedules. The series also inspired a manga published in Japan, translated and published in US and UK by Titan Comics. Columbia Broadcasting System, CBS in Fall 2012 premiered the series ''Elementary (TV series), Elementary'', a contemporary remake of the Doyle character set in the United States, starring Jonny Lee Miller as Holmes and Lucy Liu as a female version of Watson. Sherlock Holmes has also been a prolific screen character in foreign language films, such as the Russian 2013 mini-series version broadcast in November 2013. ''Sherlock Holmes (2013 TV series), Sherlok Kholms'' premiered in November 2013 on Russia-1. The eight episodes were filmed in St. Petersburg, Russia and starred Igor Petrenko as Holmes and Andrey Panin as Watson. In 2014, NHK produced a puppetry ''Sherlock Holmes (puppetry), Sherlock Holmes'' written by Kōki Mitani. It is set in Beeton School, a fictional boarding school and Holmes is a fifteen-year-old pupil who lives in the room 221B of Baker House and resolves the troubles in the school but there's no murder. In the show, John H. Watson is his roommate, Mrs Hudson is a housemother of Baker House and James Moriarty is deputy headmaster of the school.  ''Miss Sherlock'' premiered in 2018 and starred Yūko Takeuchi as Sara "Sherlock" Shelly Futaba and Shihori Kanjiya as Dr. Wato. Set in Tokyo,
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...
, it is a co-production between HBO Asia and Nippon TV, Hulu Japan. The ''Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?'' episode "Elementary, My Dear Shaggy" has Mystery Inc. working with a man who claims to be Sherlock Holmes (voiced by Ian James Corlett) when it came to the mystery involving the screaming skulls. It was never confirmed in the episode if the man was the actual Sherlock Holmes or not. ''Deadline Hollywood'' reports that CBS Aaron Kaplan’s Kapital Entertainment, Elementary' Craig Sweeny and CBS Studios are developing a medical drama series with detective elements titled ''Watson'' that will focus on Dr. John Watson a year after Holmes' murdered by Moriarty resumes his medical career as the head of a clinic dedicated to treating rare disorders. Eddie Izzard is set to play Sherlock Holmes in ''Sherlock's Daughter''.


Television movies

In the 1976 ''The Return of the World's Greatest Detective'' policemen Sherman Holmes suffers from a blow to the head resulting in him thinking he is Sherlock Holmes. John Cleese starred as Holmes' grandson - Arthur Sherlock Holmes - in the comic TV special ''The Strange Case of the End of Civilization as We Know It'' (1977). Arthur Lowe played Dr. William Watson, the original doctor's grandson. Between 1979 and 1986, Soviet Union, Soviet television produced a series of five television films at the Lenfilm movie studio, ''The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson''. The series were split into eleven episodes and starred Vasily Livanov as Holmes and Vitaly Solomin as Watson. Livanov earned honorary membership Order of the British Empire for a performance ambassador Anthony Brenton described as "one of the best I've ever seen". In 1983, Ian Richardson portrayed Sherlock Holmes in ''The Sign of Four (1983 film), The Sign of Four'' with David Healy (actor), David Healy as Doctor Watson, Dr. John H. Watson. Later that same year, Richardson again played Holmes in a version of ''The Hound of the Baskervilles (1983 film), The Hound of the Baskervilles'' with Donald Churchill as his Watson. Also in 1983 Australian production company Burbank Films (later Burbank Animation Studios) released a series of animated TV specials based on the four full-length novels, starring Peter O'Toole as Holmes and Earle Cross as Watson. The films were entitled Sherlock Holmes and a Study in Scarlet, Sherlock Holmes and the Sign of Four, Sherlock Holmes and the Baskerville Curse, and Sherlock Holmes and the Valley of Fear. In 1986, a TV movie called ''My Tenderly Loved Detective'' was made in Soviet Union about the adventures of the female Sherlock Holmes, called Shirley Holmes here, and female Dr.Watson, called Jane Watson here. The contemporarily-set 1987 television movie ''The Return of Sherlock Holmes (1987 film), The Return of Sherlock Holmes'' starred Michael Pennington as the detective and Margaret Colin as Dr. Watson's granddaughter, Jane. Jane, after following directions written by her grandfather years ago, finds out that she has thawed Holmes who had been cryogenically frozen by Dr. Watson for 88 years due to Bubonic plague. They become a team—the essential Victorian gentleman and a post-feminist young woman—to solve a case that combines elements of "The Sign of the Four" with elements from the celebrated news story of a plane hijacked for ransom by D. B. Cooper. The 1991-92 series ''Sherlock Holmes the Golden Years'' consisted of two TV films, in which Sherlock Holmes (played by
Christopher Lee Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee (27 May 1922 – 7 June 2015) was an English actor and singer. In a long career spanning more than 60 years, Lee often portrayed villains, and appeared as Count Dracula in seven Hammer Horror films, ultim ...
) and Dr. Watson (played by Patrick Macnee) are older adults who continue investigating cases. The two films were ''Incident at Victoria Falls'' and ''Sherlock Holmes and the Leading Lady''. In 1991, Charlton Heston played Holmes in the Turner Network Television production of Paul Giovanni's play ''The Crucifer of Blood''. From 2000 to 2002, Muse Entertainment Enterprises produced four television films for the Hallmark Channel, starring Matt Frewer as Holmes and Kenneth Welsh as Dr Watson, in ''The Hound of the Baskervilles (2000 film), The Hound of the Baskervilles'' (2000), ''The Royal Scandal'' (2001), ''The Sign of Four (2001 film), The Sign of Four'' (2001) and ''The Case of the Whitechapel Vampire'' (2002). 2002 saw a new version of ''The Hound of the Baskervilles (2002 film), The Hound of the Baskervilles'' featuring Richard Roxburgh. Ian Hart played Dr. Watson then and also in the 2004 BBC airing of ''Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Silk Stocking'', alternatively billed as ''The Return of Sherlock Holmes''. An original screenplay "based on the character created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle", this film takes place in 1902, with Dr. Watson "saving a dear friend from narcotics and boredom", this friend being an opium-addicted and increasingly weak Sherlock Holmes. Rupert Everett plays the Great Detective. 2002 also saw the television movie, made for television cable movie, ''Case of Evil'', about a 20-something Sherlock Holmes (James D'Arcy) and a Doctor Watson who worked as an early practitioner of autopsies, on the trail of Holmes' archenemy, Professor Moriarty (Vincent D'Onofrio).


Episodes of unrelated series

An adaptation of ''The Adventure of the Speckled Band, The Speckled Band'' aired on the 1949 TV anthology series ''Your Show Time'', and starred Alan Napier as Holmes and Melville Cooper as Watson. John Cleese played Holmes in a 1973 episode of "Comedy Playhouse": ''Elementary My Dear Watson''. Willie Rushton, William Rushton played Watson. In 1988, the animated series ''Alvin and the Chipmunks (1983 TV series), Alvin and the Chipmunks'' aired an episode entitled "Elementary, My Dear Simon", which stars Simon as Holmes, Theodore as Watson, Alvin as Professor Moriarty, and Dave as Inspector Seville. Also in 1988, in the animated series ''BraveStarr'', the two-part episode ''"Sherlock Holmes in the 23rd Century"'' had Holmes transported from Reichenbach Falls in 1893, to London in 2249, gaining the power to shoot electricity form his hands in the process. Holmes is joined by an alien, Dr. W't'sn (the 23rd century counterpart of Watson) & Inspector Mycroft Holmes of Scotland Yard (a direct descendant & namesake of Holmes' brother Mycroft); the trio are recruited by the eponymous hero, Marshal BraveStarr, to investigate the hijackings of ore freighters. They discover Professor Moriarty is behind the hijackings & a nefarious plot to brainwash and enslave the population of Earth through hypnotism; after Holmes' presumed death in 1893, Moriarty built & used a stasis device to sleep until Holmes reappeared in 2249. Holmes and his friends foil Moriarty's plot, and Moriarty is arrested. The android Data (Star Trek), Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner) from ''Star Trek: The Next Generation'' had a personal interest of visiting the holodeck and playing Sherlock Holmes with his friend Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) as Doctor Watson, Dr John H. Watson, as can be seen in two episodes of the series: ''"Elementary, Dear Data"'', and ''"Ship in a Bottle (Star Trek: The Next Generation), Ship in a Bottle"''. On these occasions, Commander Data would replay and try to solve some of his favourite Holmes stories, or let the computer improvise a new mystery in the style of Doyle's stories. On most of these occasions, these exercises would result in a quick solution, since his android brain would immediately pick up all available clues, and his superior deductive skills would quickly solve the problem. Attempting to let the computer create a more difficult mystery for him however, resulted in the computer creating a holographic Professor James Moriarty which was imbued with a measure of consciousness, and who formed the basis for a story arc for said two episodes. The holographic Moriarty quickly caused problems when he realised he was a holodeck creation, and demanded a 'full' life, with the possibility to leave the holodeck. The children's television series ''Wishbone (TV series), Wishbone'' featured Holmes and Watson in two episodes: "The Slobbery Hound" (based on ''The Hound of the Baskervilles'') and "A Dogged Exposé" (''A Scandal in Bohemia''). In an episode of "Batman: The Brave and the Bold" titled "Trials of the Demon!", which aired on March 20, 2009, Batman is transported back in time and teams up with Holmes and Watson, alongside Etrigan the Demon.


Video games

Sherlock Holmes and his world are also used in video game universe as computer games and video games. The great majority of them are however Sherlock Holmes pastiches#Video games, pastiches. * In the mobile game ''Fate/Grand Order'' (2015), Sherlock Holmes is capable of being summoned as a 5-star Ruler Class Servant. * In the MMORPG ''Wizard101'' (2008), there is a character based on Holmes, named "Sherlock Bones". * Sherlock Holmes is one of the main characters in the duology ''The Great Ace Attorney: Adventures'' (2015) and ''The Great Ace Attorney 2: Resolve'' (2017). His portrayal in the games, although more comical than usual, is heavily based in almost all of his known habits and skills, with his deductions being one of the main gimmicks of the games. Due to copyright concerns, Holmes is named "Herlock Sholmes (Ace Attorney), Herlock Sholmes" in international releases of the games. The vast majority of Holmes games have been, and continue to be, published by the games company Frogwares. They've produced 13 Sherlock Holmes games, most of which fall under the Adventure game, adventure, Puzzle video game, puzzle, or hidden object genera. Most of these games are Sherlock Holmes pastiches#Video games, pastiches, however a few are (or contain) adaptations of the original stories. Frogwares' Holmes products are: *''Sherlock Holmes: The Mystery of the Mummy'' (2002) for Microsoft Windows, Windows PC and Nintendo DS. *''Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Silver Earring, Sherlock Holmes: The case of the Silver Earing'' (2004) for Windows PC and Wii, Nintendo Wii. *''Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened'' (2007) for Windows PC. *''Sherlock Holmes Versus Arsène Lupin, Sherlock Holmes vs. Arsène Lupin'' (2007) for Windows PC. *''The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: The Mystery of the Persian Carpet'' (2008). *''Sherlock Holmes Versus Jack the Ripper, Sherlock Holmes vs. Jack the Ripper'' (2009) for Windows PC and Xbox 360. *''Sherlock Holmes and the Mystery of Osborne House'' (2011). *''Sherlock Holmes and the Hound of the Baskervilles'' (2011). *''The Testament of Sherlock Holmes'' (2012) for Windows PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3, PS3. *''Sherlock Holmes and the Mystery of the Frozen City'' (2013) for Nintendo 3DS. *''Sherlock Holmes: Crimes & Punishments, Sherlock Holmes: Crime & Punishments'' (2014) for Windows PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, and PlayStation 4, PS4. *''Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter'' (2016) for Windows PC, Xbox One, and PS4. *''Sherlock Holmes Chapter One'' (2021) for Windows PC as well as 8th Gen and 9th Gen home consoles.


See also

*List of actors who have played Sherlock Holmes


References


Literature

* Peter Haining, ''The Television Sherlock Holmes'', W.H. Allen, London, 1986. .


External links


BBC Cult Page
for five original Sherlock Holmes short stories, posted in January 2004. *
"Brief and Incomplete History of Sherlock Holmes on TV"
by the Sherlock Holmes Society of London. *
Open audio collection of various Radio broadcasts (archive.org)
*
Universal Sherlock Holmes
', Ronald B. De Waal, [Toronto: Metropolitan Toronto Library, 1994], online at the University of Minnesota, Sherlock Holmes Collections {{DEFAULTSORT:Adaptations Of Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes Works based on Sherlock Holmes, Works based on literature, Sherlock Holmes