This is an immersive website created for the character of Sherlock Holmes, as part of the Narrative and Storytelling module for Interaction Design.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s celebrated Sherlock Holme’s characters have captured the minds of countless admirers – young and old – over the years. A fictional private detective created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Holmes is known for his proficiency with observation, forensic science, and logical reasoning. His powers of deduction border on the fantastic, which he employs when investigating cases for a wide variety of clients, including Scotland Yard.
Holmes has lived a life beyond the printed page. Recent adaptations, brought to life on the silver screen, include: Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman’s portrayal in Sherlock; Sir Ian McKellen’s portrayal in Mr Holmes’; and – more recently – Will Ferrell and John C Reilly’s portrayal in Holmes & Watson.
Every generation or so, some kind of cycle happens, some big book or movie begins to start the process and then others seem to follow up.
Sherlock Holmes is a fictional private detective created by British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Known as a consulting detective in the stories, Holmes is known for a proficiency with observation, forensic science, and logical reasoning that borders on the fantastic, which he employs when investigating cases for a wide variety of clients, including Scotland Yard. Amongst other foibles, Holmes had a penchant for papier maché.
First appearing in print in 1887 in A Study in Scarlet, the character’s popularity became widespread with the first series of short stories in The Strand Magazine, beginning with A Scandal in Bohemia in 1891. Additional tales appeared from then until 1927, eventually totalling four novels and 56 short stories.
All but one are set in the Victorian or Edwardian periods, taking place between about 1880 to 1914. Most are narrated by the character of Holmes’s friend and biographer Dr. Watson, who usually accompanies Holmes during his investigations and often shares quarters with him at the address of 221B Baker Street, London, where many of the stories begin.
In The Sign of Four, John Watson met Mary Morstan, who became his wife. Mary seemed somewhat less sure of her husband, however, absentmindedly calling him James in the short story The Man With the Twisted Lip.
This may be a simple typographical error, though some have speculated that it is a wifely reference to Watson’s unknown middle name, which could have been Hamish (Scottish for James). Dorothy Sayers, creator of the detective Lord Peter Wimsey, who also wrote several essays on Holmesian speculation, later publishing this theory in Unpopular Opinions.
In the debut Holmes story ‘A Study in Scarlet’, Watson, as the narrator, describes meeting Holmes, their subsequent sharing of rooms at 221B Baker Street, his attempts to discover the profession of his taciturn companion, Holmes’s eventual taking of Watson into his confidence, and the events surrounding their first case together. Watson describes Holmes and his methods in too romantic and sentimental a manner for Holmes’ taste. In time, they become close friends.
Professor James Moriarty, the arch-enemy of Sherlock Holmes, is a mathematics professor turned the world’s only consulting criminal. His genius is equal to, if not perhaps greater than, Holmes himself. The character was introduced primarily as a narrative device to enable Conan Doyle to kill Sherlock Holmes, and only featured in two of the Sherlock Holmes stories.
Moriarty is a machiavellian criminal mastermind whom Holmes describes as the Napoleon of crime. Conan Doyle borrowed this phrase from a Scotland Yard inspector who was referring to Adam Worth, a real-life criminal mastermind, who is one of the individuals upon whom the character of Moriarty was based.
Moriarty is a genius, a philosopher and an abstract thinker, with a brain of the first order. As Holmes puts it: He sits motionless, like a spider in the centre of its web, but that web has a thousand radiations, and he knows well every quiver of each of them.
Irene Adler, professionally known as The Woman, is a brilliant dominatrix who has an apparently romantic attraction to Sherlock Holmes. Even though Irene does not want money or power for the pictures, Sherlock is tasked in getting them back. She is using them, and other information for her protection. She is brought to Sherlock’s attention when he and John are summoned to Buckingham Palace by Mycroft and are asked to take on a case of national importance. Irene had taken compromising images of a young female member of the British Royal family during a dominatrix session.
Whilst Mycroft – Holmes’ elder brother (by seven years) – is telling Sherlock about Irene, he states that she is a dominatrix who gives out recreational scolding to people. She has been in the middle of two political scandals in recent years, one of them involving a famous author, in which she had an affair with both sides.
Sherlock Holmes has been the subject of countless films over the years, stretching from 1939 to the present day. Notable examples include:
Sidney Lanfield’s The Hound of the Baskervilles (1939) starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce.
Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes (2009) starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law.
Etan Cohen’s Holmes & Watson (2018) starring Will Ferrell and John C Reilly.
Guinness World Records lists Holmes as, the most portrayed movie character, with more than 70 actors playing the part in over 200 films. His first screen appearance was in the 1900 Mutoscope film, Sherlock Holmes Baffled.
What could be better than spending an evening soaking up the spectacle of Sherlock Holmes and his partner-in-crime Dr Watson undertaking a spot of sleuthing. These are just a handful of Holmes’ outings on celluloid.
2018
Dir. Etan Cohen
Will Ferrell: Sherlock Holmes
John C Reilly: Dr Watson
Detective Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson join forces in Holmes & Watson to investigate a murder at Buckingham Palace. They soon learn that they have only four days to solve the case, or the queen will become the next victim.
2016
Dir. Douglas Mackinnon
Benedict Cumberbatch: Sherlock Holmes
Martin Freeman: Dr Watson
Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson find themselves in 1890s London in this holiday special.
2015
Dir. Bill Condon
Ian McKellen: Sherlock Holmes
Colin Starkey: Dr Watson
The man behind the myth.Mr Holmes is set in 1947, following a long-retired Holmes living in a Sussex village with his housekeeper and rising detective son. Holmes finds himself haunted by an unsolved 50-year old case. However, his memory isn’t what it used to be, so he only remembers fragments of the case: a confrontation with an angry husband, a secret bond with his beautiful but unstable wife.
2009
Dir. Guy Ritchie
Robert Downey Jr.: Sherlock Holmes
Jude Law: Dr Watson
Nothing escapes him.Eccentric consulting detective, Sherlock Holmes and Doctor John Watson battle to bring down a new nemesis and unravel a deadly plot that could destroy England.
The data represented here is taken from the BBC show 'Sherlock' airing from 2010 to 2017 receiving 4 seasons with 3 episodes presented in each season. The show stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman as Holmes and Watson taking part in a modern era London with classic Holmes' tales being refined for the 21st Century.
The data below represents the average number of viewers watching the show each season including the series special, 'the abominable bride'.
Season 1 introduces us to this modern world of crime set in modern day London featuring a brand new Holmes and Watson. It lets us see how the pair become friends in the first place tied together with interesting crimes. This is mixed with realistic layered characters while also featuring some humour on the side.
The last episode of season 1 'The Great Game' faces our heroes with the main antagonist of the show, Moriarty. The pair face off against Moriarty in a swimming pool, however, John Watson is trapped and wired with explosives that if detonated, would kill all 3 of them.
Episode 1 - A Study in Pink
Episode 2 - The Blind Banker
Episode 3 - The Great Game
Season 2 elevates the tension and drama of the series by featuring more intense episodes. Irene Adler is brought into the show by featuring in the season 2 opening episode which gives the characters a heavy task. The final episode of the season 'The Reichenbach Fall' features Sherlock and Moriarty facing off one last time at the top of a building with both characters attempting to outsmart one another.
Episode 1 - A Scandal in Belgravia
Episode 2 - The Hounds of Baskerville
Episode 3 - The Reichenbach Fall
Season 3 introduces Holmes and Watson back together after a 2 year break. Mary Watson is first introduced in this season as her and Dr Watson have their wedding in the second episode 'The Sign of Three'.
Episode 1 - The Empty Hearse
Episode 2 - The Sign of Three
Episode 3 - His Last Vow
Season 4 is the culmination of the series for these characters and features some of the most dramatic situations for Sherlock yet. The last season of Sherlock was the least watched season of the show as well the least rated season critically. This is most likely due to season 4 not having a strong compelling villain to contrast Holmes and Watson.
Episode 1 - The Six Thatchers
Episode 2 - The Lying Detective
Episode 3 - The Final Problem
221B Baker Street is the London address of the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes, created by the writer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
At the time the Holmes stories were published, addresses in Baker Street did not go as high as 221. In fact, number 85 was the last number of the street in 1890.
Baker Street was later extended, and in 1932 the Abbey National Building Society moved into premises at 219–229 Baker Street. For many years, Abbey National employed a full-time secretary to answer mail addressed to Sherlock Holmes.
In 1990, a blue plaque signifying 221B Baker Street was installed at the Sherlock Holmes Museum, situated elsewhere on the same block, and there followed a 15-year dispute between Abbey National and the Holmes Museum for the right to receive mail addressed to 221B Baker Street.
Since the closure of Abbey House in 2005, ownership of the address by the Sherlock Holmes Museum has not been challenged. The Sherlock Holmes Museum is situated within an 1815 townhouse very similar to the 221B described in the stories and is located between 237 and 241 Baker Street. The museum displays exhibits in period rooms, wax figures and Holmes memorabilia, with the famous study overlooking Baker Street the highlight of the museum.
The description of the house can be found throughout the stories, including the 17 steps leading from the ground-floor hallway to the first-floor study. In A Study in Scarlet (1887), Conan Doyle writes:
"We met next day as he had arranged, and inspected the rooms at No. 221B, Baker Street, of which he had spoken at our meeting. They consisted of a couple of comfortable bedrooms and a single large airy sitting room, cheerfully furnished, and illuminated by two broad windows."
There is now a museum on Baker Street, The Sherlock Holmes Museum. Open daily from 9.30 am - 6pm, admission is £15 for adults and £10 for children under 16.
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