"begins like this: In 1878 I graduated from the University of London....
How old Watson is not reported. But if you remember that he is to some extent the alter ego of Conan Doyle, then we can assume that then Watson was 22 years old. That was exactly what Conan Doyle himself was when he graduated from the University of Edinburgh and became, like his hero, a physician. And exactly the same number was for Herbert Wells and Mahatma Gandhi, who graduated from this same University of London around the same time.
We read further: I was transferred to the Berkshires, with whom I fought the fateful battle of Maiwand. A rifle bullet hit me in the shoulder, shattered the bone and hit the subclavian artery.
The Battle of Maiwand took place on July 27, 1880. Then Watson wallows in hospitals, suffers from typhus, and finally he is sent to England. For everything about everything, I think it took no more than a year, well, maybe a little more. Those. Already somewhere in 1881, Watson appeared in London. So he was already somewhere around 25 years old.
Where Watson was introduced to Holmes. Here is how Watson himself described it: The laboratory was empty, and only in the far corner,bent down to the table, some kind of young man
. Those. Holmes was clearly younger than Watson, and, most likely, much younger.
Interesting research. Well, plus behavioral strokes. When Holmes fights to the death with Professor Moriarty at the Reichenbach Falls (the story is from 1893, but describes the year 1891), it can hardly be assumed that a middle-aged man began to throw out such tricks. But a young man could easily start a fight on the edge of a waterfall, and then let his fingers be shot off.
A small clarification confirming that in 1881 Holmes must be quite young.
His first case is described in the story "Gloria Scott" - it was from this case that Holmes decided to devote himself to solving crimes. The story describes how Holmes fell ill in college and became close to fellow student Victor Trevor. After Holmes recovered, Trevor invited him to spend summer holidays on his father's estate in Norfolk. Well, the story goes on. The beginning of the plot is separated from the time of the story by about 19 years and is accurately identified - October-November 1855, the height Crimean War. The story takes place around 1874. And Holmes is a college student this year. His exact age is unknown. But in 1874, an English college is, in fact, something like a secondary elite school. So Holmes in 1874 must have been 15 years or so (maybe even less). And 7 years later, in 1881, Watson meets him. Therefore, Holmes at that moment should be somewhere around 22-23 years old.
”, and we can’t find a place for ourselves from impatience. We decided to recall some interesting facts related to our favorite British show.
Another episode The pilot of the series has never aired on the BBC, but it is. This is a "rough" version of "Study in pink colors”, which is the first episode of the first season, was re-shot and seriously improved. It was filmed by director Koki Gidroik, and for new version called Paul McGuigan. Subsequently, for those who are particularly interested, "Episode 0" was released on DVD. It's very interesting to compare it with the final version: some scenes are radically redone, others are simply re-shot in different settings and with different accents, various useful inscriptions are screwed on, and new details are added to Sherlock's image. Frame from the pilot episode of the BBC Martin Freeman and his wifeEvery time a new episode comes out, the entire cast the series is on watch him visit Martin Freeman (John Watson) and his wife Amanda Abbington (Mary Morstan). Unfortunately, this weekend it became known that they broke up after 15 years. life together. Martin Freeman stated this in an interview with the Financial Times: “Amanda and I are no longer together, but we remain very friendly. I will always love her."
Not Baker StreetThe filming of the series at 221B Baker Street had to be abandoned, as there is very heavy traffic and many signs with the name of Sherlock Holmes. I would have to clean them up. So Holmes and Watson's apartment was filmed at 187 North Gower Street in Bloomsbury, London. 
This is what the real 221B Baker Street looks like today sherlock-holmes.co.uk
The coat worn by Benedict Cumberbatch in the pilot episode was purchased by Mark Gatiss and given to the actor for his birthday. 
air force
British actors Timothy Carlton and Wanda Ventham, father and mother of Benedict Cumberbatch, played Sherlock's parents in the third season of The Empty Hearse. 
BBC Sherlock's Parents
The BBC plans to create a theme park based on Sherlock, Doctor Who and other popular series.
air force Little Sherlock
IN last episode the third season of "His Last Vow" the role of little Sherlock was played by Louis Moffat - the son of the producer and screenwriter of the series Steven Moffat and executive producer Sue Virtue. 
Louis Moffat as Little BBC Sherlock
Producer and screenwriter Mark Gatiss, who also played Mycroft Holmes, constantly tried to convince showrunner Steven Moffat that his character's umbrella should be stuffed with all sorts of gadgets, but to no avail. 
Mark Gatiss as Mycroft Holmes BBC
In Conan Doyle's stories, Inspector Lestrade's name was never mentioned. Known only initial name - G. In the series he was called Greg, but Sherlock always forgets his real name and goes over different variants names starting with G. 
Greg Lestrade BBC
When this scene was filmed Benedict Cumberbatch caught the pen the first time, but the operator had problems with the camera. So I had to shoot a few more takes before the trick worked again. To perform it, the actor looked in the mirror.
New episodes
The first episode of the fourth season will be called "The Six Thatchers", the second - "The Lying Detective", the third - " Last problem". The literary basis of these series is the stories of Conan Doyle: "The Six Napoleons", "Sherlock Holmes at Death" and "The Last Case of Holmes", respectively. There is still time to read them. I wonder where the writers took these stories in the serial adaptation. 
Promo to fourth season air force
Screenwriter Steven Moffat's favorite episode is A Scandal in Belgravia. This is the story of how Irene Adler managed to fool Sherlock. 
Irene Adler Air Force
Literary hero invented by writer and physician Arthur Conan Doyle ( Arthur Conan Doyle), one of the most popular fictional characters in the world. A consulting detective from London (London), whose deductive abilities border on fantastic, is famous not only for his rare insight, but for the harmonious logic of his reasoning, the ability to change appearance beyond recognition, his passion for playing the violin and amazing ignorance in matters that Holmes does not need for unraveling detective cases.
It is likely that Sherlock Holmes, without whom it is impossible to imagine modern world, and in particular, literature and cinema, would not have come into being if, in 1877, the young Arthur Conan Doyle had not met Joseph Bell, a respected surgeon and professor at the University of Edinburgh, whose assistant Doyle subsequently worked at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh. Like Holmes, Dr. Bell had a rare insight and ability to draw correct conclusions from the smallest observations. Bell knew he was the inspiration for Holmes, and he was even a little proud of it.
The first story about Sherlock Holmes, the story "Study in crimson colors"(A Study in Scarlet), was published in 1887 (the first Russian translation of the story appeared 11 years later). In total, the famous detective appears on the pages of 4 stories and 56 stories written by Doyle, not counting the countless creations, pen-owned followers, imitators, parodists and even those who want to profit from someone else's idea. "Native", Konandoylovskie, stories and stories about Holmes and his permanent companion Dr. John H. Watson (Dr John H. Watson) cover more than 30 years, from about 1880 to 1914, while last story about an English detective was published in 1927, a couple of years before the writer's death. All but four of the stories are told from the perspective of Dr. Watson, Holmes' friend and biographer. In two more, Holmes himself is the narrator, and the last two are written in the third person.
Interestingly, Arthur Conan Doyle himself did not consider the stories of Sherlock Holmes to be the pinnacle of his work and more than once tried to get rid of the hero who had bothered him, arranging for him to premature death. However, the popularity of the detective was so high (until now, a fifth of readers are sure that Sherlock Holmes actually existed) that desperate readers threw bags of letters at the author and the publisher, demanding the return of their beloved hero. The author flatly refused - Sherlock Holmes "prevented" him from writing historical novels, - and then the fans, who did not want to part with their favorite character, began to create new stories about the British detective themselves. So the stories about Sherlock Holmes had their own fanfiction, one of the first in the history of this curious phenomenon. By the way, another an early example Fanfiction is considered to be stories inspired by Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.
Today, the stories of Sherlock Holmes have become one of the most screened literary works on Earth. Since the silent thirty-second short film Sherlock Holmes Baffled, which appeared in 1900, more than 210 films and television series on this topic have been shot around the world. The most recent of these are Guy Ritchie's detective thrillers Sherlock Holmes and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows with Robert Downey Jr.; acclaimed British series "Sherlock" (Sherlock) with irresistible Benedict Cumberbatch (Benedict Cumberbatch) in leading role; American "Elementary" (Elementary) with Jonny Lee Miller (Jonny Lee Miller) - the series distinguished itself by turning Dr. John Watson into Joan Vanson performed by Lucy Liu; and the Russian "Sherlock Holmes" with Igor Petrenko (Igor Petrenko). Although for Russia, of course, the most familiar and beloved Sherlock Holmes is the wonderful actor Vasily Livanov. Successful jokes and remarks from the most popular screen adaptations
tions have long become " popular expressions". Hardly anyone in our country has not heard the phrase "Damn it, Holmes, but how did you guess?" or "It's elementary, Watson!".
Despite the deafening fame and the details of his affairs known to everyone and everyone, the reader, in fact, knows little about the canonical Holmes. Arthur Conan Doyle did not even bother to give the character an exact date of birth, and there is still fierce debate among fans of the British detective - what date and in what year Holmes was born. It is currently accepted that Sherlock was born on January 6, 1854. And, judging by the story "The Adventure of the Creeping Man", both Holmes and Watson were in good health in 1923. Nothing is known about their further fate.
For the first time, Holmes thought about the deductive method as a student, thanks to the father of one of his fellow students, who praised his insight. He spent about six years as a consulting detective before financial difficulties forced Holmes to look for a flatmate, which became Dr. Watson. At this point, the reader gets to know both of them. Holmes and Watson live in London at 221B Baker Street - when Conan Doyle wrote his stories, there was no house with that number. Then the street was extended, and one of the houses was officially assigned the postal address 221B - it was in it that the Sherlock Holmes Museum was located, in which the interior described by the writer was reproduced to the smallest detail.
The Holmes family is also almost never mentioned. One of Sherlock's grandmothers was a Frenchwoman, the artist's sister, and Holmes speaks of other ancestors as rural landowners who led a normal life for their class. The reader knows that Sherlock has an older brother Mycroft (Mycroft Holmes), an influential government official who has the same talents as Sherlock, and from time to time turns to his brother for help, then he himself helps him. However, Holmes himself repeatedly told Watson that Mycroft's abilities are many times superior to his own, but at the same time, Holmes' elder brother does not have the ambition or energy necessary to solve mysterious cases. He does not even take the trouble to verify the conclusions reached by deduction, and this is what his younger brother. It is worth noting that in film and television adaptations, Mycroft usually appears to the viewer as much more enterprising and energetic than his literary prototype.
What else do we know about Holmes? He is eccentric, smokes a pipe, plays the violin, is an excellent boxer, owns a revolver, a sword and a whip, understands poisons, types of soil and tobacco ash, is rather indifferent to money - Watson often has to take on the functions of not only Holmes's biographer, but also treasurer, especially in matters of fees for solved cases. He does not seek fame and often seems arrogant and arrogant to other people, although in reality he is simply immersed in another mystery. He has few friends, but thanks to Watson's stories, he has more than enough fans. The famous detective also has dark times - when Holmes does not have suitable cases, he plunges into such melancholy that he can dilute it only with the help of cocaine. His brain does not tolerate downtime, peace literally kills him. And although Watson often reproaches Holmes with a disregard for his health, there is only one way to dispel Holmes' black melancholy - by slipping him such a case that will be too tough for all the detectives of Scotland Yard put together.
We've all heard of Sherlock Holmes, who is considered by most people to be the greatest fictional detective of all time. His popularity is so great that there is an entire community called the Baker Street Irregulars, whose members develop the Sherlock Holmes universe by writing fanfiction and organizing reconstructions. Such popularity inevitably leads to the emergence of many myths about the character. Mythology is distorted over time, and some fictions are taken for facts. Below are 10 common beliefs about Sherlock Holmes that are actually false.
10. Innocent people
Misconception: He didn't do bad things to innocent people just to solve another crime.
Many consider Sherlock Holmes the white knight of the detective world: he solves crimes using only his mind, and innocent people never get hurt in the process. He is considered the greatest fictional detective, but Sherlock also had dark side, and it's not just his addiction to drugs or eccentric habits. Sherlock Holmes was ready to do anything to solve a crime, and he often played with the fate of people just for fun. In The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton, he becomes engaged to a maid to get closer to a villain he suspects of committing a crime. After completing the investigation, he simply abandons the woman, which probably was not the most pleasant moment in life. He didn't even try to explain the situation to her, and she is no longer mentioned in the books. He also hired small group street boys who did all his dirty work for him and whom he affectionately called the "Baker Street Militias." The boys are mentioned in the following stories: The Sign of the Four, A Study in Scarlet, and The Adventure of the Crooked Man.
9. Progressive 
Misconception: social views Sherlock Holmes were progressive
In The Adventure of the Three Gables, Sherlock Holmes engages in rude and racist dialogues with blacks. He calls a negro boxer stupid just for the color of his skin and even mocks at the size of his lips. An excerpt describing Holmes' dialogue with Steve Dixie, a black boxer: “Yes, it's me, Steve Dixie. And Mass Holmes will certainly feel it in his own skin if he tries to fool my head. “But it is precisely this that you use least of all,” answered Holmes. After the boxer has left, Sherlock says: “Fortunately, you didn't have to test his not-too-intelligent head, Watson. Your maneuvers with the poker have not escaped me. But in reality, Dixie is a pretty harmless guy. Just an unintelligent boastful child of great strength. Did you notice how easy it was to subdue him? Sherlock goes on to make racist remarks about blacks in general as well. However, it is worth noting an important circumstance. At the time when these stories were written, such an attitude towards blacks was common - this, of course, does not justify racism, but it is not a feature of Holmes that distinguishes him from the rest of the population of England of those times. It is also interesting that many researchers believe that the "Three Skates Villa Incident", which contains the most racist statements, is a fake that was not written by Arthur Conan Doyle. This wouldn't be surprising since Sherlock Holmes fanfiction has been around for a very long time.
8. Withholding information
Misconception: Sherlock Holmes does not give the information he has to the police
In recent Sherlock Holmes films, there are several scenes in which Holmes takes evidence from a crime scene and hides it from the police. This allows him to always be a few steps ahead in the course of the investigation and solve crimes first. But in the books, he acted completely differently. Sherlock Holmes always left enough clues for the police to guess what he had already figured out - this is mentioned in the story "The Adventure of the Devils Foot". He also often shared information with the police if he found out that they were on the wrong track - this situation happened in the story "In the Lilac Gatehouse" (The Adventure of Wisteria Lodge). Sherlock Holmes worked faster than the police only because he was better than them at deduction. The scenes in which Sherlock Holmes deliberately conceals evidence damage the image of a detective who has never done such a thing.
7. Best friend
Misconception: Holmes trusts his best friend Doctor Watson
Dr. John Watson - best friend Sherlock Holmes, who was also his biographer and assistant in special dangerous affairs. Their friendship is very strong and they remain friends throughout their lives. Holmes even says that he would be "lost without his Boswell", a reference to the famous 18th century biographer Samuel Johnson. However, although Holmes appreciated Watson's medical knowledge and knew that he would always come to his aid in Hard time He never fully trusted the doctor. In The Hound of the Baskervilles, Holmes asks Watson to watch what is happening in Baskerville Hall, but then he goes to the swamp himself, as he does not trust his friend. Moreover, he does not even inform Watson that he has come to the same place where the Doctor was already. Also, in the story "The Adventure of the Dying Detective," the detective pretends to be ill with a deadly disease, because he believes that Watson could not keep a secret that this is just a pretense. Although Holmes claims to respect professional quality Watson, the fact that he did not believe that the doctor could play along puts the detective out of best light.
6. Weird manners 
Misconception: Holmes dressed eccentrically and was sloppy
Not all film adaptations feature this myth, but the latest film adaptation, starring Robert Downey Jr., captures this misconception to the fullest. Robert Downey Jr. as Holmes wears overly eccentric clothes that don't fit him and creates an image of a man with poor hygiene. However, in The Hound of the Baskervilles, Sherlock Holmes is described as a man who takes care of his hygiene like a cat. He wears traditional conservative clothing for his time and has always been described as an incredibly clean man. The same story tells that, despite the fact that Sherlock Holmes lived in an old hut in a swamp, during the investigation he remained clean and tidy - he even specifically arranged for fresh bedding and clothes to be brought there.
5. Cap and tube
Misconception: Holmes is always imagined wearing a deer hunter's hat and a gourd pipe.
The popular image of Holmes wearing a deer hunter's hat and smoking pipe is so common that these accessories are considered an integral part of the detective. However, this is a fabrication. The cap and pipe combination was designed for the theatre, and Sherlock never used them in the books. Smoking pipe from gourd (calabash) was first used by the actor in one of the first productions of the play about Sherlock Holmes. The actor chose her because the tube could be easily held on his chest when he spoke. In the books, Holmes used a very different pipe. This may seem like a nitpick, but it was worth mentioning, as the combination of deer hunter hat and calabash has become synonymous with Holmes and detectives in general.
4. Average age
Misconception: Doctor Watson and Sherlock Holmes are middle-aged gentlemen
In pop culture, Sherlock Holmes and his friend Dr. Watson are portrayed as experienced middle-aged men. This error can be easily explained, because Dr. Watson was already in the war and was a skilled doctor, and Holmes managed to gain a brilliant reputation. However, Holmes and Watson were actually quite young - in most stories they are just over 25 years old. Holmes and Watson are close in age: Sherlock is believed to have been born in 1854 and met the Doctor in 1881. Most of their adventures happened in the first years after they became friends, which means that they were quite young - they were no more than 30 years old. The explanation for how they could have managed to reach such heights at such a young age is simple: they were both outstanding young people. Although Doctor Watson is in the shadow of his friend, he was a good professional, had a brilliant mind and performed well during the war.
3. Short deeds
Misconception: Holmes did not spend more than a couple of months solving the case and ended his career at a relatively young age.
There is a grain of truth in this: Sherlock really solved most crimes with unimaginable speed. And he planned to end his career at a young age. Holmes "retired" and took up the study of bees and even published a book that he called his " great work”, containing his observations collected during the breeding of bees. However, the government had a problem: the government was leaking information, they were losing agents and could not figure out who was behind it. After being asked about this by several high-ranking officials, Holmes finally agreed to take on the investigation of this case, which is described in the story "His Farewell Bow". Finally, Holmes finds secret agent Germany, because of which all the troubles occurred, and invites Dr. Watson to final act. He tells Dr. Watson that his plan to capture a German agent was so complicated that he had to join a secret Irish society in America for two years - all in order to defeat one agent. It's safe to say that Holmes' work was incredibly thorough.
2. Irene Adler
Misconception: Sherlock Holmes loved Irene Adler
The creators of many films and television series believed that in order to make it more interesting for viewers to watch their works, it was necessary to add a romantic storyline. You could see a dramatized example of this in the films starring Robert Downey Jr., who played a bisexual, eccentric playboy in love with both Irene Adler and his friend Dr. Watson. Story line about loving Irene Adler is perfect, isn't it? Well, except that there was no love. Irene Adler is mentioned in only one story - "A Scandal in Bohemia" (A Scandal in Bohemia), and the only thing she says to Sherlock, passing by him: " Good night Mr Sherlock Holmes. Sherlock later characterizes her as a "Woman with capital letter', but only because she was the only woman, which somehow surpassed it. He respected her for her intelligence, but did not regard her as a romantic interest, and she was never seen again in the books. If you need more proof, Arthur Conan Doyle described Sherlock Holmes as "inhuman as Babbage's Analytical Engine" and believed that his famous detective was not interested in love.
1. Professor Moriarty 
Misconception: Professor James Moriarty was his sworn enemy
Despite the common belief hammered into us by many television series and films, Professor Moriarty was not worst enemy Sherlock Holmes. Moreover, Moriarty is found in only one story - "The Last Case of Holmes" (The Final Problem). He was also mentioned in passing in The Valley of Fear, providing advice to other criminals for a fee. Except them famous battle at the Reichenbach falls, there is no record of any violent confrontation between Holmes and Moriarty in the books. In fact, Arthur Conan Doyle got tired of the Sherlock Holmes character and wanted to move on to other projects, so he just made up a conflict between Moriarty and Holmes to kill himself. famous hero. However, fans of the books were so outraged by this that the author had to reluctantly resurrect Holmes. It is unlikely that there has ever been another character so beloved by the people that people wore black armbands, thereby mourning his death.
