He was the creator of the world's most celebrated fictional detective. So what's kept him at the top for 122 years? In 1887, appearing in print for the first time, Sherlock Holmes set out his purpose in life. Even today the character of Holmes defines what we expect of great fictional detectives. We want them to accept that "duty" to do good - but also to be personally flawed. The 28 year-old author wasn't the first to spot the narrative potential of an incisive but troubled detective.
The Holmes phenomenon really took off in 1891 when he transferred to the just-launched Strand magazine. Conan Doyle realised reading habits were changing as an expanding middle class enjoyed greater leisure. But the main demand was for short fiction, to be read in a single sitting or even on a train.
A biographer Andrew Lycett says Conan Doyle was fortunate in his timing: the cultural influence of the British Empire was at its height - as pervasive as that of America in the 20th Century. Holmes crossed the globe on the shoulders of imperialism. Yet none of this would have mattered had readers not already been fascinated by the character of Holmes and by his relationship with Dr Watson.
Adaptations The Holmes-Watson relationship was also a gift to adapt for stage and later for the screen. The first Hollywood Holmes appeared as early as 1916 and there had already been German and French adaptations. Daniel Stashower says Conan Doyle created a strong basic set-up which could bear endless reinterpretation. Out later this year is the new Guy Ritchie movie, with Robert Downey Jr. as Holmes and Jude Law as Watson. Hollywood's betting that almost a century after the character was first on screen Holmes remains box-office.
One hundred and twenty two years after his first appearance in print, Holmes offers the modern media what it most craves - a unique and well-established 'brand' to exploit. Andrew Lycett thinks nostalgia also plays a role. "People are looking for an era when things were more clearcut and stable," he says. "Holmes seems to epitomise a world where crimes can be solved through the use of reason and observation. Actually if you read the stories carefully that's often not the case - but it is the perception".
