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Dr. Watson

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This article is about the Sherlock Holmes character. For other uses, seeDr. Watson (disambiguation).

Dr. Watson
Sherlock Holmescharacter
Dr. Watson (left) and Sherlock Holmes, bySidney Paget
First appearanceA Study in Scarlet(1887)
Last appearance"The Adventure of Shoscombe Old Place"(1927,canon)
Created byArthur Conan Doyle
In-universe information
Full nameJohn H. Watson
TitleDoctor
OccupationPhysician,writer,British Army surgeon,war veteran
FamilyH. Watson Sr. (father; deceased)
SpouseMary Morstan(late 1880s – between 1891 and 1894)
Second unnamed wife (c.1903–??)
NationalityBritish
Alma materSt Bartholomew's Hospital Medical College

John H. Watson,known asDr. Watson,is a fictional character in theSherlock Holmesstories bySir Arthur Conan Doyle.Along with Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson first appeared in the novelA Study in Scarlet(1887). "The Adventure of Shoscombe Old Place"(1927) is the last work of Doyle featuring Watson and Holmes, although their last appearance in the canonical timeline is in"His Last Bow"(1917).

As Holmes's friend and confidant, Watson has appeared in various films, television series, video games, comics and radio programmes.

Character creation

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Sir Arthur Conan Doyle(1859–1930), creator ofSherlock Holmesand Dr. Watson. Photo from 1914.

In Doyle's early rough plot outlines, Holmes's associate was named "Ormond Sacker"[1][2]before Doyle finally settled on "John Watson". He was probably inspired by one of Doyle's colleagues, Dr James Watson.

Watson shares some similarities with the narrator ofEdgar Allan Poe's stories about fictional detectiveC. Auguste Dupin,created in 1841, but unlike Watson, Poe's narrator remains unnamed.[3]

Fictional character biography

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Watson's first name is mentioned on only four occasions. Part one of the first Sherlock Holmes story,A Study in Scarlet,is subtitledBeing a reprint from the Reminiscences of John H. Watson, M.D., Late of the Army Medical Department.[4]The preface of the collectionHis Last Bowis signed "John H. Watson, M.D.", and in "The Problem of Thor Bridge",Watson says that his dispatch box is labelled" John H. Watson, M.D. "[5]His wifeMary Watsonappears to refer to him as "James" in "The Man with the Twisted Lip";Dorothy L. Sayersspeculatedthat Mary may be using his middle nameHamish(anAnglicisationofSheumais,the vocative form ofSeumas,theScottish Gaelicfor James), though Doyle himself never addresses this beyond including the initial.[6]David W. Merrell, on the other hand, concludes that Mary is not referring to her husband at all but rather to (the surname of) their servant.[7]

The year of Watson's birth is not stated in the stories.William S. Baring-GouldandLeslie S. Klingerestimate that Watson was born in 1852.[8][9]June Thomsonconcludes that Watson was probably born either in 1852 or 1853. According to Thomson, most commentators accept 1852 as the year of Watson's birth.[10]

InA Study in Scarlet,Watson, as thenarrator,is established as having studied atSt Bartholomew's Hospitalin London, receiving his medical degree from theUniversity of Londonin 1878, and subsequently being trained atNetleyas anassistant surgeonin theBritish Army.(In a non-canonical story, "The Field Bazaar", Watson is described as having received his Bachelor of Medicine from Doyle'salma mater,Edinburgh University;this would probably have been in 1874.)[11]He joinedBritish forces in Indiawith the5th Northumberland Fusiliersbefore being attached to the66th (Berkshire) Regiment of Foot,saw service in theSecond Anglo-Afghan War,was wounded at theBattle of Maiwand(July 1880) by ajezailbullet,[a]sufferedenteric feverand was sent back to England on the troopshipHMSOrontesfollowing his recovery.[12]With his health ruined, he was then given a daily pension of 11 shillings and 6 pence[b]for nine months.[12]

In 1881, Watson is introduced by his friend Stamford to Holmes, who is looking for someone to share rent in rooms in221B Baker Street.Concluding that they are compatible, they subsequently move in. When Watson notices multiple eccentric guests frequenting the rooms, Holmes reveals that he is a "consultingdetective"and that the guests are his clients.[12]

At the beginning ofA Study in Scarlet,Watson states he had "neither kith nor kin in England". InThe Sign of the Four,it is established that his father and older brother are deceased, and that both had the same first name beginning with "H", when Holmes examines an old watch in Watson's possession, which was formerly his father's before it was inherited by his brother. Holmes estimates the watch to have a value of 50guineas.[c]Holmes deduced from the watch that Watson's brother was "a man of untidy habits—very untidy and careless. He was left with good prospects, but he threw away his chances, lived for some time in poverty with occasional short intervals of prosperity, and finally, taking to drink, he died". Holmes explains his reasoning: the initials on the watch, "H. W.", as well as the 50-year-old date of the watch tell Holmes that it belonged to Watson's father (he had the same surname as Watson) and was passed down to Watson's elder brother; his untidiness from the fact that the outside of the watchcase is dented (from being in the same pocket with coins and keys). His good prospects are deduced from the fact that if he inherited an expensive fifty-guinea watch, he must have inherited substantial wealth as well. His poverty is evident from the fact that inside the watch case are 4 claim numbers scratched by pawnbrokers; his prosperity is from the fact he was able to redeem the watch; his heavy drinking is from the fact that around the watch winding hole are scratches from the key—an unsteady drunkard's hand trying to wind the watch up at night.

Watson witnesses Holmes's skills ofdeductionon their first case together, concerning a series of murders related toMormonintrigue. When the case is solved, Watson is angered that Holmes is not given any credit for it by the press. When Holmes refuses to record and publish his account of the adventure, Watson endeavours to do so himself. In time, Holmes and Watson become close friends.

InThe Sign of the Four,Watson becomes engaged toMary Morstan,agoverness.In "The Adventure of the Empty House",a reference by Watson to" my own sad bereavement "implies that Morstan has died by the time Holmes returns afterfaking his death;that fact is confirmed when Watson moves back to Baker Street to share rooms with Holmes. In "The Adventure of the Blanched Soldier"(set in January 1903), Holmes mentions that" Watson had at that time deserted me for a wife ", but this wife was never named or described.

InHis Last Bow,set in 1914 on the eve ofWorld War I,Holmes notes that Watson (who would then be in his early 60s) is "joining up with [his] old service", and they spend a "few minutes" in what Holmes described as possibly "the last quiet talk that [they] shall ever have."

Watson as Holmes's biographer

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Throughout Doyle's novels, Watson is presented as Holmes's biographer. At the end of the first published Holmes story,A Study in Scarlet,Watson is so incensed byScotland Yardclaiming full credit for its solution that he exclaims: "Your merits should be publicly recognised. You should publish an account of the case. If you won't, I will for you". Holmes suavely responds: "You may do what you like, Doctor".[14]Therefore, the story is presented as "a reprint from the reminiscences of John H. Watson", and most other stories of the series share this by implication.[12]

In the first chapter ofThe Sign of the Four,Holmes comments on Watson's first effort as a biographer: "I glanced over it. Honestly, I cannot congratulate you upon it. Detection is, or ought to be, an exact science and should be treated in the same cold and unemotional manner. You have attempted to tinge it with romanticism... The only point in the case which deserved mention was the curious analytical reasoning from effects to causes, by which I succeeded in unravelling it"; whereupon Watson admits, "I was annoyed at this criticism of a work which had been specially designed to please him. I confess, too, that I was irritated by the egotism which seemed to demand that every line of my pamphlet should be devoted to his own special doings".[15]

In "The Adventure of Silver Blaze",Holmes confesses:" I made a blunder, my dear Watson—which is, I am afraid, a more common occurrence than anyone would think who only knew me through your memoirs "; and inThe Hound of the Baskervilles,chapters 5–6, Holmes says: "Watson, Watson, if you are an honest man you will record this also and set it against my successes!"; whereas in his prologue to "The Adventure of the Yellow Face",Watson himself remarked:" In publishing these short sketches [of Holmes's cases]... it is only natural that I should dwell rather upon his successes than upon his failures ", on grounds that where Holmes failed, often nobody else succeeded.

Sometimes Watson (and through him, Doyle) seems determined to stop publishing stories about Holmes: in "The Adventure of the Second Stain",Watson declares that he had intended the previous story (" The Adventure of the Abbey Grange ")" to be the last of those exploits of my friend, Mr Sherlock Holmes, which I should ever communicate to the public ", but later decided that" this long series of episodes should culminate in the most important international case which he has ever been called upon to handle "(" The Second Stain "being that case). Despite this, it was succeeded by twenty other stories.

In the later stories, written after Holmes's retirement (c. 1903–04), Watson repeatedly refers to "notes of many hundreds of cases to which I have never alluded", on grounds that after Holmes's retirement, the detective showed reluctance "to the continued publication of his experiences. So long as he was in actual professional practice the records of his successes were of some practical value to him, but since he has definitely retired...notoriety has become hateful to him" ( "The Adventure of the Second Stain" ). After Holmes's retirement, Watson often cites special permission from his friend for the publication of further stories, but received occasional unsolicited suggestions from Holmes of what stories to tell, as noted at the beginning of "The Adventure of the Devil's Foot".

In "The Adventure of the Blanched Soldier", one of only two stories narrated by Holmes himself, the detective remarks about Watson: "I have often had occasion to point out to him how superficial are his accounts and to accuse him of pandering to popular taste instead of confining himself rigidly to facts and figures", but the narrative style seldom differs, and Holmes confesses that Watson would have been the better choice to write the story, noting when he starts writing that he quickly realizes the importance of presenting the tale in a manner that would interest the reader. In any case, Holmes regularly referred to Watson as my "faithful friend and biographer", and once exclaims, "I am lost without myBoswell".

At the beginning of "The Adventure of the Veiled Lodger",Watson makes strong claims about" the discretion and high sense of professional honour "that govern his work as Holmes's biographer, but they do not keep Watson from expressing himself and quoting Holmes with candour of their antagonists and their clients. In"The Red-Headed League",for example, Watson introduces Jabez Wilson:" Our visitor bore every mark of being an average commonplace British tradesman, obese, pompous, and slow "—wearing" a not over-clean black frock-coat ".

Personal characteristics

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Physical appearance

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InA Study in Scarlet,having just returned from Afghanistan, Watson is described "as thin as alathand as brown as a nut. "[16]In subsequent texts, he is variously described as strongly built, of a stature either average or slightly above average, with a thick, strong neck and a smallmoustache.[17]

Watson used to be an athlete: it is mentioned in "The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire"(1924) that he used to play rugby union forBlackheath,but he fears his physical condition has declined since that point. In "The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton"(1899), Watson is described as" a middle-sized, strongly built man—square jaw, thick neck, moustache... "In" His Last Bow ", set in August 1914, Watson is described as"...a heavily built, elderly man with a grey moustache... ".

Watson reading bad news to Holmes in "The Five Orange Pips".One ofSidney Paget's iconic illustrations fromThe Strandmagazine.

Skills and personality

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Watson is intelligent, if lacking in Holmes's insight, and serves as a perfect foil for Holmes: the archetypal lateVictorian/Edwardiangentleman against the brilliant, emotionally detached analytical machine. Furthermore, he is considered an excellent doctor and surgeon, especially by Holmes. For instance, in "The Adventure of the Dying Detective",Holmes creates a ruse that he is deathly ill to lure a suspect to his presence, which must fool Watson as well during its enactment. To that effect, in addition to elaborate makeup and starving himself for a few days for the necessary appearance, Holmes firmly claims to Watson that he is highly contagious to the touch, knowing full well that the doctor would immediately deduce his true medical condition upon examination.

Watson is well aware of both the limits of his abilities and Holmes's reliance on him:

Holmes was a man of habits... and I had become one of them... a comrade... upon whose nerve he could place some reliance... a whetstone for his mind. I stimulated him... If I irritated him by a certain methodical slowness in my mentality, that irritation served only to make his own flame-like intuitions and impressions flash up the more vividly and swiftly. Such was my humble role in our alliance.

— "The Adventure of the Creeping Man"

Watson sometimes attempts to solve crimes on his own, using Holmes's methods. For example, inThe Hound of the Baskervilles,Watson efficiently clears up several of the many mysteries confronting the pair, including Barrymore's strange candle movements turning out to be signals to his brother-in-law Seldan, and Holmes praises him for his zeal and intelligence. However, because he is not endowed with Holmes's almost-superhuman ability to focus on the essential details of the case and Holmes's extraordinary range of recondite, specialised knowledge, Watson meets with limited success in other cases. Holmes summed up the problem that Watson confronted in one memorable rebuke from "A Scandal in Bohemia":"Quite so... you see, but you do not observe. "In"The Adventure of the Solitary Cyclist,"Watson's attempts to assist Holmes's investigation prove unsuccessful because of his unimaginative approach, for example, asking a London estate agent who lives in a particular country residence. (According to Holmes, what he should have done was" gone to the nearest public house "and listened to the gossip.) Watson is too guileless to be a proper detective. And yet, as Holmes acknowledges, Watson has unexpected depths about him; for example, he has a definite strain of"pawkyhumour ", as Holmes observes inThe Valley of Fear.

Holmes (in deerstalker hat) talking to Watson (in a bowler hat) in a railway compartment
Watson and Holmes in a Sidney Paget illustration for "The Adventure of Silver Blaze"

Watson never masters Holmes's deductive methods, but he can be astute enough to follow his friend's reasoning after the fact. In "The Adventure of the Norwood Builder,"Holmes notes that John Hector McFarlane is" a bachelor, a solicitor, a Freemason, and an asthmatic ". Watson comments as narrator:" Familiar as I was with my friend's methods, it was not difficult for me to follow his deductions, and to observe the untidiness of attire, the sheaf of legal papers, the watch-charm, and the breathing which had prompted them. "Similar episodes occur in" The Adventure of the Devil's Foot, "" The Adventure of the Solitary Cyclist ", and"The Adventure of the Resident Patient."In"The Adventure of the Red Circle",we find a rare instance in which Watson rather than Holmes correctly deduces a fact of value.[d]InThe Hound of the Baskervilles,[18]Watson shows that he has picked up some of Holmes's skills at dealing with people from whom information is desired. (As he observes to the reader, "I have not lived for years with Sherlock Holmes for nothing." )

Watson is endowed with a strong sense of honour. At the beginning of "The Adventure of the Veiled Lodger," Watson makes strong claims about "the discretion and high sense of professional honour" that govern his work as Holmes's biographer, but discretion and professional honour do not block Watson from expressing himself and quoting Holmes with remarkable candor on the characters of their antagonists and their clients. Despite Watson's frequent expressions of admiration and friendship for Holmes, the many stresses and strains of living and working with the detective make themselves evident in Watson's occasional harshness of character. The most controversial of such matters is Watson's candour about Holmes's drug use. Though the use ofcocainewas legal and common in Holmes's era, Watson directly criticises Holmes's habits.

Watson is also represented as being very discreet in character. The events related in "The Adventure of the Second Stain" are supposedly very sensitive: "If in telling the story I seem to be somewhat vague in certain details, the public will readily understand that there is an excellent reason for my reticence. It was, then, in a year, and even in a decade, that shall be nameless, that upon one Tuesday morning in autumn we found two visitors of European fame within the walls of our humble room in Baker Street." Furthermore, in "The Adventure of the Veiled Lodger," Watson notes that he has "made a slight change of name and place" when presenting that story. Here he is direct about a method of preserving discretion and confidentiality that other scholars have inferred from the stories, with pseudonyms replacing the "real" names of clients, witnesses, and culprits alike and altered place-names replacing the real locations.

Influence

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As the first-person narrator of Doyle's Holmes stories, Watson has inspired the creation of many similar narrator characters.[19]After the appearance of Watson, the use of a "Watsonian narrator", a character like Watson who has a reason to be close to the detective but cannot follow or understand the detective's line of investigation, became "a standard feature of the classical detective story".[20]This type of character has been called "the Watson".[21]

The Holmes-Watson partnership, consisting of a "brilliant yet flawed detective" and a "humbler but dependable and sympathetic sidekick", influenced the creation of similar teams in British detective fiction throughout the twentieth century, from detectiveHercule Poirotand Poirot's companionCaptain Hastings(created by authorAgatha Christiein 1920), toColin Dexter'sInspector MorseandSergeant Lewis,introduced in 1975. Watson also influenced the creation of other fictional narrators, such asBunny Manders(the sidekick ofgentleman thiefA. J. Raffles,created byE. W. Hornungin 1898) and the American characterArchie Goodwin(the assistant of detectiveNero Wolfe,created byRex Stoutin 1934).[22]AuthorKodō Nomuramodeled his charactersHeiji Zenigataand his sidekick Hachigoro on Holmes and Watson.[23]

Microsoftnamed thedebuggerinMicrosoft Windows"Dr. Watson".

Adaptations

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Further information:List of actors who have played Dr. Watson

Theatre

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Holmes (William Gillette,right) with Dr Watson (Bruce McRae,left), in the 1899 Broadway production ofSherlock Holmes

Bruce McRaeoriginated the role of Watson in the 1899 Broadway production ofSherlock Holmes,a play byWilliam Gilletteand Doyle.[24]

Claude Kingplayed Watson in the 1910 premiere ofThe Speckled Band.[24]In the 1923 playThe Return of Sherlock Holmes,Watson was played byH. G. Stoker.[25]In the 1965 musicalBaker Street,he was played byPeter Sallis.[26]

Derek Waringplayed Watson in the 1989 London premiere ofSherlock Holmes: The Musical.[27]Lucas Hall portrayed Watson in the 2015 premiere ofBaskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery.[28]

Film

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Nigel Bruce(right) as Dr Watson inSherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon(1942)

Actors to play Watson in early film adaptations ofSherlock HolmesincludeEdward Fielding(1916),Roland Young(1922),Ian Fleming(1931),Athole Stewart(The Speckled Band,1931),Ian Hunter(The Sign of Four,1932),Reginald Owen(1932) andWarburton Gamble(A Study in Scarlet,1933). The series of Holmes films withBasil Rathboneas Holmes andNigel Bruceas Watson portrayed the doctor as a lovable but incompetent assistant.[29]Some later treatments have presented a more competent Watson.

Watson was played by actorAndré Morellin the 1959 film version ofThe Hound of the Baskervilles,wherein Morell preferred that his version of Watson should be closer to that originally depicted in Doyle's stories, not Nigel Bruce's interpretation.[30]Other depictions includeRobert DuvalloppositeNicol Williamson's Holmes inThe Seven-Per-Cent Solution(1978);Donald Houston,who played Watson toJohn Neville's Holmes inA Study in Terror(1965); a rather belligerent, acerbic Watson portrayed byColin BlakelyinBilly Wilder'sThe Private Life of Sherlock Holmes(1970), in which Holmes was played byRobert Stephens(who starts the rumour that they are homosexual lovers to discourage female interest);[citation needed]andJames Mason's portrayal inMurder by Decree(1978), withChristopher Plummeras Holmes.Alan Coxplayed a teenage Watson in the 1985 filmYoung Sherlock Holmes,narrated byMichael Hordernas an older Watson.

In the 1988parodyfilmWithout a Clue,the roles of a witless Watson and an extremely intelligent Holmes are reversed. In the film, Holmes (Michael Caine) is an invention of Watson (Ben Kingsley) played by analcoholicactor; when Watson initially offered suggestions on how to solve a case to some visiting policemen, he was at the time applying for a post in an exclusive but private medical practice and so invented the fictional Holmes to avoid attracting attention to himself. He continues the "lie" of Holmes's existence after he fails to get the post, hiring the actor as people wanted to meet the "real" Holmes. At the same time, Watson becomes increasingly frustrated that his own talents are unrecognised, and unavailingly attempts to win celebrity for himself as "the Crime Doctor" while the actor attempts to quit, only for both men to gain a new appreciation for each other during the latest confrontation with Professor Moriarty (one of the few men who knows the truth of their dynamic).[31]

In theGuy Ritchie-directedSherlock Holmesmovies, Watson is portrayed byJude Law.Law portrays Watson as knowledgeable, brave, strong-willed, and thoroughly professional, as well as a competent detective in his own right. Apart from being armed with his trademark sidearm, his film incarnation is also a capable swordsman. The film portrays Watson as having a gambling problem, whichWilliam S. Baring-Gouldhad inferred from a reference in "The Adventure of the Dancing Men"to Holmes keeping Watson's cheque book locked in a drawer in his desk.[32]Law also portrayed Watson in the 2011 sequel,Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.

Watson appears on the 2010 direct-to-DVDAsylumfilmSir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes,a science fiction reinvention in which he was portrayed by actorGareth David-Lloyd.At the beginning of the film, Watson is an elderly man portrayed by David Shackleton duringthe Blitzin 1940. He tells his nurse the tale of the adventure which he and Holmes vowed never to tell the public. In 1889, he is a home doctor and personal physician and biographer of Sherlock Holmes (Ben Syder). Here, Watson is portrayed as easily confused by Holmes's abilities, but the story is set in 1881, the same year asA Study in Scarlet,which may account for this. He is a skilled gunman and is loyal, if often irritated by Holmes's methods.

Watson, portrayed by Colin Starkey, appears briefly in the 2015 filmMr. Holmes(although he has no dialogue and his face is not shown). Reflecting on his career as a detective, Holmes (Ian McKellen) comments that Watson took considerable latitude in writing up the cases for publication, to the point that he views the finished products as little more than "penny dreadfuls".Holmes remarks that several key details of his literary counterpart, including his pipe,deerstalkerhat, and221B Baker Streetaddress, were entirely fictitious.

The 2015 mashup anime filmThe Empire of Corpsesfeatures a younger, re-imagined Watson as the protagonist, in a steampunk world where the dead are reanimated and used as a labor force. He was voiced byYoshimasa Hosoyain Japanese, andJason Liebrechtin the English dub.

In the 2019 filmEnola Holmes 2,Himesh Patelmakes an post-credits appearance as Dr. Watson.[33]The film is inspired byThe Enola Holmes Mysteries,ayoung adult fictionseries ofdetective novelsby American authorNancy Springer.

Television

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William Podmore played Watson inThe Three Garridebs(1937).[34]

The first actor to play Watson on a TV series (as opposed to a one-off adaptation) wasRaymond Franciswho appeared in the 1951 British series,We Present Alan Wheatley as Mr. Sherlock Holmes in....[35]

The1950s Sherlock Holmes US TV seriesfeaturedHoward Marion-Crawfordas a stable Watson with a knockout punch.

Nigel Stockplayed Watson in two BBC series in 1965 and 1968.

In theSoviet Uniontelevision seriesThe Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson,directed byIgor Maslennikov,Watson was played byVitaly Solomin.The Telegraphincluded Solomin in their list of the 10 top actors to play Dr Watson.[36]

Watson was portrayed byDavid Burkeand later byEdward Hardwickein the 1980s and 1990s television seriesThe Adventures of Sherlock Holmes,The Return of Sherlock Holmes,The Casebook of Sherlock HolmesandThe Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes,all starringJeremy Brettas Holmes.

In the animated TV seriesSherlock Holmes in the 22nd Century(1999–2001), Holmes acquires a 'new' Watson in the form of a robot. The robot, having absorbed all lore of the original, believes itself to be Watson, and Holmes treats it as such, concluding that the "spirit" is Watson's though the "body" is not.

Ian Hartportrayed a young, capable, and fit Watson twice forBBC Television,once oppositeRichard Roxburghas Holmes (in a 2002 adaptation ofThe Hound of the Baskervilles) and for a second time oppositeRupert Everettas the Great Detective in the new storySherlock Holmes and the Case of the Silk Stocking(2004).

In the TV seriesSanctuary,Dr. James Watson (Peter Wingfield) is a member of "The Five" and the actual detective in the Doyle stories. The character of Holmes is created and Watson is made his sidekick at Watson's request to Doyle.

In the 2010 BBC television showSherlock,Martin Freemanportrays Watson as a discharged military doctor who strikes a complicated yet goodfriendshipwith the brilliant but eccentric Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch). As with the original character, Watsonserved in the British Army in Afghanistan.The adaptation is set in contemporary London.

The 2012CBSshowElementary,set inNew York City,changes the character to anAsian Americanwoman, Dr. Joan Watson (Lucy Liu), an ex-surgeon turnedsober companion.

In the 2013 Russian adaptationSherlock Holmes,Watson is portrayed as older than Holmes. The character was played byAndrei Panin,in his last role, as he died shortly after the filming was finished.

In the 2014 Japanese puppetry seriesSherlock Holmes,Watson, a doctor's son and transfer student from Australia, becomes the roommate of Sherlock Holmes in 221B ofBaker House.Though initially at a loss as to how to deal with Holmes, he becomes close to his strange roommate. He records Holmes' investigation in a notebook known as "Watoson memo"[37]( "Memo of John H. Watson" ) and writes articles based on it for the school'swall newspaper.Wataru Takagivoices him and narrates the show.

In the 2018 Japanese drama seriesMiss Sherlockboth lead characters are re-imagined as female. Dr. Wato Tachibana (Shihori Kanjiya) meets Sara "Sherlock" Futaba (Yuko Takeuchi) after becoming the witness of her mentor’s death. Soon she assists her in this event’s investigation and becomes her flatmate, friend and assistant. Sherlock calls her "Wato-san", which sounds similar to "Watson".

In the 2019 Japanese animated seriesKabukicho Sherlock,Yuichi Nakamuravoices a reimagined Watson who is an assistant to Holmes in Kabukicho.

In 2022, it was announced thatMorris Chestnutwould star and be an executive producer in an forthcoming CBS series entitledWatson.[38][39]

Radio

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For most of the run of the 1930–1936 radio seriesThe Adventures of Sherlock Holmes,Leigh Lovell played Watson withRichard Gordonas Holmes.[40]

Nigel Brucereprised his film role of Watson on the radio opposite firstBasil Rathbone,thenTom Conwayas Holmes for most of the 1940s radio seriesThe New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.Different actors played Watson in later seasons.[41]

Carleton Hobbs portrayed Holmes in a series of BBC radio broadcasts that ran from 1952 to 1969, 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.

In 1954,Sir Ralph Richardsonplayed Watson (named James rather than John) in a short radio series onNBCoppositeSir John Gielgudas Holmes.

Watson was also portrayed by English-born actorMichael Williamsfor theBBC Radioadaptation of the complete runof the Holmes canon from November 1989 to July 1998. Williams, together withClive Merrison,who played Holmes, were the first actors to portray the Doyle characters in all the short stories and novels of the canon.[citation needed]After Williams' death, the BBC continued the shows withThe Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.Four series were produced, all written byBert Couleswho had been the head writer on the complete canon project, withAndrew Sachsstarring opposite Merrison.

In 1998,Imagination Theatrereceived the rights from the estate of DameJean Conan Doyleto produce new radio stories of Holmes and Watson. Lawrence Albert plays Watson to the Holmes of first John Gilbert and laterJohn Patrick Lowriein the radio seriesThe Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.Lowrie and Albert also played Holmes and Watson respectively inThe Classic Adventures of Sherlock Holmes,which adapted all of Doyle's short stories and novels.

Video games

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Holmes and Watson (right), as they appear in the 2004 video gameSherlock Holmes: The Case of the Silver Earring

Watson appears alongside Holmes in multiple Sherlock Holmes video games, such asSherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective(1991) and its two sequels, andThe Lost Files of Sherlock Holmes(1992) and its sequel. Watson also appears with Holmes in theSherlock Holmesseries of video games developed byFrogwares.

Watson appears at the start ofThe Great Ace Attorney: Adventures(2015), where he is murdered while teaching in Japan. His role as an assistant to Sherlock Holmes is instead filled by another character named Iris Watson, who claims to be his daughter and uses "Dr. John H. Watson" as apen name.Both Watsons had their names changed to Wilson due to copyright concerns in international releases.[42]

G5 Entertainmentpublished afree-to-playhidden object game calledSherlock(2020), featuring Watson and Holmes.[43]

Print

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Stephen King,the American novelist, wrote a short story called "The Doctor's Case"in the 1993 collectionNightmares & Dreamscapes,where Watson actually solves the case instead of Holmes. Watson appears as a supporting character in several of American authorLaurie R. King'sMary Russelldetective novels.

American authorMichael Mallorybegan a series of stories in the mid-1990s featuring Watson's mysterious second wife, whom he called Amelia Watson.[44]InSherlock Holmes's War of the Worlds,Watson's second wife is Violet Hunter, from "The Adventure of the Copper Beeches".

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^Also known as aJazail,Jazair,orJanjal,aJezailwas a very large flintlock or matchlock musket, with a barrel up to 8 feet (2 m) long. They often fired a.50 or.75-inch calibre bullet weighing up to 2 ounces (57 g).see Butalia (1998), p. 52.They were accurate at long range and often used as a sniper's weapon in warfare. Watson's wound was contradictorily located in his leg and his shoulder, depending on the story.
  2. ^A daily pension of 11 s6 dis around £68 daily in 2023 money, when adjusted for inflation.[13]This daily amount was roughly equivalent to an agricultural labourer's weekly wage at the time, according toBritish Labour Statistics: Historical Abstracts, 1886–1968,Department of Employment and Productivity, 1981,cited in "Average Weekly Cash Wages paid to Ordinary Agricultural Labourers"atRelative Value of Sums of Money.
  3. ^Fifty guineas is around £6690 in 2023 money, when adjusted for inflation.[13]This was more than a year's wages for a servant or manual labourer at the time.
  4. ^Watson, rather than Holmes, guesses that the mysterious lodger printed their notes so as to conceal their handwriting, though initially neither one guesses precisely why they would want to.

References

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  1. ^Allen Eyles (1986).Sherlock Holmes: A Centenary Celebration.Harper & Row.pp.11–12.ISBN0060156201.
  2. ^Alan Barnes (2002).Sherlock Holmes on Screen.Reynolds & Hearn Ltd. p. 10.ISBN1903111048.
  3. ^Eschner, Kate (20 April 2017)."Without Edgar Allan Poe, We Wouldn't Have Sherlock Holmes".Smithsonian Magazine.Archivedfrom the original on 5 December 2021.Retrieved2 April2020.
  4. ^Arthur Conan Doyle, "A Study in Scarlet",subtitle.
  5. ^The Problem of Thor BridgeWikisource. Retrieved 23 August 2011.
  6. ^Dorothy L. Sayers,"Dr Watson's Christian Name", inUnpopular Opinions(London: Victor Gollancz, 1946), 148–151.
  7. ^' "Home, James" – A Case of Domestic Identity', by David W. Merrell, in: The Baker Street JournalArchived25 January 2021 at theWayback Machine.
  8. ^Baring-Gould, William S.(1962).Sherlock Holmes of Baker Street: The Life of the World's First Consulting Detective.C. N. Potter. p. 293.ISBN978-0517038178.Archivedfrom the original on 20 February 2024.Retrieved7 February2021.
  9. ^Klinger, Leslie S.,ed. (2005).The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes, Volume I.New York: W.W. Norton. p. 752.ISBN0393059162.
  10. ^Thomson, June(2001) [1995].Holmes and Watson(Reprinted ed.). New York: Carroll & Graf Publishers, Inc. p. 42.ISBN0786708271.
  11. ^Arthur Conan Doyle(1896). "The Field Bazaar". In Peter Haining (ed.),The Final Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1980; p. 81.ISBN1566198313.
  12. ^abcdA Study in Scarlet, Part 1, Chapter 1Wikisource. Retrieved 23 August 2011.
  13. ^abUKRetail Price Indexinflation figures are based on data fromClark, Gregory (2017)."The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)".MeasuringWorth.Retrieved7 May2024.
  14. ^A Study in Scarlet/Part 2/Chapter 7Wikisource. Retrieved on 7 June 2013.
  15. ^Arthur Conan Doyle(1890).The Sign of the Four.Archived fromthe originalon 29 July 2012.Retrieved25 December2012.
  16. ^A Study in Scarlet
  17. ^The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton
  18. ^Literary Qualities of The Hound of the Baskervilles | Novel Summaries AnalysisArchived19 September 2016 at theWayback Machine.Novelexplorer.com (26 January 2009). Retrieved 23 August 2011.
  19. ^Sutherland, John."Sherlock Holmes, the world's most famous literary detective".British Library.Archived fromthe originalon 28 June 2017.Retrieved2 April2020.
  20. ^Cawelti, John G.(1977) [1976].Adventure, Mystery, and Romance: Formula Stories as Art and Popular Culture(Reprinted ed.). Chicago: University of Chicago Press. pp. 83–84.ISBN978-0226148700.
  21. ^Herbert, Rosemary (2003).Whodunit?: A Who's Who in Crime & Mystery Writing.Oxford University Press. p. 188.ISBN978-0198035824.
  22. ^Smith, Daniel (2014) [2009].The Sherlock Holmes Companion: An Elementary Guide(Updated ed.). London: Aurum Press. pp. 107–109.ISBN978-1845134587.
  23. ^A New History of Japanese Cinema.Bloomsbury Academic. 8 May 2006.ISBN978-0826417909.Archivedfrom the original on 20 August 2023.Retrieved19 March2023.
  24. ^abEyles, Allen (1986).Sherlock Holmes: A Centenary Celebration.Harper & Row. pp.130.ISBN0060156201.
  25. ^Eyles, Allen (1986).Sherlock Holmes: A Centenary Celebration.Harper & Row. pp.132.ISBN0060156201.
  26. ^Eyles, Allen (1986).Sherlock Holmes: A Centenary Celebration.Harper & Row. pp.137.ISBN0060156201.
  27. ^Kabatchnik, Amnon (2008).Sherlock Holmes on the Stage: A Chronological Encyclopedia of Plays Featuring the Great Detective.Scarecrow Press. p. 139.ISBN978-1461707226.
  28. ^Purcell, Carey (16 January 2015)."Ken Ludwig's Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery Makes World Premiere Tonight".Playbill.Archivedfrom the original on 27 June 2020.Retrieved24 June2020.
  29. ^"Hero Complex - Los Angeles Times".Los Angeles Times.Archivedfrom the original on 3 October 2018.Retrieved2 November2018.
  30. ^Kinsey, Wayne (2002).Hammer Films – The Bray Studios Years.Richmond:Reynolds & Hearn Ltd. p. 133.ISBN1903111110.
  31. ^Willistein, Paul (19 November 1988),"It's Elementary, Comedy's Afoot In 'Without A Clue'",The Morning Call,Lehigh Valley,archivedfrom the original on 3 January 2014,retrieved8 January2013
  32. ^Baring-Gould, William S. (1967).The Annotated Sherlock Holmes.Vol 2, pp. 527–528.
  33. ^"Did You Spot Dr. Watson in 'Enola Holmes 2'?".Netflix Tudum.Retrieved7 April2024.
  34. ^Barnes, Alan(2011).Sherlock Holmes on Screen.Titan Books. p. 290.ISBN978-0857687760.
  35. ^Newcomb, Horace, ed. (2014).Encyclopedia of Television(2nd ed.). Routledge. p. 2080.ISBN978-0203937341.
  36. ^"Sherlock: the 10 greatest Dr Watsons".The Telegraph. 31 December 2015.Archivedfrom the original on 9 April 2023.Retrieved9 April2023.
  37. ^The Japanese pronunciation of Watson is "Watoson".
  38. ^Andreeva, Nellie (5 October 2022)."Dr. Watson Drama Series In Works At CBS From Craig Sweeny & Kapital Entertainment".Deadline Hollywood.Archivedfrom the original on 6 January 2024.Retrieved6 October2022.
  39. ^Andreeva, Nellie (3 January 2024)."Morris Chestnut To Star In 'Watson' As Arthur Conan Doyle-Inspired Drama Gets CBS Series Order".Deadline Hollywood.Archivedfrom the original on 3 January 2024.Retrieved3 January2024.
  40. ^Eyles, Allen (1986).Sherlock Holmes: A Centenary Celebration.Harper & Row. pp.132–133.ISBN0060156201.
  41. ^Eyles, Allen (1986).Sherlock Holmes: A Centenary Celebration.Harper & Row. pp.135–136.ISBN0060156201.
  42. ^Yin-Poole, Wesley (24 April 2021)."Why Sherlock Holmes is called Herlock Sholmes in The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles".Eurogamer.Archivedfrom the original on 24 April 2021.Retrieved3 November2022.
  43. ^Entertainment, G5."Sherlock・Hidden Object・Match 3".G5 Entertainment News.Retrieved2 October2024.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  44. ^Mallory, Michael (2009).The Adventures of the Second Mrs. Watson.Dallas: Top Publications.ISBN1929976577

Bibliography

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  • Butalia, Romesh C. (1998).The Evolution of the Artillery in India: From the Battle of Plassey (1757) to the Revolt of 1857.Allied Publishers.ISBN8170238722.
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