Killing Sherlock: Lucy Worsley on the Case of Conan Doyle is a three-parter on BBC Two, which sees Sherlock Holmes fan Lucy investigate why his author and creator, Arthur Conan Doyle, was so desperate to kill him off.
Lucy, who last year did a deep-dive into the life of mystery writer Agatha Christie, takes a look into Conan Doyle's troubled childhood in Edinburgh. He was the eldest of nine children who were raised by their mother whilst their father Charles battled with alcoholism and spent time in a mental hospital. We also learn how the detective came to life and why his popular stories were at odds with the writer’s ambition. And Lucy also examines Conan Doyle’s life after Holmes, and how he solved real-life crimes, and asks why he eventually brought the sleuth back to life.
"One huge mystery still remains," says Lucy. "Why didn’t Sherlock Holmes’ creator Arthur Conan Doyle love him as much as the rest of us do? In this series I’m tracking the clues and evaluating the evidence to see where creator and creation diverge."
Here’s everything you need to know about Killing Sherlock: Lucy Worsley on the Case of Conan Doyle...
Killing Sherlock: Lucy Worsley On The Case Of Conan Doyle release date
Killing Sherlock: Lucy Worsley on the Case of Conan Doyle is a three-part series that starts on BBC Two on Sunday December 10 at 9pm when all three episodes also become available on BBCiPlayer.
Interview: What happens in Killing Sherlock: Lucy Worsley on the Case of Conan Doyle
Lifelong Sherlock Holmes fan Lucy Worsley delves into the love/hate relationship between the world’s most famous detective, Sherlock Holmes and his creator Arthur Conan Doyle. Meeting descendants, fans and experts, Lucy builds up a picture of Conan Doyle, as both a man and an author, and looks at what motivated him to kill of his most beloved character.
In an interview for Whattowatch.com, Lucy says: "One of the things that’s curious about Arthur Conan Doyle is the fact that he was ashamed of Sherlock Holmes,’ says Lucy, who last year investigated the life of Agatha Christie for her series Agatha Christie: Lucy Worsley on the Mystery Queen. "He was ashamed to have created this fantastic character who has given so much pleasure to so many people."
She discovers that Conan Doyle’s father Charles was an alcoholic who spent many years in an asylum. As a result the author craved respectability, social standing and respect, which is why he hated Holmes’ mass-market appeal. "I believe Conan Doyle had a real capacity to experience shame," says Lucy.
The author finally killed off his protagonist in his 1893 story The Final Problem and Lucy looks at his life post-Holmes, during which he became obsessed with spiritualism after the death of his son Kingsley. Ironically, Conan Doyle eventually ended up solving real-life crime cases himself, putting right a famous miscarriage of justice and finding a missing man.
Lucy also investigates why he eventually caved into public pressure and brought Holmes back to life, eight years after killing him. "I came to understand that Arthur would have wanted us to remember him as a high-brow novelist, as a campaigner for justice and for spiritualism,’ says Lucy. "But all that pales into insignificance beside his creation of Sherlock Holmes."
Killing Sherlock: Lucy Worsley on the Case of Conan Doyle episode guide
Here's a brief episode guide for Killing Sherlock: Lucy Worsley on the Case of Conan Doyle...
Episode 1
Lucy takes a look at Conan Doyle’s childhood and his life in Portsmouth, where he worked as a doctor. She sees how Sherlock Holmes came to be and why the author came to resent the perceptive sleuth’s mass-market appeal.
Episode 2
Lucy investigates the writer’s life after he killed off Sherlock Holmes. She learns how he became a spokesman for British imperialism and was desperate to fight for his country. She discovers why he was finally persuaded to write more stories about Holmes and reveals how Conan Doyle became involved in solving real-life mysteries himself.
Episode 3
In the last episode of the series, Lucy explores how Conan Doyle was affected by the death of his son Kingsley and why he turned into a passionate advocate for spiritualism. She sees why this put him at odds with his readers and why he finally relented and brought Holmes back from the dead. We hear how Sherlock Holmes took on a life of his own and look into Conan Doyle’s strained friendship with magician Harry Houdini.
Is there a trailer for Killing Sherlock: Lucy Worsley on the Case of Conan Doyle?
No and it’s not looking like the BBC will release one. If they do, we’ll post it on this page for you to enjoy.
More about Lucy Worsley
Historian, author, curator and TV presenter Lucy Worsley has fronted numerous shows on historical topics. In 2011 she presented the series If Walls Could Talk: The History of Home and has since made series such as Our Food, Harlots, Housewives and Heroines: A 17th Century History for Girls, Royal History’s Biggest Fibs with Lucy Worsley, Lucy Worsley’s Royal Myths and Secrets and Lucy Worsley Investigates. Last year she presented Agatha Christie: Lucy Worsley on the Mystery Queen and she hosts the quiz show Puzzling.
