Born in Edinburgh in 1859, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was a Scottish writer and physician, best known for his stories about the master detective Sherlock Holmes. Generally considered a milestone in the field of crime fiction, some of the most famous Holmes stories include The Sign of the Four, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, His Last Bow and The Hound of the Baskervilles. They brought the writer international acclaim, with societies of devotees that still flourish today. Conan Doyle practised medicine from 1882 to 1891, but as his literary career was immediately successful he was able to turn to writing full time, approximately four years after the publication of the first Holmes novel A Study in Scarlet. After tiring of his famous character, Conan Doyle killed Holmes off in The Final Problem in 1893, but brought him back due to public demand, featuring him in over sixty stories altogether until 1927. Conan Doyle was married twice, first to Louise Hawkins and then to Jean Leckie. After his son Kingsley died in 1918, he was drawn towards spiritualistic studies and the occult, and became president of several spiritualist organisations. He was knighted in 1902 for his works The Great Boer War and The War in South Africa: Its Causes and Conduct. His other work includes non-fiction, plays, short stories, several historical novels and science and supernatural fiction. He died from heart disease in 1930, at home in Windlesham, Sussex.
Steven Canny is a writer, director and producer for BBC Radio and has worked as an Associate Director and Dramaturg for Complicite.
John Nicholson is a writer, director and performer. He is Co-Artistic Director of Peepolykus, with whom he has toured throughout the UK and worldwide since 1995. He has also written extensively for BBC Radio, including Richard’s Rampage, and the four-part series Trespasser’s Guide to the Classics (2015). As an actor, John has numerous television credits, particularly across the BBC and ITV.
