Main content

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Gyles Brandreth chooses Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of Sherlock Holmes. With Matthew Parris and Andrew Lycett. From 2013.

Broadcaster and writer Gyles Brandreth nominates Sir Arthur Conan Doyle as his "Great Life".

Matthew Parris chairs, assisted by biographer Andrew Lycett.

Conan Doyle is best known as the creator of the pipe smoking, deerstalker wearing, Sherlock Holmes.

Yet this irritated him, and he tried to kill off the great detective, only to bring him back by popular demand.

But Conan Doyle was a footballer, cricketer, skier, a campaigner against the Belgian atrocities in the Congo, and most startlingly, a practising spiritualist who also believed in fairies.

The paradox of Conan Doyle's life was that, having invented the most rational, cerebral fictional character of all time, he himself embraced superstition and behaved in ways that caused even his allies to despair of his credulity.

Producer Jolyon Jenkins

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2013.

Available now

30 minutes

Last on

Fri 28 Feb 202500:00

Credits

RoleContributor
PresenterMatthew Parris
PresenterMatthew Parris
Interviewed GuestGyles Brandreth
Interviewed GuestGyles Brandreth
Interviewed GuestAndrew Lycett
Interviewed GuestAndrew Lycett
ProducerJolyon Jenkins
ProducerJolyon Jenkins

Broadcasts

  • Tue 30 Apr 201316:30
  • Fri 3 May 201323:00
  • Thu 18 Jul 201918:30
  • Fri 19 Jul 201900:30
  • Thu 27 Feb 202510:00
  • Thu 27 Feb 202516:00
  • Fri 28 Feb 202500:00

Featured in...

Great Rock and Roll Lives

Great Rock and Roll Lives

Stories of inspiration from great musicians from Bowie to Billie Holliday

Download this programme

Download this programme

Subscribe to this programme or download individual episodes.

Podcast