SIDEKICK: Dr. John H. Watson
FAITHFUL COMPANION OF: Sherlock Holmes
“‘How are you??’ he said cordially, gripping my hand with a strength for which I should hardly have given him credit. ‘You have been in Afghanistan, I perceive.’” So goes the first encounter between Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, a recently discharged army surgeon looking to share a London apartment with the famous consulting detective. The admiring chronicler of his companion’s thrilling cases, Watson is overly modest regarding his own contributions (and his friend’s own feelings for him). But fans of the 56 short stories and four novels penned by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle understand the degree to which Holmes relies on the brave and loyal doctor — and share the same burst of excitement whenever the sleuth interrupts a peaceful night’s reverie with the urgent message: “Come, Watson, come! The game is afoot!”
INTERESTING FACT: In all of his adventures written by Doyle, Sherlock Holmes never uttered the phrase “Elementary, my dear Watson.”