The Real World of Arthur Conan Doyle
Channel: British Library
Date: 2021-05-19

For well over a century, the Sherlock Holmes novels have dominated the world of crime fiction and perpetuated a particular view of life in Victorian and Edwardian England: a world of criminal masterminds, intricate homicides and London as a detective’s playground. Yet the real world was far more complex. With the launch of Shrabani Basu’s riveting new book, The Mystery of the Parsee Lawyer, and the release of Netflix’s new Sherlock series The Irregulars, this fascinating panel event explores the overlooked world of Arthur Conan Doyle – from prejudice and racism to child poverty and upper-class drug addiction. Chaired by BBC broadcaster Dr Matthew Sweet, panellists include Shrabani Basu and Dr Clare Clarke.