Arthur Conan Doyle Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was a Scottish writer best known for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes . Doyle fictionalised the adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr John Watson . ( PROSE : " All - Consuming Fire " ) The " Sherlock Holmes " stories were published in " The Strand " magazine in the 1890s . Henry Gordon Jago believed that his escapades with Professor George Litefoot were their inspiration , ( AUDIO : " Jago in Love " ) while Walter Simeon believed that Vastra and Jenny Flint were the true inspiration for the stories . ( TV : " The Snowmen " ) History . He was introduced to the Doctor by Dr Joseph Bell while studying medicine at the University of Edinburgh . ( AUDIO : " The Monstrous Menagerie " ) Doyle trained and received a degree from the same medical school as his friend James ( John Watson ) . During this time , James realised that literature was where Doyle would truly be distinguished . ( PROSE : " Prelude All - Consuming Fire " ) In 1880 , Doyle aided the Fourth Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith , though the Doctor suspected that they might have met before . ( PROSE : " Evolution " ) Indeed , the Second Doctor had had an earlier adventure with Doyle and referred to him as an " old friend . " ( PROSE : " The Murder Game " ) The Doctor later claimed that he gave Doyle the idea for Holmes when he showed him his tricks of observation and deduction . ( PROSE : " Island of Death " ) In 1893 , Doyle ' s father died and , shortly afterwards , his wife was diagnosed with terminal consumption . ( AUDIO : " The Monstrous Menagerie " ) Feeling the need to focus on what was important in life , Conan Doyle wrote " The Final Problem " in which he killed off the character of Sherlock Holmes . It first appeared in the Christmas issue of " The Strand " on 25 December 1893 . ( AUDIO : " The Monstrous Menagerie " ; PROSE : " The Bodysnatchers " ) Shortly afterwards , in 1894 , he was told by the Doctor to meet with Jago and Litefoot . Together , they encountered time travel lers named Laura Lyons and Roger Baskerville from the 63rd century . During this encounter , he was convinced to write more Sherlock Holmes stories , including " The Hound of the Baskervilles " . His non - Sherlock Holmes work included the historical novels " Micah Clarke " and " The Stark Munro Letters " . In 1894 , he was considerably more proud of these works but gained a new appreciation for his Holmes stories after learning that they would be remembered in the 63rd century . In contrast , " Micah Clarke " and " The Stark Munro Letters " were long forgotten . ( AUDIO : " The Monstrous Menagerie " ) In 1902 , he met and aided the Tenth Doctor again . ( PROSE : " Revenge of the Judoon " ) In 1917 , Doyle examined the famous Cottingley fairy photos and pronounced them to be genuine . ( TV : " Small Worlds " ) As a doctor , Doyle accompanied Redvers Fenn - Cooper on an expedition to observe giant reptiles which resembled dinosaur s , though at first he had trouble believing they existed . The implication is that this would be an inspiration for " The Lost World . " ( TV : " Ghost Light " ) The Doctor once borrowed a stethoscope from Doyle . ( AUDIO : " Storm Warning " ) City of the Saved . Doyle ' s resurrection in the City of the Saved was somewhat of a traumatic experience . The City itself was an affront to Doyle ' s beliefs on the afterlife and he found himself having to live with both of his wives from his previous life . Doyle attempted to murder a Remake of Sherlock Holmes , but failed because death was impossible in the City . ( PROSE : " Eliminating the Impossible " )