Deer Stalker Hats and Monocles: the Annual Sherlock Pilgrimage...

Some people fish, others paint and others watch television. Yet 70 members of the Sherlock Holmes Society spend their spare time making a pilgrimage to the Reichenbach Falls and acting out scenes from their hero's final struggle with Moriarty. Here is a video of them in action.

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes continue....

Following another action packed series, the BBC have announced that 'Sherlock' will return for a third installment. Starring Benedict Cumberbatch in the main role, the series has been praised by both critics and audiences alike, with viewing figures of 10.7 million for its first episode.

Its creator, Stephen Moffat, had been coy when asked about a possible return, telling the BBC that there was 'no guarantee we'll be bringing him back'. Yet following the series' conclusion, 'The Reichenbach Falls' last night, Moffat wrote on Twitter, 'Of course there's going to be a third series - it was commissioned at the same time as the second. Gotcha!' The commission echoes Conan Doyle's own ressurection of the character who had supposedly been killed off after toppling off the Reichenbach Falls with Moriarty in 'The Final Problem'. Dates of filming and broadcasting have yet to be announced.

On this day...

Sherlock Holmes' companion Dr. Watson, was said to have been born in 1852. Ironically, the Arthur Conan Doyle creation, recently played by Jude Law in the Hollywood film, was born on the same day that Doyle himself died in 1930. The debut dectective novel 'A Study in Scarlet', reveals John Hamish Watson as having undertaken Army surgeon training, joining British forces in India and Afghanistan, before a wound incurred led to his return to England.

A bit of a womaniser, having had up to three wives, Watson is often required to use his own intellect in solving crimes and therefore earns himself the title of companion, as opposed to any self-styled lackey. Although Watson is probably best known in conjunction with the phrase 'Elementary, my dear Watson', the quotation does not actually appear in its entirely within the works.

Sherlock Holmes discovers the big screen...

The new Guy Ritchie film 'Sherlock Holmes' was released yesterday. Based on the Arthur Conan Doyle detective novels, the film sees Robert Downey Jr. as the lead role, and Jude Law as sidekick Dr. Watson. Received positively by critics, the movie has already picked up award nominations, including a Golden Globe for Downey Jr's portrayal of Sherlock. The film grossed $65.4 million in its opening weekend.

Elementary, my dear Watson...

This day also sees the first publication, in bound form, of Sherlock Holmes. 'The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes', by Arthur Conan Doyle, consists of twelve stories, each first induvidually published in the Strand Magazine over the span of a year. Formalised into a book in 1892, becoming the first Holmes collection, the stories include 'The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle' and 'A Case of Identity'. The book was banned in 1929 by the Soviet Union who mysteriously cited occultism as its logic. Doyle wrote a further four collections of short stories and four novels revolving around the fictional detective, who is once again to be adapted for the screen; 'Sherlock Holmes' will be released on December 25th 2009.