Join two world-renowned experts to discuss how Sherlock was created, and the legends behind the Hound of the Baskervilles in this fascinating double bill.
VENUE: Menuhin Room, Portsmouth Central Library
TIME: 7.00 pm start
TALK 1: DISCOVERING SHERLOCK
How, did Sherlock Holmes come into existence? What and who were the influences – cultural, intellectual, geographical, political etc – that went into his making? In this fascinating discussion between biographer and Holmes authority Andrew Lycett and Victorian detective novelist William G Sutton, you will delve into the lives and era that inspired Arthur Conan Doyle to create the world’s first consulting detective.
This engrossing talk will piece together the clues to reveal how Sherlock Holmes came to be – and what he’s all about!
Andrew Lycett wrote the definitive biography: Conan Doyle, the Man Who Created Sherlock Holmes, a fabulous account of the great detective in his book The Worlds of Sherlock Holmes, as well as his study of Conan Doyle’s adventures around the globe in his fascinating Conan Doyle’s Wide World: Sherlock Holmes and Beyond.
Portsmouth resident Willam Sutton is an internationally published author known for his Campbell Lawless series of Victorian detective novels.
Break at 8pm for 30 mins
TALK 2: THE FOLKLORE BEHIND THE HOUND
Ghostly apparitions of Black Dogs are seen all over the world, but in the United Kingdom we have the broadest cross-section of different types of sightings. But, unknown to many, the folklore which inspired Conan Doyle to pen his most famous Sherlock Holmes novel, ‘The Hound of the Baskervilles’ has been recorded since the 12th century.
This talk explains the wide variety of different folkloric Black Dogs, and looks at the truth and the myth behind the origin stories for the Baskerville hound.
Mark Norman is a public folklorist and author, and the creator of The Folklore Podcast – one of the highest-ranking shows in its genre worldwide with over 2 million downloads. He administers the country’s largest collection of Black Dog material and is the author of the full-length study on the subject, ‘Black Dog Folklore’. He has variously written for Penguin, HarperCollins, the National Trust and many other publishers.
SHERLOCK DOUBLE BILL INFO
Date: 24th September 2025
VENUE: The Menuhin Room, Portsmouth Central Library, Guildhall Square, Portsmouth PO1 2DX
TIME: Starts 7.00 pm
Tickets: £10.00
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