10 things you didn't know about Sherlock Holmes

7: Holmes the writer

As well as being a masterful detective, Holmes was also an acclaimed writer.

As reported by Dr Watson, Holmes had a passion for Orlando di Lasso, a Franco-Flemish composer of the late Renaissance period. In fact, Holmes wrote a well-received book about di Lasso, with specific focus on his choral works. According to Watson, Holmes's tome was "the last word on the subject".

8: Oh, Watson!

He may have been portrayed as a bumbling oaf in many screen adaptations, but the Dr Watson of the stories was actually a suave ladykiller.

Indeed, the man himself once boasted that he had "an experience of women which extends over many nations and three separate continents", and he once seduced a woman he met during one of Holmes's cases. The lady in question, Mary Morstan, went onto become his wife, but it was also hinted that he had other wives besides her. It's always the quiet ones!