From William Gillette to Benedict Cumberbatch: The changing face of Sherlock Holmes

Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes has remained in the popular consciousness for nearly 125 years. The tales of murder and intrigue have endured because they enthral readers, viewers and listeners today as much as the Victorian audiences they were written for.

The 56 short stories and four novels written by Doyle may have stayed the same but have been adapted, added to, set in modern context and had further possibilities eked out of them so that Holmes has morphed into various guises and physical interpretations across the generations.

Benedict Cumberbatch is the latest in a long line of actors to play Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes. The first episode of the BBC's modern day vision of the detective, Sherlock, aired to critical acclaim on Sunday.

Countless actors have played the part in nearly a hundred film, TV and radio productions, not to mention the stage plays and fictional spin-offs.

We take a look at some of the different actors who have played Sherlock Holmes in the last century.

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