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The evolution of Sherlock Holmes

Benedict Cumberbatch, right, and Martin Freeman star as Sherlock Holmes and John Watson on the BBC's crime drama <em>Sherlock</em>.
Robert Viglasky
/
© Hartswood Films
Benedict Cumberbatch, right, and Martin Freeman star as Sherlock Holmes and John Watson on the BBC's crime drama "Sherlock."

This interview originally aired on In the Moment on SDPB Radio.

As of this year, all of Arthur Conan Doyle's novels and short stories featuring Sherlock Holmes are in the public domain. That gives creatives more license to tell their own stories about the character.

In the Moment revisits a conversation we had with Augustana University's English professor Darcie Rives-East, Ph.D. She discussed the detective's difficult journey out of copyright and how every era features its own version of the sleuth.

Lori Walsh is the host and senior producer of In the Moment.
Ellen Koester is a producer of In the Moment, SDPB's daily news and culture broadcast.