Tag: David Burke

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In Memoriam: David Burke

You may have heard by now the sad news that David Burke has passed away at the age of 91. The news was first broken yesterday by the Jeremy Brett Sherlock Holmes Podcast, as they had been in touch with the family.

Since then, I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere has posted both a written tribute and a podcast episode in memory of David, featuring Gus and Luke Holwerda of the JBSH podcast, and an official obituary has been issued by The Times (UK). The obituary is worth the read if you are a fan; the written IHOSE tribute is very moving; and the IHOSE episode is a lovely cap to the reading.

If you have not listened to the interview Gus and Luke conducted with David and his wife Anna Calder-Marshall in 2022, you can listen to it here. In this episode of the podcast, the brothers talk about their trip to England that included that interview. Lastly, the JBSH podcast hosted an event in the UK in 2024 called “BrettCon,” to celebrate the Granada series’ 40th anniversary. Stephen Fry and several actors from the series sent video messages to the event, including David and his family.

David Burke was one of the finest and most beloved Watsons ever to grace the screen. He was just shy of his 92nd birthday, and he is survived by his wife Anna Calder-Marshall and his son Tom Burke.

By all accounts, he was a gentleman and a wonderful human being. He could have stayed on to play Watson much longer, which would have made many of us very happy, but he chose to leave the show to be nearer to his family, especially since Tom was very young at the time.

His was not the first intelligent and competent Watson, but this version marked a turning point in mainstream depictions, from comedic sidekick to a hero in his own right.

RIP, dear sir. You will be missed. Thank you for everything.

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Brett, Burke, and the Greatest Friendship Ever

Some excerpts from a lovely interview with Jeremy Brett were making the rounds on Twitter recently. (The full interview was published in the Fall 1985 issue of The Armchair Detective.) In the article, Brett talks a bit about how he and David Burke approached character development, especially for Doctor Watson:

We asked ourselves, “Who’d stay with Holmes? Well, Watson does. But therefore why does he stay?” All right, he’s fascinated with deduction – he still has never recovered [from the surprise at] Holmes’s knowing he had just come back from Afghanistan – but there’s more than that.

Holmes was obviously not an easy person to live with, what with the indoor shooting practice and the chemical experiments and the impromptu violin practice at all hours. Yet, Watson stays.

I think that what I found in what I call the under-bedding of the part is that somehow Watson sees this man’s need. First of all, Holmes falls apart when he’s not working. […] So he’s obviously a problem child as well as a brilliant friend. Watson sees that. Watson sees that Holmes can’t say “Thank you”; he can’t say “Good night,” can’t say “Help.”

Best friendship in human history, Holmes and Watson. They balance each other. They need each other.

If Watson suddenly decided to go and live, let’s say, in Madagascar, Holmes would be dead inside of six weeks. And that’s what we chose to play.

Selena Buttons went in search of the original magazine issue to read the full interview, but, while the local used bookshop had several issues of The Armchair Detective from the mid-90s and even more from the late-70s, they did not have this particular one from 1985.

What do you think of the way the Granada series portrayed the relationship between Holmes and Watson? Do you have a favorite moment?

But what Holmes does occasionally is rather sweet little things like in “A Scandal in Bohemia” he tells Watson, “You see, I did remember you were coming; here are your cigars.” And it’s the little things that mean a lot. I tried to show how much Holmes does actually need Watson without actually saying it.