22 Mind-Blowing Facts About Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Sherlock Holmes is one of the best-loved fictional characters ever to be created by a British author, with the amateur detective inspiring a whole host of TV and film adaptations of his adventures. But now it is the turn of Sherlock Holmes' creator - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - to have his time in the limelight. ITV's three-part series, Arthur & George, places Julian Barnes' 2005 partially-factual novel of the same name on British televisions for the first time. The series tells the story of Conan Doyle's desire to clear the name of a half-British, half-Indian lawyer named George Edalji who has been tried and convicted for mutilating animals and penning threatening letters. Conan Doyle, however, becomes convinced that Edalji is innocent and so sets off for the Staffordshire village of Great Wyrley - determined to resolve the case Sherlock Holmes-style and clear the wrongly-convicted man's name. Although partially fictionalised, this story draws attention to the curious and fascinating life the creator of Sherlock Holmes led. Conan Doyle's own life and career is so interesting, in fact, it fully deserves a series. This is a man who helped prompt the introduction of the UK Court of Appeals, who played cricket with the creators of Peter Pan and Winnie the Pooh, and who helped launch a famous winter sport in Britain for the first time. So, here are 22 mind-blowing facts about Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - the father of Sherlock Holmes.