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 Inspector G. Lestrade is a fictional character, a Scotland Yard detective appearing in several of the Sherlock Holmes stories by Arthur Conan Doyle. Doyle used the name of an acquaintance from his days at the University of Edinburgh, a Saint Lucian whom Doyle disliked, although it has also been suggested that the name is an anagram of "Dearest L", a reference to Conan Doyle's first wife, Louisa.[citation needed] In "The Adventure of the Cardboard Box", Lestrade's first initial is revealed to be G, which may be a reference to the Prefect of Police known only as "G—" in the short story "The Purloined Letter" by Edgar Allan Poe which features Doyle's inspiration for Holmes, C. Auguste Dupin. Like Lestrade, "G—" also functions to provide the facts of the case. Lestrade is described as "a little sallow rat-faced, dark-eyed fellow" in A Study in Scarlet and "a lean, ferret-like man, furtive and sly-looking," in "The Boscombe Valley Mystery."
[edit] HistoryIn the popular London media, Lestrade is depicted as one of the best detectives at Scotland Yard, chiefly because Holmes regularly allows him to take the credit for his deductions in cases such as "The Adventure of the Empty House" and "The Adventure of the Norwood Builder." In truth he was already well-established as a respected policeman with 20 years in the Force before A Study in Scarlet. It is observed by Holmes that Lestrade and another detective, Tobias Gregson, have an ongoing rivalry, and he identifies the two as "the best of a bad lot ... both quick and energetic, but conventional - shockingly so." Holmes once remarked in The Adventure of the Cardboard Box that although Lestrade had almost no skill at actual crime-solving, his tenacity and determination are what brought him to the highest ranks in the official police force. His conventional nature leads him to grow frustrated at Holmes' methods, becoming "indifferent and contemptuous" to his exploration in "The Boscombe Valley Mystery." In both "The Boscombe Valley Mystery" and "The Adventure of the Norwood Builder," he states that he is "a practical man" in dismissal of Holmes' apparently trifling actions. Nevertheless, Lestrade demonstrates a degree of patience for Holmes' unusual genius, and by the time of The Adventure of the Six Napoleons in 1904, he is a frequent visitor to 221B Baker Street. Despite a disregard for Lestrade's single-mindedness, Holmes appears to have an affection for the detective. In The Hound of the Baskervilles, Holmes comments to Dr. Watson that Lestrade "is the best of the professionals, I think," meaning the professional detectives employed by Scotland Yard as opposed to himself, and it is Lestrade more than any other official that Holmes works with. In "The Adventure of the Six Napoleons" it is revealed that Lestrade regularly drops in on Holmes and Watson at Baker Street, sharing the news of Scotland Yard and discussing his current cases with Holmes. For his part, Lestrade gradually develops an appreciation of the detective's methods, going so far as to say at the end of the story "We're not jealous of you down at Scotland Yard. No, sir, we are damned proud of you, and if you come down to-morrow there's not a man, from the oldest inspector to the youngest constable, who wouldn't be glad to shake you by the hand." Watson notes in passing that this little comment is one of the few instances where Holmes is visibly moved. [edit] The CharacterLestrade is somewhat difficult to pin down as a character. His impatience with Holmes clashes with his kindness to clients, and his level of education appears diffident. Despite being described uncharitably by Dr. Watson, Lestrade is pleasant to him, even implying to Watson in a comic way that he doubts Holmes' sanity in The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor. He uses basic Working-class language without embellishments and occasionally archaic words such as 'shivered' for 'smashed' (6NAP). His greatest compliment to Holmes' methods was to describe them as 'workmanlike.' Despite a French surname (Lestrade is the name of a village in the Midi-Pyrénées) he fails to respond when Holmes uses French quotations. Conan Doyle wrote him as a very particular dresser, who nevertheless will get muddy in the line of work. He prefers to get out and find his evidence in person rather than solve them in his head. In this case he closely resembles another Yarder, Inspector Jones of whom Holmes describes as "tenacious as a lobster" in The Red-Headed League. His appearance and style very much contrast with Inspector Gregson which visually increases their rivalry. The two were never paired together after A Study in Scarlet. [edit] Unexplained anomaliesUncommonly for the time, Lestrade keeps a handgun, as demonstrated in Hound of the Baskervilles. As this was almost unheard of for an English policeman, Conan Doyle may have meant for Lestrade to be on a privately contracted job for Sherlock Holmes. Lestrade is also unusual in that he has an in-turned left foot, as Holmes noted his ease in tracking him in The Boscombe Valley Mystery: "That left foot of yours with its inward twist is all over the place." Physical examinations for a police officer must have made allowance for the twist, or it happened after he joined the Force. Dr. Watson consistently describes him as being little, but there was a minimum height requirement for a policeman (5'7"). By 1870 the standard height had risen to 5'8", so he must have been acceptable when he first joined. The author M. J. Trow wrote a series of sixteen books using Lestrade as the central character, beginning with The Adventures of Inspector Lestrade in 1985. In these stories, Trow shows Lestrade to be a more than capable detective. He is given a first name, Sholto, a young daughter whom he seldom sees, and a series of adventures set against a historical backdrop. In one book Lestrade meets G. K. Chesterton and in another he suffers a broken leg in a fall from the gangplank of the RMS Titanic. Lestrade's lack of ability is frequently exaggerated in adaptations, which often characterise him as a bumbling idiot. Notably, Dennis Hoey played Lestrade in most of the Sherlock Holmes films from Universal Pictures starring Basil Rathbone as Holmes. This version had the Yard man as a well-meaning fool patronised by the detective, whose help he greatly appreciated, rather in the manner of that series' version of Doctor Watson (Nigel Bruce). Lestrade is nonetheless a capable officer, and Holmes never questions his honesty or his willingness to solve a case. In the book "Sherlock Holmes: The Man and His World" by H.R.F. Keating, Keating notes that despite Holmes' accusations of his lack of observational skills, he knows Holmes craves the outre and uses this to collect his interest in the case of The Adventure of the Six Napoleons.[1] [edit] Granada Television SeriesColin Jeavons played Lestrade throughout the Granada Television adaptation of the Sherlock Holmes stories, starting with The Adventure of the Norwood Builder in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. The character was portrayed faithfully as a capable, if slightly vain, career policeman with a prickly but ultimately affectionate relationship with Holmes – as evidenced in the dramatisation of the aforementioned "We're proud of you" scene. So familiar did the actor become in the part that when he was unavailable for The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans, Lestrade was replaced by another of ACD's Yarders, Inspector Bradstreet. In NOBL Jeavons' absence was explained as having gone to the Leamington Baths on vacation, and Holmes fumes that he hopes his wife was with him. This is an embellishment on canon, as Lestrade was never shown to be married or attached. In other episodes, Jeavons was given parts Lestrade did not originally belong in, such as The Adventure of the Creeping Man and extra scenes as their version of The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton, The Master Blackmailer. Lestrade was even mentioned off-screen in the scripts, emphasizing his close relationship with 221B Baker Street. Jeavons' portrayal is considered the most faithful to the Canon. In "Starring Sherlock Holmes," David Stuart Davies wrote: "Lestrade was played with great panache throughout the Granada series by Colin Jeavons, who humanised and enhanced Doyle's sketchy portrait of the Inspector." (page 155) [edit] In other media
[edit] Other appearancesIn the alternate history novel Anno Dracula, Lestrade becomes one of the new-born during the reign of the Prince Consort, and is one of the investigators assigned to the murderer known as "Silver Knife" (who is actually John Seward). Lestrade is briefly mentioned in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume I. Lestrade is a recurring character in the Moonstone Books versions of Sherlock Holmes Adventures, with varying degrees of competency. His "We're proud of you" speech is adapted for a scene in Holmes' birthday in "Return of the Devil." In the TV show Sherlock Holmes in the 22nd Century one of the main characters was Inspector Beth Lestrade, a descendant who is quite efficient in her own way and has inherited Doctor Watson's diaries. In "Bat Attack/The Ballad of Reading Gaol" the DWAM Comic strip adventures, Lestrade is aided in a case by the Tenth Doctor and Rose Tyler. When the Doctor wishes his name out of the case to Queen Victoria Rose's suggestion of "Sherlock" gives Lestrade a pseudonym. A Search Engine, the Inspector Lestrade, is used by MacIntosh, a "fast, lightweight meta searcher."[2] Lestrade is used as an example to explain Actualist philosophy in Heterousia, a philosophy blog:
"The Inspector Lestrade Award" is a rising term among message boards for a person who is "almost correct." It has shown up on zdnet and "Bad Astronomy and the Universe Today" forum[3] The Peterson Pipes company has a Sherlock Holmes (Return) Series of handmade pipes with silverwork. Two Lestrade pipes are in the collection.[1] He appears in the book series The Boy Sherlock Holmes as a ferret-faced inspector who dislikes Sherlock greatly. In the novel The Canary Trainer, Sherlock Holmes uses "Inspector Lestrade" as an alias while investigating the phantom of the Paris Opera while incognito. [edit] References
[edit] See also
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