Investigates why, more than a century since his first appearance, Sherlock Holmes remains so popular. And what provided the inspiration for Arthur Conan Doyle's most famous creation?
Agatha Christie 's famous detective Hercule Poirot , explains the enduring appeal of the eccentric Belgian and examines the author's sensational ten-day disappearance.
visits the "mean streets" immortalised by Raymond Chandler to trace the origins of his gun-toting private eye Philip Marlowe. The portrait takes in Chandler's poetic dreams at London's Dulwich College and Dashiell Hammett 's inspirational Sam Spade to get to the heart of the hard-boiled detective.
Author Inspector Jules Maigret and Georges Simenon provided the world of fiction with its first great policeman detective. Using Maigret's methodology, Williams delves into Simenon's darker side - family tragedy, collaboration with the Nazis and self-made claims of sexual relations with 10,000 women. Williams talks to friends that Simenon made in occupied France, his youngest son John, and biographer Pierre Assouline to find the truth about the man, his writings, beliefs and the role his creation played in his life.