Fans turned up for the (albeit pre-announced) event, and the news went viral.

For that kind of publicity, a shows got to be popular.

But, more than that, its the perennial popularity of Sherlock Holmes thats responsible for the hype.

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Sherlock Holmes is and has always been nothing less than a phenomenon.

The hype over Sherlock Holmes began with the very publication of the stories themselves.

The stories were standalones, yet all included the same character and people were hooked.

They asked for copies of the stories to be signed by Sherlock Holmes.

Women wrote to Holmes asking to be their housekeeper.

So real was Holmes, in fact, that his death was perceived as that of a real person.

British society dressed in mourning.

Black armbands were worn to commemorate the great detectives passing.

Even more piles of pleas and petitions arrived on Doyles doorstep.

Obituaries appeared in newspapers.

Accusations of murder flew through the air.

Though Doyle had little fondness for his greatest literary creation, the public disagreed adamantly.

So, what Doyle wouldnt do, other writers did.

The flood of sequels, pastiches, and imitations began even while Doyle was alive.

Wed probably call it fan fiction today, though that word hadnt been invented at the time either.

Soon, however, more stories were simply not enough.

The boundaries of reality and fiction had already been crossed, and they needed to be crossed even more.

Thus were born the Baker Street Irregulars and what we know today as the Great Game.

I might end up having an unfortunate encounter with the Giant Rat of Sumatra).

The societys members have included such notable figures as Isaac Asimov, F.D.

Roosevelt, and Neil Gaiman.

Yes, they, too, believed Holmes was real.

Back on the other side of the Atlantic, Sherlock Holmes legacy naturally also lives strong.

Most impressive, perhaps, is 221b Baker Street itself.

The trip drew the attention of newspapers the world over.

Today, the popularity of Sherlock Holmes is, well, a cultural given.

Adaptations pop up left and right, and everyone knows who that silhouette with the pipe is.

It is likely he will live on for centuries yet perhaps forever.