What makes Oscar Wilde such a great detective?
Gyles Brandreth: Famously, Oscar Wilde was a brilliant conversationalist. He was, also, by every account, a careful listener and an acute observer. And he had a poet’s eye. He observed: he listened: he reflected: and then – with his extraordinary gifts of imagination and intellect – he saw the truth. He is a detective in the Sherlock Holmes tradition: he has wonderful deductive powers and a fine intellect. And, like Holmes, he is human: he has flaws, he has weaknesses. What makes Wilde particularly attractive as a character to write about is that he was such a fascinating and engaging individual. What makes him particularly useful – and credible – as a Victorian detective is that he had extraordinary access to all types and conditions of men and women, from the most celebrated to society’s outcasts, from the Prince of Wales to prostitutes. ND: What inspired you to have Sherlock Holmes creator Arthur Conan Doyle as a recurring character in the series? GB: I discovered, by chance, readin
