# Who is your favorite Dr. Watson?



## Pyotr (Feb 26, 2013)

Vote for your favorite Dr. Watson. Includes all irregardless of era.


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## moody (Nov 5, 2011)

Who is Lucy Lu and it's Jude Law. just found out who she is and it's Lucy Liu


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

Edward Hardwicke or David Burke, whom Hardwicke succeeded, from the 80s/90s TV series - both were perfect foils for Jeremy Brett's nonpareil Holmes. Nigel Bruce was a fine actor but portrayed Watson as a doddering old fart.


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## BlazeGlory (Jan 16, 2013)

elgars ghost said:


> Nigel Bruce was a fine actor but portrayed Watson as a doddering old fart.


The only thing I can imagine worse than that is a fresh new fart.


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## Ingélou (Feb 10, 2013)

I voted for Edward Hardwicke, as I think he did a good job opposite Jeremy Brett. It is a difficult part - easy just to be an idiot, but there's got to intelligence and humanity there too to explain why Holmes was so fond of his flat-mate. I was tempted to vote other, for Nigel Stock, who played Dr Watson against Douglas Wilmer in the BBC TV series in the 1960s. He got the balance just about right too.


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## ptr (Jan 22, 2013)

elgars ghost said:


> Edward Hardwicke or David Burke, whom Hardwicke succeeded, from the 80s/90s TV series - both were perfect foils for Jeremy Brett's nonpareil Holmes. Nigel Bruce was a fine actor but portrayed Watson as a doddering old fart.


My thinking exactly!

/ptr


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## arpeggio (Oct 4, 2012)

*Robert Duvall*

Robert Duvall. He portrayed Watson in the 1976 film _The Seven-Per-Cent Solution_.

I also like Nicol Williamson's portrayal of Holmes.


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## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

Martin Freeman is doing a bangup job as the new Watson. Whereas previous Watsons were Sherlock's "Boswell," as he termed it, with Watson more of a support character in the shadow of the great detective, Freeman's character is just as compelling, blogging his relationship with Holmes as part of his therapy. This new Watson's role is less about telling tales of Holmes' exploits to an admiring public as it is overcoming his own demons and dealing with his addiction to adrenaline.


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## Kieran (Aug 24, 2010)

I loved the comedy of Nigel Bruce, but yeah, the Hardwicke/Burke Watson was great, and like Brett, a carbon copy of the books. Anyone know why David Burke gave it up?


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## Pyotr (Feb 26, 2013)

moody said:


> Who is Lucy Lu and it's Jude Law. just found out who she is and it's Lucy Liu


Thanks for the correction. If there' a moderator around could you change those names to Lucy Liu and Jude Law. Thanks


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

Kieran said:


> I loved the comedy of Nigel Bruce, but yeah, the Hardwicke/Burke Watson was great, and like Brett, a carbon copy of the books. Anyone know why David Burke gave it up?


I remember an interview with him in a paper or magazine years ago where he said something along the lines that he was happy in the role but when offered a place at the RSC it was too good a chance to pass up.


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## Kieran (Aug 24, 2010)

elgars ghost said:


> I remember an interview with him in a paper or magazine years ago where he said something along the lines that he was happy in the role but when offered a place at the RSC it was too good a chance to pass up.


Ah right! It's funny, cos I watched an episode of Spooks on Netflix yesterday and he was in it. Very good actor. I think he left Holmes after the Reichenbach Falls episode...


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

Kieran said:


> Ah right! It's funny, cos I watched an episode of Spooks on Netflix yesterday and he was in it. Very good actor. I think he left Holmes after the Reichenbach Falls episode...


That's correct - I think the next episode (the first of a new series) showed Holmes (disguised as a bookseller) turning up at Watson's surgery after he had been presumed dead for three years but it was Hardwicke who was shown reading Holmes's farewell note on the cutback to Reichenbach Falls while Holmes recounted the confrontation with Moriarty and also went on to explain later that he knew they were being stalked by Sebastian Moran while in Switzerland.


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Martin Freeman by far - and not including him in the pole (whereas Lucy Liu is) is baffling.


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## Guest (Jun 27, 2013)

Manxfeeder said:


> Martin Freeman is doing a bangup job as the new Watson. Whereas previous Watsons were Sherlock's "Boswell," as he termed it, with Watson more of a support character in the shadow of the great detective, Freeman's character is just as compelling, blogging his relationship with Holmes as part of his therapy. This new Watson's role is less about telling tales of Holmes' exploits to an admiring public as it is overcoming his own demons and dealing with his addiction to adrenaline.


Freeman gets my vote too.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

MacLeod said:


> Manxfeeder said:
> 
> 
> > Martin Freeman is doing a bangup job as the new Watson. Whereas previous Watsons were Sherlock's "Boswell," as he termed it, with Watson more of a support character in the shadow of the great detective, Freeman's character is just as compelling, blogging his relationship with Holmes as part of his therapy. This new Watson's role is less about telling tales of Holmes' exploits to an admiring public as it is overcoming his own demons and dealing with his addiction to adrenaline.
> ...


Freeman gets my vote too.


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## Kieran (Aug 24, 2010)

If the criteria for the perfect Watson is _based upon the books by..._ then the Jeremy Brett Watson's fulfil that criteria in spades. Their authenticity is their selling point: they bring the character alive.

If the criteria is _a character very loosely based on Watson..._ then all the others (and anybody else) are in the mix and in fact Watson becomes a different character each time, and totally unrelated to the Conan Doyle character. In that case, I'd favour Nigel Bruce because of his warmth, his comedy, and then after him I'd pick Martin Freeman...


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## Cosmos (Jun 28, 2013)

Martin Freeman! He and BC have great chemistry on the show


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## TrevBus (Jun 6, 2013)

Cosmos said:


> Martin Freeman! He and BC have great chemistry on the show


Yes, he is. Comes very close to beating out James Mason for me. Still not there yet but who knows????????????


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## moody (Nov 5, 2011)

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Freeman gets my vote too.


How many of the others do you know ?


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