Holmes’ ardent followers know he has zero interest in women – save for The Woman, i.e. Irene Adler – but the serialized nature of Doyle’s mysteries makes it an easy launch for spinoffs.

Over more than 250 portrayals on the stage and screen, Holmes is typically portrayed as brilliant yet cold and aloof, aided by his constant companion, John Watson.

The Beekeeper’s Picnic, a Sherlock Holmes point-and-click adventure, ... It was worth a wound—it was worth many wounds—to know the depth of loyalty and love which lay behind that cold mask.

The estate of Sherlock Holmes creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle had claimed ownership over any version in which he’s... nice. But now, he’s free to smile again -- and fully in the public domain.