Inspector Lestrade
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| Character | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Detective Inspector G. Lestrade |
| Occupation: | Police Detective |
| Relationships: | |
| Fandom: | Sherlock Holmes |
| Other: | |
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Inspector Lestrade is a recurring secondary character in the Sherlock Holmes books and appears in several of its adaptations. They are one of a few police detectives that Holmes works with, but Lestrade is the most prominent of these detectives.
Canon
Lestrade appears in thirteen of the original stories.
Notable Versions
Granada TV series
Lestrade was portrayed by Colin Jeavons in this series.
Soviet/Russian Series (The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson)
Lestrade is portrayed by Boryslav Brondukov in this series.
Sherlock Holmes (Ritchieverse)
Lestrade is portrayed by Eddie Marsan in these films. He has a supporting role in the first film, but only a cameo in the second.
BBC Sherlock
Lestrade is portrayed by Rupert Graves and and given the first name of Greg, see Greg Lestrade for more info.
First Name
Lestrade is never given a first name in book canon, only the initial of G. In BBC's Sherlock he was given the first name of Greg, in Elementary he was given the name Gareth, in Guard Me Sherlock he is given the name George, in the BBC radio plays he was given the name Giles, etc. In Ace Attorney and Sherlock & Co Lestrade is a woman and given the names Gina and Gwen respectfully.
Given the popularity of BBC's Sherlock the use of Greg is now being used in fanworks based on other adaptations. However, there are still some fans that prefer to choose their own G name for Lestrade.
Fandom
Pairings
The BBC Sherlock fandom heavily features the Mycroft Holmes/Greg Lestrade pairing, there will also sometimes be some bleed over from BBC's Sherlock and have Lestrade paired with Mycroft in other adaptations. All other Lestrade pairings are rare pairs, one example being Lestrade/John Watson. Lestrade often features in gen fanworks, often focused on their interactions with Holmes or Watson.
Common Tropes in Fanworks
- "The Police Detective"/Casefic: when Holmes or Watson need assistance from Scotland Yard, or vice versa, Lestrade is most often the detective to be used in fanworks
- Outsider POV: Lestrade is sometimes used as an outside POV, to provide perspective on Holmes's deductive skills, or the Holmes & Watson relationship
- Backstory: very little is known about Lestrade—aside from that they have had a long career at Scotland Yard, and have a wife—so it leaves it open for fans to fill in the gaps of Lestrade's upbringing and everyday life
Fanworks
Fanfiction
Books
- The Case Of The Stolen Doctor: Lestrade PoV Outtake by flawedamythyst (2013)
Granada
- Let Them Be by NimWallace (2018)
- Waiting for a sign by Amypihcs (2025)
Fan Videos
- Get Ready for Lestrade by Kaytori (2007), Sherlock Holmes in the 22nd Century
Meta
- Top 10 Portrayals of Inspector Lestrade, Archived version by twistedtummies2 (2024)
- Can I talk about the end of Granada’s “The Six Napoleons” for a second?, Archived version by johnny-appleachia (2024)
Example Art Gallery
Not our division by tillieke (2016), this piece based upon the BBC Sherlock character
Art by nitefise-art (2017), this piece based on the 2013 Russian Sherlock Holmes series
Doodle of my favourite Lestrade, Colin Jeavons by dakrisart (2020), this version based upon the Granada version of the character
D.I. G. Lestrade by pengu-kiwis (2024), the artist tagged this work as both book canon and Granada so it could be interpreted as either
Art by exaltedfuzz (2024), this being "Gina Lestrade" from Ace Attorney
