It may be that you are not yourself luminous, but that you are a conductor of light. Some people without possessing genius have a remarkable power of stimulating it.
[ID: Digital painting, a recreation of one of Leyendecker's Interwoven Socks ads, of a gentleman sitting in a wooden chair before a wooden desk, clutching some envelopes in hand. Instead, it's Dr Watson as played by David Burke, and there's an assortment of chemistry vials on the desk as well as a microscope.
Watson's in a light suit and has a yellow flower pinned to his lapel. The chair he sits in is a swivel one. He sits before a solid coral background. /end ID]
(details and some rambling under the cut!)
While I mostly find that quote up there like a big backhanded compliment, there's a part of me that finds it really endearing.
I think, the question is, can pure sunshine be a conductor of light? Because that's what Watson, especially David Burke's, is to me.
I started this study on the day Mr Burke's passing was shared publicly without knowing if I'd finish it, but I ended up chipping away at it light by little these past few days. I hope I have managed to do him even the slightest bit of justice 💛
Anyway, deets!
[ID: An assortment of details of the above illustration, each focusing on a different part of the image. In order:
One of the finest and most beloved Watsons ever to grace the screen has passed away. David Burke was 91 years old, just shy of his 92nd birthday, and he is survived by his wife Anna Calder-Marshall and his son Tom Burke.
By all accounts, he was a gentleman and a wonderful human being. He could have stayed on to play Watson much longer, which would have made many of us very happy, but he chose to leave the show to be nearer to his family, especially since Tom was very young at the time.
His was not the first intelligent and competent Watson, but this version marked a turning point in mainstream depictions, from comedic sidekick to a hero in his own right.
RIP, dear sir. You will be missed. Thank you for everything.
~*~
To read a longer and moving tribute, please check out the I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere website: https://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2026/05/david-burke-first-watson-of-granada-era.html. The tribute includes a link to the interview that the Jeremy Brett Sherlock Holmes Podcast conducted with David and his wife a few years ago.
2087
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