Holmes and Watson

Like most detective double-acts, Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson are an odd couple.

Holmes is a batchelor, and according to Watson, “the most perfect reasoning and observing machine that the world has seen”. He is emotionally detached and can be secretive and devious.

Doctor Watson, on the other hand, is married. He doesn’t have Holmes' insight but has a human side, interacting with clients far more than his counterpart.

But Watson's most important role is narrating the stories and explaining the plot. He is the public face of the partnership, somebody fairly ordinary who readers can relate to.

Although not stupid, (he is a doctor, after all!) Watson is not shrewd enough to be a proper detective. However, there are stories where Watson brings a level of intelligence that Holmes is not capable of.

The duo are a very clever literary pairing, performing different but complementary functions for the reader.

Morse and Lewis
The relationship between Colin Dexter’s Inspector Morse and Detective Sergeant Lewis (more commonly known as simply “Lewis!”, usually bellowed angrily) is also a case of opposites attract. 

Morse is arrogant, pompous and well-educated, while the long-suffering Lewis is a down-to-earth, working class copper. Although the hard-drinking, straight-talking Morse can be patronising to Lewis, he is ultimately jealous of him. 

John Thaw, who played the part of Morse in the popular television series, said, “Morse envies Lewis – his certainties about life, and his certainties that he's going to go home and his wife's going to be there. Morse doesn't have that and envies him. Therefore you've got a classic sort of double-act.”

Poirot and Hastings
Agatha Christie said her Belgian detective Poirot “would also have a friend as a kind of butt or stooge… Hercule Poirot and his Watson, Captain Hastings. I quite enjoyed Captain Hastings. He was a stereotyped creation, but he and Poirot represented my idea of a detective team.” 

Arthur Hastings became Poirot's life-long partner and features in many of the novels and stories. He is a typical English gentleman: polite, and concerned with fair play. Just as Watson chronicled most of the Sherlock Holmes adventures, so too does Hastings narrate some of Poirot’s cases. 

Poirot views Hastings as a man with plenty of imagination but not much brain power. Hastings often serves as the brawn of the twosome, catching and restraining criminals. 

His loyalty towards Poirot never wavers, and the two men even share a flat - like Holmes and Watson. The pair were a team until Hastings met music hall actress Dulcie Duveen. The couple married and emigrated to Argentina, leaving Poirot on his own.


Wexford and Burden
Ruth Rendell's Inspector Wexford and his sidekick Michael Burden slightly break the double-act mould. In this relationship, Burden is the moody inspector – a foil to Wexford's more liberal and less judgmental outlook. Wexford often talks about their opposing visions.

Although the prudish Burden is logical, he never solves the case, leaving it to Wexford to come up with the goods. Burden’s bitter character may stem from the fact that he has been widowed and is a single parent. 

So sidekicks have long been an important part of mystery fiction, enhancing the detective created. Double-acts also translate well into television adaptations of the novels, keeping millions of viewers gripped.