Dr Watson Actor David Burke Dies

Wednesday, May 20, 2026

David Burke, the actor who played Dr. Watson in a 1980s Granada television adaptation of Sherlock Holmes opposite Jeremy Brett's Sherlock, has died at the age of 92.

Posted by sentinel at 06:31 PM | 8 COMMENTS | permalink | Comment on This Entry |

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RIP David Burke, in my opinion the best screen Watson. I loved the impish humour he brought to the role, and his willingness to laugh at Holmes' more absurd eccentricities. www.ihearofsherlock.com/2026/05/davi ...

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-- Antony Johnston (@antonyjohnston.bsky.social) 10:21 AM Â· May 15, 2026

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STOP THE PRESSES! OLD MAN DIED!

#1 | Posted by LegallyYourDead at 2026-05-17 12:17 AM | Reply | Newsworthy 1

More people dying:

Democracy in suspense in southwestern VA:

wcyb.com

#2 | Posted by Dbt2 at 2026-05-17 06:24 PM | Reply

Sad that nobody here seems to care about Watson.

One day, Alexander Graham Bell will call all of the rest of us.

#3 | Posted by sentinel at 2026-05-18 08:17 PM | Reply

1980's Granada TV.

FFS.

#4 | Posted by LegallyYourDead at 2026-05-18 09:29 PM | Reply

I always liked Brett's Holmes, and Burke was a good Watson.

Burke was also in The Woodlanders with Felicity Kendall, who was a big favorite of mine as Barbara Good in the television series The Good Life.

RIP

#5 | Posted by Corky at 2026-05-18 09:44 PM | Reply

"with Felicity Kendall, who was a big favorite of mine as Barbara Good in the television series The Good Life."

I remember that show from it being played on PBS (as "Good Neighbors"), along with this version of Sherlock Homes, Dr. Who, Blake's 7, and Are You Being Served?

#6 | Posted by sentinel at 2026-05-19 06:11 PM | Reply

I loved all those shows back in college

And To the Manor Born, The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin, Fawlty Towers... Monty Python, of course. Lots more!

Apparently they still call it, 'the golden era of UK television" across the pond.

Reggie:

www.youtube.com

Good Life/Neighbors

www.youtube.com

Britain was also where most of the music was coming from in that era, and the satire on life, the cultures, the gov, and Everything of Britcoms was really good TV at the time.

Better than Bonanza, which finally went off the air in '73.

#7 | Posted by Corky at 2026-05-19 06:40 PM | Reply | Newsworthy 1

#7 Corky says, "Better than Bonanza"

Queued up on the A_Friend home theatre ...

www.youtube.com</a>" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen>

Music lovers will be astonished at the influence The Wrecking Crew wielded over rock and pop music in the 1960s and early 1970s.

These unsung instrumentalists were the de-facto backing band on hit records by The Beach Boys, Phil Spector, Frank Sinatra, Nancy Sinatra, Sonny & Cher, Elvis, The Monkees and many more (including the theme song to Bonanza).

These dedicated musicians brought the flair and musicianship that made the American "West Coast Sound" a dominant cultural force around the world.

"Better than Bonanza"

:-)

#8 | Posted by A_Friend at 2026-05-19 07:08 PM | Reply