Greg Lestrade
| Character | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Greg Lestrade |
| Occupation: | Scotland Yard detective |
| Relationships: | Estranged wife |
| Fandom: | Sherlock (BBC) |
| Other: | Played by Rupert Graves |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Greg Lestrade is a Sherlock character based on the character of Detective Inspector G. Lestrade from Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes series.
Canon
Detective Inspector G. Lestrade is one of the leading detectives at Sherlock Holmes' Scotland Yard. The first name of said detective was left unstated in the original books by Conan Doyle. Over many years, people have tried to pin a name on Lestrade, the most successful attempt being the popular 2010 BBC Sherlock series in which he was named as "Greg". This is now the name fans commonly refer to him by (completely blowing the American version Elementary's "Gareth" out of the water). In this series he is played by Rupert Graves.
The character appears very few times but for the fans this is an opportunity to create their own lifestyle for Lestrade. Most commonly, he is depicted with an ex (or soon to be ex) partner with bad memories of their time together and issues because of their departure. This situation in a fanfic would most often be followed by Lestrade in another relationship.
Lestrade is generally seen as peace-seeking but will probably punch you if you get in his way. Greg has a preference for acting rationally but will still trust Sherlock with whatever plans he throws at him.
Fandom
In one episode Lestrade shouted "not my division" at one of his colleagues whilst lazily eating a doughnut. This was turned into a meme which still lives on in the Sherlock fanbase. The scene where he kicks the tires of his car in series 3 has also been taken and used for other purposes. Greg is often brought into fanfic scenarios between John and Sherlock as a mediator and someone to rely on as a friend. He is often mentioned as a common drinking buddy with John outside of his work duties.
Fan versions of teen Lestrade tend to be based on biker boys and rebels, with many focusing on his early police training.
Pairings
As with most of the Sherlock characters, Greg Lestrade is shipped with many people. A ship that could be canon occurs with character Molly Hooper. Greg supposedly makes looks of love towards Molly often, a notable moment is at the Christmas party when she comes in wearing a posh tight dress. A small majority of fans ship Sherlock Holmes/Greg Lestrade (or Sherstrade) based on their reliance on each other in cases and the knowledge that Lestrade helped Sherlock get over drugs at some point but the audience is never told how. Some even ship rarer pairings such as John Watson/Greg Lestrade and Greg Lestrade/Jim Moriarty.
There is one ship that stands above the rest though. This is probably the furthest from canon of all the ships in the Sherlock series but it is one of the most popular and most shipped, below or equal to only Johnlock and Sheriarty. The pairing with Mycroft Holmes (Mycroft Holmes/Greg Lestrade or Mystrade) is a strange relationship between people who are almost completely the opposite in personality and class but work together as a couple. Canonically the pair have only met once briefly. However, in Sherlock's dream sequence (Christmas Special 2016) the pair are seen together several times leading some fans to believe that Sherlock also thinks that they're more than just acquaintances.
Fanfiction
- Nanny John 'Verse - Greg Lestrade/John Watson