MOSCOW, April 27 (RIA Novosti) - A monument to Arthur Conan Doyle's world-famous fictional sleuth Sherlock Holmes and his sidekick Dr. Watson has been unveiled near the British Embassy in Moscow, a RIA Novosti correspondent reported Friday.

British Ambassador in Russia Anthony Brenton and Russian artist Vasily Livanov, who played Holmes in a Russian television series based on the adventures of the famous detective, attended the unveiling ceremony.

The ambassador said he had read The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes at school and liked the book, but never thought he would participate in the opening of such a monument, which was created by sculptor Andrei Orlov.

The two-figure statue shows a pensive Holmes standing, pipe in hand, with his irreplaceable companion, Dr. Watson, looking up at him from a bench. It could bring a welcome change to Moscow's sculptural landscape, which is dominated by formal monuments to statesmen, often with a controversial legacy.

The non-profit foundation Cultural Dialogue/One World, the project's organizer, is also planning to erect monuments to the Little Prince and Don Quixote in Moscow, and to the Three Musketeers in St. Petersburg.

Six screen versions of Conan Doyle's novels have been made in Russia since 1979. The actor who appears in the title role, Livanov, last year received the Order of the British Empire for his portrayal of Britain's most famous literary detective.