Elementary error: Remains of Sherlock Holmes’ monster found in Loch Ness

Monster hunters have discovered the remains of a giant creature in Loch Ness … but it’s not the one they were looking for. Their underwater robot has found the 30ft model used in 1970s film The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes. Once filming on the Billy wilder comedy was finished, its humps were removed and it sank. Researcher Adrian Shine said: “We can confidently say that this is the model because of where it was found, the shape - there is the neck and no humps - and from the measurements.”

We have found a monster, but not the one many people might have expected.

Researcher Adrian Shine

The discovery was made by an underwater drone, which has been carrying out what has been described as “the most in depth survey of Loch Ness ever”. Initial findings from Operation Groundtruth have disproved the idea of a ‘Nessie trench’ - an extra deep section of the loch where a marine creature could have made its home. However, the researchers say they are confident there will be more discoveries made at the bottom of the loch, which is notoriously difficult to search because of its size and the poor visibility.

But no matter how state-of-the-art the equipment is, and no matter what it may reveal, there will always be a sense of mystery and the unknown around what really lies beneath Loch Ness.

Malcolm Roughead, chief executive of VisitScotland

loch ness monster