Chief Inspector Charles Grayson

A police detective just isn't a police detective without somebody higher up to yell about the detective's latest boneheaded stunt. In the 22nd century, not even Sherlock Holmes' actions can escape official scrutiny, and Lestrade has to pay attention to her boss about little things like due process. In short, Chief Inspector Grayson stands between New London and chaos, and the entire process is giving him grey hair.

Don't feel too sorry for Grayson, though. The wily chief inspector gave his newest headache (consultant Sherlock Holmes) to his old one (our Lestrade) by naming Lestrade Holmes' supervising officer. The woman who gave Grayson most of his grey hairs is now getting some of her own, which not only is good for Lestrade's career (increased responsibility and experience in personnel management) but also seems to amuse Grayson greatly.

Grayson, while not corrupt, is subject to official pressures. In "The Crooked Man", he pulls Lestrade off her case, then later enters her apartment (which surely was locked) without knocking, to inform her that she has gone too far and is being fired! In "The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire Lot", Grayson abruptly takes over a high-profile investigation from Lestrade, and in "The Man with the Twisted Lip", the Chief calls a news conference to take credit for solving a case which was actually closed by Holmes, Lestrade, and British Intelligence. So he's far from being the perfect boss, either.

Grayson's attitude towards Holmes seems to have changed from hostility (Lestrade virtually had to blackmail him into giving Holmes a chance) to a bemused sort of tolerance. But Grayson has gone against Holmes' judgement several times. In "The Five Orange Pips", Grayson won't assign Holmes any backup (except Lestrade, who assigns herself); in "The Red-Headed League", Grayson wants a quick bust so Lestrade has to follow orders. The fact that Holmes has been right and Grayson wrong on so many occasions has no doubt made Grayson feel even less fond of the "deceased detective" than he would otherwise be.

But Grayson is not a bad man. He was genuinely upset by Lestrade's madness in "The Adventure of the Deranged Detective", and even seemed distressed while firing her in "The Crooked Man". He seems to be a man faced with a more difficult crime situation than he ever anticipated, having great trouble adapting to a world of cloned master criminals and all-too-alive master detectives. At least he still has power, news conferences and a good paycheque to console him!