Mycroft Holmes in "The Greek Interpreter", his blundering approach to the case nearly costs the client his life. Mycroft resembles Sherlock, but is described in "The Greek Interpreter" as being "a much larger and stouter man". In "The Bruce-Partington Plans", the following description is given: Mycroft spends most of his time at the Diogenes Club, which he co-founded. He is the only character to refer to Sherlock exclusively by his first name. Mycroft Holmes has been portrayed many times in film, television, and radio adaptations of the Holmes stories. The character has been used many times in works that are not adaptations
Mycroft Holmes [...] the most indispensable man in the country." He apparently serves as a sort of human computer, as stated in "The Bruce-Partington Plans": Mycroft appears or is mentioned in four stories by Doyle: "The Greek Interpreter", "The Final Problem", "The Empty House" and "The Bruce-Partington Plans". While he does occasionally exert himself in these stories on behalf of his brother, he on the whole remains a sedentary problem-solver, providing solutions based on seemingly no evidence and trusting Sherlock to handle any of the practical details. In fact, Mycroft's own lack of practicality is a severe handicap despite his inductive talents: