Sherlock (TV series)

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Sherlock (TV series)
Sherlock
Genre Crime drama
Created by Mark Gatiss
Steven Moffat
Based on Sherlock Holmes
by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Written by Mark Gatiss
Steven Moffat
Stephen Thompson
Directed by Paul McGuigan
Euros Lyn
Toby Haynes
Colm McCarthy
Nick Hurran
Jeremy Lovering
Starring Benedict Cumberbatch
Martin Freeman
Composer(s) David Arnold
Michael Price
Country of origin United Kingdom
Original language(s) English
No. of series 3
No. of episodes 9 (List of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s) Mark Gatiss
Steven Moffat
Beryl Vertue
Producer(s) Sue Vertue
Elaine Cameron
Editor(s) Charlie Phillips
Mali Evans
Tim Porter
Cinematography Fabian Wagner
Steve Lawes
Camera setup Single camera
Running time 85-90 minutes
Production company(s) Hartswood Films
BBC Wales
WGBH
Broadcast
Original channel BBC One
BBC HD (2010)
BBC One HD (2012)
PBS (2010)
Sherlock (TV series)
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Picture format 576i
1080i (HDTV)
Audio format Stereo
Original run 25July2010 present
External links
Website
[1]
Sherlock is a British television crime drama that presents a contemporary adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's
Sherlock Holmes detective stories. Created by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, it stars Benedict Cumberbatch as
Sherlock Holmes and Martin Freeman as Doctor John Watson. Nine episodes have been produced, the first three of
which were broadcast in 2010. Series two was broadcast in 2012, and a third series was broadcast in 2014. The third
series has become the UK's most watched drama series since 2001.
[2]
Sherlock has been sold to over 200
territories.
[3]
Sue Vertue and Elaine Cameron of Hartswood Films produced the series for the BBC and co-produced it with
WGBH Boston for its Masterpiece anthology series on PBS. The series is primarily filmed in Cardiff, Wales. North
Gower Street in London is used for exterior shots of Holmes and Watson's 221B Baker Street residence. In January
2014, executive producer Steven Moffat has announced that a fourth series has been commissioned, with scripts
being planned.
Critical reception has been highly positive, with many reviews commenting on the quality of the writing,
performances and direction. Sherlock has been nominated for numerous awards including: BAFTAs, Emmys and
Golden Globe, and winning several awards across a variety of categories. All of the series have been released on
DVD and Blu-ray, alongside tie-in editions of selected original Conan Doyle stories and original soundtrack
composed by David Arnold and Michael Price. In January 2014, the show launched its official mobile app called
Sherlock: The Network.
[4]
On July 2, 2014, Sherlock was renewed for a fourth series.
[5]
Premise
Sherlock depicts London "consulting detective" Sherlock Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch) in solving various
mysteries. Holmes is assisted by his flatmate and friend, Dr John Watson (Martin Freeman), who has returned from
military service in Afghanistan with the Royal Army Medical Corps. Although Metropolitan Police Service
Detective Inspector Greg Lestrade (Rupert Graves) and others are at first skeptical of Holmes, over time his
remarkable intellect and powers of observation persuade them of his value. In part through Watson's blog
documenting their adventures Holmes becomes a reluctant celebrity, with the press reporting on his cases and
eccentric personal life, and both ordinary people and the British government ask for his help.
Although the series depicts a variety of crimes and perpetrators, Holmes' conflict with archnemesis Jim Moriarty
(Andrew Scott) is a recurring feature. Molly Hooper (Louise Brealey), a pathologist at St. Bart's Hospital
occasionally assists Holmes in his cases. Other recurring roles include Una Stubbs as Mrs Hudson, Holmes and
Watson's landlady, and series co-creator Mark Gatiss as Holmes' elder brother and government official Mycroft.
Sherlock (TV series)
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Production
Conception and development
Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, both Sherlock Holmes fans with experience of adapting or using Victorian literature
for television, devised the concept of the series. Moffat had previously adapted the Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr
Hyde for the 2007 series Jekyll, while Gatiss had written the Dickensian Doctor Who episode "The Unquiet Dead".
Moffat and Gatiss, both Doctor Who writers, discussed plans for a Holmes adaptation during their numerous train
journeys to Cardiff where Doctor Who production is based. While they were in Monte Carlo for an awards
ceremony, producer Sue Vertue, who is married to Moffat, encouraged Moffat and Gatiss to develop the project
themselves before another creative team had the same idea.
[6]
Moffat and Gatiss invited Stephen Thompson to write
for the series in September 2008.
[7]
Gatiss has criticized recent television adaptations of the Conan Doyle stories as "too reverential and too slow",
aiming instead to be as irreverent to the canon as the 1930s and 1940s films starring Basil Rathbone, which were
mostly set in the then-modern pre-WWII and post-WWII era. Benedict Cumberbatch's Sherlock uses modern
technology, such as texting, the internet, and GPS, to solve crimes. Paul McGuigan, who directed two episodes of
Sherlock, says that this is in keeping with Conan Doyle's character, pointing out that "[i]n the books he would use
any device possible and he was always in the lab doing experiments. It's just a modern-day version of it. He will use
the tools that are available to him today in order to find things out."
The update maintains some traditional elements of the stories, such as the Baker Street address and Holmes's
adversary Moriarty. Although the events of the books are transferred to the present day, some elements are
incorporated into the story. For example, Martin Freeman's Watson has returned from military service in
Afghanistan. While discussing the fact that the original Watson was invalided home after serving in the Second
Anglo-Afghan War (18781880), Gatiss realised that "[i]t is the same war now, I thought. The same unwinnable
war."
Sherlock was announced as a single 60-minute drama production at the Edinburgh International Television Festival
in August 2008, with broadcast set for mid to late 2009. The intention was to produce a series of six 60-minute
episodes should the pilot prove to be successful. The first version of the pilotreported by The Guardian to have
cost 800,000led to rumours within the BBC and wider media that Sherlock was a potential disaster. The BBC
decided not to transmit the pilot, requesting a reshoot and a total of three 90-minute episodes. The original pilot was
included on the DVD of the first series. During the audio commentary, the creative team said that the BBC were
"very happy" with the pilot but asked them to change the format. The pilot, observes critic Mark Lawson when it was
released on DVD, was "substantially expanded and rewritten, and completely reimagined in look, pace and sound".
In July 2009, the BBC drama department announced plans for three 90-minute episodes, to be broadcast in 2010.
Moffat had previously announced that if a series of Sherlock was commissioned, Gatiss would take over the duties of
executive producer so that he could concentrate on producing Doctor Who.
Cast and characters
Main article: List of Sherlock characters
Moffat and Vertue became interested in casting Cumberbatch as the title character after watching his performance in
the 2007 drama/war film Atonement. The actor was cast after reading the script for the creative team.
[8]
"Cumberbatch", says The Guardian, "has a reputation for playing odd, brilliant men very well, and his Holmes is
cold, techie, slightly Aspergerish". Cumberbatch said, "There's a great charge you get from playing him, because of
the volume of words in your head and the speed of thoughtyou really have to make your connections incredibly
fast. He is one step ahead of the audience, and of anyone around him with normal intellect. They can't quite fathom
where his leaps are taking him." Piers Wenger, Head of Drama at BBC Wales, described the series' rendering of
Sherlock as "a dynamic superhero in a modern world, an arrogant, genius sleuth driven by a desire to prove himself
Sherlock (TV series)
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cleverer than the perpetrator and the policeeveryone in fact". Addressing changing social attitudes and
broadcasting regulations, Cumberbatch's Holmes replaced the pipe with multiple nicotine patches. The writers
believed that Sherlock should not talk like "a completely modern person", says Moffat, but were initially intent that
"he never sounded like he's giving a lecture". Moffat turned the character "more Victorian" in the second series,
capitalising more on Cumberbatch's "beautiful voice" to make it sound like "he's giving a lecture".
Benedict Cumberbatch (left) and Martin Freeman (right) during filming of Series 1
In an interview with The Observer, co-creator Mark Gatiss says that they experienced more difficulty finding the
right actor to play Dr John Watson than they had for the title character. Producer Sue Vertue said, "Benedict was the
only person we actually saw for [the part of] Sherlock... Once Benedict was there it was really just making sure we
got the chemistry for John [Watson]and I think you get it as soon as they come into the room, you can see that
they work together". Several actors auditioned for the part of Watson, and Martin Freeman eventually took the role.
Steven Moffat said that Matt Smith was the first to audition unsuccessfully. He was rejected for being too "barmy",
as the producers required someone "straighter" for Watson. Shortly after, Moffat cast Smith as the Eleventh Doctor
in Doctor Who.
The writers said that Freeman's casting developed the way in which Cumberbatch played Holmes. The theme of
"friendship" appealed to both Gatiss and Moffat.
[9]
Gatiss asserted the importance of achieving the correct tone for
the character. "Watson is not an idiot, although it's true that Conan Doyle always took the piss out of him," said
Gatiss. "But only an idiot would surround himself with idiots." Moffat said that Freeman is "the sort of opposite of
Benedict in everything except the amount of talent... Martin finds a sort of poetry in the ordinary man. I love the
fastidious realism of everything he does." Freeman describes his character as a "moral compass" for Sherlock, who
does not always consider the morality and ethics of his actions.
Rupert Graves was cast as DI Greg Lestrade. The writers referred to the character as "Inspector Lestrade" during
development until Gatiss realised that in contemporary England the character would have the title "Detective
Inspector". Moffat and Gatiss pointed out that Lestrade does not appear often in the stories and is quite inconsistently
portrayed in them. They decided to go with the version that appeared in "The Six Napoleons": a man who is
frustrated by Holmes but admires him, and whom Holmes considers as the best person at Scotland Yard. Several
candidates took a comedic tack in their auditions, but the creative team preferred the gravitas that Graves brought to
the role. His first name is revealed to be Greg in "The Hounds of Baskerville".
Andrew Scott made his first appearance as Jim Moriarty in "The Great Game". Moffat said, "We knew what we
wanted to do with Moriarty from the very beginning. Moriarty is usually a rather dull, rather posh villain so we
thought someone who was genuinely properly frightening. Someone who's an absolute psycho." Moffat and Gatiss
were originally not going to put a confrontation into these three episodes between Moriarty and Sherlock but realised
that they "just had to do a confrontation scene. We had to do a version of the scene in 'The Final Problem' in which
the two archenemies meet each other."
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The remainder of the regular cast includes Una Stubbs (who has known Cumberbatch since he was four years old, as
she had worked with his mother Wanda Ventham)
[10]
as Mrs Hudson and co-creator Mark Gatiss as Mycroft
Holmes. Vinette Robinson, Jonathan Aris and Louise Brealey play the recurring roles of Sergeant Sally Donovan,
Philip Anderson and Molly Hooper, respectively.
Amanda Abbington, Freeman's real-life partner, plays Mary Morstan, Watson's girlfriend and eventual wife. In
Series 3, Wanda Ventham and Timothy Carlton, Benedict Cumberbatch's real-life parents, are introduced as
Sherlock and Mycroft's parents.
Guest appearances included Phil Davis as Jefferson Hope, Paul Chequer as DI Dimmock, Zoe Telford as Sarah,
Gemma Chan as Soo Lin Yao, John Sessions as Kenny Prince, Haydn Gwynne as Miss Wenceslas, Deborah Moore
[]
as one of Moriarty's victims and Peter Davison as the voice-over in the planetarium. Series two's "A Scandal in
Belgravia" featured Lara Pulver as Irene Adler, while "The Hounds of Baskerville" featured Russell Tovey as Henry
Knight. In the final episode of series 2, the role of Rufus Bruhl was played by Edward Holtom, while Katherine
Parkinson played journalist Kitty Riley. The first episode of series 3 featured Derren Brown.
Production design and filming
The show was produced by Hartswood Films for BBC Wales, while BBC Worldwide also provided co-production
funding. Production was also co-produced by PBS, a network of public-service broadcasters in the United States, for
WGBH-TV's Masterpiece Mystery! strand. Filming of the pilot episode, written by Moffat and directed by Coky
Giedroyc, commenced in January 2009. The following January (2010), the first set of three episodes entered
production. Paul McGuigan directed the first and third episodes and Euros Lyn directed the second. The three
episodes were filmed in reverse order of their broadcast.
North Gower Street in London was used for
exterior shots of the location of Holmes' "Baker
Street" residence
Gatiss says that they wanted to "fetishise modern London in the way
that the period versions fetishise Victorian London". Production was
based at Hartswood Films' Cardiff production unit, Hartswood Films
West, which was opened in late 2009 to take advantage of the BBC's
planned Cardiff Bay "drama village". Production of the first two series
was based at Upper Boat Studios, where Doctor Who had been
produced. Cardiff was more economical than in London, with some
good matches for parts of London. Some architecture could not be
faked, so location shooting in the English capital was necessary. The
location shots for 221B Baker Street were filmed at 187 North Gower
Street Baker Street was impractical because of heavy traffic, and the
number of things labelled "Sherlock Holmes", which would need to be
disguised. Executive producer Beryl Vertue explains how it was important to design the entirety of Sherlock's flat as
a contemporary set, yet still convey his eccentricity. He would not, she says, live somewhere "too suburban" or "too
modern".
Costumes for the pilot were designed by BAFTA Cymru award-winning costume designer Ray Holman.
Cumberbatch wore a 1,000 Belstaff coat in the series. Sarah Arthur, the series' costume designer, explained how she
achieved the detective's look. "Holmes wouldn't have any interest in fashion so I went for classic suits with a modern
twist: narrow-leg trousers and a two-button, slim-cut jacket. I also went for slim-cut shirts and a sweeping coat for all
the action scenesit looks great against the London skyline."
The writers say that they did not want to force modernity onto the story. There were some creative challenges, such
as the decision to include the sign "221B" on Holmes' front door. Gatiss and Moffat reflect that in the modern world
the door would only display the number of the house, and there would be doorbells for each flat. The full house
number is so iconic that they felt unable to change it. The writers also decided that the lead characters would address
each other by their first names, rather than the traditional Holmes and Watson. This was also reflected in the title of
Sherlock (TV series)
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the series. Director Paul McGuigan came up with the idea of putting text messages on the screen instead of having
cut-away shots of a hand holding the phone.
Martin Freeman and Benedict Cumberbatch
filming the third series of Sherlock, August 2013
The producers found it difficult to coordinate the schedules of the
principal players and Moffat and Gatiss for a second series.
Cumberbatch and Freeman both worked on the 2012 film The Hobbit:
An Unexpected Journey, and Moffat continued as Doctor Who's head
writer. In response to the time pressure, The Guardian asserted, the
series "features reworkings of three of Conan Doyle's most recognised
tales". Gatiss says that there had been an argument for producing these
tales over three years, but Moffat explained that they rejected "deferred
pleasure". The relationship between Holmes and Watson developed
during the second series, with Watson being less amazed by Sherlock's
deductive abilities; Watson acted as the primary detective in the second
episode, "The Hounds of Baskerville". The cast and production team were more confident during the second series'
production following the positive audience and critical reaction to the first series.
[11]
Music
The theme and incidental music were composed by David Arnold and Michael Price. Arnold explains that he and
Price worked with the producers to "come up with a central theme and character" for the series, then found what was
"going to be the defining sound of this show". Pieces were often constructed using synthesizers, but the tracks used
for the show were recorded using real musicians, Arnold says, to bring the music "to life". Similarly, Price comments
that the musicians can adapt their performance of a score by responding to footage from the show.
Episodes
Main article: List of Sherlock episodes
Three series, each consisting of three episodes, have been produced. The first series was initially broadcast in July
and August 2010 on the BBC, later premiering on Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) in the United States in October
2010. A second series of three episodes was first broadcast in the UK in January 2012, and then in the U.S. during
May 2012. The third series premiered in the UK on 1 January 2014 and in the US on 19 January 2014. The series has
been sold to over 200 territories.
Series 1 (2010)
The first episode, "A Study in Pink", loosely based upon the first Sherlock Holmes novel A Study in Scarlet, was
written by Moffat and directed by Paul McGuigan. The story depicts the introduction of Holmes to Watson, and
them entering a flatshare at Baker Street in London, and then their investigation into a series of deaths, initially
believed to be suicides. The episode was first broadcast simultaneously on BBC One and BBC HD on 25 July 2010.
The second episode, "The Blind Banker", was first broadcast on 1 August 2010. Written by Stephen Thompson and
directed by Euros Lyn, the episode depicts Holmes being hired by an old friend to investigate a mysterious break-in
at a bank in the City.
The first series concluded with "The Great Game", which was first broadcast on 8 August 2010. The episode
introduces the character of Jim Moriarty (Andrew Scott) to the series, who sets Holmes deadlines to solve a series of
apparently unrelated cases. Written by Mark Gatiss and directed by McGuigan, "The Great Game" ends in a
cliffhanger in which Sherlock and Moriarty reach a standoff involving a bomb removed moments earlier from
Watson.
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Series 2 (2012)
After the high ratings for "A Study in Pink", the BBC were reportedly eager to produce more episodes. On 10
August 2010, it was confirmed that Sherlock had been renewed for a second series. At the 2011 convention, Gatiss
confirmed which stories would be adapted, and that the writers of the first series would each write an episode for
series two. Acknowledging that "A Scandal in Bohemia", "The Hound of the Baskervilles" and "The Final Problem"
are amongst the best-known Holmes stories, Gatiss explained, "We knew after having a successful first run that the
natural order would be to do three of the most famous [stories]." "There's the question of how to go out on a
cliffhanger and then the thematic things of the three stories, where we were trying to get to and what Sherlock and
John's relationship is a little further on. You can't just go back to: 'You have no emotions.' 'I don't care.' You've got to
move on somewhere and make sure the other characters have something of a journey too." Paul McGuigan directed
the first two episodes, and Doctor Who director Toby Haynes handled the last one. The second series of three
90-minute episodes was initially planned to air in late 2011, but was delayed until early January 2012.
"A Scandal in Belgravia", written by Steven Moffat and directed by Paul McGuigan, was first broadcast on 1
January 2012. Loosely based on "A Scandal in Bohemia", the episode depicts Holmes's quest to retrieve
compromising photos of a minor royal held on the camera phone of Irene Adler (Lara Pulver), a ruthless and brilliant
dominatrix who also trades in classified information extracted from her rich and powerful clients.
The resolution of Sherlock's faked suicide from
the roof of St Bartholomew's Hospital in London
attracted speculation in social media and
newspapers.
Mark Gatiss wrote "The Hounds of Baskerville", which investigates
the strange activities at a military base. Aware that The Hound of the
Baskervilles, first published in 1902, was one of the most famous of
Conan Doyle's original stories, Gatiss felt a greater responsibility to
include familiar elements of the story than he does when adapting the
lesser-known stories. Russell Tovey appeared as Henry Knight, a man
whose father was ripped apart by a gigantic hound on Dartmoor twenty
years earlier. Directed by McGuigan, the episode was first broadcast
on 8 January 2012.
The second series concluded with "The Reichenbach Fall". Steve
Thompson wrote the episode, which was directed by Toby Haynes,
who had previously directed many of Moffat's Doctor Who episodes.
First broadcast on 15 January 2012, the episode follows Moriarty's plot
to discredit and kill Sherlock Holmes, concluding with Holmes faking his suicide. It was based upon Conan Doyle's
story "The Final Problem", in which Sherlock and Moriarty are presumed to have fallen to their deaths from the
Reichenbach Falls in Switzerland. Moffat felt that he and co-creator Gatiss had outdone Conan Doyle in their
version of Holmes' fall and Moffat added that, in that much-discussed sequence, there was still "a clue everybody's
missed".
Christmas mini-episode (2013)
BBC One premiered a "Sherlock" mini-episode over the 2013 Christmas period entitled "Many Happy Returns". The
episode is available via BBC iPlayer, BBC Red Button service, and BBCs YouTube channel, and acts as a prequel to
the third series.
The synopsis for the episode reads "Sherlock has been gone for two years. But someone isn't quite convinced that
he's dead."
[12]
The 'someone' turns out to be Anderson, the forensics technician from series 1 and 2 (who has now
lost his job due to his obsessive conviction that the detective still lives). He had a long standing mistrust of Sherlock,
yet is now one of the few people who believes Sherlock is alive, and throughout the episode is trying to convince
Lestrade. Anderson tracks him via various mysterious events from Tibet to New Delhi to Germany in which he
seems to be involved, and points out that the incidents are getting progressively closer to London.
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Series 3 (2014)
After the end of the final episode of the second series, Moffat and Gatiss both announced on Twitter that a third
series had been commissioned at the same time as series two, and a part of the resolution to "The Reichenbach Fall"
was filmed concurrently with series two. Without revealing whether Moriarty also faked his own death at the end of
series two, Moffat suggested that Moriarty will not feature heavily in future series of Sherlock.
"The Empty Hearse", written by Mark Gatiss and directed by Jeremy Lovering, is the first episode of Series 3 and
was first broadcast on 1 January 2014. Inspired by "The Adventure of the Empty House" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle,
the episode follows Sherlock Holmes' return to London and reunion with John Watson, and their subsequent solving
of an underground terrorist network.
In "The Sign of Three", written by Stephen Thompson, Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat, Watson and Mary Morstan
get married. The episode takes place during the wedding reception and the story is told through flashbacks. The
episode title is inspired by The Sign of the Four.
The final episode "His Last Vow" was first broadcast on 12 January 2014, on BBC One, and written by Steven
Moffat, directed by Nick Hurran and is based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Adventure of Charles Augustus
Milverton. This case leads Sherlock into conflict with Charles Augustus Magnussen (Lars Mikkelsen), a "terrifying"
villain who was introduced as an unnamed villain in episode one. Holmes and Watson try to get Magnussen arrested;
but their attempt fails, and Holmes shoots Magnussen to stop him from blackmailing Mary Watson. Mycroft
arranges that Sherlock will be exiled from the United Kingdom instead of being tried for murder. As Sherlock's plane
takes off, every video screen in London broadcasts the image of Moriarty, and Sherlock is recalled to deal with the
crisis associated with Moriarty's potential return.
The third series aired in the United States on PBS over a period of three weeks, airing late January to early February
of 2014. Series 3 has 6 episodes on netflix last three being the behind the scenes extra footage.
Series 4
The show's executive producer, Steven Moffat, has confirmed that a fourth series has been commissioned, with
scripts being planned. Previously the show's stars, Cumberbatch and Freeman, announced to the press their desire to
return for a fourth series, although co-creator Steven Moffat at the time indicated that BBC executives had not
formally commissioned further episodes. Moffat told The Telegraph, "we're all keen to continue", but it is difficult to
co-ordinate the lead actors' schedules. Moffat continued, "And obviously Mark [Gatiss] and I have our other
commitments too, but it's just a matter of scheduling." Moffat and Gatiss also announced that they have developed
plots for a fourth and fifth series.
On 2 July 2014, the BBC announced that a special episode of Sherlock will begin filming in January 2015, with a
series of three episodes to be filmed later in the year.
Reception
Critical response
The show met with critical acclaim, sustaining positive reviews across its three series. Series one holds a Metacritic
score of 85/100, based on 17 reviews and series two scored 91/100, based on 24 reviews, while series three holds a
score of 88/100, based on 22 reviews. The first two series hold a 100% rating at critical aggregator site Rotten
Tomatoes, and series three has a 97% approval rating. The first episode rated highly on the Appreciation Index. The
Observer said the show was "a cross between Withnail and I and The Bourne Ultimatum, there is also a hint of
Doctor Who about the drama; hardly surprising, since it has been written and created by Doctor Who writers Mark
Gatiss and Steven Moffat." The Guardian's Dan Martin said, "It's early days, but the first of three 90-minute movies,
'A Study In Pink', is brilliantly promising. It has the finesse of Spooks but is indisputably Sherlock Holmes. The
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deduction sequences are ingenious, and the plot is classic Moffat intricacy." Tom Sutcliffe for The Independent
wrote, "Sherlock is a triumph, witty and knowing, without ever undercutting the flair and dazzle of the original. It
understands that Holmes isn't really about plot but about charisma ... Flagrantly unfaithful to the original in some
respects, Sherlock is wonderfully loyal to it in every way that matters." The lead actors were commended. Critic
Victoria Thorpe said, "Freeman's dependable, capable Watson unlocks this modern Holmes, a man who now
describes himself as 'a high-functioning sociopath'." Following the second series' opening episode, Sarah Crompton,
for The Telegraph, asserts that "Cumberbatch is utterly credible as a man who lives entirely in his cerebellum with
little regard for the world outside, mak[ing] Sherlock the perfect depiction of Holmes for our times".
Conan Doyle fans were generally appreciative. Gwilym Mumford, for The Guardian, suggested that "this has to do
with the fact that Moffat and Gatiss are enormously knowledgeable about Conan Doyle's work, and their reimagining
incorporates big- and small-screen adaptations of Holmes as well as the original stories. As Gatiss puts it:
'Everything is canonical.' " Sarah Crompton, for The Telegraph, identifies some of the jokes and allusions intended
for fans. Commenting specifically on the second series' finale "The Reichenbach Fall", The Guardian's Sam
Wollaston praised the show's faithfulness to Conan Doyle, but also how "it will wander, taking in mobile phone
technology and computer hacking ... But it doesn't feel like cheating; more like an open relationship, agreed by both
parties."
Ratings
According to overnight data provided by the Broadcasters' Audience Research Board (BARB), the highest overnight
figure from the first series of Sherlock was 7.5 million for the opening episode, "A Study in Pink", whereas the
second series averaged over 8 million viewers. The three episodes of series two were the three most watched
programmes on iPlayer, the BBC's video-on-demand service, between January and April 2012. Its opening episode,
"A Scandal in Belgravia", attracted controversy from the tabloid newspaper Daily Mail, which reported that Irene
Adler's nude scene early in the episode had been met with disapproval from some viewers who were concerned that
it had been shown before the 9:00pm watershed hour, before which adult-orientated content is not supposed to air.
Some critics also took exception to Moffat's treatment of Irene Adler, arguing that she was sexualised, an argument
rejected by others, including Moffat. The series' conclusion, "The Reichenbach Fall", in which Sherlock fakes his
suicide by jumping from St Bartholomew's Hospital, led to speculation on forums, social networking sites and in
newspaper articles about its resolution.
The third series has become the UK's most watched drama series since 2001.
Accolades
Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Sherlock
The show has both won and been nominated for many awards.
In the 2011 BAFTA awards, the show as a whole won the award for Best Drama Series, while Freeman (as Dr
Watson) and Andrew Scott (as Jim Moriarty) were both nominated for Best Supporting Actor; Freeman won the
award. Cumberbatch was nominated for Best Actor. The show was also nominated for the YouTube Audience
Award.
Andrew Scott won 2012's Best Supporting Actor for his work in the second series, which was nominated in other
categories.
The first series also won the Arqiva award for the "best terrestrial show" at the 2011 Edinburgh International
Television Festival. "A Study in Pink" and "A Scandal in Belgravia" were nominated for Emmy Awards in a variety
of categories. The series won several BAFTA Cymru awards: television drama, Director: Fiction (Euros Lyn),
Director of Photography: Fiction (Steve Lawes), Production Design (Arwel Wyn Jones), and Make Up & Hair
(Claire Pritchard-Jones). Charlie Phillips won the 'Editing: Fiction' category at the British Academy Television Craft
Awards.
Sherlock (TV series)
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The show's popularity resulted in enquiries for coats similar to Sherlock's, reported retailer Debenhams. Garment
manufacturer Belstaff put the wool trench coat worn by Benedict Cumberbatch back into production before the
series had ended. The Independent reported, "designer Paul Costelloe moved to meet the demand, offering tailored
coats and scarves based on the series, while Savile Row bespoke tailor John Pearse said many of his clients were
inquiring about the actors' clothes." Journalist Alexis Petridis commented, "[Y]ou can see why men wanted to get the
look. Perhaps they noted the effect Cumberbatch, by no means your standard telly hunk, had on lady viewers... and
decided it must have something to do with the clobber. So it is that Britain's latest men's style icon is a fictional
asexual sociopath first seen onscreen hitting a corpse with a horse whip. Surely not even the great detective himself
could have deduced that was going to happen."
Publishers and retailers reported a 180% rise in sales of Sherlock Holmes books during the first series' broadcast.
Speedy's, the sandwich shop below the flat used as Holmes' residence, reported a sharp rise in new customers who
recognised it from the show. BBC Online published several tie-in websites relating to the show's fictional world.
These were written by Joseph Lidster, who had also contributed to the Doctor Who tie-in websites.
Home release and merchandise
The first series was released on disc by 2entertain in the United Kingdom on 30 August 2010, in Australia on 4
November, and the United States on 9 November 2010. The first, second and third series are also available on
Netflix. The release included the three episodes and several special features. "A Study in Pink" featured audio
commentaries by Steven Moffat, Mark Gatiss and Sue Vertue, while Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman and
Mark Gatiss comment on "The Great Game". The release included the pilot episode, a 60-minute version of "A
Study in Pink" directed by Coky Giedroyc.
[13]
Critic Mark Lawson called the decision to include the pilot
"commendable and brave". The British Board of Film Classification rated the pilot and the three episodes as a 12
certificate for video and online exhibition. The release also contained a 32-minute documentary about the production
called "Unlocking Sherlock". Please note that "Unlocking Sherlock" is also the name of a different, but related,
documentary (2014, 56-minute) which premiered on PBS-TV on 12 January 2014 as a prelude to the third series
episodes.
The second series disc was released in the United Kingdom on 23 January 2012. The second series is also available
on Netflix. The release included an audio commentary for "A Scandal in Belgravia" and "The Hounds of
Baskerville" and a documentary called "Sherlock Uncovered". The soundtrack album for the first series was released
by Silva Screen on 30 January 2012, and for the second series on 27 February 2012.
BBC Books published some of Conan Doyle's original collections and novels as tie-in editions, with cover art
featuring Cumberbatch and Freeman. A Study in Scarlet and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes were released in
Autumn 2011, with introductions by Moffat and Gatiss respectively. The Hound of the Baskervilles, The Sign of
Four and The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes were released in March 2012, with introductions by Cumberbatch,
Freeman and Thompson respectively. Two more books, The Return of Sherlock Holmes and His Last Bow, were
released in December 2013, ahead of the premiere of the third series. They featured introductions by Gatiss and
Moffat respectively. According to Radio Times, the popularity of Sherlock has led to a resurgence in the sales of the
original Conan Doyle stories.
Sherlock: The Casebook, an official companion book to the series written by Guy Adams, was published by BBC
Books in the United Kingdom in October 2012.
[14]
The book was republished in the United States under the title The
Sherlock Files: The Official Companion to the Hit Television Series in July 2013.
[15]
In Japan, a manga adaptation of the series illustrated by Jay has begun serialization in Kadokawa's Young Ace
magazine from 4 October 2012. In October 2012, Winning Moves sold a Sherlock-themed edition of Cluedo.
In Greece, OTE TV has bought the rights of the series and it will premiere on OTE Cinema 1 on 24 June 2013.
Sherlock (TV series)
11
Series Episodes Originally aired DVD
Series
premiere
Series
finale
Region 2 Region 1 Extra Features
1 3 25 July 2010 8 August
2010
30 August
2010
9 November
2010
Audio commentaries "A Study in Pink" and "The Great
Game"
"Unlocking Sherlock" documentary
Original pilot version of "A Study in Pink"
2 3 1 January
2012
15 January
2012
23 January
2012
22 May 2012 Audio commentaries "A Scandal in Belgravia" and "The
Hounds of Baskerville"
"Sherlock Uncovered" documentary
3 3 1 January
2014
12 January
2014
20 January
2014
11 February
2014
[16]
Featurettes: "The Fall", "Fans, Villains, and Speculation:
The Legacy of Sherlock Holmes", and "Shooting
Sherlock"
Tie-in media
Sherlock Holmes's homepage, thescienceofdeduction.co.uk, as well as johnwatsonblog.co.uk are available online for
the public as tie-in media. They feature the events from the show in the form of puzzles and case-summaries, often
with comments (e.g. by John Watson's sister, Harry). Also, there are several blogs about 'unseen' cases that do not
feature on television. Similar to the broadcast cases, these also retain familiar elements from classic Arthur Conan
Doyle stories: 'The Geek Interpreter' instead of The Greek Interpreter and 'The Six Thatchers' instead of The Six
Napoleons.
[17]
On the websites links can be found to Molly Hooper's diary and the official website of Connie Prince.
In January 2014, the show launched its official mobile app called Sherlock: The Network which was created by The
Project Factory in association with Hartswood Films.
Relationship to CBS's Elementary
Elementary, another contemporary reworking of the Sherlock Holmes story, began screening on US network CBS
just over two years after Sherlock premiered in the UK. In January 2012 Sherlock producer Sue Vertue told
newspaper The Independent "we understand that CBS are doing their own version of an updated Sherlock Holmes.
It's interesting, as they approached us a while back about remaking our show. At the time, they made great
assurances about their integrity, so we have to assume that their modernised Sherlock Holmes doesn't resemble ours
in any way, as that would be extremely worrying." The following month Vertue said that "We have been in touch
with CBS and informed them that we will be looking at their finished pilot very closely for any infringement of our
rights."
CBS made a statement on the issue: "Our project is a contemporary take on Sherlock Holmes that will be based on
Holmes, Watson and other characters in the public domain, as well as original characters. We are, of course,
respectful of all copyright laws and will not infringe on any stories or works that may still be protected."
Creator Robert Doherty discussed comparisons between Sherlock and Elementary that July, pointing out that a
tradition of updated Holmes stories dates back to the Basil Rathbone films of the 1940s, and that he didn't think it
was the case that Elementary took anything from Sherlock, which he described as a "brilliant show" having watched
its first series. Several months later, Lucy Liu confirmed the producers were shown the pilot, "saw how different it
was from theirs," and were "okay with it now."
Sherlock (TV series)
12
References
[1] http:/ / www. bbc.co.uk/ programmes/ b018ttws
[2] Jones, Paul - Sherlock series 3 is most watched BBC drama series for over a decade. An average of almost 12 million people tuned in for the
third series of the detective drama on BBC1 (http:/ / www. radiotimes. com/ news/ 2014-01-22/
sherlock-is-most-watched-drama-series-for-over-a-decade) Radio Times, 22 January 2014
[3] Sherlock in five languages - BBC Worldwide Showcase - YouTube (http:/ / www. youtube. com/ watch?v=jNzeuzYPiLc)
[4] Sherlock: The Network on the App Store on iTunes (https:/ / itunes. apple. com/ gb/ app/ sherlock-the-network/ id734800854?mt=8)
[5] "Miss me?" The nation's favourite detective returns to BBC One (http:/ / www. bbc. co. uk/ mediacentre/ latestnews/ 2014/ sherlock-miss-me)
BBC
[6] [6] Sue Vertue, Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss. DVD audio commentary for "A Study in Pink"
[7] [7] Thompson, Steve "Introduction" In:
[8] [8] "Unlocking Sherlock", documentary included on the Series 1 DVD/Blu-Ray release
[9] [9] Moffat, Steven "Introduction" In:
[10] Q & A With Una Stubbs: The Joy of Victoria Sponges + Getting Sherlock Holmes to Eat (http:/ / blogs. laweekly. com/ squidink/ 2012/ 05/
q_a_with_una_stubbs. php?page=2)
[11] "Sherlock Uncovered", documentary on Sherlock series 2 DVD/Blu-ray release
[12] Sherlock profile, BBC One (http:/ / www.bbc. co. uk/ programmes/ b018ttws)
[13] Sherlock DVD, Catalogue number: BBCDVD3223
[14] Adams, Guy, Sherlock: The Casebook, BBC Books, 25 October 2012, ISBN 978-1849904254
[15] Adams, Guy, The Sherlock Files: The Official Companion to the Hit Television Series, It Books, 16 July 2013, ISBN 978-0062278098
[16] Sherlock - Release Date is Announced for 'Season 3 on DVD and Blu-ray Disc (http:/ / www. tvshowsondvd. com/ news/
Sherlock-Season-3/ 19205), TVShowsOnDVD.com, 22 November 2013.
[17] The blog of Dr. John. H. Watson (http:/ / www. johnwatsonblog. co. uk/ blog/ 19december)
External links
Sherlock (http:/ / www. bbc. co. uk/ programmes/ b00t4pgh) at BBC Programmes
Sherlock series 1 (http:/ / www. hartswoodfilms. co. uk/ Sherlock-Series-1-program. aspx) at Hartswood Films
Sherlock series 2 (http:/ / www. hartswoodfilms. co. uk/ Sherlock-Series-2-program. aspx) at Hartswood Films
Sherlock (http:/ / www. imdb. com/ title/ tt1475582/ ) at the Internet Movie Database
Sherlock (http:/ / www. tv. com/ shows/ sherlock/ ) at TV.com
Sherlock (http:/ / www. tvguide. co. uk/ titlesearch. asp?title=sherlock) at TV Guide
Sherlock (http:/ / tv. yahoo. com/ show/ 46841/ ) at Yahoo! TV
Article Sources and Contributors
13
Article Sources and Contributors
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Angelinavesey, Angmering, Anna Lincoln, Anna Roy, Aranea Mortem, Ardicius Greenknight, Aridd, Arjayay, Arthritix, Arthur Holland, Arts1482, Artsiegrl9513, Arunsingh16, AsceticRose,
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GoingBatty, Goldhawkin, Goodnightmush, Goodsmudge, Grahamzxy, Grammarspellchecker, Gravyc, GregorB, Gregory Wonderwheel, HEL, HJHornby, HMSSolent, Hailey C. Shannon,
HannahS96, Haymosa5, Headhitter, Hektor, HelloBrooklynHeyLA, HeyADODO, Heymid, Homechallenge55, Hosam007, HueSatLum, Hughtcool, Hyliad, IOU-A-Call-Sherlock, IainP,
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Image Sources, Licenses and Contributors
file:Benedict Cumberbatch filming Sherlock cropped2.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Benedict_Cumberbatch_filming_Sherlock_cropped2.jpg License: Creative
Commons Attribution 2.0 Contributors: Benedict_Cumberbatch_filming_Sherlock.jpg: Fat Les (bellaphon) from London, UK derivative work: RanZag (talk)
file:Martin Freeman filming Sherlock cropped2.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Martin_Freeman_filming_Sherlock_cropped2.jpg License: Creative Commons
Attribution 2.0 Contributors: Martin_Freeman_filming_Sherlock.jpg: Fat Les (bellaphon) from London, UK derivative work: RanZag (talk)
File:Shooting Sherlock.JPG Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Shooting_Sherlock.JPG License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 3.0 Contributors:
User:Saschaporsche
File:Martin Freeman + Benedict Cumberbatch.JPG Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Martin_Freeman_+_Benedict_Cumberbatch.JPG License: Creative Commons
Attribution-Sharealike 3.0 Contributors: User:Saschaporsche
File:Barts.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Barts.jpg License: Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Contributors: pandrcutts
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