For the Sherlock portal see: Portal:Sherlock (2010).
Sherlock is a British Television series produced by Hartswood Films for the BBC, starring Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes and Martin Freeman as John Watson. It airs on the BBC in the UK, and on PBS in the USA. It was created by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss. The producers are Sue Vertue and Elaine Cameron and the executive producers are Beryl Vertue, Steven Moffat, Mark Gatiss, Bethan Jones and Sue Vertue.
There have been four series, each consisting of three 90 minute long episodes, one each written by Steven Moffat, Mark Gatiss and Steve Thompson. Directors to date include Paul McGuigan (four episodes), Euros Lyn, Toby Haynes, Jeremy Lovering, Colm McCarthy and Nick Hurran (one episode each).
Series three premiered on the 1st January, 2014 on BBC One in the UK and on PBS Masterpiece in the USA on the 19th January, 2014. The third series has become the BBC's most watched drama series since 2001[1] and as of January, 2014 the series finale was the most tweeted about single episode of a drama series ever.[2]
A special episode aired on the 1st January, 2016
Series four premiered 1st January, 2017.
Critical reception has been highly positive, with many reviews commenting on the quality of the writing, performances and direction.[citation needed]
Summary[]
Sherlock is a contemporary update of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes detective stories, starring Benedict Cumberbatch as the world's only consulting detective, Sherlock Holmes, and Martin Freeman as Dr. John Watson. Una Stubbs appears as their landlady, Mrs Hudson, Rupert Graves as DI Greg Lestrade, Louise Brealey as Specialist Registrar Molly Hooper and Mark Gatiss as Sherlock's older brother Mycroft Holmes.
Episodes[]
- Main article: Sherlock (2010): Episodes
Series One (2010)[]
- "A Study in Pink" (aired 25 July 2010)
- "The Blind Banker" (aired 1 August 2010)
- "The Great Game" (aired 8 August 2010)
Series Two (2012)[]
- "A Scandal in Belgravia" (aired 1 January 2012)
- "The Hounds of Baskerville" (aired 8 January 2012)
- "The Reichenbach Fall" (aired 15 January 2012)
Series Three (2014)[]
- Prequel – "Many Happy Returns" (aired 24 December 2013)
- "The Empty Hearse" (aired 1 January 2014)
- "The Sign of Three" (aired 5 January 2014)
- "His Last Vow" (aired 12 January 2014)
Special (2016)[]
- "The Abominable Bride" (aired 1 January 2016)
Series Four (2017)[]
- "The Six Thatchers" (aired 1 January 2017)
- "The Lying Detective" (aired 8 January 2017)
- "The Final Problem" (aired 15 January 2017)
Tie-in websites[]
- Main article: Sherlock tie-in websites
The BBC produced several websites, written by Joseph Lidster, which tie into the show by creating a website or blog mentioned within the series.
Merchandise[]
- Sherlock DVDs and Blu-rays
- Sherlock Original Television Soundtrack
- Sherlock: The Casebook
- 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.
Reception[]
Sherlock was well received, gaining many positive reviews and several awards.[citation needed]
After Series One aired Sherlock was sold to over 180 different countries.[3]
Awards[]
- Best Actor – Benedict Cumberbatch, Broadcasting Press Guild awards [4]
- Best Drama Series and Best Drama Writer (Steven Moffat) – Royal Television Society Programme Awards.[1]
- Best Supporting Actor – Martin Freeman, British Academy Television Awards
- Best Supporting Actor – Andrew Scott, British Academy Television Awards
- Best Movie/Miniseries Actor – Benedict Cumberbatch, The Critics' Choice Television Award
Cast and Characters[]
- Main article: Sherlock (2010) Cast
Main Cast[]
- Sherlock Holmes
- The world's only "Consulting Detective", played by Benedict Cumberbatch ("Unaired Pilot", Series One, Series Two, Series Three, The Abominable Bride, Series Four)
- John Watson
- A former Army doctor and the best friend and assistant of Sherlock Holmes, played by Martin Freeman ("Unaired Pilot", Series One, Series Two, Series Three, The Abominable Bride, Series Four)
- Mrs Hudson
- The owner of 221 Baker Street and Sherlock and John's land lady, played by Una Stubbs ("Unaired Pilot", Series One, Series Two, Series Three, The Abominable Bride, Series Four)
- Mycroft Holmes
- The brother of Sherlock Holmes, played by Mark Gatiss ("A Study in Pink", "The Great Game", Series Two, Series Three, The Abominable Bride, Series Four)
- Greg Lestrade
- An inspector with Scotland Yard, played by Rupert Graves ("Unaired Pilot", "A Study in Pink", "The Great Game", Series Two, Series Three, The Abominable Bride, Series Four)
- Molly Hooper
- A specialist registrar at St Bartholomew's Hospital, played by Louise Brealey ("Unaired Pilot", Series One, "A Scandal in Belgravia", "The Reichenbach Fall", Series Three, The Abominable Bride, Series Four)
- Mary Morstan
- A former assassin and the wife of John Watson, played by Amanda Abbington. (Series Three, The Abominable Bride, Series Four)
- Jim Moriarty
- The world's only "consulting criminal", played by Andrew Scott ("The Great Game", Series Two, "The Empty Hearse", "His Last Vow", "The Final Problem (Sherlock)" )
Recuring characters[]
- Philip Anderson
- A member of the forensics team at Scotland Yard, played by Jonathan Aris ("Unaired Pilot", "A Study in Pink", "The Reichenbach Fall", "The Empty Hearse", "His Last Vow")
- Sally Donovan
- A Scotland Yard Police Officer, played by Vinette Robinson ("Unaired Pilot", "A Study in Pink", "The Great Game", "The Reichenbach Fall", "The Sign of Three")
- Dr Sarah Sawyer
- A doctor who works in the London clinic to which Dr John Watson applies; also his girlfriend for a time. Played by Zoe Telford ("The Blind Banker", "The Great Game")
- Ella Thompson
- A therapist that Dr John Watson sees after he is shot during the war in Afghanistan, played by Tanya Moodie ("Unaired Pilot", "A Study in Pink", "The Reichenbach Fall" "The Six Thatchers")
- Irene Adler
- The Woman, a dominatrix and the only woman to best Sherlock Holmes. Played by Lara Pulver. ("A Scandal in Belgravia", "The Sign of Three", "The Lying Detective" (text alert/mentioned))
- Elizabeth Smallwood (also referred to as Alicia Smallwood)
- A fellow member of the British Government who works alongside Mycroft Holmes. ("His Last Vow", "The Six Thatchers", "The Lying Detective")
- Janine Hawkins
- The personal assistant of the late Charles Augustus Magnussen. Played by Yasmine Akram ("The Sign of Three","His Last Vow","The Abominable Bride")
- Mr. and Mrs. Holmes
- The parents of Mycroft, Sherlock, and Eurus Holmes. Played by Wanda Ventham and Timothy Carlton. ("His Last Vow", "The Final Problem (Sherlock)")
- Bill Wiggins
- A drug addict and Sherlock's "protégé", played by Tom Brooke. ("His Last Vow", "The Lying Detective")
- Eurus Holmes
- The secret sister of Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes, played by Siân Brooke. ("The Six Thatchers", disguised as "E"; "The Lying Detective", disguised as John's therapist and as herself; "The Final Problem (Sherlock)", as herself)
- Rosamund Mary Watson
- The infant daughter of John and Mary Watson. ("The Six Thatchers", "The Lying Detective", "The Final Problem (Sherlock)")
External links[]
Official Sites[]
- The Official Sherlock page at the BBC
- Sherlock: Series One, at Hartswood Films' website
- Sherlock: Series Two, at Hartswood Films' website
Useful Websites[]
Useful Fansites[]
Social Media[]
Trivia[]
- Mycroft typically has a lesser role in episodes solely written by Mark Gatiss (who plays Mycroft). Exceptions are episodes co-written with Steven Moffat.
- With the exception of Season 4, Sherlock tends to end a season on a cliffhanger.
See also[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Jones, Paul (-2014-01-22). "Sherlock is most watched BBC drama series for over a decade". Radio Times. Cite error: Invalid
<ref>
tag; name "RT" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ Dekker, Kay (2014-01-13). "Moriarty's return and Sherlock's girlfriend help His Last Vow break Twitter record". Radio Times.
- ↑ (2011-12-08). "Interview with Steven Moffat". BBC.
- ↑ Dowell, Ben (2013-05-14). "Parade's End marches away with four Broadcasting Press Guild awards".