His Sherlock is still human enough to be likeable. His emotionless high-speed deductions convey Sherlock’s dismissive arrogance and lightning intelligence in a heartbeat. This trilogy of 90-minute films keeps the essence of Doyle’s writing – the friendship between the detective duo, the witty narrative – and more than enhances the original stories.īenedict Cumberbatch is, of course, excellent as Sherlock. And for The Reichenbach Fall, Moriarty sets traps to disillusion the public into believing that Sherlock is a fraud.
For Doyle’s Hound of the Baskervilles, we have a suspected genetically modified dog released from a secret testing base in Dartmoor. Mrs Hudson is their loyal, tolerant landlady.Ī Scandal in Bohemia sees dominatrix Irene Adler almost outwit Sherlock, as he attempts to retrieve photographs of a royal client’s sexual deviations and prevent Adler from using them as blackmail. John Watson is an ex-soldier and army doctor, returned from Afghanistan, in need of a flatmate and a distraction from the post-traumatic stress of war. His mind scrolls urgently through deductions, like pictures spinning on a game machine. Highly intelligent, his sharp thought processes are visualised by computer keys flashing on screen, with computerised beeps reflecting his cognitive speed.
Gone are the Victorian trappings: Sherlock is a modern ‘consulting’ detective, meaning he has a free pass onto crime scenes when the police are out of their depth. These are Conan Doyle’s ‘big’ stories, and the scripts are all the better for it.
In the first series Sherlock Holmes and John Watson were given suicides, international smuggling and bomb-blasts now the challenges are a devious dominatrix, a mutant hound and arch-nemesis, Moriarty. For series two, Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat team up to produce another round of intelligent, witty scripts. Sherlock is that rare programme – a modern adaptation that works. Sherlock is the recipient of 133 industry award nominations including a Golden Globe nomination, and 76 industry award wins including Emmys®, BAFTAs, and the prestigious Peabody Award.The best show on DVD? It’s an easy deduction to make. "This is superior sleuth TV" - The Hollywood Reporter "The appeal is elementary: Good, unpretentious fun." - The New York Times
"You've never seen the fabled sleuth like this" - TV Guide "Strange, fascinating, and sometimes brilliant" - Boston Globe "Superb writing, brilliant performances, and snappy direction" - San Francisco Chronicle 3 episodes, 4 ½ hrs, 2 DVDs or Blu-ray discs.īenedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman, Una Stubbs, Rupert Graves, Louise Brealey, Mark Gatiss, Andrew Scott, Amanda Abbington, Jonathan Aris, Vinette Robinson, Tanya Moodie Press With Rupert Graves as DI Lestrade and Mark Gatiss as Mycroft Holmes. Season 4 finds Holmes back on British soil, awaiting Moriarty's posthumous move, while Watson and his wife Mary (Amanda Abbington) face their biggest challenge yet: parenthood. Benedict Cumberbatch ( The Imitation Game) and Martin Freeman ( The Hobbit) star in modern-day versions of classic Conan Doyle tales. Winner of a 2011 Peabody Award and several BAFTAs, nominated for many primetime Emmys, this smash hit British series only gets better.