# BBC Sherlock **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 8, 2011, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbc-sherlock/566829 "2011-01-08T02:59:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![tnetennba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tnetennba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tnetennba)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2011, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbc-sherlock/566829/1 "2011-01-08T02:59:44Z")
Sorry if there’s already a thread on this. Just wanted to see if there were any other fans of the new BBC Sherlock series; set in the present but I think quite true to the spirit of the original stories. A surprisingly deft adaptation, if you can put on blinders for scenes like Watson googling “Sherlock Holmes” and not finding a bunch of other stuff than his new roommate’s website. 😉 I particularly like the fellow who plays Holmes, he’s really created his own sense of the character that is new but still true to the literary character. I like Martin Freeman as Watson, too – he’s very different than his Tim/Arthur Dent type characters, show really that he can act and isn’t just a “always plays that guy” character actor. Seriously, the only thing that’s a drag is there are only three so far. Those short BBC series! Also, the guy that plays Moriarty isn’t diabolical enough. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2011, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbc-sherlock/566829/2 "2011-01-08T06:35:44Z")
We enjoyed it tremendously when it ran on PBS a couple of months ago. Both Cumberbatch and Freeman were exceptionally good in their roles. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2011, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbc-sherlock/566829/3 "2011-01-08T07:33:04Z")
I loved the first episode. I thought it was hilarious. The second and third ones didn’t have the same humor in them, though. That should have made them still be good, but the way the actors played the characters had them come across exactly like Hugh Laurie and Robert Sean Leonard in House MD – except not as good. It was a let-down after the first episode. ---
**Author:** ![sohvan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/96bed5/32.png) [@sohvan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sohvan)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2011, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbc-sherlock/566829/4 "2011-01-08T11:35:33Z")
> [@tnetennba](#): > > A surprisingly deft adaptation, if you can put on blinders for scenes like Watson googling “Sherlock Holmes” and not finding a bunch of other stuff than his new roommate’s website. 😉 I think that scene was supposed to show that the fictional 1800s Sherlock Holmes doesn’t exit in the series’ universe, so there’s nothing strange about him being called Sherlock Holmes. He wasn’t named for the other Sherlock Holmes. In the series he is the only Sherlock Holmes people think of when the name is mentioned. ---
**Author:** ![Candyman74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Candyman74](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Candyman74)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2011, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbc-sherlock/566829/5 "2011-01-08T16:51:36Z")
> [@sohvan](#): > > I think that scene was supposed to show that the fictional 1800s Sherlock Holmes doesn’t exit in the series’ universe, so there’s nothing strange about him being called Sherlock Holmes. He wasn’t named for the other Sherlock Holmes. In the series he is the only Sherlock Holmes people think of when the name is mentioned. What, you mean Luke Skywalker _doesn’t_ have a DVD copy of _The Empire Strikes Back_? ---
**Author:** ![tnetennba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tnetennba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tnetennba)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2011, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbc-sherlock/566829/6 "2011-01-08T16:53:14Z")
> [@sohvan](#): > > I think that scene was supposed to show that the fictional 1800s Sherlock Holmes doesn’t exit in the series’ universe, so there’s nothing strange about him being called Sherlock Holmes. He wasn’t named for the other Sherlock Holmes. In the series he is the only Sherlock Holmes people think of when the name is mentioned. Well, I was kidding, you know? But in a way, it is a bit of a jar, to think that this most famous of literary characters doesn’t exist. ---
**Author:** ![Erdosain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/erdosain/32/7284_2.png) [@Erdosain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Erdosain)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2011, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbc-sherlock/566829/7 "2011-01-08T17:39:38Z")
I liked the show, but I think they could pick up the pace a bit. Each episode being as long as a movie is a bit much. Previous threads: > **[BBC's Sherlock on PBS \[OPEN SPOILERS\]](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=583003)** > > The BBC series \*Sherlock \*premiered tonight on PBS Masterpiece Mystery. It will be repeated several times through this week, with a two more episodes to show on 31 Oct and 7 Nov. It’s a 21st century reimagining with Benedict Cumberbatch as Holmes,... > **[Sherlock (miniseries - here there may be spoilers!)](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=573124)** > > Wow, no one’s talking about this? Even those of you in the US can check it out, I think, via BBC Player. The BBC has a new, ultra-modern twist on Sherlock Holmes. Instead of telegrams and candel lanterns Holmes now uses cellphones and Google.... > **[New BBC contemporary Sherlock Holmes drama.](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=572233)** > > Anyone else watch this last night? I went into it with rather low expectations as I didn’t like the idea but ended up really enjoying it. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2011, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbc-sherlock/566829/8 "2011-01-08T18:50:39Z")
We really liked all three BBC episodes as well. And even the more recent films with Robert Downey Jr. were good. In both the big screen and BBC version, I was surprised and entertained by the idea that Sherlock might lean a bit Gay…as a Gay guy, that concept had never crossed my mind before. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2011, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbc-sherlock/566829/9 "2011-01-09T19:16:41Z")
I thought this series was delightful, and have been recommending it to lots of people I know. I think they did a very good job of modernizing the characters and mysteries while remaining true in spirit to the original stories. There are plenty of nice little details and in-jokes referring back to “the canon” – I’m sure more than I picked up on, as I’m not the most hardcore of Sherlockians. My favorite was the bit with Holmes and the three nicotine patches. That’s funny enough in and of itself, but even funnier if you know that in “The Red Headed League” Holmes says “It is quite a three pipe problem, and I beg that you won’t speak to me for fifty minutes” before proceeding to smoke three pipes. (Although not all at once!) > [@DMark](#): > > In both the big screen and BBC version, I was surprised and entertained by the idea that Sherlock might lean a bit Gay…as a Gay guy, that concept had never crossed my mind before. This notion has been played with before in some of the derivative works – in 1970’s _The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes_ he pretends that he’s gay and claims that Watson is his lover, much to Watson’s embarrassment. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle made it clear that Holmes had little if any interest in women (he was impressed by Irene Adler, but that seems to have been more respect for a worthy opponent than anything romantic), and that does leave the door open for modern reader to speculate as to whether he might have been interested in men instead. IMHO the BBC series got this aspect of the character just right. He’s more or less asexual, but (in contemporary times, at least) wouldn’t care if people thought he was gay…and many people surely would make that assumption. I mean, he’s an unmarried man, a fairly sharp dresser, doesn’t date women, and his only personal relationship is with another man who lives with him and accompanies him almost everywhere. ---
**Author:** ![Yodalicious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yodalicious/32/8195_2.png) [@Yodalicious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yodalicious)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2011, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbc-sherlock/566829/10 "2011-01-09T23:45:12Z")
I missed it when it was on, but the discs are numbers 1 and 2 in my Netflix queue. ---
**Author:** ![lisacurl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/41988e/32.png) [@lisacurl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisacurl)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2011, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbc-sherlock/566829/11 "2011-01-09T23:59:04Z")
I’ve included the phrase ‘not a psychopath, a high-functioning sociopath’ into my pop culture lexicon. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbc-sherlock/566829/12 "2011-01-10T08:03:35Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > This notion has been played with before in some of the derivative works. > > I mean, he’s an unmarried man, a fairly sharp dresser, doesn’t date women, and his only personal relationship is with another man who lives with him and accompanies him almost everywhere. I guess my surprise at finding out he might have Gay tendencies rates as a “No shit, Sherlock?” moment. Wouldn’t be my first time. ---
**Author:** ![Double\_Foolscap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85e7bf/32.png) [@Double\_Foolscap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Double_Foolscap)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbc-sherlock/566829/13 "2011-01-10T14:19:22Z")
I loved all three episodes, although the second wasn’t as good as the other two, and I’m glad it’s returning, even if we do have to wait until autumn. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbc-sherlock/566829/14 "2011-01-10T23:29:40Z")
> [@DMark](#): > > I guess my surprise at finding out he might have Gay tendencies rates as a “No shit, Sherlock?” moment. I really want theree to be a scene in a future episode where Sherlock makes an obvious obserbation and someone says “No shit, Sherlock” to him. 🙂 Anyway, I wouldn’t feel bad about it, it’s not like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle _meant_ for him to be gay. ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2011, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbc-sherlock/566829/15 "2011-01-11T00:27:39Z")
> [@Double\_Foolscap](#): > > I loved all three episodes, although the second wasn’t as good as the other two, and I’m glad it’s returning, even if we do have to wait until autumn. Neither Stephen Moffatt or Mark Gatiss (the dude who played Mycroft) were involved in the writing of the 2nd one. Who knows why, but the lack of their talent, especially Gatiss’ I think, really stood out. Add in the fact that Rupert Graves wasn’t in it, and it was a dire hour indeed. > [@](#): > > That should have made them still be good, but the way the actors played the characters had them come across exactly like Hugh Laurie and Robert Sean Leonard in House MD – except not as good. So your complaint is that Holmes and Watson acted so much like Holmes and Watson that it reminded you of the two characters who are most highly derivative of them? Though, speaking of Hugh Laurie, he did a show in 2003 called **Fortysomething** and Benedict Cumberbatch plays his son. It’s a great show, if you like slightly wacky dramas, Hugh Laurie’s goofy face, and Benedict Cumberbatch as a ginger, then you should track this down. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2011, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbc-sherlock/566829/16 "2011-01-11T05:22:45Z")
> [@pepperlandgirl](#): > > So your complaint is that Holmes and Watson acted so much like Holmes and Watson that it reminded you of the two characters who are most highly derivative of them? No I get what he’s saying, as I had the same reaction. I know \*\*House \*\*is obviously based on the characters of Holmes & Watson, but while watching the BBC **Sherlock** , it really felt like I was watching an episode of **House** , something that I did \*not \*feel, for instance, with the recent Robert Downey Jr. movie. (I have not seen any other Sherlock movies or shows with which to compare.) It was like watching Holmes doing an impression of House doing an impression of Holmes. I did love the three episodes and am really looking forward to the next season! ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2011, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbc-sherlock/566829/17 "2011-01-11T15:44:02Z")
I only recently noticed that Benedict Cumberbatch plays the lead in Cabin Pressure, one of my favorite (or favourite, if you will) BBC radio shows. It was weird to realize that, since a goofy sitcom is such a different feel than Sherlock. He’s great in it though. I recommend it to anyone who likes that sort of thing. It’s a sitcom, which on the radio can be pretty lackluster, but the writing and acting really carry it off. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2011, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbc-sherlock/566829/18 "2011-01-11T21:43:16Z")
> [@pepperlandgirl](#): > > Neither Stephen Moffatt or Mark Gatiss (the dude who played Mycroft) were involved in the writing of the 2nd one. Who knows why, but the lack of their talent, especially Gatiss’ I think, really stood out. Add in the fact that Rupert Graves wasn’t in it, and it was a dire hour indeed. Not just dire, but actively uncomfortable - the story had a real whiff of the old “yellow peril” sort of adventure stories. That might have worked for a period piece, but a story that felt this racist in a modern setting was just very off-putting. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2011, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbc-sherlock/566829/19 "2011-01-11T23:45:49Z")
> [@Mr.Excellent](#): > > Not just dire, but actively uncomfortable - the story had a real whiff of the old “yellow peril” sort of adventure stories. That might have worked for a period piece, but a story that felt this racist in a modern setting was just very off-putting. Even the non-murderous Asian character, the teapot lady, seemed like a pretty broad ethnic stereotype. In addition to this, I also felt the revelation that the assassin was the teapot lady’s brother was stupid and cliched. Thankfully (?) it was also unimportant to the plot, so it was dropped pretty quickly. ---
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2011, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbc-sherlock/566829/20 "2011-01-11T23:51:50Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > I really want theree to be a scene in a future episode where Sherlock makes an obvious obserbation and someone says “No shit, Sherlock” to him. 🙂 As the show is created to be shown before the watershed (9pm when programming becomes more “adult”) that’s highly unlikely I’m afraid. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bbc-sherlock/566829.md?page=2)