Benedict Cumberbatch as Holmes and Martin Freeman as Watson.
Image: BBC/Hartswood Films
Witty, fast-paced, well directed and emotionally charged, Sherlock was everything Moffat’s debut Who series failed to be.
It does however have one thing in common with Doctor Who – great casting. Benedict Cumberbatch was outstanding as Holmes and Martin Freeman’s Watson has to be one of the more rounded and personable portrayals of the character TV and cinema have ever dished up.
Last night’s story – no details in case you’ve not yet seen it – rolled along at a decent speed and although Holmes fans will have easily guessed the identity of the mystery stranger, I suspect the majority of the audience enjoyed the big revelation.
Transplanting characters to new times or places is a risky business, but Moffat and co-creater Mark Gattiss have pulled it off here. London in 2010 is every bit as dangerous, thrilling and mysterious as it was when the original Holmes novels were written.
I could have done without the onscreen captions and SMS messages which detracted just a mite from the drama’s atmosphere but they’re a price worth paying for an exceptionally good TV drama of the kind rarely to be found in the schedules.
If only I could have been this excited about Moffat’s Doctor Who…
I thought last nights episode of Sherlock was thrilling. Excellent performances by both Cumberpatch and Freeman. Bringing Conan Doyles characters into the 21st century was a risk that definitely paid off. Congratulations to all who made it possible. Can we have lots more please…?
I thought that this would be on a par with BBC Merlin and BBC Robin Hood as mass, low brow entertainment but I really wanted to see if Moffat had really lost his writing skills. I was pleased to see that I was completely off the mark.
I agree with everything you wrote above bar one. After a really tedious Dr Who season I expected little from Moffat but this was about the best TV since RTD’s Children Of Earth. Superbly written and produced with some wonderful fade edits. I cannot fault it, even the captions which I thought worked well. It proves a) that Moffat HASN’T lost his writing skills and b) the BBC CAN produce quality, intelligent drama instead of the patronising dross they usually roll out. Yes, if only Dr Who had had the ‘wow’ factor.
Welcome back Stephen. Can you apply this to the next season of Dr Who. Just because it is a kids programme doesn’t mean dumbing down to morons.
I loved it! An excellent drama with, as you say, fantastic casting. Loved the whole technology thing too – Holmes would certainly be a technophile if he lived in the 21st Century (not that he ever lived at all!). I agree it was witty, intelligent, captivating and very pacy. I do hope there are more than 3 episodes.
Loved it – but a little confused as to how SH managed to text Watson without a phone – which apparently was why he needed Watson’s return to the flat so urgently. Did I miss something?
Apart from that, the first episode somehow was able to retain the depth of colour and darkness that would have resulted had it been set in the original period. Very accomplished entertainment.
@ John durrant – because holmes was concerned the killer might recognise his number, he said it was published on his website.
Spoilers:
Enjoyed this, but it seemed odd that Holmes was capable of astounding feats of deduction (he works out that Watson is an injured retired army doctor looking for a flatmate, with no money, a psychosomatic limp and a therapist, within about 3 seconds of meeting him for example) but takes an awfully long time to remember that you can remotely track GPS enabled mobile phones. Even if the victim hadn’t scratched her password for the tracking program into the floor I’m sure the police have that facility. Also the police seem remarkably uninterested in finding the phone once they discover it’s at baker street. Surely that’s their biggest lead, but they don’t really seem too fussed. Small points, but it bugged me.
I loved it. Benedict Cumberbatch was amazing as Sherlock and Martin Freeman was very good.
The way the story was written and the way it flowed along was genius.
Excellent fast-paced story with intelligent characters for good measure. What a shame they have only made three episodes for the moment! I look forward to hearing that they are commissioning more.
Really enjoyed it, it’s a shame that there are only a few episodes (albeit 90 minutes long). The casting was spot on, and it didn’t stoop to dumbing down to its audience.
My wife who’s a bit of a Holmes fanatic was quite pleased at guessing the identity of Mark Gatiss’ character.
Bring on the next episode!
What a great show! Held my attention for the whole 90 mins. In fact I feel like watching it again.
I disagree completely though – the SMS and other messages flashing up gave it a really contemporary feel and worked very well, I thought.
This should never be a three part series. There is so much offensive dribble being produced at the minute and called entertainment. This is such a delight to watch. The casting of Holmes and Watson is magic, the chemistry between them is perfect. This is brilliant TV that you can watch as a family.
My only small compliant is that sometimes the background music is too loud and therefore difficult to make out the dialogue, especially when you are scared you will miss a vital piece of information.
I look forward to hearing that another, longer, series is on the way. Please let me know.
I just happened to spot Sherlock on the iPlayer and watched two episodes almost back to back. What a wonderful breath of fresh air. Good, likeable, and very well portrayed characters and farily well constructed plots (a couple of holes as mentioned above, which become more apparent when you think back once the programme has finished). The inclusion of the “thoughts” captions and SMS really added to the modern feel and, in my opinion, drew me in to Holmes’ world. I really liked it.
There is a strange relationship between Holmes and the police or maybe just the “police” themselves that I can’t quite put my finger on. They behave very oddly and, like many portrayal from the past, provide a sort of light, comedic element which is fine just a little awkward.
On the whole – top notch! Well done BBC, more please. About time there was something good to watch again.
I really thought that Sherlock Holmes in the 21st century wouldn’t work & was quite resigned to the thought that the programme would be a load of rubbish. However I was so wrong; it was brilliant. Please BBC let there be more than three episodes.
Excellent series…pleased to see that more have been announced by Moff and Mrs Moff (Sue Vertue) when they appeared on Breakfast. I thought that even dyed in the wool Holmes fans would’ve enjoyed this update. Great casting and top notch writing and filming led to deservedly good ratings IMO
Absolutey fantastic , i have been a great sherlock fan for years and was a bit sceptical about this been done in the 21st century , but i was blown away with the three episodes .i have watched them repeatedly on catch-up . The casting of Sherlock and Watson is a joy to watch ,the production and story lines are brillant. Everyone i have talked to about this series cant wait to see more – Well done BBC , please can we get more Sherlock