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SherlockisaBritishtelevisionseriesthatpresentsacontemporaryupdateofSirArthurConanDoyle\'sSherlockHolmesdetectivestories.ItwascreatedbyStevenMoffatandMarkGatiss,andstarsBenedictCumberbatchasSherlockHolmesandMartinFreemanasDoctorJohnWatson.Afteranunbroadcastpilotin2009,thefirstseriesofthree90-minuteepisodeswastransmittedonBBCOneandBBCHDinJulyandAugust2010,withasecondseriesofthreeepisodesfirstbroadcastinJanuary2012.Athirdserieshasbeencommissionedandwillreportedlyairin2013.Theserieshasbeensoldtoover180territories.HartswoodFilmsproducedtheseriesfortheBBC,andco-producedwithWGBHBostonforitsMasterpieceanthologyseries.Filmingtookplaceatvariouslocations,includingLondon,MerthyrTydfil,Swansea,DartmoorandCardiff.OthercastmembersincludeRupertGravesasDIGregLestrade,AndrewScottasJimMoriarty,GatissasMycroftHolmes,UnaStubbsasMrs.Hudson,aswellasVinetteRobinsonandLouiseBrealeyplayingrecurringroles.Criticalreceptionwasoverwhelminglypositiveandthefirstserieswonthe2011BAFTATelevisionAwardforBestDramaSeries.[1]AllsixepisodeshavebeenreleasedonDVDandBlu-rayDiscintheUK,alongsidetie-ineditionsofsomeofConanDoyle\'soriginalbooks.Soundtrackalbumsfromeachseriesarealsoscheduledforrelease.DevelopmentTheseriesisacollaborationbetweenStevenMoffatandMarkGatiss,whobothhadexperienceadaptingorusingVictorianliteraturefortelevision.[2]MoffathadpreviouslyadaptedtheStrangeCaseofDrJekyllandMrHydeforthe2007seriesJekyll,[3]whileGatisshadwrittentheDickensianDoctorWhoepisode\"TheUnquietDead\".[4]MoffatandGatiss,whoarebothDoctorWhowriters,discussedplansforaHolmesadaptationduringtheirnumeroustrainjourneystoCardiffwhereDoctorWhoproductionisbased.[5]ThetwowritersarebothbigSherlockHolmesfans;[6]GatisshassaidoftheHolmesstoriesthat\"WheneverImeetsomeonewhohasn\'treadthem,Ialwaysthinktheyhavegotsomuchfuntocome.\"[6]Thethemeof\'friendship\'appealedtobothGatissandMoffat.[7]Thewritersrealisedthatsomeoneelsewouldhavethesameideatoproduceamodern-dayversion.[8]WhiletheywereinMonteCarloforanawardsceremony,Moffat\'swife,producerSueVertue,gotthemtostarttoworkouthowtheymightdoitthemselves.[8]GatisshascriticisedrecenttelevisionadaptationsoftheConanDoylestoriesas\"tooreverentialandtooslow\",aiminginsteadtobeasirreverenttothecanonasthe1930sand1940sfilmsstarringBasilRathbone.[6]IntheDVDaudiocommentary,MoffatandGatisssaytheydecidedthateverythingthathadpreviouslybeendoneaboutSherlockHolmeswascanonical:notjusttheConanDoylestoriesbuttheRathboneandGranadaTelevisionversions.[8]BenedictCumberbatch\'sSherlockusesmoderntechnology,suchastexting,theinternet,andGPS,tosolvecrimes.[6]PaulMcGuigan,whodirectedtwoepisodesofSherlock,saysthatthisisinkeepingwithConanDoyle\'scharacter,pointingoutthat\"Inthebookshewoulduseanydevicepossibleandhewasalwaysinthelabdoingexperiments.It\'sjustamodern-dayversionofit.Hewillusethetoolsthatareavailabletohimtodayinordertofindthingsout.\"[9]Theupdatemaintainssometraditionalelementsofthestories,suchastheBakerStreetaddressandHolmes\'archenemyMoriarty.[10]Althoughtheeventsofthebooksaretransferredtothepresentday,canonicalelementsareincorporatedintothestory.Forexample,MartinFreeman\'sWatsonhasreturnedfrommilitaryserviceinAfghanistan.[11]WhilediscussingthefactthattheoriginalWatsonwasinvalidedhomeafterservingintheSecondAnglo-AfghanWar(1878–1880),Gatissrealisedthat\"Itisthesamewarnow,Ithought.Thesameunwinnablewar.\"[6]Sherlockwasannouncedasasingle60-minutedramaproductionattheEdinburghInternationalTelevisionFestivalinAugust2008,[2]withbroadcastsetformid-tolate2009.[10]Theintentionwastoproduceafullseriesshouldthepilotprovetobesuccessful.[10]However,thefirstversionofthepilot–reportedtohavecost800,000–ledtorumourswithintheBBCandwidermediathatSherlockwasapotentialdisaster.[12][13]TheBBCdecidednottotransmitthepilot,requestingareshootandatotalofthree90-minuteepisodes.[12][13]TheoriginalpilotwasincludedaspartoftheseriesonDVD.Duringtheaudiocommentary,thecreativeteamsaythattheBBCwere\"veryhappy\"withthepilot,butaskedthemtochangetheformat.[8]Thepilot,saysjournalistMarkLawson,was\"substantiallyexpandedandrewritten,andcompletelyreimaginedinlook,paceandsound.\"[13]Twoseries,eachconsistingofthreeepisodes,havebeenproducedandbroadcast.ThefirstserieswasfirstbroadcastinJulyandAugust2010,withasecondseriesofthreeepisodesfirstbroadcastinJanuary2012.Athirdserieshasbeencommissionedandwillreportedlyairin2013.Theserieshasbeensoldtoover180territories.[41]Seriesone(2010)StevenMoffatwrotethefirstepisode,\"AStudyinPink\",looselybaseduponAStudyinScarlet.CokyGiedroychaddirecteda60minuteversionoftheepisode,butithadtobereshotwhentheBBCcommissionedepisodesof90minutesduration.Therevisedversionof\"AStudyinPink\",directedbyPaulMcGuigan,wasfirstbroadcastsimultaneouslyonBBCOneandBBCHDon25July2010.[42][43]Thesecondepisode,\"TheBlindBanker\"inwhichHolmesishiredbyanoldfriendtoinvestigateamysteriousbreak-inatabankintheCity,waswrittenbyStephenThompsonanddirectedbyEurosLyn.[44]Thefirstseriesconcludedwith\"TheGreatGame\",whichwasfirstbroadcaston8August2010.TheepisodeintroducesthecharacterofJimMoriartytotheseries(AndrewScott),whosetsHolmesdeadlinestosolveaseriesofapparentlyunrelatedcases.WrittenbyMarkGatissanddirectedbyMcGuigan,\"TheGreatGame\"endsinacliffhangerinwhichSherlockandMoriartyreachastandoffinvolvingabombstrappedtoWatson.[45]Seriestwo(2012)AttheKapow!2011convention,Gatissconfirmedwhichstorieswouldbeadapted,andthatthewritersofthefirstserieswouldeachwriteanepisodeforseriestwo.[46]Acknowledgingthat\"AScandalinBohemia\",TheHoundoftheBaskervillesand\"TheFinalProblem\"areamongstthemostwell-knownHolmesstories,Gatissexplained,\"Weknewafterhavingasuccessfulfirstrunthatthenaturalorderwouldbetodothreeofthemostfamous[stories]\".[46]\"There\'sthequestionofhowtogooutonacliffhangerandthenthethematicthingsofthethreestories,whereweweretryingtogettoandwhatSherlockandJohn\'srelationshipisalittlefurtheron.Youcan\'tjustgobackto:\'Youhavenoemotions.\'\'Idon\'tcare.\'You\'vegottomoveonsomewhereandmakesuretheothercharactershavesomethingofajourneytoo.\"[46]PaulMcGuigandirectedthefirsttwoepisodes,[47]andDoctorWhodirectorTobyHayneshandledthelastone.[48]Filmingranfrom16May2011to24August2011;SueVertueproducedthefirsttwoepisodesandElaineCameronproducedthethird,withVertuecreditedasexecutiveproducerforthisepisode.[49]Thesecondseriesofthree90-minuteepisodeswasinitiallyplannedtoairinlate2011,[50]butwasdelayeduntilearlyJanuary2012.\"AScandalinBelgravia\",writtenbyStevenMoffatanddirectedbyPaulMcGuigan,wasfirstbroadcaston1January2012.Looselybasedon\"AScandalinBohemia\",theepisodedepictsHolmes\'questtoretrievecompromisingphotosofaminorroyalheldonthecameraphoneofIreneAdler(LaraPulver),aruthlessandbrilliantdominatrixwhoalsotradesinclassifiedinformationextractedfromherrichandpowerfulclients.[51]MarkGatisswrote\"TheHoundsofBaskerville\",whichinvestigatesthestrangeactivitiesatamilitarybase.AwarethatTheHoundoftheBaskervilles,firstpublishedin1902,wasoneofthemostfamousofConanDoyle\'soriginalstories,Gatissfeltagreaterresponsibilitytoincludefamiliarelementsofthestorythanhedoeswhenadaptingthelesser-knownstories.[52][53]RussellToveyappearedasHenryKnight,amanwhosefatherwasrippedapartbyagigantichoundonDartmoortwentyyearsearlier.DirectedbyMcGuigan,theepisodewasfirstbroadcaston8January2012.[54]Thesecondseriesconcludedwith\"TheReichenbachFall\".Inspiredby\"TheFinalProblem\",theepisodefollowsMoriarty\'splottodiscreditandkillSherlockHolmes.ThetitlereferstotheReichenbachFalls,thelocationwhereSherlockandMoriartysupposedlyfalltotheirdeathsintheoriginalstory.StephenThompsonwrotetheepisode,whichwasdirectedbyHaynes,whohadpreviouslydirectedmanyofMoffat\'sDoctorWhoepisodes.Firstbroadcaston15January2012,theepisodeconcludedwithHolmesfakinghissuicideasWatsonlookedon.[55] 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