Sherlock BBC1

[Mr Pee]

I thought Sherlock on BBC1 last night was absolutely superb. Brilliantly acted, fantastically well written, and the direction and production were first class as well. I was initally sceptical of the updated Holmes concept, and didn't watch the first series until it was repeated on BBC3 later last year, but I was immediately convinced.

I can't wait to see what they do with next Sunday's instalment - " The Hounds of Baskerville".

Already one of the TV highlights of 2012!

[antongould]

I remain a little unconvinced by it although on the AA thread Rumpole seems to love it but Anna, on a post that seemed to disappear, (a possible case for the Great Man) seemed less impressed. Acting to, as I occasionally do, bring the opinions of youff - my daughters think it is the best thing on TV by a country mile.

[vinteuil]

If I may be permitted to use a couple of technical terms from the world of formal criticism - I thought this episode was:

a) - stonkingly good
b) - mad as a box of frogs

Loved it...

[Mr Pee]

If I may be permitted to use a couple of technical terms from the world of formal criticism - I thought this episode was:

a) - stonkingly good
b) - mad as a box of frogs

Loved it...

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

oh yep oh yea ... and where might one , ahem, meet Ms Adler ....... ????????????

[salymap]

I have all the books with the original Sydney Paget illustrations and miss the atmosphere of the real thing.

Likewise, the are now trying to keep Morse going with 'Endeavour'. Don't know whether to watch or not. It's a one-off so I may look at it.

[Chris Newman]

I love the series too. If I dare quote Sam Wollaston in the Grauniad:

Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman are just right too, as Holmes and Watson. Their funny lop-sided relationship - a mixture of admiration and frustration in one direction, teasing to the point of bullying in the other, but genuine affection too, in both directions - is perfect.

How I wish I had written that!

Una Stubbs is delightful as Mrs Hudson and having the odiously camp Mycroft of Mark Gatiss, co-creator of the series, is sheer icing on the cake. Thanks too to the character of Irene Adler for gently letting us know that everybody is a descendant of the ACD originals rather than mere updates. It helps make the utter fun and confusion so much more credible and stage worthy.

[Serial_Apologist]

Can't stand Cumberbitch - sorry, reminds me too much of the toffs from school.

[Richard Tarleton]

Can't stand Cumberbitch - sorry, reminds me too much of the toffs from school.

Met him down here filming "Third Star" - lovely bloke, couldn't have been nicer.

[Chris Newman]

Met him down here filming "Third Star" - lovely bloke, couldn't have been nicer.

I was going to say something similar though I have not met BC. He plays so many very different characters exceedingly well. He is obviously enjoying being a nasty deputy head prefect and probably bases his character on school colleagues from Harrow. I am an old pussycat in real life but I loved singing roles like Mozart's Monostatos. Pretending can be fun. I could not really whip itinerant bird-catchers or attempt to rape young women!! A well-known actor I taught and directed in schoolplays (once as the monstrous Thomas Cromwell in Bolt's A Man For All Seasons) is the nicest, kindest person you could know and makes a fortune playing cruel weirdoes since he discovered he could do it. He says he watches people and adopts their tics. Peter Vaughan also made a living playing skinhead thugs, before there were skinheads, but was (and is) a perfect gentleman in real life. His stage and TV persona was so powerful he never had trouble at his evening job running his own pub in the centre of Crawley. If I wanted a seat on the train to London I knew that his compartment would be half empty as many commuters feared him. His Cockney accent is put on, by the way.

[Nick Armstrong]

I remain a little unconvinced by it although on the AA thread Rumpole seems to love it

Err... I was talking about something else, I think (not least as I have only just finished watching the Cumberbatch 'Sherlock'): Anton, on AA I was opining about the new film version with Robert Downey Jnr and Jude Law which we saw on New Year's Eve. That has a much better Moriarty and very similar music, but the disadvantage of S Fry Esq mumming as Mycroft (I wish people would stop casting him in dramas).

But I did enjoy the TV one as well. Like you, I am not totally convinced by the archly 'knowing' quality of the production, very like the Dr Who revivals from the same production gang I think. What saves it, though, is above all the quality of the performances, which prevent the style becoming annoying. That and the literate script and the pleasing complexity of things make it all a bracing, highly enjoyable watch... I'd endorse:

If I may be permitted to use a couple of technical terms from the world of formal criticism - I thought this episode was:

a) - stonkingly good
b) - mad as a box of frogs

Loved it...

although at the same time, the bit of the Guardian review I sympathised with is this:

"I'm totally with Martin Freeman's John Watson when he says at one point: "What happened there?" It doesn't really matter if – like me and Watson – you are not always sure exactly what's going on."

Gatiss as Mycroft was a delight as well

[antongould]

Apologies dear sir - but pleased you found, as i did, a fair bit to like. I shall be interested to see what they do to the Hound.
Hope salymap has tried Morse the Younger - I'm enjoying it........

[Nick Armstrong]

Apologies dear sir - but pleased you found, as i did, a fair bit to like. I shall be interested to see what they do to the Hound.
Hope salymap has tried Morse the Younger - I'm enjoying it........

Yes, I'm also very much looking forward to The Hound and the third of the Sherlock series - certainly viewing highlights. Morse prequel currently decanting onto the PVR as I had to watch Ianucci on Dickens

[Norfolk Born]

[QUOTE=salymap;117218]I have all the books with the original Sydney Paget illustrations and miss the atmosphere of the real thing.

Likewise, the are now trying to keep Morse going with 'Endeavour'. Don't know whether to watch or not. It's a one-off so I may look at it.[/QUOTE]

I hope you did watch it - it was WONDERFUL! (I've started a separate thread).

[salymap]

Apologies dear sir - but pleased you found, as i did, a fair bit to like. I shall be interested to see what they do to the Hound.
Hope salymap has tried Morse the Younger - I'm enjoying it........

Morning Anton, yes salymap did enjoy it very much, apart from'Audio Description' on my new Digi hard disk thing which kept switching on and off however hard I tried to get rid of it.