New Holmes is a must
Sherlock, the new, modern version of the timeless Sherlock Holmes, is must-see television. Holmes is as physical as he is cerebral, flying down dark alleys to rescue Dr Watson before retreating to his armchair to seek solutions to mysteries or to shoot holes in the wall because he is bored.
The famous detective is played by Benedict Cumberbatch, an actor who has been described as having a "sort of startled meerkat meets a Magimix" look about him. But his slightly starved features smack convincingly of Holmes the addict; while his clothes - a broad-collared overcoat with scarf tightly knotted at the throat - nod back to Victorian England but still fit right into modern, fashionable Soho.
Cumberbatch's Holmes - by his own admission a high-functioning sociopath - is an extraordinary invention because he is more than a creature of his time.
Martin Freeman's Watson - like Arthur Conan Doyle's original, a wounded war veteran - is moving as a man cut off from ordinary life by military experience. He is also funny, with shades of Freeman's other sidekick role in The Office. But Freeman insists Watson is more than light relief. He is there as the storyteller, though being a 21st century chronicler, they are in the form of a blog.
Written by Doctor Who's Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, Sherlock has the same knowing humour; the wit that plays around with our knowledge of the original without ruining it by mockery. There are three 90-minute self-contained episodes in the first series and the BBC plans to make a second.
Filming took place in London and Cardiff during one of Britain's coldest winters in 30 years, leading Freeman to complain: "One consolation was that it made it easier for me to look miserable on screen."
The weather also led to injuries. Freeman hurt his wrist at the beginning of filming and Cumberbatch developed pneumonia.
In Sherlock Holmes, Conan Doyle created a mysterious character recognisable in any age, who can be easily moulded into the habits of that age. Holmes buffs will spot how that modern moulding is done. When Cumberbatch is consumed by a case, it's not a "three-pipe problem" but plastered on his arm are three nicotine patches (he's as keen on cigarettes as he is on cocaine). The Victorian Holmes picked Watson's brother as a drunk because of scratches around the lock of his pocket watch, where he'd tried to open it under the influence; Cumberbatch works it out from scratches around the charging socket on a mobile phone.
But Holmes' allure spreads beyond period detail; his genius and mystery can be transferred to any age, but particularly to our own, obsessed as it is with television detectives.
Sherlock airs Sunday, Monday and Monday, October 25 at 8.30pm on Nine/WIN. WITH THE TELEGRAPH GROUP
