The last series of Doctor Who saw writer/producer Steven Moffat
take over the reigns as head script editor and producer from Russell T Davies. People may ask who is Moffat and what has he done and was he good enough to take over for Davies. Moffat is a Scottish Television writer who has been writing for British Television including Press Gang featuring Julia Sawahla
, Chalk, Jekyll featuring James Nesbitt
, and Coupling
a British Comedy that took the U.S. by surprise. Given Moffat’s clear success, how would he do if he was given the chance to do Britain’s number one character of all time Sherlock Holmes? A few years back on a train ride to Cardiff, Moffat spoke with fellow Who alumnus Mark Gatiss about their love for Conan Doyle’s literary work Sherlock Holmes. Moffat and Gatiss found out both of them were interested in creating an updated version of Sherlock Holmes set in modern day times. After those discussions the two men set out to create their vision with the help of Moffat’s wife producer Sue Vertue. What they ended up doing was making a 60 minute pilot that cost around 800,000 pounds to produce to use as a vehicle to get a network to pick up the series. In July 2009, the BBC drama department announced plans for a further three 90-minute episodes, to be broadcast in 2010. The first episode, "A Study in Pink", was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on 25 July 2010 simultaneously on BBC One and BBC HD. The remaining episodes was broadcasted the following Sundays. I was able to catch the first two episodes from people who uploaded them onto the internet and was pretty impressed with what I saw, but decided to hold off my review of the series until I could get my hands on the 2 Disc BluRay set released in the U.K .
Sherlock is a British television series produced by Hartswood Films for BBC Wales, co-produced with WGBH Boston for its Masterpiece anthology series. Featuring Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes and Martin Freeman as Dr Watson
as well as Mark Gatiss as Mycroft Holmes
. The actors are well casted in their roles. Cumberbatch was the only guy Moffat considered for the role of Sherlock. It is easy to see why Cumberbatch is always one step ahead of the audience and comes across as a bit weird. I had no problem watching Cumberbatch as Holmes and I found myself half the time thinking Cumberbatch would be perfect as Doctor Who. Which in the end what makes Cumberbatch perfect for the role because I always envisioned Doctor Who what Sherlock Holmes would be like if he was traveling through space and time. Dr. Watson was a little bit harder for the producers to cast they even had Matt Smith audition for the role who in the end said his performance made him more suitable for the role of Sherlock Holmes. In the end the producers settled on Freeman. Freeman is a veteran actor who I have seen in many different films he usually plays similar characters to Dr. Watson. Freeman works so well off of Cumberbatch it feels as if you are watching the Odd Couple. The transition from the Victorian era of England to the modern day England also works out for the better. Sure some small changes were made to the characters, but they work out for the better for instance instead of smoking a pipe or using opium Holmes now uses nicotine patches “This, Watson, is a three-patch problem”. Holmes also has all of today’s technology at his fingertips and uses the technology to his advantage on many occasions during the series. As far as the stories go they were all great and really doing something I have not seen other versions for film or TV do returning to the core of Conan Doyle’s stories. Moffat says, "Conan Doyle's stories were never about frock coats and gas light; they're about brilliant detection, dreadful villains and blood-curdling crimes — and frankly, to hell with the crinoline. Other detectives have cases, Sherlock Holmes has adventures, and that's what matters". Gatiss criticizes recent television adaptations of the Conan Doyle stories as "too reverential and too slow", aiming to be as irreverent to the canon as the 1930s and '40s films starring Basil Rathbone. The Blu Ray features the first 3 episodes as well as the unaired pilot. The first episode is “A Study in Pink” written by Steven Moffat and directed by Paul McGuigan. The police investigate the deaths of a series of people who all appear to have committed suicide by taking a poisonous pill. They turn to their unofficial consultant, Sherlock Holmes, who deduces various elements pointing to a serial killer. Meanwhile, Holmes is introduced to John Watson, and the pair immediately move into a flat in Baker Street. This episode is a loose adaption of “A Study in Scarlet”. The second episode is “The Blind Baker” written by Stephen Thompson and directed by Euros Lyn. Sherlock is hired by an old friend to investigate a mysterious break-in at a bank in the City. The episode is a loose adaption of “The Dancing Men”. The third episode is “The Great Game” written by Mark Gatiss and directed by Paul McGuigan. Sherlock is commissioned by his brother Mycroft to investigate the suspicious death of a government employee who was working on a top-secret defence project; the Bruce-Partington Project. The Pilot after careful viewing is a shorter version of the first episode “A Study in Pink”. Story – A What is there to be said, but after three episodes I am addicted. The settings, acting, and more just gel together and it is brilliant. I would love to go into more detail, but with a U.S. premiere date on PBS soon there is no need to give any spoilers. I was looking for a show to take the place of Ashes to Ashes when it went off the air. I think I found that show. Video Quality – A The Blu Ray keeps the 1080i/16:9 high definition formats that were used when the BBC first aired this on BBCHD. None of the video suffers from any scratches, dirt, or debris. The images are clear and simply breathtaking it feels as if I can jump into the screen and join their adventure with them. This release is a prime example of how much better a movie and TV can look at home with the right setup than seeing it in the theaters. Extras – A I am not a big guy for extras for most films or TV shows so I don’t ask for much. Included on this release is a commentary for episode 1featuring Gatiss, Moffat, and Vertue, a commentary for episode 3 featuring Cumberbatch, Freeman, and Gatiss, the pilot episode, and Unlocking Sherlock – The making of. A person cannot ask for much more than that out of any release. Overall – A This a great series definitely worthy of taking the time out of your schedule to watch. The Blu Ray does the series justice and the way I suggest to view it. Sherlock may be Moffat’s best series to date and gives the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle the respect they deserve. Sherlock will be airing on PBS stations across the U.S. 24 October 2010. A DVD and Blu Ray are scheduled to be released in the United States on 9 November 2010.
The last series of Doctor Who saw writer/producer Steven Moffat 
take over the reigns as head script editor and producer from Russell T Davies. People may ask who is Moffat and what has he done and was he good enough to take over for Davies. Moffat is a Scottish Television writer who has been writing for British Television including Press Gang featuring Julia Sawahla
, Chalk, Jekyll featuring James Nesbitt
, and Coupling 
a British Comedy that took the U.S. by surprise. Given Moffat’s clear success, how would he do if he was given the chance to do Britain’s number one character of all time Sherlock Holmes? A few years back on a train ride to Cardiff, Moffat spoke with fellow Who alumnus Mark Gatiss about their love for Conan Doyle’s literary work Sherlock Holmes. Moffat and Gatiss found out both of them were interested in creating an updated version of Sherlock Holmes set in modern day times. After those discussions the two men set out to create their vision with the help of Moffat’s wife producer Sue Vertue. What they ended up doing was making a 60 minute pilot that cost around 800,000 pounds to produce to use as a vehicle to get a network to pick up the series. In July 2009, the BBC drama department announced plans for a further three 90-minute episodes, to be broadcast in 2010. The first episode, "A Study in Pink", was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on 25 July 2010 simultaneously on BBC One and BBC HD. The remaining episodes was broadcasted the following Sundays. I was able to catch the first two episodes from people who uploaded them onto the internet and was pretty impressed with what I saw, but decided to hold off my review of the series until I could get my hands on the 2 Disc BluRay set released in the U.K . 
Sherlock is a British television series produced by Hartswood Films for BBC Wales, co-produced with WGBH Boston for its Masterpiece anthology series. Featuring Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes and Martin Freeman as Dr Watson 
as well as Mark Gatiss as Mycroft Holmes 
. The actors are well casted in their roles. Cumberbatch was the only guy Moffat considered for the role of Sherlock. It is easy to see why Cumberbatch is always one step ahead of the audience and comes across as a bit weird. I had no problem watching Cumberbatch as Holmes and I found myself half the time thinking Cumberbatch would be perfect as Doctor Who. Which in the end what makes Cumberbatch perfect for the role because I always envisioned Doctor Who what Sherlock Holmes would be like if he was traveling through space and time. Dr. Watson was a little bit harder for the producers to cast they even had Matt Smith audition for the role who in the end said his performance made him more suitable for the role of Sherlock Holmes. In the end the producers settled on Freeman. Freeman is a veteran actor who I have seen in many different films he usually plays similar characters to Dr. Watson. Freeman works so well off of Cumberbatch it feels as if you are watching the Odd Couple. The transition from the Victorian era of England to the modern day England also works out for the better. Sure some small changes were made to the characters, but they work out for the better for instance instead of smoking a pipe or using opium Holmes now uses nicotine patches “This, Watson, is a three-patch problem”. Holmes also has all of today’s technology at his fingertips and uses the technology to his advantage on many occasions during the series. As far as the stories go they were all great and really doing something I have not seen other versions for film or TV do returning to the core of Conan Doyle’s stories. Moffat says, "Conan Doyle's stories were never about frock coats and gas light; they're about brilliant detection, dreadful villains and blood-curdling crimes — and frankly, to hell with the crinoline. Other detectives have cases, Sherlock Holmes has adventures, and that's what matters". Gatiss criticizes recent television adaptations of the Conan Doyle stories as "too reverential and too slow", aiming to be as irreverent to the canon as the 1930s and '40s films starring Basil Rathbone. The Blu Ray features the first 3 episodes as well as the unaired pilot. The first episode is “A Study in Pink” written by Steven Moffat and directed by Paul McGuigan. The police investigate the deaths of a series of people who all appear to have committed suicide by taking a poisonous pill. They turn to their unofficial consultant, Sherlock Holmes, who deduces various elements pointing to a serial killer. Meanwhile, Holmes is introduced to John Watson, and the pair immediately move into a flat in Baker Street. This episode is a loose adaption of “A Study in Scarlet”. The second episode is “The Blind Baker” written by Stephen Thompson and directed by Euros Lyn. Sherlock is hired by an old friend to investigate a mysterious break-in at a bank in the City. The episode is a loose adaption of “The Dancing Men”. The third episode is “The Great Game” written by Mark Gatiss and directed by Paul McGuigan. Sherlock is commissioned by his brother Mycroft to investigate the suspicious death of a government employee who was working on a top-secret defence project; the Bruce-Partington Project. The Pilot after careful viewing is a shorter version of the first episode “A Study in Pink”. Story – A What is there to be said, but after three episodes I am addicted. The settings, acting, and more just gel together and it is brilliant. I would love to go into more detail, but with a U.S. premiere date on PBS soon there is no need to give any spoilers. I was looking for a show to take the place of Ashes to Ashes when it went off the air. I think I found that show. Video Quality – A The Blu Ray keeps the 1080i/16:9 high definition formats that were used when the BBC first aired this on BBCHD. None of the video suffers from any scratches, dirt, or debris. The images are clear and simply breathtaking it feels as if I can jump into the screen and join their adventure with them. This release is a prime example of how much better a movie and TV can look at home with the right setup than seeing it in the theaters. Extras – A I am not a big guy for extras for most films or TV shows so I don’t ask for much. Included on this release is a commentary for episode 1featuring Gatiss, Moffat, and Vertue, a commentary for episode 3 featuring Cumberbatch, Freeman, and Gatiss, the pilot episode, and Unlocking Sherlock – The making of. A person cannot ask for much more than that out of any release. Overall – A This a great series definitely worthy of taking the time out of your schedule to watch. The Blu Ray does the series justice and the way I suggest to view it. Sherlock may be Moffat’s best series to date and gives the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle the respect they deserve. Sherlock will be airing on PBS stations across the U.S. 24 October 2010. A DVD and Blu Ray are scheduled to be released in the United States on 9 November 2010.
