The very first episode is in fact one of the ones I found a bit disturbing, and the scene in question contained no violence at all - but it did contain a horrible creeping realisation of what was going on, and how this killer worked (I won't go into it I don't do spoilers). Parents should be aware that the psychological impact of many episodes of this show goes well beyond blood spatter and gunshot wounds. And actually, some episodes would be fine for a 13 or possibly even 12 year old.īut that's the problem: SOME episodes. As has been mentioned by others, there is very little on-screen violence here. Honestly I couldn't care less about any of that my daughter adores Agatha Christie books (and movies), and indeed The Hunger Games, and I consider those to be fine for her. Yes, it's about people who track down killers, and there's corpses, etc. And I'm going to love showing her a show that celebrates both intelligence and empathy, and continually reminds us that one is not enough without the other.īut I'm going to have to wait, because this show also has the potential to be extremely disturbing and frightening. She's going to love the mysteries, and the excitement, and the utterly delicious humour of it. She is going to love the beautifully realised characters, and the complex interplay between them.
She is going to love its clever dialogue, intricate plotting, and slow-burn drama. I firmly believe it is one of the best television shows ever to grace our screens. It’s elementary.Firstly, just to be clear: this show is AMAZING. And that is exactly what we want Sherlock Holmes to do. This new Sherlock Holmes lives to solve crimes and mysteries. Equally impressive and unlikeable, his Sherlock exhibits an almost total disregard for authority, family or friends. Cumberbatch’s performance has rightly been heaped with praise. Taking many of the classic storylines of the Victorian set novels but skilfully weaving a story arc that is both emotional and enthralling, the now 21st century saga effortlessly hitting the moments that Sherlock Holmes aficionados will expect while remaining a thrilling and evocative piece of television for the uninitiated.Ĭritically acclaimed, the show has won three BAFTAS, nine Prime Time Emmys and garnered a Golden Globe nomination for Cumberbatch for Best Actor in a Mini-series or Motion Picture Made for Television amongst numerous other nominations and awards. Hudson Spectre star Andrew Scott as Holmes’s arch nemesis Moriaty Gatiss plays the infamous sleuth’s brother Mycroft Rupert Graves (The White Queen) plays Scotland Yard’s finest Detective Inspector Lestrade and Lars Mikkelsen plays "the Napoleon of Blackmail" Charles Magnussen. The partners in fighting crime are ably supported by Una Stubbs as their Baker Street residence housekeeper Mrs. The stellar Sherlock cast includes Benedict Cumberbatch (Marvel’s Doctor Strange and an Oscar nominee for The Imitation Game) as the fiercely intelligent but equally arrogant Sherlock Holmes and Martin Freeman (The Office, Fargo, Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit trilogy) as Holmes’s often exasperated side-kick Doctor John Watson. Until the special episode “The Abominable Bride” that is.
Anyone expecting a smoking pipe and a deerstalker will be left wanting. Created by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, the men behind Doctor Who and The League Of Gentlemen, Sherlock plays with expectations and gives them a delightfully knowing modern spin. The classic tomes in question are Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes detective stories. A modern masterpiece that takes a character from classic literature and playfully confounds audience expectations while staying true to the much-revered source material. Quite simply, Sherlock is one of the greatest shows of our time.