Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes & Martin Freeman as Dr. Watson

The Press Association: Stars shocked by Sherlock success
December 29, 2011

(UKPA) - Sherlock stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman still can't quite believe how popular the BBC drama has been.

With the second series about to hit our screens, the pair - who play detective Sherlock Holmes and his faithful sidekick Watson - are still reeling from the success of the first which, thanks to modern technology, was pretty much instantaneous.

When the first episode, A Study In Pink, aired last July, Benedict remembers sitting with creators Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat, plus Moffat's wife and producer Sue Vertue, in the Moffats' garden.

"All the twittery stuff started to happen," he said. "We were trending, which is apparently brilliant, and by the end of it I thought there would be people abseiling into the garden just to have a peek at us because this thing had exploded that night. It was thrilling.

"There was an amazing feeling of love for it. Of course, it had its detractors and it would be weird if it didn't, but the feeling was one of great goodwill."

The series went on to be nominated for seven TV Baftas, winning three for best series, editing and best supporting actor for Martin ("It was just a very nice cherry," he said modestly), while Benedict now has a whole army of online fans.

It's also gone global, winning Emmy nominations and two very high-profile fans in directors Steven Spielberg, who cast Benedict in his film version of War Horse, and Peter Jackson, who shifted filming on The Hobbit in New Zealand so that Martin could make more Sherlock.

"He said, 'We want this to work', so he put the film in chunks so that I could do this," Martin revealed.

Sherlock starts on BBC One on New Year's Day.

Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch: "I can't escape being a posh actor"
By Laura Lacey
Radio Times
December 27, 2011

Benedict Cumberbatch says he is often type-cast because of his privileged upbringing.

"Being a posh actor in England, you can't escape class-typing, from whatever side you look at it," he explains in an interview in the new issue of Radio Times magazine.

"I realised quite early on that, although I wasn't trying to make a career speciality of it, I was playing slightly asexual, sociopathic intellectuals."

RT interviewed the Sherlock actor, along with his co-star Martin Freeman, ahead of the new series, starting on New Year's Day.

The first episode, A Scandal in Belgravia, sees the arrival of Irene Adler (Lara Pulver), dubbed simply "The woman" by Conan Doyle's detective. Holmes must face international terrorism and blackmail in the British government in this gripping opening episode.

Episode two, The Hounds of Baskerville, really gives the fans what they want with Sherlock’s most notorious case. The show's co-creator Steven Moffat, speaking in this week's Radio Times magazine said “everyone wants to know how we’re going to do the effing dog”, but it looks like he’s keeping the ‘monstrous hound’ under wraps.

We finally meet the elusive villain Moriarty (Andrew Scott) in episode three. In The Reichenbach Falls Holmes and Watson must face their biggest challenge to date as London is plunged in to chaos.

Get the new issue of Radio Times magazine to find out what Martin Freeman really thinks about working with heart-throb Benedict Cumberbatch and why his nickname for him is ‘Cumberlord’.

Meanwhile, the leading man admits that fame has “the most extraordinary perks and experiences” and co-writer Steven Moffat talks about his life-long obsession with Holmes and the all-important relationship between the detective and his faithful sidekick.

'Sherlock' Martin Freeman interview: 'I'm happy to avoid comedy'
Sherlock Interview - TV - Digital Spy
By Morgan Jeffery
December 27, 2011

Sherlock returns to BBC One on New Year's Day with the first of three new adventures, and we've got a string of interviews coming up with the cast of series two! Keep your eyes peeled over the coming days for chats with Andrew Scott (Jim Moriarty), Lara Pulver (Irene Adler) and, of course, Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock).

But we're kicking off with Sherlock's loyal companion, John Watson - a.k.a. actor Martin Freeman! Speaking to Digital Spy and a few other journalists during a break in filming, Martin dropped hints about what to expect from series two and revealed how it felt to return to Sherlock after spending some time in Middle Earth...

Was it daunting returning to Sherlock after the massive success of series one?

"I'm certainly not consciously analysing it, [but] you can't stop your brain thinking what it thinks. I've been in that situation before - coming back to a second series of something, when in the interim it's gone f**king mad.

"I think where that's helpful is not to be complacent and to make sure that you're actually still doing your job. As opposed to coasting on the success of Sherlock, we want to make it better.

"It's a very good idea not to read reviews, because for better or for worse, you can end up 'playing the review'. But I have [read them] - that's why I'm awful in the second series!

"I didn't actively seek [reviews] out, but we've all got an ego and if you know people are saying really nice things about you, you tend to open your ears. But I wasn't maniacal about hunting down everything, because most actors hunt down the bad stuff - you want to know who thinks you're a pr*ck!"

Watson takes the lead in the original Hound of the Baskervilles - is that the same in your version?

"Not to the same extent. So much of [the original story] is Watson running the show - or at least, he's the man on the ground. But no, that's not the same. Sherlock is still leading that investigation, hands-on, with Watson at his side."

Watson is traditionally played for laughs. Is that something you've been keen to avoid?

"Yeah, I'm always very happy to avoid that. When I was at youth theatre and drama school, I never thought people would mistake me for a stand-up. A lot of people still think I'm a stand-up or that I have [a comedy] background.

"That was never the plan at all. I like being funny - I like making people laugh and I like people making me laugh - but that was never the reason I wanted to get into acting. [Although] it's part of it, because all of my favorite films and plays have both [comedy and drama] in.

"But I'm always erring on the side of not doing it [for laughs]. Sometimes wrongly and it'll need to be pointed out to me! I will always be resisting it, because if I don't resist [comedy], I will just do it, knee-jerk."

So you must have been thrilled to win the BAFTA for 'Best Supporting Actor'...

"It was lovely, I was really, really pleased to win it. I keep forgetting I've got it and then look at my sideboard! So I genuinely love the fact that I won it, yeah. But again, it's an award [but] no-one really gives a f**k. It doesn't change anything.

"I'd love to think that meant that people now take me seriously in a different way, but I don't think it necessarily does. I just think it meant I was good in this show. But it's still supportive. Best actor in a bumbling role!"

He's not so bumbling in Sherlock, though...

"Totally, yeah. Steven [Moffat] and Mark [Gatiss] treated him with absolute respect. He was the audience's eyes in Doyle's stories - he was the root into it. I think when you're concentrating on an almost superhuman personality like Holmes, who has a talent that most people don't have, you need the audience's reaction somewhere in the room."

How does Sherlock and John's relationship change in series two?

"I guess it's just familiarity. Like any friendship or marriage, familiarity breeds more contempt, and love, and everything. We're just more settled with each other now. That does sound very much like a marriage!

"People liked a lot of things about [the show] but that relationship was definitely one of the things that people liked. It's very gratifying for us as actors, but the writers… they wrote it. It's like when people say to me, 'I love what you've done with this John Watson - the way you've made him more of an hero' - I didn't write it!

"But [the writers] wanted that relationship there, and it's brilliantly written. We [actors] have to come in and make that be, but when the writing's good, that's a big part of the battle won."

Where does John fit into the Sherlock / Moriarty dynamic?

"I have to be smart enough as an actor to knew where my place is, and when Sherlock and Moriarty are on screen together, that's their thing! As it is, the writers have been so good to John. In the climax of the first series at the swimming pool, yeah, all the stuff is happening between Moriarty and Sherlock, but John is absolutely a presence there. That scene couldn't have happened without him there.

"[But] I've not really been on set yet with Andrew [this series] - a lot of it isn't with me in the room, between Moriarty and Sherlock this time. But again, they're fantastic scenes and they are scenes that people like, understandably.

"[Andrew and Benedict are] both brilliant at playing them, they're brilliantly written and they're two of the most iconic characters in English literature. And now, for people who weren't familiar with Conan Doyle, they're becoming iconic television characters."

Are you surprised by how well Sherlock fits the modern day?

"Well, obviously it's very important to be respectful to Conan Doyle, but you can be too reverential. That was 130 years ago and it's not made for telly - it's not made for now. We have to make our own thing out of it.

"Fortunately, Mark and Steven are so embroiled in the world of Conan Doyle that they don't even need to think about it anymore. Conan Doyle feels very present in the writing just because he's present in them, as writers. But it gets boring if you have to be tied to that world. Obviously, Conan Doyle deserves concrete respect, but this isn't his show - it is Mark and Steven's show."

How did it feel coming back to the show after filming on The Hobbit?

"Coming back from doing The Hobbit, you think Sherlock is realistic, but of course, it's not that realistic. It's still a heightened world. Compared to Middle Earth, it's Nil By Mouth! But it's not quite Mike Leigh! Sometimes it feels like you're in a graphic novel, which is fine by me."

You've played a number of iconic roles - John Watson, Bilbo Baggins, Arthur Dent...

"I'm very proud of all of that. It is a weird thing at the moment to be Bilbo Baggins and John Watson. I can't deny that it's quite strange. I never think about it, but when it's put like that, I think 'Christ, that is odd'. They are iconic roles, but it's all accidental and it's all happenstance. I certainly don't think there's a casting director somewhere going, 'How do we get Martin the iconic roles?'..."

Sherlock returns to BBC One on January 1 at 8.10pm.

Sherlock stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman. Photograph: Colin Hutton

Sherlock returns to the BBC: 'He's definitely devilish'
By Gwilym Mumford
The Guardian.co.uk
December 16, 2011

With three more cases for BBC1's Sherlock to crack, we speak to the series' co-creators Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, and stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman

The flat in 221b Baker Street is in a bit of a state. Home to Sherlock Holmes and his assistant Dr John Watson, the kitchen table is coated in the powdery remnants of some botched chemistry experiment, while a trail of yellowed newspaper clippings obscures much of the carpet. There's a human skull perched on the arm of the sofa, a bag of severed thumbs in the fridge, and a smiley face spray-painted on to the living room wall.

Slumped in armchairs at the centre of the room and seemingly oblivious to all this chaos are Sherlock creators Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss. They've taken time out from shooting the second series of the hit BBC drama to have a chat with the Guardian about all things Holmes. Despite an arduous filming schedule, both look relaxed; Gatiss has reclined so far back into his chair that he is practically horizontal, while Moffat is recalling some of his favourite fan correspondence. "I got a tweet this morning where someone said, 'I so wanted to hate this but I couldn't.'" He shrugs: "It says more about the person, I think."

It's indicative of what a successful fist the pair have made of dragging Arthur Conan Doyle's sleuth into the 21st century that grumblings from serial "Holmesophiles" - as Martin Freeman calls them - have been relatively scarce. Much of this has to do with the fact that Moffat and Gatiss are enormously knowledgeable about Conan Doyle's work, and their reimagining incorporates big- and small-screen adaptations of Holmes as well as the original stories. As Gatiss puts it: "Everything is canonical."

Moffat and Gatiss first shared a mutual affection for the Sherlock Holmes stories on a train journey from London to Cardiff while working on Doctor Who. Subsequent travels allowed them to bat around ideas. The most compelling was of a modern Holmes, with nicotine patches in place of a pipe and Blackberry in hand. While the concept might sound gimmicky, the pair were always confident that true fans would recognise parallels with the original.

"Sherlock is always at the cutting edge of his time," points out Gatiss. "He's not a fogey. He needs to be across everything. In the original stories he has masses of files of data. It makes sense that these days he'd spend night after night hovering over his computer, getting a Kremlin tan from not exercising properly."

After a bumpy gestation period – an unaired pilot was deemed something of a turkey – the show, which stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Holmes and Freeman as Watson, took off. Ratings soared to around the 8 million mark, critics were effusive, and the series snared a Bafta for Best Drama Series.

Now comes the difficult second album. If you discount repeats, Sherlock has been off our screens since August 2010 – nigh-on a lifetime in TV land. An unfortunate by-product of the show's success has been that finding time to film a second series has been practically impossible, so in demand are its principal players. Pity the producer tasked with coordinating the schedules of Freeman (The Hobbit), Cumberbatch (The Hobbit, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, War Horse), Moffat (Tintin, Doctor Who) and Gatiss (BBC4's A History Of Horror, Psychoville, Doctor Who, Season's Greetings at the National Theatre).

'Watson thinks it'd be healthier for Sherlock to have a relationship with a human being, as opposed to a book or theory … but Holmes falls in love with someone who's as insane as him' – Martin Freeman

The response to this kind of pressure has, in Gatiss's words, been to "go big". Sherlock's second series features reworkings of three of Conan Doyle's most recognised tales. "Our motto is, 'To hell with deferred pleasure'," says Moffat.

"There is an argument that we could do this over three years," adds Gatiss. "No, let's do it now."

The opening episode A Scandal In Belgravia introduces a love interest for Sherlock in the form of Irene Adler, played by True Blood's Lara Pulver. Adler, a high-class dominatrix with some powerful friends, possesses the same razor-sharp analytical mind and penchant for game-playing as the Great Detective himself. Unsurprisingly, Sherlock is smitten.

Benedict Cumberbatch – speaking to the Guardian in a slightly grotty BBC canteen – also sees the attraction. "Very beautiful, incredibly smart, quick thinking and resourceful," is his description of Adler. "She's got a lot of attributes that mirror his. She doesn't suffer fools gladly. [Sherlock] has a blind spot which is female emotional intuition. He's very good at guessing the kind of everyday circumstances in the sexes … the normal nuances of courtship, but I think what she has is much more complicated than that."

So is Sherlock in love? Moffat and Gatiss bristle at the suggestion, describing A Scandal In Belgravia as a "non-love story". This isn't Sherlock in love, claims Gatiss, but rather Sherlock and love. "It doesn't have to be as mundane as a love story," sniffs Moffat.

What about Watson? How has he taken Sherlock's sudden interest in the opposite sex? "John thinks it would be much healthier that Sherlock did have a relationship with a human being, as opposed to with a book or a theory or something," says Freeman. "It's just that Holmes happens to be falling in love with someone who is as insane as he is!"

Both Freeman and Cumberbatch feel that Sherlock and John's relationship is progressing nicely. Those scenes of Watson picking his jaw up from the floor after another amazing Sherlockian deduction are less frequent in series two. Similarly, Holmes is far less dismissive towards his assistant. "There's a bit more of a united front," says Cumberbatch. "It's not just him going, 'Oh, Sherlock's amazing', and me [Sherlock] going 'Catch up!'" Holmes even lets Watson play detective in the second episode, The Hounds Of Baskerville, their take on Conan Doyle's most famous tale, which Gatiss describes as "a horror film", before adding, "We've had a chance to really go for it!"

Though Sherlock's second series contains what might be the show's most excruciating moment – Holmes providing a brutally frank analysis of sweet lab assistant Molly … on Christmas Day as well! – Cumberbatch maintains the character is "slowly gaining a humanity … He's on the side of the angels. His methods are definitely devilish, but he's got good at the core."

Moffat agrees with this assessment: "On the journey that Holmes is on, he's sort of realising that he's not completely amoral … By meeting Moriarty he realises that he's not [evil]."

'He has this amazing ability to conjure up this sort of blank-eyed desolation of a man too clever, too clever to exist almost' – Steven Moffat on Andrew Scott's Moriarty

Ah, Moriarty. Should Holmes successfully negotiate "the Woman" and "the Hound", another face-off against his arch nemesis awaits. Andrew Scott has been handed an expanded role as Moriarty after an electrifying cameo at the close of the first series. Ten minutes were all that Scott required to make an impression, though the viewer response wasn't universally positive. Some thought Scott's frenzied, camp Moriarty a betrayal of Conan Doyle's original – "They were imagining a twirling moustache guy," is Scott's assessment of the reaction – while others grumbled about Moriarty's Irish brogue.

Moffat is unrepentant. "I asked him to do an Irish accent because Moriarty's an Irish name and there's never been an Irish Moriarty," he says, describing Scott's portrayal as "terrifying … He has this amazing ability to conjure up this sort of blank-eyed desolation of a man too clever, too clever to exist almost."

Scott, meanwhile, seems keen for the mixed reaction to Moriarty to continue. "I hope you do get that sense in series two he continues to be somebody that makes the audience think, 'Oh god, I don't really know what to make of him,'" he says.

On the wall of Mark Gatiss's office hangs the old Wilkie Collins mantra "Make 'em cry, make 'em laugh, make 'em wait". Certainly the cliffhanger that closed Sherlock's first series – the laser sights of Moriarty's snipers trained on Sherlock and Watson, Sherlock's gun aimed at a pile of explosives – adheres to that golden rule. "We've had hate mail from people who have said, 'You bastards, you bastards!'" Gatiss recalls gleefully.

Neither Gatiss nor Moffat are willing to divulge even the smallest sliver of information about how Sherlock and Moriarty's stand-off gets resolved. A Scandal In Belgravia picks up where the previous series left off, but they confidently predict that no one will guess the outcome. They have at least let slip a big clue in the title of final episode, The Reichenbach Fall. Conan Doyle had Holmes and Moriarty square off over the Reichenbach Falls in his story, The Final Problem, suggesting that the feud continues.

What about a third series? Famously, The Final Problem concludes with Holmes and Moriarty plunging to their deaths (though Conan Doyle would later resurrect Holmes). With Freeman and Cumberbatch's roles in The Hobbit promising superstardom, could The Reichenbach Fall signify the end of this Sherlock?

"Well, there were 60 originals …" laughs Moffat, before admitting it might be out of his and Gatiss's hands. "We love doing this, it's brilliant fun. So, as long as we can keep Martin and Benedict coming back..."

Sherlock: A Scandal In Belgravia, New Year's Day, 8.10pm, BBC1

The Press Association: Cumberbatch: I think like Holmes
December 2011

(UKPA) - Benedict Cumberbatch has revealed playing the famous detective Sherlock Holmes has changed how he sees the world.

The award-winning detective drama Sherlock is returning to the BBC for a second series in the new year with Benedict playing the title character again.

He stars alongside Martin Freeman, who plays Dr Watson, in three 90-minute films adapted from the Arthur Conan Doyle classic stories.

Speaking at a screening of episode one, A Scandal in Belgravia, at the BFI Southbank in London, Benedict said: "Our daily lives are so mundane, we get taken over by what is immediately in front of us and we don't see beyond that. We don't observe as he (Holmes) keeps on saying, we see things, and what is so thrilling about him is it all suddenly becomes a potential adventure.

"I think if you look at the example of Holmes, or at least what I have learnt from playing him, is that you see extraordinary depth in the smallest detail. It's joining the dots, that's the fun thing, building a narrative.

"So I sit on trains and I try to see, 'Is that mud on the bottom of a boot?', 'I wonder where he has been'. 'That collar looks a little bit frayed', 'I wonder whether he is has been travelling for a while or has he forgotten his washing?' You do try to piece together personal stories from bits of information."

The other two episodes to make up the series will be The Hounds of Baskerville and The Reichenbach Fall.

Created by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, the first series was huge hit with audiences and won a series of accolades including two Baftas for best drama series and best supporting actor.

The second series of Sherlock is due to be shown on BBC One in early 2012.

Mark Gatiss: “I’d love to do a Sherlock Christmas special”
By Paul Jones
Radio Times
September 16, 2011

The co-creator on the Holmes adventure he’d choose for a seasonal special, plus series two of Sherlock

With a hugely successful first series under his belt and a second three-parter currently filming, Sherlock co-creator Mark Gatiss has hinted that a Christmas special could be next on his agenda.

“I love [the story] The Blue Carbuncle,” he told RadioTimes.com. “I’d love to use it as the basis for a Sherlock Christmas special!”

He couldn’t have chosen a Sherlock Holmes adventure that better captures the magic of Christmas.

Set against the backdrop of snowy Victorian London, the tale of a stolen gemstone and a missing Christmas goose is as perfect a festive tale as you could hope to find.

For now, Gatiss is engrossed in shooting a second series, set to air early next year.

"Sherlock [Benedict Cumberbatch] and John [Martin Freeman] are still in the early days of their immortal friendship,” he says, “and Moriarty is still out there, in the shadows...

“We're doing our versions of three of the most famous stories. The Woman. The Hound. The Fall."

“The Woman” is Irene Adler, the only member of her sex to have bested Holmes (a rare feat whatever your gender). She earns Holmes’s undying respect in the first of Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes short stories, A Scandal in Bohemia, which Gatiss and co-creator Moffat are moving to Belgravia.

“The Hound” is, of course, the curse of the Baskerville clan, and the centre of the most iconic Holmes adventure. The intriguing difference in Sherlock is that the “Hound” becomes “Hounds"...

“The Fall” that concludes series two refers to Holmes and Moriarty’s apparently fatal plunge to the base of Switzerland’s Reichenbach Falls. Conan Doyle called the story The Final Problem but its enigmatic ending allowed him to resurrect Holmes following the public outcry at his demise.

Given Gatiss’s enthusiasm, the final instalment in series two is likely to be a way of managing the fickle and unpredictable nature of television commissioning rather than a definite end to Sherlock.

And if this series receives the same kind of reception as the first - viewing figures averaging eight million per episode and a best drama series Bafta – perhaps Gatiss’s reward will be the ultimate Christmas present.

CBS Tracks Down Its Own Modern Take On Sherlock Holmes
By Kevin Melrose
Spinoff Online
September 14, 2011

While fans on both sides of the Atlantic eagerly await the second season of the U.K. drama Sherlock, CBS is on the trail of its own modern-day take on Arthur Conan Doyle’s famed sleuth.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the network has ordered a script for the drama from CBS Television and Sarah Timberman and Carl Beverly (Kidnapped). The duo will executive produce alongside Rob Doherty, who will write the script.

Meanwhile, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, director Guy Ritchie’s sequel to the 2009 Robert Downey Jr.-Jude Law blockbuster, arrives in theaters Dec. 16. And the second season of Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss’ Sherlock, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman, premieres in 2012.

Benedict Cumberbatch interview: On the couch with Mr Cumberbatch
By Emma John
Guardian.co.uk - The Observer
September 4, 2011

As the Sherlock star prepares to play a dapper 70s spook in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, Benedict Cumberbatch tells Emma John about the joys of kitesurfing, being single and punching Tom Hardy - while presenting the sharpest looks from the coming season.

Benedict Cumberbatch is talking Edwardian manners, the brutishness of croquet and a million other things that segue rapidly into each other while my brain struggles feebly to keep up. He is making me a cup of Earl Grey, and a single question – shall we share a teabag? – has triggered this rush of inspiration, from tea ceremonies to post-colonial theory. It's fair to say that Cumberbatch is both a thinker and a talker.

His features – the huge almond eyes, the sweeping Cupid's bow, the acute tapering from cheekbones to chin – can, in repose, hint at something extra-terrestrial; lit with animation, however, they're charmingly boyish. He's soon to begin shooting a TV adaptation of Ford Madox Ford's First World War novel Parade's End, hence the current obsession with Edwardian England – Cumberbatch prepares meticulously for each new role with a welter of study and likes to immerse himself in the relevant historical and cultural detail. So what, I wonder, did he do for his part in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, his latest film? Learn Russian? Write ciphers?

He says he did go on a secret solo mission – to kite surf in Morocco. "It was the first time I'd gone on holiday on my own," he says, looking, as he says it, much younger than his 35 years. "I was in Essaouira and because my character was a spy originally stationed in North Africa, I walked the streets alone at night imagining what it was like for him – the oppressive doorways, the dark alleys."

Cumberbatch has recently had his pick of roles: starring alongside Jonny Lee Miller in Danny Boyle's sold-out Frankenstein, directed by Steven Spielberg in War Horse and cast by Peter Jackson in The Hobbit. But he has, he admits, always wanted to play a spy – "any actor worth their salt would jump at the chance", he says, "because it's all about mask shifting". His opportunity finally came thanks to Tomas Alfredson, the Swedish director of Let The Right One In, who cast him in his adaptation of John Le Carré's celebrated MI6 thriller – a film that is already being talked about in the industry in hushed, Oscar-worthy tones.

The iconic Cold War spymaster George Smiley is played by Gary Oldman – trading in his usual fire-eating performance for a cloak of impassivity – and Cumberbatch is Peter Guillam, his sidekick in all but name, who puts his own integrity on the line to help him uncover a Russian mole at the heart of the secret service. As eyecatching as the film's 70s aesthetic – gunmetal London skies, stolen documents in buff folders – are the names populating MI6's HQ: Colin Firth, Toby Jones, Mark Strong, Ciaran Hinds, John Hurt and Tom Hardy. "That's a call sheet I'm going to frame and keep for ever," says Cumberbatch.

You imagine this gentlemanly cabal of British actors convening in their trailers at night to share a bottle of malt and smoke Havanas, and while the reality wasn't quite as glamorous, Cumberbatch is visibly thrilled by the memories – reliving them with pitch-perfect impressions of his co-stars. First there's the terrifyingly laconic Oldman – at their first meeting a nervous Cumberbatch chattered uncontrollably, while the older actor silently scanned him through his sunglasses – next, it's his mate Tom Hardy, who Cumberbatch got to punch, for real, halfway through the film. "'No, no, blow harder, blow harder, it's cool, I can take it!'" rattles Cumberbatch, in Hardy's geezer tones. "I said, 'Tom, mate, it's not cos I don't want to hurt you, I just don't want to break a sweat…'"

You suspect he also didn't want to wreck his suit: while Hardy gets to swagger around in a sheepskin jacket, Cumberbatch is buttoned into sharp three-pieces. "Tom did Starsky and Hutch via The Sweeney and I got the suits," he grins. "F**k me, those suits…" If there's plenty of competition for the best acting performance in Tinker, Tailor, Cumberbatch wins most-dapper-dressed with ease: one dark grey number with powder-blue tie and matching kerchief practically demands its own agent. "I'm hoping maybe the film's going to bring that kind of 70s suit back, you know?" he says, putting on an exaggeratedly hopeful face. "Like Keira was supposed to do for one-piece swimwear in Atonement…"

His off-screen persona hasn't always been so stylish: "I've been quite a late developer on the clothes front, but I've suddenly realised it is one of life's joys." Martin Freeman, his Sherlock co-star, can take some of the credit. "There's a man who knows his threads," nods Cumberbatch, admiringly. "He's a very natty dresser. He gets stuff made and is always coming in with new pairs of shoes so I've been watching his clobber…" So much so that his credit card was recently declined after a birthday spree at Selfridges. "That's when I realised that I'm changing my habits!"

He looks down at the outfit he's wearing and ticks off recent purchases - the trousers ("I'm not sure the turn-ups work with these Jack Purcells," he frets), the Reiss sports jacket. "In the riots I would probably have stuck out like a dandy sore thumb and been beaten to shit."

Sherlock was shooting night scenes in north London during the August riots. Fortunately for Cumberbatch, his scenes had already wrapped, but Mark Gatiss and Martin Freeman were among those evacuated from the location shoot when gangs bore down on the set, stealing scaffold poles and smashing trucks. Cumberbatch admits, with humour and considerable passion, that the riots were a nasty challenge to his natural liberal principles. "I'm a Prince of Wales Trust ambassador, so I'm all about giving youth an education, a voice and a chance to not take the wrong road," he says. "But those eejits saying they're doing it for socio-political reasons? Fuck off, no you're not, you're on a jolly and you're getting away with it. It makes me want to belt them, make them lame for a bit so they're dependent on other people's mercy…

"It's very hard for me to talk about it," he continues, "because I came from an incredibly privileged bubble so the minute I open my mouth I can sense the comeback of, 'What the f**k do you know?' And that's fair. But my sympathy is with the people who do know what they're talking about, who have been brought up on estates and live morally decent, contributing lives and who have seen opportunists destroying all their work."

Perhaps the subject is close to his heart because he has always loved kids and young people. He's been broody "for ever" - a few years ago he said that he'd like to be a dad by his mid-30s. "Yeah, I'm a bit behind on that," he says ruefully. "Maybe it's because I was an only child, but I've always wanted kids. I've realised now that the reality of children is you have to be in the right place with the right person."

Last year he broke up with his partner of 12 years, actor Olivia Poulet; he hadn't been single since he was at university. "When I was last single I wasn't the same person, I was desperately backwards in coming forwards. But now I quite enjoy it. Naturally, I miss the proximity of a partnership with someone I know and love - and I still love Olivia to bits - but being single's fun."

It's not the only respect in which his life has recently changed considerably. A few months ago, he was offered the opportunity to star on Broadway, reprising his much-acclaimed role in Thea Sharrock's production of After The Dance - and he turned it down. "I've never really made a head-over-heart decision like that before," he says, "but there's a bit of momentum and I'd like to keep myself available for films. Because I would like to sit at the big table. I've been watching James [McAvoy] and Michael Fassbender and Ben Whishaw and I want a little taste of that…"

Having Spielberg and Jackson already on his CV shouldn't hurt his chances. Cumberbatch is keen to diversify and prove that he can do far more on screen than the rent-a-toff roles his aristocratic bearing and Harrow-educated vowels might suggest. And, as his kite-surfing holiday hints at, he's not afraid of physical adventure. "I'd love to transform my body into some ridiculous war machine," he says, with a twinkle. Don't bet against this cerebral character actor reinventing himself as an action hero, given half the chance. "I want to have my Daniel Craig moment!" he laughs. "I want to run round a desert shooting guns at aliens and looking like I barely have to take a breath. I'd love to do all that shit!"

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is out on 16 September

Sherlock adds another top TV award
By David Bentley
Coventry Telegraph - The Geek Files
August 30, 2011

THE BBC's hit revamp of Sherlock Holmes has picked up another accolade.

The show, which stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman as the eccentric detective and Dr Watson was named top terrestrial programme at the Arqiva Channel of the Year Awards, held at the MediaGuardian Edinburgh International Television Festival.

Sherlock also picked up a Bafta television award this year and at the beginning of August was handed the trophy for outstanding achievement at the Television Critics Association Awards in Los Angeles.

A second series is on the way. Filming in London was temporarily disrupted by the rioting and looting that erupted in the capital earlier this month.

At the time, co-creator Mark Gatiss tweeted: "This is a new one on me. Scene incomplete owing to approaching looters. Unbelievable times. Unit evacuated. F**king terrifying!"

The new three-episode run will comprise 90-minute adaptations of classic tales A Scandal in Bohemia, The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Final Problem.

The titles have been confirmed as A Scandal In Belgravia, The Hound of Baskervilles and The Reichenbach Fall.

Stars see Sherlock pick up TV gong
August 28, 2011

(UKPA) - BBC One's Sherlock has picked up another gong at the Channel of the Year Awards at the Edinburgh television festival.

The show, which stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman as the eccentric detective and Dr Watson, picked up a Bafta television award earlier this year.

Now it's been named Top Terrestrial Programme at the Arqiva Channel of the Year Awards.

Guests at the awards ceremony included comedian Miranda Hart, The Only Way Is Essex stars Mark Wright and Sam Faiers, and the star of Danish crime thriller The Killing - Sofie Grabol.

ITV was named Terrestrial Channel of the Year for the first time in the history of the awards.

The Inbetweeners was named Digital Programme of the Year.

Other awards included Digital Channel of the Year, which went to BBC Three, and Indie of the Year which went to TalkbackTHAMES, the production company behind hit shows including The X Factor.

London riots interrupt filming of Sherlock's second series
By Rachel Tarley
Metro.co.uk
August 2011

The recent riots that swept across London can count BBC drama Sherlock among its victims, after it was revealed that filming for the new series had to be halted when rioters invaded the set.

As Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman and fellow Sherlock cast members filmed scenes for the drama's upcoming second series, the set was abandoned as a gang of looters ran towards it.

The series' co-creator Mark Gatiss took to Twitter to share the events with his followers, saying: 'This is a new one on me. Scene incomplete owing to approaching looters. Unbelievable times.'

Both Cumberbatch and Freeman were filming at the time, but all cast and crew escaped safely as the looters approached the set.

Gatiss later tweeted: 'Unit evacuated. F**king terrifying! Tomorrow should be contained. Fingers crossed!'

With police taking to the streets to deter rioters overnight, filming for the series had resumed as normal the following day, with Gatiss assuring his followers on Twitter: 'All calm today. Thanks for your good wishes.'

The new series of Sherlock has been in production since May and is expected to air early next year on BBC1.

London Riots Interrupt Filming of BBC’s SHERLOCK Season 2
WhatCulture!
August 10, 2011

Filming of the highly anticipated second series of Sherlock was brought to a halt yesterday in London when the riots came a little too close for comfort. Writing on Twitter, the show’s co-creator Mark Gatiss stated;

“This is a new one on me. Scene incomplete owing to approaching looters. Unbelievable times.”

Shortly after, he added;

“Unit evacuated. F**king terrifying! Tomorrow should be contained. Fingers crossed!”

Despite the extra police presence in the capital yesterday afternoon, the BBC film crew had to abandon the planned scene as gangs of looters approached the area in North London. Both Benedict Cumberbatch and Hobbit star Martin Freeman were reportedly on set at the time but all the cast and crew managed to escape without incident.

The multi-award winning contemporary retelling of Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes proved to be a huge success with audiences of over 8 million when it debuted on BBC 1 last year. Co-created by Dr. Who writer Steven Moffat and former League of Gentlemen member, Mark Gatiss, the new series has been filming since May this year on location in Cardiff and London.

Moffat has revealed that the three 90 minute episodes will be entitled A Scandal In Belgravia, The Hounds Of Baskerville and The Reichenbach Fall. The series is expected to air early next year on BBC 1.

27th Television Critics Association Awards
Saturday - August 6, 2011

Outstanding Achievement In Movies, Miniseries And Specials:

Cineme Verite (HBO)
Downton Abbey: Masterpiece (PBS)
Mildred Pierce (HBO)
Sherlock (PBS/BBC) - WINNER
Too Big to Fail (HBO)

Sherlock series 2 set to premiere in 2012
By Simon Brew
Den of Geek
August 4, 2011

If you're awaiting the return of Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman in Sherlock, you've got a bit longer to wait...

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news on this one, but you're going to have to wait until early 2012 for the premiere of the new series of Sherlock. This isn't a delay, we should be clear, as the BBC never announced a 2011 start date at any point. It's just that many of us are keen to see the show back as soon as possible!

The shoot for three new episodes is currently in its latter stages, having been shifted around to accommodate Martin Freeman’s shooting commitments for The Hobbit movies (Freeman flies back to Middle Earth in September, once Sherlock has wrapped). And a consequence of that is that the new episodes won't be screened until 2012.

This was confirmed after the repeat of the final episode of Sherlock series one, The Great Game, on BBC One last night. We’d already understood that it was highly unlikely we’d see Sherlock fit into BBC One’s schedules this side of the new year, but the continuity announcement confirmed that the show wouldn’t be back until 2012 (to reiterate, though, it was never officially announced it'd be on our screens in 2011. That was speculation on many peoples' part, including our own).

On the upside, from the near-20 minutes of footage we’ve seen for the show so far, series 2 is right up there with the quality of the first.

A Celebration of Film, A Feast for Fans Everywhere - The Live Movie Event Empire Big Screen

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Netflix Pix: "Masterpiece Mystery!: Sherlock"
Submitted by: Ricky Kent
jacksonville.com
August 3, 2011

Ah, we find ourselves here again huh?

Here’s another title Netflix has on Instant Streaming that I find absolutely engrossing. So, let’s start in on Mr. Holmes shall we?

There’s something to be said for the continual popularity of the character of Sherlock Holmes, despite the fact that he was created by Arthur Conan Doyle over a hundred years ago. He might have been beaten to the punch by Edgar Allan Poe’s C. Auguste Dupin in terms of being the first protagonist of detective fiction, but Doyle took what made Dupin special and infused it into Holmes, and most importantly, he wrote enough stories for the character to have a legitimate literary legacy.

So naturally, like almost all popular literary figures, Sherlock Holmes has had a storied career in television and cinema. I’m not going to pretend to have seen every incarnation to impress anyone, in fact I’ll readily admit that before I stumbled across BBC’s excellent twenty-first century update, “Sherlock”, the only real experience I had had with the character was a brief flirtation with one of Doyle’s novels and watching Robert Downey Jr. turn Holmes into a Victorian age Batman/Tony Stark hybrid. And while I did enjoy the overall feel of the Guy Richie film adaptation, BBC’s go at Holmes is much more substantial and satisfying.

First of all, I want to give credit to BBC for the presentation of this series, with each of the three installments being an entire ninety minutes long. That helps this series build a credible mystery in a way that doesn’t feel rushed or simplistic. Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sherlock Holmes might know what’s going on before the rest of us do, but the writers do a great job of giving us hints and clues along the way to not make the conclusion of each case feel as if it was pulled out of thin air. The episodes really play like little movies, because each of them has a concise beginning, middle, and end, which is something a great many U.S. television shows would do well to incorporate into their storytelling. Serialized storytelling is great and everything, but it still gets somewhat annoying when a show like “Mad Men” ends that week’s episode on an unbelievable cliffhanger and a week has to go by before it gets picked up again.

“Sherlock” left me satisfied, yet interested in what would come next, after every single episode.

So with the praise for the format out of the way, the most important reason this series succeeds is because of the chemistry between the aforementioned Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman’s modernized version of Dr. John Watson.

Cumberbatch gives a wildly engaging performance as the incredibly grating titular character. He’s an impatient man, who seems to have no interest in men or women, generally only caring about the next case.

And the show is much better for it.

Like I said above, with Robert Downey Jr.’s performance, he made Holmes into a pseudo-Victorian age Bond character. With the slow-mo fight scenes, and the playful, innuendo laced interactions with the femme fatale of the peace. That character was fun to watch, but from the little I do know of the literary Holmes, that wasn’t really the character that Doyle crafted on the page.

Cumberbatch is allowed to paint a modern portrait of the virtuoso detective, who prefers texting over calling anyone, and is a technological savant. He has a fun relationship with the morgue doctor, who obviously has a crush on him, which he proceeds to use to look at bodies after the police have finished looking at them.

One of the main reasons that this iteration of Holmes is so enthralling somewhat has to do with the striking appearance of Benedict Cumberbatch himself. He’s an unusually tall and lanky looking guy, with a very angular face with sharp features. It’s fun to watch the expressions that he makes when he’s on the edge of an epiphany or in the middle of some physical altercation. He just has a great range of quirky and piercing looks to throw at Dr. Watson as the mysteries delve deeper and deeper.

Holmes’ involvement in physical danger is also deftly used throughout the show. Instead of there always being someone to punch during the course of an episode, there just happens to be a hint of physical danger at all times. It only blossoms into a full-skirmish whenever it feels earned, and when it does do that, the emphasis is put on the idea that Sherlock is first and foremost a detective, and not a cage fighter. He’s able to defend himself better than most, yes, but he’s also not venturing into Jason Bourne territory and completely obliterating a room of combatants in mere seconds. The creative minds behind the show are clearly focused on making Holmes a detective rather than a hyper violent vigilante, and it’s certainly better for it.

Martin Freeman is quickly becoming my favorite of the younger British actors, and that’s almost entirely because of his role in this show, and how good he looks as Bilbo in the production stills for the upcoming Peter Jackson helmed “Lord of the Rings” prequel, “The Hobbit”. As excited as I am for that, it’s still a joy to watch how showrunners Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, of “Doctor Who” fame, have modernized the role of Dr. John Watson while still keeping almost all of the basic tropes of the character alive and well. John Watson still is a military surgeon, he still was involved in combat in Afghanistan that left him a little emotionally detached, and most importantly, he still represents the everyman that’s thrust into these incredibly complex machinations that Holmes lives to decipher.

Freeman is at his best, naturally, when he and Cumberbatch are allowed to interact without anyone else in frame. Their chemistry together would obviously serve as the foundation or the undoing of this adaptation, and thankfully, they could argue over spelling and it’d still be better than most of the “dramatic” interactions that are present in most modern police procedural shows. They’re both so different in their respective roles, but they find a way to interact that feels honest, not forced by extenuating circumstances.

So with the two leads nailed down, the only other question left is how does Sherlock Holmes translate to the twenty-first century? In a world where people have instantaneous communication around the world, and forensic police have replaced the roles of the traditional detectives from the late nineteenth, and early twentieth centuries, Sherlock Holmes is surprisingly just as compelling, if not more so.

The notion that Sherlock Holmes would be a tech-genius in the modern age is a very simple and obvious concept, but the writers still have to sell it. And for the most part they do just that. Yes, sometimes the way the characters find whatever information they need after entering a simple query in a search engine is a tad on the fantastical side, for the most part the use of technology as Holmes’ area of expertise in life works. It just feels like an organic extension of the character. There’s also a great effect of text messages being scrolled across the screen whenever they’re used that keeps the camera from having to constantly zoom in on a tiny cell phone screen. It keeps the tech there, but doesn’t force it down the audiences’ throats so blatantly.

The modernization of this show especially helps Dr. Watson, as he isn’t depicted as an upper crust Englishman with a funny moustache, but as a streetwise foil to Holmes’ indifferent egotist who goes by “John”. Like I said earlier, his background involving a tour in Afghanistan is kept intact, but with what is currently going on in that country, it’s a little more traumatic to this incarnation of Watson than it was before. At the beginning of the series they hint that Watson might be suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and while that might not be entirely accurate, it still serves as a touchstone that links his character to the modern era.

It also helps that being a crack shot with a pistol translates to any time-period.

Moffat and Gatiss successfully brought Doyle’s most popular character to the modern age with the same sense of panache and adventure that made him popular at the turn of the twentieth century.

So.

You should watch this show.

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'Sherlock' season 2 will begin on PBS in May 2012
By Meredith Jacobs
Gather.com
July 31, 2011

The first season of Sherlock was a big hit both in the UK and the US, and soon there's going to be more from the modern-day Sherlock Holmes and the modern-day Dr. John Watson, played by Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman, respectively.

At the TCAs this weekend, it was announced that viewers should expect more episodes from Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson in May. The first season was very entertaining, and the three mysteries they showed - "A Study in Pink," "The Blind Banker," and "The Great Game" - all had plenty in them that rewatching them is certainly not boring.

Sherlock season 2 will feature three episodes just like the first, and this time, they will cover "The Scandal in Belgravia," "The Hounds of Baskerville," and "The Reichenbach Fall." It has already been announced that Russell Tovey of the UK's Being Human will be guest-starring in the second mystery, listed as Henry. Though there are the film adaptations of Sherlock Holmes starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law, the television miniseries is just as entertaining, if not more, especially with Cumberbatch and Freeman's portrayals of Sherlock and Watson perfect, and the modern-day setting certainly working so far for them.

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Sherlock Holmes and ‘want some?’
The Sun.co.uk
July 15, 2011

Sherlock looks like he's got his fighting spirit back in the second series of the BBC1 hit.

Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch) gets physical in the early hours in London's Soho.

Cumberbatch, 34, and Martin Freeman, who plays Dr Watson, were shooting scenes which saw Sherlock chasing a cab driven by his arch nemesis Moriarty (Andrew Scott).

A source said: "The new series of three feature-long episodes will be as high-octane and fun as the first."

The show returns later this year.

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Russell Tovey

Russell Tovey to star in Sherlock
What's on TV.co.uk
July 1, 2011

Russell Tovey will appear as a guest star in the second series of BBC1's hit drama Sherlock.

The Being Human star will feature in the second episode, based on The Hound of the Baskervilles, to be written by Mark Gatiss.

Russell plays a character called Henry, who enlists the help of Sherlock (Benedict Cumberbatch) and Watson (Martin Freeman) after suffering a traumatic experience during childhood.

Russell confirmed the news on his Twitter page on Thursday, saying: "Yep! I'm gonna be in BBC's Sherlock... Official! X"

He later added: "Hound of the Baskervilles... And I am playing Henry... Good times x"

Russell is best known for playing werewolf George Sands in BBC3's supernatural drama.

He has also starred in episodes of Doctor Who and Gavin & Stacey.

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Russell Tovey to appear in Sherlock
BANG showbiz
June 30, 2011

'Being Human' star Russell Tovey is set to appear in a guest role in the second series of BBC One drama 'Sherlock'.

Russell Tovey is set to star in 'Sherlock'.

The 'Being Human' star has penned a deal to appear in a guest role in the second episode of the BBC One drama series - which was created by 'Doctor Who' writers Steven Moffatt and Mark Gatiss - entitled 'The Hounds of Baskerville', which was penned by Mark.

The 29-year-old actor confirmed the news on his twitter account, he writing: "Yep! I'm gonna be in BBC's Sherlock... Official! X.

"Hound of the Baskervilles... And I am playing Henry... Good times x."

He will take up the role of a man who recruits the titular detective - played by Benedict Cumberbatch - and his assistant Dr. Watson (Martin Freeman), after he suffers from an upsetting childhood experience.

The second series of 'Sherlock' - which is currently being filmed in Cardiff - is set to be comprised of Steven's 'A Scandal In Belgravia', 'The Hounds of Baskerville' and writer Steve Thompson's 'The Reichenbach Fall'.

Russell - who is best known for playing George in the BBC supernatural drama 'Being Human' - has previously made guest appearances in 'Gavin & Stacey', 'Doctor Who' and 'Ashes to Ashes'.

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Being Human's Russell Tovey to star alongside Benedict Cumberbatch in Sherlock
By Lisa McGarry
Unreality TV
June 30, 2011

Russell Tovey has went and landed himself a juicy role in hit BBC drama ‘Sherlock’.

The ‘Being Human’ actor will reportedly appear on a guest starring basis in the second series of the detective TV show - which was created by ‘Doctor Who’ writers Steven Moffatt and Mark Gatiss. His episode will be titled ‘The Hounds of Baskerville’, and was written by was penned by The League of Gentlemen, star Mark.

The 29-year-old actor broke the news of his new job on Twitter, writing:

“Yep! I’m gonna be in BBC’s Sherlock… Official! X.

“Hound of the Baskervilles… And I am playing Henry… Good times x.”

His character will seek out the services of the quirky detective - played by Benedict Cumberbatch - and his assistant Dr. Watson (Martin Freeman), after he suffers from an upsetting childhood experience.

The second series of ‘Sherlock’ - which is currently being filmed in Cardiff - is set to be comprised of Steven’s ‘A Scandal In Belgravia’, ‘The Hounds of Baskerville’ and writer Steve Thompson’s ‘The Reichenbach Fall’

Russell - is of course best known for his potrayal of werewolf George Sands in the BBC’s supernatural drama Being Human - however, he has also starred in fellow BBC shows ‘Doctor Who, ‘Gavin & Stacey’ and ‘Ashes to Ashes’.

Being Human has been confirmed for a fourth series and will return in 2012.

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Sherlock is the 'gayest story in the history of television,' says Martin Freeman
By Tim Walker
Telegraph.co.uk
May 24, 2011

Martin Freeman's view of Sherlock Holmes's relationship with Dr Watson would have displeased Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

It is an issue that Sherlock Holmes's fans are as wary of plunging into as their hero was the Reichenbach Falls. Martin Freeman has, however, described the BBC series Sherlock as having "the gayest story in the history of television".

At the Baftas, where he picked up the best supporting actor award for playing Dr Watson to Benedict Cumberbatch's Holmes, Freeman said that he saw Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's characters as being profoundly in love.

"It's about the relationship between the two men and how it develops and how it changes," Freeman tells me. "It is about the things that wind each other up and the things that they genuinely love about one another as well. We all certainly saw it as a love story. These two people do love and kind of need each other in a slightly dysfunctional way, but it is a relationship that works. They get results."

It is just as well that Sir Arthur is no longer with us, or, indeed, his daughter, Dame Jean Conan Doyle. Shortly before her death in 1997, she told me that her father would have been aghast at such a notion.

"I think that he immersed himself in the story of these two men precisely because, at the time that he was writing these stories, he wanted to take his mind off sex," she explained. Her father had fallen in love with her mother, Jean Leckie, as his beloved first wife, Louise, died a long, lingering death from tuberculosis. Sir Arthur behaved impeccably, and it was only a year after he lost Louise that he allowed himself to marry Leckie.

Rupert Everett, when he played the detective in the BBC drama Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Silk Stocking, said that he had seen it as "a love affair, albeit one that is not really expressible".

Still, as Holmes himself once remarked to his live-in companion: "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."

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BAFTA Awards: Best drama – Sherlock
BAFTA Awards: Best supporting actor – Martin Freeman (Sherlock)

Martin Freeman wins BAFTA TV award
May 23, 2011

British actor Martin Freeman was all smiles on Sunday after winning a British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) TV Award.

The Love Actually star was named Best Supporting Actor for his role as Dr Watson in UK TV series Sherlock, which was also voted the Best Drama Series at the London ceremony.

Accepting his prize, Freeman told the audience, "I know it's very fashionable to say you don't care about this stuff but I'm very chuffed (happy)."

The actor flew in for the ceremony from New Zealand where he's filming the Lord of The Rings prequel, The Hobbit.

Other big winners at the prizegiving included funnyman Steve Coogan, who accepted Best Male Comic Performance for The Trip, and comedienne Jo Brand who won the female equivalent for hospital sitcom Getting On.

The BAFTA TV Awards, held at the Grosvenor House in the British capital, celebrate the best in TV programmes.

WENN.com

Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman pose with Sherlock's best drama series Bafta (Pic: PA)

Martin Freeman with the Supporting Actor award at the Philips British Academy Television Awards at the Grosvenor House, 90 Park Lane, London.
PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo

Martin Freeman - BAFTA Awards

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LMR note: Time will tell if the info below is true.

Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch set for Hobbit role
By Tim Masters
BBC News
May 22, 2011

Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch has landed a role in The Hobbit, his Sherlock co-star Martin Freeman says.

Freeman let the news slip backstage at the Bafta TV awards on Sunday, where Sherlock picked up the prize for best drama series.

Freeman plays Bilbo Baggins in Peter Jackson's two-part fantasy film, due out in 2012-13.

Asked about his role, Cumberbatch remained tight-lipped: "I can't say at the moment, thank you very much."

Freeman said later: "I knew I was a sort of a big mouth but I didn't realise to what extent I was a big mouth, and I've just ruined everything.

"I might not actually go back to a job - they might have just sacked me."

Cumberbatch joins a cast on the Tolkien epic, currently filming in New Zealand, which includes Hugo Weaving and Sir Ian McKellen.

Earlier in the week it was announced that writer and broadcaster Stephen Fry would have a role in The Hobbit playing The Master of Laketown.

Freeman said: "He's a scholar and a gentleman and I'm very pleased to welcome him aboard."

Freeman also played tribute the late actor Edward Hardwicke, who played Dr Watson to Jeremy Brett's Sherlock Holmes in the Granada TV adaptation in the 1980s and 90s.

Hardwicke died last week aged 78.

Freeman said: "He was a great Watson, they were really good adaptations, it was great television.

"I found out when a friend texted me while we were filming the second series of Sherlock, and I texted him back and and said hopefully I'll pick up the torch."

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Benedict Cumberbatch joins 'The Hobbit'
By Alex Fletcher
Digital Spy.com
May 22, 2011

Martin Freeman has accidentally revealed that his Sherlock co-star Benedict Cumberbatch has landed a role in The Hobbit.

The actor made the revelation at the 2011 BAFTA Awards after the pair picked up the 'Best Drama' award for the BBC One detective series.

Speaking in the winners' press room, Freeman let slip to reporters that Cumberbatch would be working with him again very soon in Peter Jackson's Tolkien adaptation.

Cumberbatch added afterwards that his casting was supposed to have been kept secret and refused to disclose details about his character.

Freeman later went on to comment: "I knew I was a big mouth, I didn't know how much of a big mouth, and I've ruined everything. And now I might not have a job to go back to!"

Cumberbatch joins a cast which now includes Stephen Fry, Aidan Turner, Hugo Weaving and Sir Ian McKellen.

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BBC One’s BAFTA-Nominated Sherlock Begins Filming Second Series
Vadvert - UK Paid Press Release Distribution Service
May 17, 2011

BBC One’s much praised, multi-award winning drama Sherlock, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman, begins filming on location in Cardiff and London for a second series of three 90-minute films.

The contemporary version of the Arthur Conan Doyle classic, Sherlock - co-created by Steven Moffat (Doctor Who, Coupling) and Mark Gatiss (The League Of Gentlemen, Doctor Who, The First Men In The Moon) – caused a sensation last summer, delivering an audience of over 8 million viewers, who tuned in to watch Sherlock and John Watson navigate a maze of cryptic clues and lethal killers in three thrilling action-packed adventures.

Benedict Cumberbatch (War Horse, Frankenstein) stars as Sherlock and is joined by Martin Freeman (The Hobbit, The Office) as Dr John Watson, Rupert Graves (Case Sensitive, Garrow’s Law) as Inspector Lestrade and Una Stubbs (Worzel Gummidge, EastEnders) as Mrs Hudson.

Steven Moffat says: “The three stories will be called A Scandal In Belgravia, The Hounds Of Baskerville and The Reichenbach Fall.”

Mark Gatiss reveals that when it came to sharing the writing responsibilities, Steven chose to do the twisted love story (Scandal) while he chose the Gothic horror (Baskerville) and Stephen Thompson (Silk, Doctor Who) is writing the thrilling finale (Reichenbach).

“The hotly anticipated return of BBC One’s hit series Sherlock begins filming this week with Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman in fine form,” says Ben Stephenson, Controller of Drama Commissioning.

Commissioned by Ben Stephenson, BBC Drama Commissioning, Sherlock is directed by Paul McGuigan (Monroe) whose style and inventiveness contributed to the success of the first series, and Toby Haynes (Doctor Who, Being Human).

Sue Vertue (Sherlock, Coupling) will produce A Scandal In Belgravia and The Hounds Of Baskerville and will executive produce The Reichenbach Fall which will be produced by Elaine Cameron (Jekyll). The Executive Producers are Beryl Vertue, Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat. The Executive Producer for BBC Wales is Bethan Jones. It is a Hartswood Films Production for BBC Wales, co-produced with MASTERPIECE. The Executive Producer for MASTERPIECE is Rebecca Eaton.

AWARDS TO DATE

The prestigious American Peabody Award for Entertainment and a BAFTA Craft Award for Editor Charlie Phillips recently added to Sherlock’s already impressive roster of prizes which include the RTS Programme Award for Best Drama Series, the RTS Craft Awards for Effects, Picture Enhancement (Kevin Horsewood at Pepper), Drama Editing again for Charlie Phillips and Original Title Music for David Arnold and Michael Price.

The show is also the proud winner of the Broadcast Award for Best Drama Series or Serial, the Broadcasting Press Guild Award for Best Actor, the Crime Thriller TV Dagger Award and Best Actor Award, and last, but by no means least, the US Satellite Award for Best Miniseries.

Sherlock has also received three nominations for the upcoming BAFTA Awards to be held on 22 May for Leading Actor, Supporting Actor and Drama Series along with being shortlisted for the YouTube Audience Award.