‘A Study in Pink’ – 28.5% audience share!
The BBC's new series 'Sherlock' is certainly proving very popular, at lot of my work colleagues are enjoying it and it's getting a lot of press.
According to 'The Guardian', the first episode 'A Study in Pink' (wasn't without it's flaws, but I thoroughly enjoyed it) got more viewers than the Tom Cruise edition of 'Top Gear' (I'd rather walk across hot coals naked than watch anything featuring that boorish oaf Clarkson and the morally corrupt Cruise!) apparently 'Sherlock' received seven million viewers gaining 28.5% of the audience share - let's hope that those figures keep up for tonight's episode!
Incidentally, you can visit Sherlock's website 'The Science of Deduction' and read John's blog.
‘The Secret of Sherlock Holmes’
After the early closure of 'The Fantastics', the Duchess Theatre in London is once again playing host to a Sherlock Holmes play (last time it was the spoof 'Hound of the Baskervilles' by Peoplelikeus... which was awesome). Peter Egan and Robert Daws take on the roles of Holmes and Watson in Jeremy Paul's 1988 play, 'The Secret of Sherlock Holmes' directed by Robin Herfold (the guy who directed 'The Woman in Black'). Previews start on the 15th July with the show opening on the 20th July - 'The Fantastics' was originally booked into 4th September so it's possible that this is planning a three month run at least.
Source: The Stage
News of the Moment
I haven't posted much in the way of Holmes news recently, it's not because there hasn't been any it's more that they've been bits and bobs, nothing worthy of a single blog post. Also, I've been persuaded to take part in a Sherlock Holmes eggheads style quiz at the Sherlock Holmes Society AGM in a few weeks... lots of revising!
Anyway, here's the news.
Robert Downey Jr dropped a few hints about the Sherlock Holmes sequel (and who honesty thought that there wasn't going to be one?), apparently there's scenes in Paris and Switzerland. I wonder if Holmes is going to "die" at the beginning and we're going to a film that deals with what is going on with Holmes separately to newly married mourning Watson before reuniting them at the end to defeat the big bad.
Something that I am very excited about is the announcement that the Muppets are doing Sherlock Holmes! I've always wanted them to do it... fair enough this is in comic format and it stars Fozzie as Watson and Gonzo as Holmes.
Finally, Frogware (creators of various Sherlock Holmes games, most recently Sherlock Holmes vs. Jack the Ripper) have released a teaser trailer for their next venture titled 'The Testament of Sherlock Holmes'.
Links of Interest
'Sherlock Holmes' won an Art Directors Guild Award for 'Excellence in Production Design for a Feature Film', much congrats' to Sarah Greenwood and fingers crossed for the Oscars.
The Mirror's revealed that David Mitchell and Robin Webb are going to spoof Holmes & Watson in their new series, it features them as OAPs! Look out for the new series in the Spring.
Bartitsu.org have an interview with Richard Ryan, fight director for the film.
Here's the trailer for Aslyum's 'Sherlock Holmes' film. It looks awesomely bad! I've been sent a copy of the film and I will be watching it when I get a moment, don't worry I'll post a review! Their website has some production stills up.
Volunteers in Portsmouth have finally finish cataloging the many thousands of items from the collection donated to them by Richard Lancelyn Green and it's due to go on public display in Central Library.
There's been a boom in watch fob sales since the film!
David Stuart Davies's productions 'Sherlock Holmes - The Last Act' and 'Sherlock Holmes - Death and Life' performed excellently by Roger Llewellyn are now avialable to buy on Big Finish's website. Pre-orders are open for 'Sherlock Holmes vs. Jack the Ripper' staring Nicholas Briggs as Holmes.
Finally, the New York Times talks about the copyright issues still surrounding Holmes.
Sherlock Holmes is Oscar Nominated
Well, not for anything massive like Best Picture but it's been nominated for Original Score and Art Direction, and I think it's very likely to come away with the Original Score award.
Art in the Blood
One of the spectacularly brilliant things about the new film were the credits, no not just because the film was over but because they were very, very well done. A website called 'The Art of the Title' talks to the man responsible for the credits and takes a look at some of the alternative takes. It's a highly recommend link.
John *Heron* Watson, supplemental
As with all things Holmesian, there are more resources out there talking about Sir Patrick Heron Watson being the source for both Watson's middle name and surname.
An article in the Baker Street Journal titled 'Some Observations upon the Segregation of the Bea (sic)' (PDF) by S. E. Dahlinger reveals that in 1949 Jay Finley Christ wrote an article called “John H. Watson Never Went to China” which challenged John Dickson Carr's belief that John Watson was based on ACDs friend James Watson, as ACD hadn't met him until after he wrote STUD. The case was then followed up in the 1980s by Jon L. Lellenberg and W. O. G. Lofts who published “John H(eron) Watson, M.D.” in vol. 30, No.2 of the Baker Street Journal (pages 83 - 85 if you want to look it up).
John *Heron* Watson?
At the Royal Society of Medicine there is small collection of items from the Royal College of Surgeons's exhibition on 'The Real Sherlock Holmes'. It's a fascinating collection and it's great to read more about ACD as a medical student and take a look at the people who inspired him. I don't know how long the collection is staying at the RSM, but for now it's there for taking a look. An interesting thing I discovered whilst there was that the president of RCS from 1878 called Sir Patrick Heron Watson (1832 - 1907); his surgical career carries a certain resemblance to Watson's.
I tried finding an online resource, and all I could really find was this article (PDF) titled 'An Edinburgh surgeon of the Crimean war--Patrick Heron Watson (1832-1907)' by WB Watson, published in the Medical History journal v.10 (2) in April 1966.
Basically, after his training and whatnot, Sir Patrick Heron Watson decided to become an army surgeon and headed out to help in the Crimean War. Initially he was posted to Koolalee Hospital in Turkey, where he caught typhus and after a short convalescence was posted to the Crimea with the Royal Artillery - where unfortunately he contracted dysentery. He was put back on a boat going to Scutari (ships doctor said he wouldn't last the night) and spent the next four weeks in the hospital there, where he became ill with mercury poisoning before finally being sent back to England and spent further recovery in a hotel in London.
Given that ACD used so much from his own experiences and life as influence for Holmes, it wouldn't surprise me if Sir Patrick Heron Watson's early army career was inspiration for John Watson's career and that the 'H' is for Heron.
Links of Interest
The Guardian have weighed in with a very nice article with their thoughts on the whole Andrea Plunket thing - one of the cool things about it is that it links to a series of essays written by nekosmuse taking a look at the subtext within the original canon.
I was around when nekosmuse was starting out with her essays and it's great to see them still being discussed! Not only that but if you follow the comments you will see that nekosmuse and Rohase Piercy(writer of 'My Dearest Holmes') both comment on the article.
Quote of the Moment
Further Information
Pastchie/Other Media
- BBC 'Sherlock': John Watson's Blog
- BBC 'Sherlock': Science of Deduction
- BBC's 'Sherlock'
- However Improbable (Slash)
- Pastiche Database
- Sherlock Holmes Pastiche Characters
- Sherlocking – Fan Site for the BBC series
Places of Interest
- 221b Baker Street
- 221b.ru (Russian Holmesian Site)
- Baker Street Blog
- Hounds of the Internet
- Sherlock Holmes Society of London
- Sherlockian Who's Who
- Sherlockian.net
- Sherlockian.net
- The Adventuresses of Sherlock Holmes
Scholarship
- Baker Street Journal
- Decoding the Subtext: Examining the Homoerotic Subtext within the Canon
- Holmesian Essays
- Learned Papers: Holmesian Articles
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- Société Sherlock Holmes de France
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- celestialteapot: @violethunter you're right, sniper is Moran. I think he could be John Clay
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