Hell of a good cast; well written; probably a hit.

I enjoyed it. Thought Holmes was played in a very Dr Who way - a quirky intelligent outsider.
Looking forward to seeing more

TV people abhor history these days. Anything that doesn't seem rooted in the perpetual present is regarded as impudently 'difficult'. What next: Nicholas Nickleby in Milton Keynes?

TV people abhor history these days

SH has nothing to do with history.

Very enjoyable. Great writing. Looking forward to the next 2 episodes.

Thought Holmes was played in a very Dr Who way - a quirky intelligent outsider

Yes - very similar to the way Robert Downey Jr. played him the the excellent 2009 US movie 'Sherlock Holmes' by Guy Richie.

Because of the many versions, actors are running out of ways to portray this fictitious person; real people (like say, Churchill) have to be almost copied to achieve credibility.

Rita wrote:
TV people abhor history these days

SH has nothing to do with history.



You misunderstand (in a pretty patronising way). What I meant was that SH was written at a particular time in history, about particular themes for a particular audience. Some works of literature benefit from being updated for a later context, others don't. Madame Bovary, for example, when taken out of the context of French bourgeois manners and 'modernised,' becomes mere Spice Girl angst. Conan Doyle was writing about Enlightenment methods in a mass society. The detailing by Holmes of what made a supposedly 'ordinary' figure from the streets a distinctive individual was both a demonstration of the Enlightenment priniciples and a political point about the crass reductionism of the Victorian ruling class. As far as adaptations go, some are better served just by taking the premise and reworking it (e.g. as It's a Wonderful Life did with Dickens' Christmas Carol) rather than sticking with the content but 'updating' for no real reason. SH 'updated' is just forced TV gimmickry, IMHO. Okay?

Phil wrote:

Because of the many versions, actors are running out of ways to portray this fictitious person; real people (like say, Churchill) have to be almost copied to achieve credibility.



It's a very well-drawn character, for goodness sake! You don't need to 'run out' of 'different' ways to play a well-drawn character - it's well-drawn! What next - Mr Pooter as a sexy cage fighter? Othello as a carefree suburban swinger? Is this National Relativism Day??

[/quote]
What next - Mr Pooter as a sexy cage fighter? Othello as a carefree suburban swinger? Is this National Relativism Day??[/quote]

Ms Minge; your second last post made sense.

Your last, absolutely none.

Sarcastic and patronising, perhaps?

Chuck Silverhammer wrote:

What next - Mr Pooter as a sexy cage fighter? Othello as a carefree suburban swinger? Is this National Relativism Day??[/quote]

Ms Minge; your second last post made sense.

Your last, absolutely none.

Sarcastic and patronising, perhaps?



[/quote]

Well, with all due respect, it did make sense, unless this really is relativism day. There's nothing intrinsically admirable about looking for more and more perverse ways to play a well-drawn character. It makes more sense, if that is the aim, to just use the character as inspiration for a NEW character and leave all the rest of the baggage behind. As far as I'm aware, most critics found Guy Ritchie's action hero version of Holmes pretty laughable 'as' Holmes. So I repeat: some dramatists and actors update or revise characters to make a considered and plausible point, while others just do it because they don't really understand the character in the first place. There IS a difference.

Prunella Minge wrote:
Phil wrote:

Because of the many versions, actors are running out of ways to portray this fictitious person; real people (like say, Churchill) have to be almost copied to achieve credibility.



It's a very well-drawn character, for goodness sake! You don't need to 'run out' of 'different' ways to play a well-drawn character - it's well-drawn! What next - Mr Pooter as a sexy cage fighter? Othello as a carefree suburban swinger? Is this National Relativism Day??

Can't say that I understand the latter comments.

But it is no wonder that actors are struggling to give meaningful interpretations.

There has been about 60 movies and the current TV series is the seventh, at least.

And Richie is making his Sherlock Holmes 2 in 2011 (in 3D + Brad Pitt!).

Enough already. Maybe its time to give cage fighters and suburban swingers a chance...