Features
Sherlock: ‘The Abominable Bride’
Welcome to Sherlock in 1895!
We’ve been here before – but what if this wasn’t the modern day but the late Victorian period? What if the world’s most famous consulting detective and his best friend lived in a Baker Street of steam trains, hansom cabs, top hats and frock-coats?
Some things, though, remain reassuringly the same. Friendship, adventure and especially, MURDER…
The BBC has released a short interview with the two stars of the show, Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman. Find out their thoughts on the new setting below!
Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock Holmes)
We are used to Sherlock being set in modern times – what did you make of the Victorian setting?
I thought it was madness. I thought they’d finally lost the plot, jumped the shark, all the other clichés of television gone mad with itself. Then they expanded the idea and pitched it to me properly and I think it’s fantastic. Absolutely brilliant.
What was it like being transported back in time?
Great fun to play, and I mean, great, great fun. To muck around with a pipe and a deerstalker for real is wonderful. And then, as far as the background goes, the setting, the mise en scène, the scenery, all the rest of it, it’s just a delight. It always is with period drama. You kind of marvel at it.
What’s the funniest thing that happened on the set of ‘The Abominable Bride’?
Martin Freeman is probably the funniest thing that happened on set. He tends to be quite funny in general. So, when he’s on set, he’s funny. It’s a weak answer, but it’s the truth – you don’t have to look far for comedy on set.
Martin Freeman (John Watson)
How does the Victorian setting affect the dynamic of the show?
It changes the dynamic of filming because everything does take longer: it takes longer to get dressed, you’re longer in make-up, you’re longer in wardrobe and camera resets take longer just because there’s more stuff about. The clothes that we’re wearing and the stuff we are dealing with as far as make-up and hair is concerned, are not everyday things that people have to deal with.
But as far as the dynamic is concerned, everything is slightly more formal. The way that we’re doing it is with a touch more formality, but you don’t want to completely change those characters that people have come to know and love. I’m still recognisably John and Ben’s still recognisably Sherlock.
Which Sherlock character are you most like in real life?
I don’t know that I’m like many of the Sherlock characters in real life because I wouldn’t really want to do the two things that John Watson does for a living, which is doctoring and soldiering. I’m very interested in both of those, but I’d rather not be sewing people up on a battlefield, hence becoming an actor. I’m not as clever as Sherlock. I might be Lestrade, or Mrs Hudson, because I like making people tea. I’m quite caring, I like looking after people.
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keeps my brain alive. can’t solve a crime but do lots of crosswords, codewords and logic problems. When reading or watching a detective mystery, I like to try to follow the clues.