Sherlock!

Today, January 1, 2016, BBC will air the Sherlock New Years Day Special. PBS will also air it as part of Masterpiece (check local listings - I have two nearby PBS stations and each one has a different time). I've been looking forward to this. Even though the BBC Sherlock is set in modern-day, this particular special ("Sherlock: The Abominable Bride") will be set (or appears to be set) in Victorian days, one that many Sherlock Holmes fans are familiar with from the books. It will be interesting to see how the characters react or not react to this setting. Will Mrs. Hudson still say, "Not your housekeeper."? Will John and Mary already be married in this version? Will we see another version of how the characters met? This trailer seems to hint so.

I've always been a fan of Sherlock Holmes. I don't remember which came first - if it was watching the Basil Rathbone movies on television, or reading Arthur Conan Doyle's stories. I was enough of a fan, though, that I received the 2 volume Annotated Sherlock Holmes as a Christmas present when I was in eighth grade.

My friend Barbara Warne created and maintains the Sherlock Guide. She has links not only to the current show, but to an episode guide for Elementary, news about conventions and what the showrunners said at those conventions, links to the episodes of the Russian Sherlock Holmes show (in the news section in 2014) and many other items of interest to Sherlock Holmes fans. Even a video of Arthur Conan Doyle.

There have been many versions of the detective and everyone has their favorite. Some are fans of the Sherlock as portrayed by Jeremy Brett, while others may only know one of the many film adaptations. Basil Rathbone was not the only actor to portray the consulting detective in films, nor Robert Downey Jr. Anyone remember when Christopher Lee played the role? Or when Margaret Colin was a Watson? (no, Elementary was not the first with a gender switch). I still have fond memories of Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson, a Polish-British production which was shown on A&E back in the 1980s. But not fond enough to find my video tapes of the show and see if it still holds up.

New Years Day for some might be for recovering from parties. That day for me is usually my day to start getting my paperwork in order for taxes. My reward this year will be a new Sherlock on my local PBS. I'm looking forward to see how this Sherlock and Watson will do in this classic of all time periods. I loved the interaction between the characters in the very first trailer.

Who has been your favorite Sherlock? Favorite Watson?