I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere

"Would You Be Afraid to Sleep in the Same Room with a Lunatic..." [VALL]

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"would you be afraid to sleep in the same room with a lunatic?" [VALL]</h4>
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 Viewers in the UK were treated last night to the latest episode of BBC Sherlock's second season, arguably the most anticipated Sherlockian adaptation in years and certainly one of television's most popular dramas. The <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/8998621/Sherlock-The-Hounds-of-Baskerville-BBC-One-review.html">well-received "Hounds of Baskerville,"</a> with a clever--occasionally frenetically clever--script by Mark Gatiss, followed in "A Scandal in Belgravia's" footsteps with cunning modern twists to the traditional canon. 
 
Henry Knight, as played by Russell Tovey, is one of the series' most affecting clients to date, playing a young man whose father was murdered before his eyes upon the moors--slain by, he believes, a gigantic hound. Is the monster, now a thriving local tourist attraction, the mutant product of a nearby secret military lab by the name of Baskerville? Or is Knight the victim of a series of hallucinogenic delusions? Sherlock and John travel to Dartmoor to discover the truth, and experience a number of terrifying impediments in their quest. 
 
Benedict Cumberbatch, who was just <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/8998228/Sherlock-the-20-greatest-Sherlock-Holmes.html?image=19">named by the Telegraph</a> as the greatest Sherlock Holmes of all time, begins the episode manic and off-balanced--wielding a harpoon and covered in blood, having just taken the tube home, in a satisfying nod to BLAC and the benefits of exercise before breakfast. He is desperate for brainwork and for cigarettes, chewing the wallpaper in ways that called to my mind Brett's animated interpretation rather than the very still, contained Sherlock of season one. But he soon settles into the case, with John--whose opportunity to pull rank at a military base is gut-deep satisfying--at his side, pursuing an elusive horror that in every way tests each man's mettle. 
 
Gatiss's sly references to canon are interwoven effortlessly; a village scene in which Sherlock attempts to draw out the local hound expert by telling John he's lost a bet is a perfect replica of the exchange with the goose vendor in BLUE, right down to the "pink 'un" in his back pocket. Sherlock's reference to John as a "conductor of light" will not go unnoticed by a single enthusiast, to my mind, and the arc of the story as regards Sherlock adapting to the unnatural (for him) sensations of both fear and friendship is deftly executed. 
 
Martin Freeman's John Watson strikes a phenomenal balance between loyalty and an unwillingness to deal with weapons-grade Sherlock snark. "Oh, please," he sighs after a Holmesian deduction, "can we not do this, this time? You being all mysterious with your...cheekbones, and turning your coat collar up so you look cool?" His grounded, wry John is a phenomenal counterpart to our hero, and in some ways this episode is laying the groundwork for the next installment; with a title like "The Reichenbach Fall," Sherlockian hearts will doubtless crack worldwide come this time next Sunday. 
 
There is a<a href="http://cumberbatchweb.tumblr.com/post/15530338644/the-hounds-of-baskerville-bafta-screening-q-a"> transcript of the thoughtful Q&A</a> on the episode with Gatiss, Cumberbatch, and Sue Vertue, though spoiler warnings do apply here. 
 
For Europeans, <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B005UL537Y/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakstrblo-21&linkCode=as2&camp=211189&creative=374929&creativeASIN=B005UL537Y">pre-ordering season two</a> is as simple as the click of a button. As for season one, if you <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sherlock-Season-One-Benedict-Cumberbatch/dp/B004132HZS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1326141468&sr=8-1">haven't yet obtained it</a>, then what are you doing here? 
 
Image credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/33753530@N00/5794322886/">andiezoe (Flickr)</a> 
 
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"Would You Be Afraid to Sleep in the Same Room with a Lunatic..." [VALL]

"would you be afraid to sleep in the same room with a lunatic?" [VALL] Viewers in the UK were treated last night to the lat...

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by Scott Monty

"We Are, As Usual, The Irregulars" [LADY]

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"we are, as usual, the irregulars" [LADY]</h4>
 
On January 2nd, 2012, The Times of London featured a very special comic insert....one which is of particular interest to Sherlockians and graphic literature fans alike, and helped set a proper tone for 2012 
 
As you can see by the embedded graphic below (click to enlarge), the Times featured a junior insert featuring <a href="http://www.thebakerstreetirregulars.com/" target="_blank">The Baker Street Irregulars</a> - characters who are the centerpiece of a graphic novel series by Tony Lee (who also finished a terrific run on IDW's <a href="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=thebakerstree-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B005M2A4D4">Doctor Who</a> series) and Dan Boultwood for Franklin Watts/EDGE Books. There are currently four stories available in graphic novel form, and this series has been featured in this very blog (see <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2010/06/full-approval-cree_10.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">"The Baker Street Irregulars — A New Graphical Series"</a>) 
 
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/wsmonty/6621925625/" title="Baker Street Irregulars Comic - Times of London by Scott Monty, on Flickr"><img alt="Baker Street Irregulars Comic - Times of London" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7151/6621925625_a9e865aa1a_z.jpg" width="523" /></a></div>
 
The Times story - named "The Adventure of the New Year's Necklace" is a great, New Years Day-themed tale, taking place in 1892 between "The Final Problem [FINA]" and "The Empty House [EMPT]". All of Mr. Lee's stories are "in canon", and some well-known Sherlockians provide guidance and input. This is a great all-ages series to engage  the next generation of Sherlockians (including my 9 year-old godson, who received a copy of <a href="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=thebakerstree-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=0553328255">The Complete Sherlock Holmes</a> from his godfather), and is well worth checking out. 
 
(Some information for this post taken from the <a href="http://geekygirlslovescifi.blogspot.com/2012/01/first-look-lee-boultwoods-baker-street.html" target="_blank">Geeky Girls blog</a>). 
 
Editor's note: Gordon regularly covers the intersection of Sherlock Holmes and the entertainment industry. You can also find him at <a href="http://www.blogthispal.com/">Blog THIS, Pal!</a> and <a href="http://www.comicrelated.com/">Comic Related</a>. 
 
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"We Are, As Usual, The Irregulars" [LADY]

"we are, as usual, the irregulars" [LADY] On January 2nd, 2012, The Times of London featured a very special comic insert....on...

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by Scott Monty

#BSIWeekend — the Official Hashtag of the 2012 BSI Weekend

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"a very pretty hash you have made" [LADY]</h4>
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At this time next week, we'll be in at the <a href="http://www.bsiweekend.com/">Baker Street Irregulars Weekend</a> in New York City, preparing for a few days of interaction with fellow Sherlockians and Holmesians from around the country and a few from around the world. 
 
There are a variety of events (see the embedded guide below - or click through to the post if you're reading this on email or RSS) that will keep us busy throughout the weekend, but if you're not there, we'd like to keep you updated on what we Irregulars experience. After all, we're supposed to be able to "go everywhere, see everything and overhear everyone." 
 
Throughout the weekend, we'll be making updates via the <a href="http://twitter.com/ihearofsherlock">@IHearofSherlock</a> Twitter handle and we'll be using the what's called a hashtag on Twitter. A hashtag (or #) is placed in front of a word to make it a topic of conversation that anyone can see, regardless of who they're following on Twitter. 
 
Our hashtag is #bsiweekend.  If you're attending and would like to tweet, please use #bsiweekend in all of your tweets. We'll pick it up and make it available to everyone on the BSI WEEKEND NEWS sidebar over at <a href="http://bsiweekend.com/">http://bsiweekend.com</a> and in "Every Nerve in a Twitter" [TWIS] in the sidebar here on this site. 
 
We'll also try to bring you photos as quickly as possible as the weekend unfolds. Stay tuned here and on our <a href="http://facebook.com/ihearofsherlock">Facebook page</a> for more information. 
 
And if you're at the event and can provide additional coverage, <a href="mailto:bakerstreetblog@gmail.com">we'd love to hear from you</a>. In the meantime, if you're planning to attend, download and print this handy one-page reference to keep you on track during the weekend: 
<a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/71062982/The-2012-BSI-Weekend" style="-x-system-font: none; display: block; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 12px auto 6px auto; text-decoration: underline;" title="View The 2012 BSI Weekend on Scribd">The 2012 BSI Weekend</a><iframe class="scribd_iframe_embed" data-aspect-ratio="0.772727272727273" data-auto-height="true" frameborder="0" height="600" id="doc_27014" scrolling="no" src="http://www.scribd.com/embeds/71062982/content?start_page=1&view_mode=list&access_key=key-h576m1zersde9ejz4tn" width="100%"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">(function() { var scribd = document.createElement("script"); scribd.type = "text/javascript"; scribd.async = true; scribd.src = "http://www.scribd.com/javascripts/embed_code/inject.js"; var s = document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(scribd, s); })(); </script> 
To see previous BSI Weekend coverage on this site, <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/search/label/bsiweekend">please click here</a>. 
 
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#BSIWeekend — the Official Hashtag of the 2012 BSI Weekend

"a very pretty hash you have made" [LADY] At this time next week, we'll be in at the Baker Street Irregulars Weekend ...

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by Scott Monty

"He Has a European Fame" [REDC]

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGINe7QqvpBZsv7Yoz1mqgfuh1t1VwoAzbQgumppBfVK3rVGjZsUjaqOqAHctn1pnxjYJlss6_l99YSNKzz-3QyKLrS6yGVF0Nzfe4QjbDqlN4TAhdAZuaUt_bt7YQHu3CbMOq_HnzM7Ln/s1600/Sherlock2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGINe7QqvpBZsv7Yoz1mqgfuh1t1VwoAzbQgumppBfVK3rVGjZsUjaqOqAHctn1pnxjYJlss6_l99YSNKzz-3QyKLrS6yGVF0Nzfe4QjbDqlN4TAhdAZuaUt_bt7YQHu3CbMOq_HnzM7Ln/s200/Sherlock2.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>If you reside in the U.K., then you undoubtedly tuned in on January 1 for the BBC's airing of the long-anticipated second season of the popular and acclaimed series "<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b018ttws">Sherlock</a>," which <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B005UL537Y/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakstrblo-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B005UL537Y">is now available for pre-ordering on Amazon.co.uk</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.co.uk/e/ir?t=thebakstrblo-21&l=as2&o=2&a=B005UL537Y" style="border-bottom-style: none !important; border-color: initial !important; border-image: initial !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-width: initial !important; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px !important;" width="1" /> (for European-compatible DVD players only). <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/last-nights-tv-sherlock-bbc-1-6283989.html">By all accounts</a>, we're off to another <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/8985109/Sherlock-BBC-One-review.html">solid start</a> with the first episode, "A Scandal in Belgravia," in which Irene Adler is portrayed as a dominatrix to royalty. It had to be a little saucier than simply a photograph in this day and age, and some sexual peccadilloes would seem to fit the bill this time around. We've been fortunate enough to see the episode and we're satisfied that the series will again be a success. It opens where last season left off, with Jim Moriarty taunting Holmes and Watson poolside until he's distracted by a more important issue. Back in Baker Street again, we see a parade of clients coming through the sitting room and Watson dutifully chronicling the interesting cases on <a href="http://www.johnwatsonblog.co.uk/">his blog</a>, with titles such as "<a href="http://www.johnwatsonblog.co.uk/blog/16june">The Geek Interpreter</a>," which involves a trio of misfits whose comic book tales are coming to life and "<a href="http://www.johnwatsonblog.co.uk/blog/13july">The Speckled Blonde</a>," in which a female corpse showed no cause of death other than some spots all over her body. The two get into a spat about whose web site is more popular - Watson's, that attracts new clients, or Holmes's, that enumerates 240 (note the increase by 100) varieties of tobacco ash. Lestrade calls them "an internet phenomenon," after which the press are seen snapping photos and noting the attraction of "<a href="http://www.johnwatsonblog.co.uk/blog/12august">Hat-Man and Robin</a>." In a funny aside, a number of times, Holmes gets flustered about Watson's blog counter being stuck at 1895... The two are summoned to none other than Buckingham Palace for a client (rather than royalty coming to Baker Street) and find that Irene Adler has some compromising photographs of one of the members of the royal family. As a dominatrix, she routinely blackmails her clients, but in this case, she has the photos for "insurance." Holmes and Watson make a raid on her flat in Belgravia in a scene reminiscent of the kind old clergyman finding his way into Briony Lodge. We'll leave the synopsis at that for now, as the full 90-minute episode held many twists and turns, with appearances by Mrs. Hudson and quite a bit of Mycroft again. The ending was...well, we won't spoil it. :-) This first episode was quite well done and really ties to the overall arc of the series, as we can see it developing. If you're in Europe, you may <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B005UL537Y/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakstrblo-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B005UL537Y">pre-order season 2 of the BBC series "Sherlock" here</a>. No word on U.S.-compatible availability at this time. We'll be ready and waiting when the U.S. premiere happens. And if you haven't yet <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004132HZS/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B004132HZS">purchased season 1, what are you waiting for</a>? When you make purchases from the links we share, it provides us with a stream of revenue to help keep this site running. Thank you for your generosity. -- <iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm-uk.amazon.co.uk/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=thebakstrblo-21&o=2&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B005UL537Y" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>    <iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=thebakerstree-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B004132HZS&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>