BBC's Sherlock starring Benedict Cumberbatch & Martin Freeman

Hot off the success of the newly re-launched Doctor Who, Steven Moffat talks with his fellow Bafta winner, co-creator and Arthur Conan Doyle fan, Mark Gatiss, about their idea for a new contemporary update of Sherlock starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman.

"We've been friends for years and were both writing individual episodes of Doctor Who. On our many train journeys from London to Cardiff, we talked about our love for Sherlock Holmes, how brilliantly modern Arthur Conan Doyle's writing was and how someone should do a contemporary version. So we decided to do it before someone else did," says Steven. "There hasn't been a version of Sherlock on for several years and then all of a sudden you get two versions, the BBC contemporary update and Guy Ritchie's film happening at around the same time. We were aware the Guy Ritchie film was coming out last year", says Mark. "It's weird how these things happen, there hasn't been a Sherlock Holmes of any kind for ages and all of a sudden two come at once. We both enjoyed the Guy Ritchie film, but it's a totally different beast, really.'

Sherlock Holmes fans’ reservations

Mark and Steven appreciate some Sherlock Holmes fans might have reservations about a contemporary update, but they are quick to ease these anxieties. "Arthur Conan Doyle was a writer of genius and it's worth trumpeting that point," says Mark. "It's not said often enough. His short stories, particularly, are thrilling, funny, lurid, silly, strange, wonderful pieces of exciting adventure which lend themselves incredibly well to a modern setting."

Steven is also passionate about the direction that they did not want Sherlock to take. "Some of the adaptations treat it as if it's Victorian period piece, making it a bit too reverent. Sherlock Holmes is not like that, it's so fast paced – it must have given the Victorians whip lash! And that's probably why Sherlock Holmes has captured audiences for so long."

Steven continues: "Sherlock Holmes is one of kind, whilst other detectives have cases, Holmes has adventures. Sherlock isn't a drama about police procedure - the police are involved but the cases themselves are Sherlock's and he's only interested in the strange ones."

Three 90-minute films in the BBC Sherlock series

The three 90-minute films were a mix of material from the original stories and new material, says Mark.

The first episode, A Study In Pink, is partly an homage to Conan Doyle's first story to feature the fictional detective, A Study In Scarlet, written in 1887. "There are many elements of that story that we've taken bits and pieces of and, hopefully, made an entertaining adaptation."

Character traits are important and Steven confirms that Sherlock does still play the violin. He also assures viewers that Sherlock and John meet in a similar way as they do in the original story, setting the scene for their friendship.

"Dr Watson is invalided home from war in Afghanistan and is looking for affordable accommodation in London when an old mutual friend from Barts Hospital introduces them both.

"London is such a character in the original stories and London is a very exciting city at the moment – there is a real vibrancy, the architecture and design looks great and we were keen to capture some of that," explains Mark.

No drugs use in BBC adaptation of Sherlock Holmes only nicotine patches

The character Sherlock Holmes famously used drugs and Steven explains how that subject is tackled in the modern version. "I think you'd have to ask the question would a man like Sherlock Holmes be a coke addict today? In Victorian times everybody was taking some kind of drug, largely because there was no such thing as a pain killer. It is a very different thing to say that Sherlock Holmes is a coke addict now. Mark adds: "Many people point out the drug use in Sherlock Holmes, but there are more references to Sherlock Holmes laughing than there are to taking cocaine or morphine but, oddly enough, people never think about that. I understand why, but the important thing is to not get it out of context with the rest of the character."

Comedy aspect of sherlock Holmes

Steven agrees: "The original books are funny. If you read the Sherlock Holmes stories, the interaction between the two main characters is always funny and I hope we've captured some element of that. Of course it's funny - he's a weird genius, not an ordinary genius."

As for the villains, how do you find a good enough villain cleverer than Sherlock Holmes who isn't going to get caught in the first 10 minutes, particularly in the modern world of forensics? Sherlock Holmes isn't about the villain, it's about the mystery and going on an adventure with Holmes and Watson to solve it.

Second series planned

Jay Hunt, Controller of BBC One, confirmed at the Edinburgh Television Festival on Sunday 29th August 2010 that two of the nation's most talked about dramas – Sherlock and Luther – have been recommissioned.

Jay Hunt says: "Sherlock was the hit of the Summer. Luther the most memorable new detective on the block. I am delighted they will both be returning to BBC One."

Sherlock, starring Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes and Martin Freeman as John Watson, became a national phenomenon, being discussed in the House of Commons, Tweeted across the globe and even inspiring the next Autumn men's collections. It will return for another series of three 90-minute feature length episodes.

Co-creators Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat says: "We've been overwhelmed by the warmth of response to our new Sherlock Holmes and John Watson and can't wait to take them on three new adventures next year. There'll be baffling new puzzles, old friends and new enemies – whether on two or four legs. And we might well be seeing the cold master of logic and reason unexpectedly falling. But in love? Or over a precipice? Who can tell?"

Episode Guide:

Episode 1 - A Study in Pink

A war hero, invalided home from Afghanistan, meets a strange but charismatic genius who is looking for a flatmate; it is London, 2010, and Dr Watson and Sherlock Holmes are meeting for the first time. A string of impossible suicides has Scotland Yard baffled - and only one man can help.

Episode 2 - The Blind Banker

A mysterious cipher is being scrawled on walls around London. The first person to see the cipher is dead within hours of reading it. Sherlock plunges into the world of codes and symbols, consulting with London’s best graffiti artists. He soon learns that the city is in the grip of a gang of international smugglers called The Black Lotus.

Episode 3 - The Great Game

Despairing of the ingenuity of London’s criminals, Sherlock is invited to take on what looks to be a very ordinary case – a young civil servant found on a railway line with his head smashed in. It seems to be open and shut – or so he thinks. The curtain is about to rise on a terrifying game of cat and mouse as a crazed bomber pits his wits against Sherlock. A 20-year-old murder, a blood-soaked car, a rediscovered Old Master worth millions – it’s just the kind of adventure Sherlock and John relish, but who is behind these deadly puzzles? London is set to become a battle ground as Sherlock confronts the one person capable of beating him.

Ratings:

Episode 1: 7.0m

Episode 2: 6.4m

Episode 3: 7.3m