A Holmes away from Holmes

WHO would have thought that you could breathe new life into Sherlock Holmes – but the BBC’s new three-part modernisation of the Conan Doyle classic is probably one of the finest things you’ll see on the box this year.

By now, if you’ve missed it, there’s only one more Sunday night episode to go – but catch it and find a way to view the other two because this is a hybrid of a classic old tale with elements of Doctor Who and a topping of the Bourne saga thrown in.

Conan Doyle’s original has been taken into the twenty-first century, shaken and slapped around the place to give this a pace that would leave all former versions gasping for breath.

Much of that is down to the thoroughly modern Sherlock, brilliantly portrayed by the wonderfully named Benedict Cumberbatch, and the new Dr Watson, played by Martin Freeman – Tim from The Office.

Holmes has that razor-sharp mind and madness, mixed with appalling social skills and quick temper; he’s a man without friends but when all else fails and there are no clues to the crime, the police – and DI Lestrade in particular – call in the man from left-field.

Long gone are the deerstalker hat and pipe to be replaced by a dandy Doctor Who lookalike with flowing coat and heavy scarf – but this Holmes has real attitude and a singular ability to annoy and baffle in equal measure. And anyway, where he once smoked a pipe, he now has nicotine patches – three of them – on his arm.

Watson is still his sidekick, but no longer than half-wit bumbling along in his wake; this Dr Watson was an Army doctor in Afghanistan who is still dealing with the reality of post traumatic stress disorder. He’s not the idiot that the old black and white versions paint him but he’s at a crossroads; on a paltry army pension and stuck for somewhere to live. This time, however, he’s more than just a trusty sidekick – he’s the man who saves Holmes’ life in week one for a start.

But like two broken souls, they come together to share a flat at 221b Baker Street and in the way that opposites attract, one relies on the other as much as they rely on him.

And yet this isn’t some whizz kid having fun with the original; this latest version has pace and energy and imagination – as well as buckets of irony – that keeps you enthralled for the full 90 minutes.

For more see page 14 of this week’s Sentinel