STACK February 2017 Issue 148

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visit DVD&BD FEATURE
Trying to prise details about a
new series of Sherlock from
creators Steven Moffat and
Mark Gatiss is like playing amateur
sleuth with a minimum of clues.
But preserving an element of
mystery has always been a priority,
and synonymous with the nature of
the show.
“The roads to wrath have
demons beneath and Sherlock’s
have been waiting for a very long
time,” whispers Gatiss cryptically,
before admitting this is actually a
quote from series four.
“There are
consequences to the kind
of madcap, in-the-moment
fun lives that Sherlock
and John and Mary lead,”
explains Moffat. “There are
things that have happened,
there are enemies that
they have made, there
is damage that has been
done and some of that is
coming back to visit them. There
will be surprises, and when some
of those surprises happen you’ll
think, ‘ah, I should have seen that
coming.’”
One of those surprises is a new
arrival in the lives of Watson (Martin
Freeman) and Mary (Amanda
Abbington) in the form of a baby
daughter. But how will parenthood
affect their relationship with the
mercurial Sherlock?
“I think Sherlock feels very
protective towards them as a
family, but he’s not a natural or a
figure of authority when it comes
to a newborn,” says Benedict
Cumberbatch. “He’s seemingly
indifferent, which is comic at times
but it’s all underpinned with a deep
love, and he’s a guardian angel
really.”
To a greater or lesser extent,
the series has always taken its
cues from the stories of Sir Arthur
Conan Doyle, modernising them
and adding quirky riffs on some of
the classic titles (The Hounds of
Baskerville , The Sign of Three, A
Scandal in Belgravia).
Gatiss reveals that the 1904
adventure, The Six Napoleons,
inspires the events of the series
four opener. “It’s called The Six
Thatchers now,” he adds, “but that
book was the main inspiration,
although it’s the bare bones of the
story.”
He also hints that this season
will venture into some dark and
horrific places, “particularly episode
three – it’s like a Universal horror
film with Basil Rathbone.”
“It’s a cliché to say it’s the
darkest season, but it is,” he
continues. “It’s the darkest but also
the most meaty, with the most
proper dramatic incident we could
possibly throw at them all.”
Despite all the darkness, Amanda
Abbington was thrilled to be back
on the set. “I love Sherlock and
I love being a part of it, and this
series is particularly exciting and
dramatic. It was great to be back
with everybody, with loads of old
faces and some new ones as well.”
Moffat and Gatiss will neither
confirm nor deny that one of these
old faces is Moriarty’s, but in a
choice piece of casting,
veteran actor Toby Jones
joins series four as
diabolical villain Culverton
Smith. Abbington notes
that Jones’ performance
is “truly terrifying” and
he remained in character
between takes. “He
frightened the bejesus out
of us on set,” she admits.
Series four is the first
full season of Sherlock in three
years (although last year’s special,
The Abominable Bride, reduced the
wait), but will it be the last? With
both Freeman and Cumberbatch
now a part of the Marvel Cinematic
Universe, it must be harder to get
them both together?
“It’s very difficult,” says Gatiss.
“One of the great things about
the job is it’s only every few years,
so there’s room to do Doctor
Strangeand whatever in between
and then come back to it. Both
Martin and Benedict are very
grateful for what the
show has done for
them, and hopefully
we’ll carry on as long
as we can.”
The wait is finally over. Sherlock returns on February 15,
and the fourth series is the darkest to date. Words Scott Hocking
“With long form
television you’re looking
at things like character
development and plot
scenarios that are epic in
nature. I think with certain
iconic characters coming
into that, it’s good as long
as it’s not old wine in new
bottles. There’s got to be
a reason for telling these
stories.
“I think that great
stories always have
something to tell us about
the era we’re living in.
In the case of Sherlock,
the man is becoming
humanised. He’s a sort of
robot – sociopathically
obsessive about his work
to the detriment of any
lifestyle, real interaction,
or human empathy for
anything other than the
result. And I think what we
see in his relationship with
John is he has to admit
he’s a human being and
part of the world he’s trying
to understand.
“So that says a lot, I
think, about people who
identify with Sherlock
as an outsider. You don’t
have to be outside to
be an outsider; you can
belong inside and be an
outsider. We can celebrate
difference rather than
define ourselves by it and
be separated by it.”
• Sherlock:
Series Four
is out on
Feb 15
...it’s like a Universal
horror filmwith
Basil Rathbone
The actor may have
been jet-lagged
when STACK caught
up with him at San
Diego Comic-Con last
year, but he was still
able to share some
erudite observations
on the character of
Sherlock…
30 FEBRUARY 2017