Martin Freeman just blew my mind. For the record, I have a passing familiarity with the Sherlock Holmes stories, the original works by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I knew that Dr. Watson got married in the books, I knew that at some point Sherlock and Watson stop living together at Baker Street and that it’s just Sherlock there, and Watson still “helps” him. But Freeman just gave me a spoiler that I didn’t know. So… I guess I should put it this way…
SPOILERS for future episodes of Sherlock ahead****
So, Martin spoke to The Telegraph, and he said that he and Benedict Cumberbatch are probably going to do a “Christmas Special” episode of Sherlock… set for Christmas 2015. Because AAAHHHH I HATE YOU. But then Freeman drops a bomb about the “Mary” character.
The BBC is bringing back Sherlock for a Christmas special, Martin Freeman has disclosed. Unfortunately for fans eager to see the next instalment of the BBC One show, Freeman has admitted it is not likely to be aired until Christmas 2015.
The actor, who plays Dr Watson, and his co-star, Benedict Cumberbatch, are so in demand that they cannot find time to resume work on the show until next year. The BBC likes to keep all announcements about Sherlock shrouded in secrecy.
But Freeman told the Telegraph that a period of filming in early 2015 “looks pretty likely”.
“If that’s going to be a special – I’m speaking off-message here; if this was New Labour I’d get fired – I think that might be for next Christmas. A Christmas special. That’s what I understand,” he said, indicating that a full-blown series is unlikely.
Freeman’s wife, Amanda Abbington, joined the last series as Watson’s on-screen wife. Asked if she would be returning to the BBC One drama, he said: “Certainly, yes, for the foreseeable future,” and added a spoiler which should not be read by any viewers unfamiliar with Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories.
“While we play fast and loose with the original stories, we generally follow the trajectory of what Conan Doyle did. So he [Watson] gets married, and then Mary dies – so at some point presumably she’ll die,” Freeman said.
WTF? Mary dies in the stories? I didn’t know that. But… Watson and Mary are expecting a baby. Does the baby live? Does the plot line become “Sherlock Holmes and John Watson raise a baby together”? OMG. I would hate it if they did that to the existing Sherlock show, but the whole idea of a man like Watson and a man like Sherlock raising a baby together? That might be amazing. Someone pitch that!! It’s like a really dark TV version of Three Men and a Baby. I bet Sherlock would actually be sort of good at child-rearing. He would read every book about babies and he would fret over every little medical issue.
Anyway… new Sherlock Christmas Special. For Christmas 2015. Ugh.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
I’d watch Sherlock and Watson raise a baby.
But I’m definitely getting annoyed with how long we wait for new episodes 🙁
YASSSSS!!!!! 😀
*sees the 2015 in headline
NOOOOOOoooooOooOooooo.. O_O
Omg Kaiser you are so far out of the Sherlock-o-loony loop. Much hate has been devoted to Mary simply because she’s not dead yet, and got in the way of the never gonna happen Sherlock/Watson true roooomaaance.
In the stories Mary barely features in a few, and then dies “offscreen” while Sherlock is “dead” after the incident at the Reichenbach falls. It’s actually unintentionally hilarious the way ACD wrote the reveal.
Anyway, Mary never really featured in the books so anything they do with her now is new territory.
FWIW, earlier this year I thought there was some general commentary from the Sherlock writers that the show is dark but not kill a baby dark… So who knows. They like time jumps so maybe by the time the show comes back the kid will be a boarding school 😉
Mary was definitely up to stuff in “Sherlock” that she never did in the books! Amanda was brilliant, and I fell in love with her and her portrayal of Mary. “Sherlock” is magical. Btw, I saw “Love, Actually” last night, and was dying at the part where Freemsn has to stand in for an actor on the set while pretending to do a love scene. He was priceless.
Mary also didn’t do much in the books because they were written during a time when women didn’t have careers. She factored into at least one story in a meaningful way (the one where she meets John, I can’t remember its title), but it was more like she was just smart and clever and could solve riddles and stuff, not that she was actually out doing action-adventure things with the boys. Because back then, she would not have done those things, being from a respectable military family. I think the RDJ Sherlock nailed Victorian Mary perfectly. She was clever and made a meaningful contribution to the plot, but she wasn’t an active participant.
Mary is introduced in The Sign of the Four. (I just finished reading it…). I believe it’s the second Sherlock Holmes book.
YYYYYEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
MARY! I thought everyone knew that.
Ha. He got in a New Labour dig. You know we were talking about Gazzer the Oldman? His soul twin is Martin the Freeman, you know, in terms of “Alert! Alert! Obnoxious opinion at 6 o’clock! Dive! Dive!”
Jus’ sayin’.
Yeah I’ve read a lot of fairly not nice stuff about him on various sites…
Also, by the time frame they make this series at, she wont die until series 5 which will be in about 2034
He’s chippy, let’s just say that! Although, he was on Andrew Marr this weekend, talking up Richard III, and he came across really well.
After that last series disappearing quite so far up its own orifice, I’m over Sherlock, I fear.
Lindy, if you have access to BBC4, they’re beginning a repeat of proto-True Detective 80s series, Edge of Darkness. Tonight. I think you’d like it if you can catch it.
Oh I do and I will thanks! I finally finished In The Flesh. LOVED IT!
Our boy beat the zombie crack! And I had a little cry for Philip!
I did too and genuinely gasped at the Amy bit when it happened.
I thought the last season of Sherlock was less than wonderful. I think the writers are running out of steam.
I did like the wedding episode though, I thought the speech was cute
I agree-they will deny until the cows come home that they didn’t read and fanfiction or look on Tumblr, but almost the entirety of last season was just annoying fanservice, to the detriment of the quality of the writing.
I find the writing to be very uneven and episode three was almost too reminiscent of the series two finale imo. But I can’t fault the acting or cinematography, it’s all very nice to look at!
Yeah, I was a little disappointed by the third series. I still enjoyed it, but it wasn’t as brilliant as the last two. It was really unoriginal, uneven and just felt like blatant fanservice. I don’t know if the writers just wanted to appeal to the fans or they were running out of ideas. If it was the latter let’s hope they don’t make it a habit, because the last thing they wanna do is ruin the quality of their show just to make the fan girls feel special (BIG MISTAKE). The show did have redeeming qualities and I actually really liked Mary. In fact I liked her way more than Molly
(don’t hate me).
Well, considering Mary’s *ahem* “background” in the tv series of “Sherlock”, they’ve set her up quite well to have an awesome death. And now you’ve just reminded me of how long I have to wait for a new episode of “Sherlock”.
*hmph*
Mary is famously but off-screen..ly dead in the books. The pregnancy was a total fabrication for the show. It was never even hinted at in the books. No kids. I’m really curious as to where they go with it.
It is in my comment below, but I am really afraid that it will become John and Sherlock Raise A Baby Wacky Times!, thereby finishing the job of completely ruining Sherlock as a character. I’m in the (apparent) minorty of wishing he would revert more to the character as written instead of happy, touchy-feely, likes to dance and hold babies Sherlock.
Some academics think that Mary in the books died in childbirth (not uncommon for the Victorian era, even for a doctor’s wife) and, at the risk of being morbid, I’m thinking they’ll lean that way for the show. I hesitate to say “I hope they do” but really, turning the whole thing into “Sherlock and the Watsons Happy Fun Show” will just ruin it entirely.
If it is just going to be more fan wank like last season, I can wait for season four if it means Gatiss and Moffatt will write better adaptive episodes instead of pandering to the obsessive Tumblr shippers.
Exactly! If it’s going to be more of the same, I’ll wait. No rush.
agree.
season 3 was awful. the entire wedding episode was a waste, and they only make 3 to being with!
Gatiss, Moffat, and Vertue smacked the rumor down last time Freeman brought it up so I wonder what’s changed, or if he’s hoping to force their hand to make it happen.,..
Gatiss has an extremely busy schedule of his own.
Yep, acting and writing and producing–seriously, it seems like he’s always neck deep in something awesome.
I still wonder though if Freeman is trying to get them to do an xmas special or if he’s really letting slip something.
I’m not understanding Freeman’s hair, eyebrows and beard combo.
He’s about to play Richard III in London, so presumably, the beard is for that.
Caught my attention too. Seems upside down. Love Mary’s chemistry with both Sherlock and Holmes.
Now I’ve had my coffee – Sherlock and WATSON.
i bet its less mary dies, and more mary’s past catches up to her and she and baby goes on a run. Leaving sherlock and watson together again.
The sooner they kill off Mary the better. I really disliked the rom-com feel of last season and thought the Mary character changed the show for the worse. I also hope they get back to a darker, more edgy personality for Sherlock, himself.
IDK how much of my dislike of Mary was due to her (Mary Sue) character and how much is due to my disliking Amanda Abbington’s public persona, but I hope she’s gone by ep 1 of season 4. I appreciate including Mary as she is canon and the idea behind her character was intriguing, but the execution of her presentation was sorely irritating for me as a viewer.
I agree with you and I should have worded my comment better. I wasn’t disappointed that Mary was in last season, as I know she’s canon, however I didn’t like Amanda in the role. She was fine until it got to the part where she was trying to pull off a hardened assassin. She was able to play a nurse, but the actress wasn’t the least bit believable as an assassin. Since show runners decided to take Mary in that direction, I thought Freeman’s Mrs. was miscast. I also didn’t like what the writers did in incorporating her character into the show. As I said, the whole thing felt like a rom-com, instead of the suspense/thriller feel it had before. I also think turning Sherlock into a sentimental, kinder/gentler sociopath was annoying.
ITA on that. Not a fan of Mary. I really wish they’d just get rid of her. She kind of ruined series 3 for me.
hi guys, I was reading twitter and saw an interesting tweet about Ben looked for that user and was very surprised to learn that his porn agency @DUCATIMODELS , not a very good introduction to the reputation of Ben, he really might be gay.
Gerard Courcy @hardcorehangout · 28 june
Chatted with #BenedictCumberbatch the other day on #BlackMass set. Charming, erudite and oddly envious of #MichaelFassbender. Great actor!
WTF?
WTF is right! Where did this come from???
If Ben really communicated with the representative of porn agency that is engaged in delivery boys. I’m disappointed. He is gay.
I’m not certain about why this might mean he’s gay but the possibility he spoke with someone on set who turned out to work for an escort service or porn production group doesn’t mean a.) he’s gay or b,) he’s hiring from them. Just means the guy was on set and spoke to BC (allegedly).
ETA: looking at the post mentioned, several folks responding call the guy out as a fraud and a liar so…grain of salt.
I’m so confused. What does a porn agency have to do with that tweet? And what does any of this have to do with Benedict being gay?
Looks like either an attempt at trolling, promotion, or just misinformation.
This guy Gerard Courcy has a porn agency, you can see their twitter account @ DUCATIMODELS, which shoot videos gay porn, Ben spoke to him, and can use their services.
The last season sucked so bad, I am way over Sherlock, and “Cumby” as an actor. Actually, the Watson guy sucks too.
I did see him in Third Star (cumby) and he was ok, but the rest of the cast carried him. I just think he is over hyped.
It’s too long a wait between seasons. almost 2 years is too long.
I enjoyed the last season of Sherlock, but it didn’t feel like they devoted as much time to the actual cases. I thought, for example, that Lars Mikkelsen’s character was somewhat squandered. They focused more on the relationship between Sherlock, Watson, and Mary. Still, it’s a great show.
By the way, is Martin Freeman a bit of a jerk offscreen? There was an interview with him in Entertainment Weekly several weeks ago, and he didn’t come across as being very nice. Just wondering.
Freeman is very…curmudgeonly, at least in how he presents himself in interviews. Fans who’ve met him say he’s nice enough, might curse a bit and be snarky but not downright rude. He makes some very ignorant, privileged statements and comes off as being a bit of a bitter type but that may stem from his distaste for interviews and years of fans harassing him for his role as Tim (he famously had people showing up at his home when he lived in London proper, banging on his door at all hours because they thought he was a “nice guy” like Tim from The Office).
curmudgeonly??? What does that mean???
EDIT: Never mind, just checked the dictionary..
I guess I’m in the minority, as I loved last season and Mary. WAAAY better than simpering, whiny Mary trying to get John’s attention that the movies gave us. I know it was too clever and meta for its own good, but I quite liked it. But Christmas 2015? You know, maybe then. Not even confirmed. They’re on some George R.R. Martin timetable over there.
I really can’t figure out why so many people hated last season. I think they spent two years building up their own ideas of what it would be, and that colors their perception. I loved it personally, and all of my friends that watch it loved it. I wonder if the people that loved or liked it are really the minority or if they are just not spending a lot of time talking about it on the internet. lol
i went kind of sour on the third season because speaking as a physician (and someone that deals with trauma/trauma surgery on a fairly regular basis) they got all of the medical details in the second and third episodes completely wrong.
that and it was a bit mushy. but i did still enjoy it over all.
Speaking for myself, I disliked last season because after waiting for two years, what I got was three episodes of fan service, which is not why I watch the show. I do not want rom-com Sherlock. Humanizing him in small ways is fine-turning him into a Sherlock that secretly likes dancing and babies was annoying. Fan fiction is great-in my heart of hearts, I ship Molly and Sherlock forever. But I don’t need it on the show.
I suspect the reason you don’t see more people speaking up is because we’re frequently shouted down by people (the aforementioned Tumblr extremes) and worse, accused of being homophobic if you don’t buy into the John/Sherlock ship. And to see Moffat and Gatiss pander to that sector is killing my enthusiasm for the fandom.
@nean, I figure a fandom of 100K at most versus over 20 million viewers in just the US & UK, so the fandom’s nowhere near the audience opinion.
A bit off topic, but I gotta say Sherlock’s at the point where a vocal, active fandom is probably not really beneficial anymore.
Watson definitely has a way with the ladies in the stories, with “an experience of women which extends over many nations and three separate continents.”
Yes, Mary dies in the stories, but you only hear about it in passing. You never hear how or when. Obviously the makers of Sherlock want her story and her demise to be a big one.
In later stories, at least one other wife is mentioned as well, though not named. Sherlockians have been having a field day with this topic for decades:
http://www.sherlockpeoria.net/Who_is_Sherlock/WatsonsWives.html
When I was a little slip of a thing, I used to participate in Sherlockian Clubs and became an investitured ASH (Adventuress of Sherlock Holmes) at age twelve when I wrote an essay “The Feminist Holmes,” in which I sought to prove that Sherlock was in fact an ardent feminist and not at all the misogynist described by Watson (who could only see women as love objects).
Series Three was terrible and I doubt I’ll bother tuning in again. Sorry, Martin.
I rather like Mary and I think she’s a good match for John. Watson is a doctor and a war hero – he should be attractive, but he’s not. He’s a bit frumpy, despite his resume. I think Mary is the same way – she comes off as a cat lady, but has an exciting backstory. They seem well matched.
Am I the only one that has a crush on him while watching Sherlock? (I have had a crush since BBC The Office and Love Actually.)
I actually didn’t watch season three until reading everyone saying how awful it was and I truly enjoyed it. Of course I figured out the murderers and twists before they happened but that’s no biggie. Still liked it. I don’t ever want the episodes to end. LOL Sucks that we have to wait for sherlock, GoT, Silicon Valley, Orphan Black and Justified. All I have is Motive.
The 26 worst episodes of the 2013-14 television season
1. Sherlock, “The Empty Hearse”
http://www.avclub.com/article/26-worst-episodes-2013-14-television-season-part-1-206124
I’ve never seen this Sherlock show but I loved Freeman in Fargo. He completely transformed that character. Great actor.
Christmas 2015 special is confirmed.Followed by Season 4 in 2016.Fingers crossed that it all goes to plan…Better tell the agents for BC and MF not to overbook them.