For other TV series about Sherlock Holmes, see. Sherlock is a British television series based on 's detective stories. Created by and , it stars as Sherlock Holmes and as. Thirteen episodes have been produced, with four three-part series airing from 2010 to 2017, and a special episode that aired on 1 January 2016. The series is set in the present day, while the one-off special features a Victorian period fantasy resembling the original Holmes stories. Sherlock is produced by the British network , along with , with Moffat, Gatiss, and serving as executive producers. The series is supported by the American station Boston for its on , where it also airs in the United States. The series is primarily filmed in , , with in used for exterior shots of Holmes and Watson's residence. Sherlock has been including , and a , winning several awards across a variety of categories. The show won in three categories at the including for Cumberbatch, for Freeman and for Moffat. Two years later, it won. In addition, the show was also honoured with a in 2011. The third series became the UK's most watched drama series since 2001. Sherlock has been sold to 180 territories. All of the series have been released on DVD and , alongside editions of selected original Conan Doyle stories and original soundtrack composed by and. In January 2014, the show launched its official called Sherlock: The Network. Holmes is assisted by his and friend, , who has returned from with the. Although and others are suspicious of Holmes at first, over time, his exceptional intellect and bold powers of observation persuade them of his value. In part through Watson's documenting their adventures, Holmes becomes a reluctant celebrity with the press reporting on his cases and eccentric personal life. Both ordinary people and the British government ask for his help. Although the series depicts a variety of crimes and perpetrators, Holmes' conflict with is a recurring feature. Other recurring roles include as , Holmes and Watson's landlady, and series co-creator as Holmes' elder brother. Conception and development Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, Sherlock Holmes fans with experience of adapting or using for television, devised the concept of the series. Moffat and Gatiss, both Doctor Who writers, discussed plans for a Holmes adaptation during their numerous train journeys to where Doctor Who production is based. While they were in for an awards ceremony, producer , who is married to Moffat, encouraged Moffat and Gatiss to develop the project themselves before another creative team had the same idea. Moffat and Gatiss invited Stephen Thompson to write for the series in September 2008. Benedict Cumberbatch's Sherlock uses modern technology, such as texting, the internet and to solve crimes. It's just a modern day version of it. He will use the tools that are available to him today in order to find things out. Some of these elements are transposed to the present day: for example, Martin Freeman's Watson has returned from. The same unwinnable war. The intention was to produce a series of six 60-minute episodes should the pilot prove to be succ
