the roamer@the_roamer@mastodonapp.uk
Which Holmes production would you keep?

You are packing for your two-year posting at a remote lighthouse. There will be no internet. The lighthouse has an old DVD player. You can take exactly _one_ set of DVDs with you. You can choose between the following three options, all Sherlock Holmes themed:

(1) Sherlock Holmes, Granada 1984 -- 1994. Jeremy Brett as Holmes, David Burke and Edward Hardwicke as Dr Watson.

(2) Sherlock, BBC 2010 -- 2017. Benedict Cumberbatch as Holmes, Martin Freeman as Dr Watson.

(3) Elementary, CBS 2012 -- 2019. Jonny Lee Miller as Holmes, Lucy Liu as Dr Joan Watson.

Which one do you take with you? (There are no other choices.)

#SherlockHolmes #JeremyBrett #BenedictCumberbatch #JonnyLeeMiller
#TVSeries

Sherlock Holmes / Jeremy Brett54%
Sherlock / Benedict Cumberbatch25%
Elementary / Jonny Lee Miller19%
None. Anything but Holmes!1%

72 votes · Closed

Jul 2, 2026, 23:06 UTCen
the roamer@the_roamer@mastodonapp.uk

Replying to @the_roamer@mastodonapp.uk

Which Holmes?

Voting finished!

Myself, I think all three versions are great entertainment, and to an extent they are all art.

Jeremy Brett in 1984 uncovered the agile, athletic nature of Conan Doyle's Holmes. A hunter, yet also a gentle friend to Watson. All backed up by the original text. Brett's ever-changing face carries everything else. The most authentic Holmes.

The two recent versions both succeed in transporting the Conan Doyle spirit into the current world. To me this is a remarkable creative achievement in itself.

In the BBC version, Mark Gatiss as Mycroft and Andrew Scott as Moriarty add incredible depth to these side characters.

In the CBS version, I love Jonny Lee Miller as the over-intense and vulnerable Holmes, his voice fast-breathing, his face expressive like a toddler's. And the pairing with Lucy Liu as Watson works perfectly.

For straight entertainment value, I go for Elementary. For the best Holmes, it is Brett. Oh, I have to choose? Brett.

#SherlockHolmes