Since it first hit the screen in 2010, the highly acclaimed series, featuring ‘Sherlock’ played by Benedict Cumberbatch has garnered praise and a dedicated following (and has somehow managed to turn sociopaths into the new “in” thing). More recently though, Sherlock won the Bafta award for sound and editing in the fiction category, while Benedict Cumberbatch is up for the ‘Best Actor’ award!
Think you know all there is to know about Sherlock? Here are 5 interesting facts about Sherlock, you might not know.
- Benedict Cumberbatch hates Sherlock’s hair
The actor’s preparations for looking the part of Sherlock include intense Bikram yoga sessions, swimming, and no smoking or drinking during filming. But there’s one thing he especially hates doing: growing his hair. As he told The Times, “I can’t think of a wittier or even accurate comparison, but I just think it makes me look a bit like… a woman.”
- The fonts have meaning
The lettering used for Sherlock’s on-screen graphics varies according to occasion. For text messages, AF Generation Z is used. To show Sherlock’s deduction process, P22 Johnston Underground is used. Irene Adler’s high-end Vertu phone uses the business-like Veranda. Johnston Underground is also the basis for the series’ custom-made title font.
- Sherlock is so intelligent, but he doesn’t know about the solar system
Sherlock’s argument is that his brain is like a hard drive and that it is nonsensical to keep information stored that is not helpful to his work. Thus, he does not keep information about the solar system.
- Is Sherlock a sociopath?
He, is to himself, a high-functioning sociopath. When Anderson called him out as a psychopath, Sherlock corrects him with that comeback. However, according to psychologist, Maria Konnikova, although Sherlock doesn’t seem to understand human emotions, he is too loving, empathetic, and aware of his own faults to be considered a sociopath.
- There is no abandoned train station at Sumatra Road
The location for the bomb-laden tube carriage meant to blow up Parliament in the season three opener, The Empty Hearse, is actually in West Hampstead, and isn’t the site of a half-finished London Underground station. It’s nowhere near Westminister, but was chosen by Gatiss as a sly reference to The Giant Rat of Sumatra, a Holmes adventure mentioned (but never expanded upon) in The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire.
You can catch Sherlock and other interesting BBC Entertainment programmes on Starhub Channel 521.