Having not watched the first series, I was wary of beginning on the second. I shouldn’t have been. It was awesome.

The series opens in a showdown between Sherlock Holmes and his nemesis Jim Moriarty, in a swimming pool of all places. The gentle banter involving death threats, guns at point blank range, and  a bomb strapped to Dr. Watson is interrupted by a tinny rendition of “Staying Alive”. And with that I was hooked. I am not ashamed to admit I watched the entirety of the 4-and-a-half  hour series in one sitting.

Whilst the other people I know who watch the show, speak only of their undying love for Benedict Cumberbatch (who plays Sherlock), many fail to appreciate how cleverly the script has been modernised from Conan Doyle’s original books. And yes, criticism may arise from the die hard fans of the books, who feel that the series changes the events too much, but it has to be realistic for the modern day. I mean, would the King of a country that no longer exists (Bohemia) really pay a private detective to reclaim a photograph of him and his ex, just sitting together, in this day and age. I think not. However, the titles don’t vary too much, so it is always easy to tell what story it’s based on. For example, “A Scandal in Bohemia” (the example I used) became “A Scandal in Belgravia.”

The series is kept short, with only three episodes; though each is an hour and a half long, so gives viewers a mini-film on sunday evenings. Whilst many wish the series were longer, the shortness ensures that a high standard is maintained throughout. However, a third series has been confirmed, and should hopefully be on our screens before 2012 is out.

So, I’m presuming anyone reading this has watched the series, so I pose a question to you: how do you think he did it?