Wonderful, absolutely wonderful.

Sherlock Holmes is back on tv, slicker, quicker and better than ever – well he doesn’t match Basil Rathbone but Benedict Cumberbatch certainly held up the Holmes tradition in brilliance.

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from the series but what a brilliant 90 minutes of BBC drama. Slick, full of one liners and amazing delivery the cast fronted by Cumberbatch didn’t disappoint. The BBC have a hit on their hands and I can definitely see another series emanating from this tri factor.

As I mentioned yesterday, the first episode is loosely based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s “A study in Scarlet” (if by the way you get chance to read the book, I would advise it, only one of four full length novels it is, like Holmes a masterpiece!

Watson has returned from Afghanistan and is looking for new digs. A friend of Holmes introduces the pair and the detective immediately figures out Watson’s past from a 30 second introduction – the rest as they say is history. The pair meet the following day at 221B Baker Street and we, the viewers, are introduced to “Housekeeper” Mrs Hudson played by Una Stubbs.

Tonight’s episode, A study in Pink, sees Holmes and Watson chasing a serial killer hell bent on playing a dangerous game of kamikaze suicide which has DI Lestrade (Rupert Graves) in a quandary, unsure of which direction the suicides are taking him.

Holmes has a problem with Anderson (the on-site forensic guy) – in fact I’d go as far to say that Anderson annoys the hell out of Holmes and as we see on more than one occasion the “amateur” detective has no time for the policeman! While raiding 221B Baker Street on a trumped up drugs raid Anderson talks to Holmes and the retort is simply wonderful

“Anderson don’t talk out loud you lower the IQ of the whole street”

The writing was clever but for me it was the delivery that won the day. Cumberbatch, well suited for this huge role played the part effortlessly it seemed. Quick one liners, in-depth analysis and a distain for most people he comes across led to a truly magnificent polished performance. I can’t wait for next week’s episode now!  The cabbie is played by Jeff Davis (Whitechapel).

Episode two (on at the earlier time of 2030 Sunday)is called “The Blind Banker” and involves a mysterious cipher that is being scrawled on the walls around London. The first person to see the cipher is dead within hours of reading it. Sherlock plunges into a world of codes and symbols, consulting with London’s best graffiti artists. He soon learns that the city is in the grip a gang of international smugglers, a secret society called the Black Lotus.

Cast and Crew “A Study in Pink”

Sherlock Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch)

Dr John Watson (Martin Freeman)

DI Lestrade (Rupert Graves)

Mrs Hudson (Una Stubbs)

Molly Hooper (Louise Brealey)

Sgt Sally Donovan (Vinette Robinson)

Ella (Tanya Moodie)

Helen (Siobohan Hewlett)

Sir Jeffrey Patterson (William Scott-Masson)

Margaret Patterson (Victoria Wicks)

Gary (Sean Young)

Jimmy (James Duncan)

Political Aides (Ruth Everett & Syrus Lowe)

Beth Davenport (Katy Maw)

Reporters (Ben Green, Pradeep Jey & Imogen Slaughter)

Anderson (Jonathan Aris)

Jeff the Cabbie (Phil Davis)

Director ………………….Paul McGuigan

Producer …………………Sue Vertue

Executive Producer ….Steven Moffat

Executive Producer ….Mark Gatiss

Writer …………………….Steven Moffat