BBC Sherlock Fan Forum - Serving Sherlockians since February 2012 / How long have you been into Sherlock?

**Posted by Lilythiell** July 10, 2015 11:17 pm

In honour of an excellent question posted by our newest member Sheila, I think it'd be nice to have a thread on which anyone interested would...well that's rather what it says on the tin:
When did you start watching Sherlock? (BBC Sherlock but other adaptations, I suppose. And the Canon, let's not forget the Canon -even if there's already one specifically about the Canon)

I know that some of us already have answered in other posts (and of course, in Sheila's), I just figured it'd be easier to have one dedicated to that, rather than look it up in each member's presentation.
If you don't think that this thread could be useful/interesting, do not hesitate to delete it Just trying to help -but very likely will make a mess of it

I suppose I should answer the question.
I've been into Sherlock from 2012 (I can't remember the exact month, but I remember it was sunny, before finals because there still were a few courses here and there...I'll go for either April or May). A classmate gave me the episodes (bless her) and, well. I couldn't resist watching them all in a row. I mean...who needs sleep anyway? Oh, yes, right. Transport does, from time to time. I couldn't hit "stop" and tell myself I'll finish the next day, I was hooked quite quickly -the deduction in the cab in A Study In Pink and John's "that was amazing".
Now, how I felt about it? About the episodes in general, I thought they were fantastic, but it was not until a few months after that I realised I had found (God, it's going to sound sooooo cheesy...) if not another family at the very least a community in which I felt very much at home, and which I hadn't realised I needed until I found it.

Sorry about that. Won't happen again. Promise.

Last edited by Lilythiell (July 10, 2015 11:18 pm)

**Posted by kornmuhme** July 10, 2015 11:41 pm

I absolutely think this thread is a good idea, especially since there have been a few new members recently - and I'm really interested in everybody's answers posted here! It's going to be a good overview.
As for me, I'm quite a newbie. The episodes are currenty re-aired on German TV and I came across them by chance a few weeks ago. So everything is stell very "fresh" in my head :-).
I got hooked when I watched episode after episode - I just thought "WOW, what a fascinating guy!" Yes, Benedict C. as Sherlock Holmes really fascinated me - and now I'm completely lost in the series, the characters, the fandom ...
Well, and the next step for me was to look for a forum and meet other fans :-). That's the reason why I'm here!
Sometimes it feels a bit odd - everyone here seems to know everything about the show and I'm the only one to stumble along and ask silly questions ... But I'm very glad to be here and talk to other maniacs *ggg*

**Posted by Lilythiell** July 11, 2015 12:00 am

Nah, there's no silly question, dear.
"maniacs"...I have no idea what you mean

Last edited by Lilythiell (July 11, 2015 8:15 pm)

**Posted by Vhanja** July 11, 2015 6:01 am

I'm a Sherlock newbie. I have of course always heard of the character Sherlock Holmes, but never read any stories or seen any adaptions. Closest I've got was reading Basil Mouse cartoon stories when I was a kid, and watching House a few years back.

Then a friend of mine started going all fangirl-y over this Benedict Cumberbatch fellow and urged me to watch Sherlock. I thought meh and didn't bother. Until one day I had nothing to do and I noticed the series was on Netflix. I knew about Martin Freeman, so figured it was worth a look.

And the rest is, as they say, history. (I keep telling my friend she's created a monster).

After that, I've read A Study in Scarlet and The Sign of Four, and watched both of those adapations by Jeremy Brett. And, of course, watched BBC Sherlock more than is healthy.

**Posted by ukaunz** July 11, 2015 12:51 pm

I started watching Sherlock in Jan or Feb of this year, having never seen or read any versions of Sherlock Holmes before. As far as I knew, Holmes wore the cape and deerstalker, smoked a pipe, and chased demon hounds across the moors with his sidekick Watson. That was about the extent of my Sherlockian knowledge. I wasn't even sure I would like BBC Sherlock. I'd heard about it when it was on TV but didn't make the effort to watch it. Then one day I borrowed the first 2 seasons on DVD and by the end of S2 I was desperately waiting for my copy of S3 to arrive in the mail. I had to wait about a week or two - oh the pain! I can't imagine having to wait 2 years to see The Empty Hearse as others had to.

Anyway, I was inspired to start reading the original stories, but it's taking me a while. I've read 3 of the novels and about 38 of the short stories. I've also been watching the Granada series starring Jeremy Brett, but I wait until I've read each story before I watch the corresponding episode, so I've still got a few episodes to go. I'm enjoying them a lot.

Oh, I just remembered: I had watched the Robert Downey Jr. movies before seeing Sherlock, but though they were entertaining, they hadn't made much of an impression on me. I've since rewatched them and can now appreciate their references to canon, but to me they still don't really feel like the "real" Sherlock Holmes - it's just RDJ playing Holmes, I can't forget the actor, if that makes any sense.

I've also tracked down The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes, which was fairly enjoyable, and recently I watched Young Sherlock Holmes (greatly influenced by Indiana Jones I think, and nothing great). I even caved in and watched the first season of Elementary (not bad). Basically I've become a bit obsessed about everything Sherlockian, although I have yet to watch any of the Basil Rathbone movies. I think I'm just craving more Sherlock and since the Special and S4 are so far off on the horizon, I'm grasping for anything else I can find! I've rewatched the first 3 series a few times now, of course... BBC Sherlock will always be my first love, and my introduction to the sublime Mr Benedict Cumberbatch

**Posted by Whisky** July 11, 2015 2:05 pm

I've seen a Sherlock Holmes film when I was younger, but I couldn't say which one. I always liked detective stories as a kid, I know I read the books at some point but couldn't say when exactly. As kids we had detective birthday parties and dressed as Sherlock Holmes. Sherlock Holmes for us was this iconic figure with pipe and magnifier. When I was 19 and finally in London I visited the Baker Street museum and places connected to Sherlock Holmes. Then for a few years it was all in the background.
I watched BBC Sherlock, more or less by accident :D, sometime between series 1 and 2 on DVD at a friends who said I would like it. She was more than right and I was occupying her TV rather a long time that night. I cannot really remember, but I think I hadn't to wait for the series 2, or at least not long (I really need to check with my friend when we watched the series for the first time! end of 2011?). I wasn't active in fandom until the hiatus after series 2. By now I have watched other adaptions but not all of them. I was lurking on the internet for many months before I found this forum in autumn 2013 :-) In the beginning I just enjoyed the movies and really didn't care much about actors and cast, although I sure found them brilliant. Only in the hiatus after TRF I started to indulge in everything connected with the show, and found pleasure in adoration of some rather handsome, talented actors ;-)

Last edited by Whisky (July 11, 2015 2:09 pm)

**Posted by Harriet** July 11, 2015 4:37 pm

Almost 3 years now. I liked Sherlock Holmes when I was a child but grew out of it soon.
It was with BBC Sherlock only that I discovered there is so much more in it for me. It was Benedict's performance - an actor I never heard of before.
I'm not too interested in canon, even though it's sometimes quite interesting and fun to discover parallels and historic background.

**Posted by SusiGo** July 11, 2015 5:03 pm

Quite the same with me. I got really badly Sherlocked in spring 2012 after having watched series 1 and 2 in the original version.

**Posted by Harriet** July 11, 2015 5:13 pm

Call me a "Born Again Sherlockian"!

**Posted by kornmuhme** July 11, 2015 6:22 pm

Harriet wrote:
Almost 3 years now. I liked Sherlock Holmes when I was a child but grew out of it soon.
It was with BBC Sherlock only that I discovered there is so much more in it for me. It was Benedict's performance - an actor I never heard of before.
I'm not too interested in canon, even though it's sometimes quite interesting and fun to discover parallels and historic background.

I'm not so much interested in the canon either. Well, I think I'll read the ACD stories and novely about Sherlock holmes one day, just to be "complete" and as a nice addition to the BBC series. But I'm pretty sure that I won't watch the previous adaptions (TV and cinema). They don't attract me at all. Sherlock is BBC and Benedict Cumberbatch!

**Posted by Harriet** July 11, 2015 6:31 pm

kornmuhme wrote:
I'm not so much interested in the canon either. Well, I think I'll read the ACD stories and novely about Sherlock holmes one day, just to be "complete" and as a nice addition to the BBC series. ...

I agree, it's a worthy addition even, but not a must - we are beyond having "musts", right?

**Posted by kornmuhme** July 11, 2015 6:35 pm

Harriet wrote:
kornmuhme wrote:
I'm not so much interested in the canon either. Well, I think I'll read the ACD stories and novely about Sherlock holmes one day, just to be "complete" and as a nice addition to the BBC series. ...
I agree, it's a worthy addition even, but not a must - we are beyond having "musts", right?

So true :-)!

**Posted by This Is The Phantom Lady** July 11, 2015 6:39 pm

I think I was first introduced to the 'Sherlockian' things through Disney... Basil Mouse and when Chip and Dale Rescue Rangers solved a mystery using HoB.

But I was never really that interested for some reason... and I never thought it would be. My mother thinks that 'Sherlock Holmes is absolutely boring'.

I had seen the trailers for the new adaptation... mainly noting the scenes with Ben in the sheet... *cough cough*. And I actually banned myself from watching it.
I had a feeling that this show would get me addicted.

Despite my own 'ban' I tried to watch THoB in my mum's living room Christmas 2013 while my aunt was reading the newpaper and we ended up in a fight. Despite the fact that she was reading she had to comment that she wanted me to change the channel because it was booooring. We actually ended up having a pretty bad fight.

In january 2014, there was nothing good on the telly and I decided I'd try to watch a few episodes... How bad could that be??
I was hooked only 2 minutes into TEH... woopsie.

And here I am.

Last edited by This Is The Phantom Lady (July 11, 2015 6:41 pm)

**Posted by Lilythiell** July 11, 2015 8:27 pm

Whisky wrote:
Only in the hiatus after TRF I started to indulge in everything connected with the show, and found pleasure in adoration of some rather handsome, talented actors ;-)

Ha, hiatuses sure give us plenty of time to explore a lot of thing connected to the show -I'll even go as far as to say "anything Sherlockian".
I think it's high time I indulge myself in reading the novels -I've read the short stories...finished them just last week (what can I say? Between fanfictions and real life, reading them was painfully slow ) and started them over again.