BBC Sherlock Fan Forum - Serving Sherlockians since February 2012 / Sherlock to end because of Ben and Martin's 'frosty relationship'

**Posted by NicoleCollard** January 17, 2017 8:04 pm

That is what Mirror and The Sun newspapers say.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/sherlock-end-because-benedict-cumberbatch-9635585
https://www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz/2629818/sherlocks-benedict-cumberbatch-and-martin-freeman-cast-doubt-over-further-series-due-to-frosty-friendship/

I don't live in the UK and don't really know the accuracy of said newspapers, but I've heard they write sensationalist press and mustn't be taken into account. Though I don't really care about how Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman get along with each other in their free time and personal life, they always seemed very friendly to each other in interviews, extra footage... And I don't see the problem if the two main stars aren't exactly friends in real life, because they're very professional.

Why are these tabloids printing stuff like this?

**Posted by besleybean** January 17, 2017 8:10 pm

I mentioned this in the rants thread...
It isn't even just Tabloids.
The Independent jumped on the band wagon as well.
It's total crap and I'm afraid is all too often what passes for journalism in the UK press.

**Posted by NicoleCollard** January 17, 2017 8:14 pm

Oh, sorry, besleybean, I though I should post this on news about the show. I didn't know there was a Rants thread.
And I agree with you.

**Posted by ewige** January 17, 2017 8:14 pm

Eh... clickbaiting?
Martin got the job bc he and Ben had a natural, easy-going chemistry. You see them laugh and hug and generally relaxed between the takes of s4 too.
Seeing how they all say it's a passion project, these rumors don't even make sense. If the leads of this caliber didn't want to work together, they wouldn't.

**Posted by besleybean** January 17, 2017 8:17 pm

In Amanda's piece we saw at the cinema, she really stresses what a family the whole team are...
Oh and it's ok, Nicole.
As long as the staff think it's ok, a designated thread is better.

**Posted by NicoleCollard** January 17, 2017 8:23 pm

besleybean wrote:
In Amanda's piece we saw at the cinema, she really stresses what a family the whole team are...
Oh and it's ok, Nicole.
As long as the staff think it's ok, a designated thread is better.

It would be great to see that footage in the DVD, maybe.

And that's what I think, ewige. Both Ben and Martin keep coming and they always talk the show up.
I hate when the press publishes this kind of articles.

Last edited by NicoleCollard (January 17, 2017 8:24 pm)

**Posted by besleybean** January 17, 2017 8:25 pm

I'm assuming the footage is on the DVD.

**Posted by Lis** January 17, 2017 8:35 pm

Everything in the Sun and the Mirror is to be taken with a grain (or entire shaker) of salt but like besleybean said other newspapers are also sadly jumping on the bandwagon.

I've never seen anything to suggest that Ben and Martin's relationship is "frosty" I think maybe they are not necessarily very close friends off set but since when is the opposite of not being best buds all the time "frosty". Just because Sherlock and John are best friends doesn't mean Ben and Martin are, Sherlock is after all a job for them and even if their relationship wasn't good (which I do not believe is the case and they have only ever had positive things to say about each other) it didn't stop them from filming 4 series and I'm sure it would not stop them from filming a 5th.

**Posted by besleybean** January 17, 2017 8:37 pm

Yep, a non-story...the only bit that might be true is no S 5.
But certainly not for the reasons the papers claim.

**Posted by nakahara** January 17, 2017 9:02 pm

Oh, come on.... look at the pics from S4 Setlock: is this an example of the frosty relationship?

**Posted by besleybean** January 17, 2017 9:05 pm

Exactly, it's total rubbish.
Maybe someone should email the papers these pix!

**Posted by NicoleCollard** January 17, 2017 10:03 pm

Yes, I think they get along well. That hug is cute.
I have never been in a film, but I've acted in theater myself and I know you need to be in a fluent/good relationship with the actors who are portraying the closest characters to yours, but they don't need to be your best friends.

**Posted by kgreen20** January 17, 2017 11:45 pm

I can only agree.

**Posted by This Is The Phantom Lady** January 18, 2017 6:02 am

Even if there was truth to this... what I don't really think... how would that stop them from doing Sherlock? I mean... come on! They are professional actors!

**Posted by Meretricious** January 18, 2017 6:27 am

I don't believe they have a frosty relationship – just look at those photos! They are work mates. Doesn't mean they have to socialise, or even participate in each other's lives any more than necessary. They are busy men, they would each have their own circle of friends and family. But I think they genuinely like and respect each other, and enjoy working with each other.

Having said this, I do think there may have been some irritation on Martin's side when everything was "all about Ben"; he was always being asked in interviews about him, and all the wink-nudge stuff on talk shows about the Johnlock fanfiction and fan art. And being linked with him again for The Hobbit, he couldn't get away from it. Maybe I imagined it, but I remember watching a behind the scenes clip on YouTube of Benedict visiting Martin on the set and I swear Martin rolled his eyes and looked away briefly in annoyance. I think he just wants to be recognised as a separate entity, an actor in his own right, not being paired with or compared to his famous co-star.

**Posted by besleybean** January 18, 2017 6:43 am

Wow.
Well I certainly missed that Hobbit one.
The only thing I saw was them hugging affectionately when they met on set.

**Posted by Vhanja** January 18, 2017 11:54 am

Meretricious wrote:
Having said this, I do think there may have been some irritation on Martin's side when everything was "all about Ben"; he was always being asked in interviews about him, and all the wink-nudge stuff on talk shows about the Johnlock fanfiction and fan art. And being linked with him again for The Hobbit, he couldn't get away from it. Maybe I imagined it, but I remember watching a behind the scenes clip on YouTube of Benedict visiting Martin on the set and I swear Martin rolled his eyes and looked away briefly in annoyance. I think he just wants to be recognised as a separate entity, an actor in his own right, not being paired with or compared to his famous co-star.

I agree with this. I do think there might be a grain of truth in the article, I think Martin was kind of tired of all the Ben-focus. Not necessarily tired of Ben himself, but that he could never be adressed as a separate actor of his own, only as Ben's tag-along.

Also, there was this interview at some Con were Ben was asked if his relationship with Martin was close and strong seeing as what the characters went through together (something like that). And Ben, as the politician he sometimes is, talked at length without really saying much.

Here, found it: http://nemoholmes.tumblr.com/post/156007461336/welovethebeekeeper-rominatrix-one-of-the

So I do sometimes get the nagging feeling that perhaps this is true-ish. But they are both professional, and I wouldn't be surprised if things like the hug were done for the sake of appereance (bunch of cast and crew around, they knew they were being filmed by "Behind the scenes").

Then again, there are also these lovely details like Martin mentioning how Ben was there to help him when he got really anxious about doing the wonderful scene in Baker Street towards the end of TLD. So it can't be all that bad either.

**Posted by Meretricious** January 18, 2017 12:15 pm

I finally found the clip I was talking about:

Again, I could be misinterpreting his body language, but at 0:35 when Benedict says "hello" in a silly voice, Martin rolls his eyes and looks away, might even have a little swear to himself. Or maybe he's just being his funny self.

Last edited by Meretricious (January 18, 2017 12:15 pm)

**Posted by gently69** January 18, 2017 12:19 pm

This Is The Phantom Lady wrote:
Even if there was truth to this... what I don't really think... how would that stop them from doing Sherlock? I mean... come on! They are professional actors!

Exactly. If they wouldn't be able to handle that it must be hate.

**Posted by nakahara** January 18, 2017 12:28 pm

Vhanja wrote:
So I do sometimes get the nagging feeling that perhaps this is true-ish. But they are both professional, and I wouldn't be surprised if things like the hug were done for the sake of appereance (bunch of cast and crew around, they knew they were being filmed by "Behind the scenes").

Then again, there are also these lovely details like Martin mentioning how Ben was there to help him when he got really anxious about doing the wonderful scene in Baker Street towards the end of TLD. So it can't be all that bad either.

I think that Martin´s behaviour at the time of Hobbitt filming can be contributed to the fact that he split with Amanda Abbington during that time, which was certainly stressful - I don´t think this was caused by having "frosty" relationship with Benedict.