“What’s up, then?” said Holmes with a twinkle in his eye.
BBC SHERLOCK 2 SPECIAL EDITION!
“Good-night, Mister Sherlock Holmes.”
The first episode (of three) in the second series of Sherlock is scheduled for this evening (Sunday 1 January) at 8.10pm (until 9.40pm) on BBC1 (also BBC1 HD). It’s repeated on Saturday 7 January on BBC3 at 7pm.
Episode 1, A Scandal in Belgravia is based on A Scandal in Bohemia with Lara Pulver taking the part of Irene Adler. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00m5wm9
Alex’s Sherlock Previews.
You’ll find Alex’s Kane’s initial take on the new series in his latest Preview (see News Bulletin 59) so don’t miss that.
Alex will preview each episode in turn in subsequent weeks and he will review the entire series together with Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows after episode 3 has been shown.
Episode 2 –Time Tweak!
Episode 2, The Hounds of Baskerville is scheduled for Sunday 8 January at 8.30pm (this is 20 minutes later than episode 1 is being shown).
Free SH Books, Unless You Live In NI!
Radio Times in conjunction with Penguin Books is offering its readers three Sherlock Holmes (the original stories) paperbacks free to tie-in with Sherlock series 2. The first giveaway is A Scandal in Bohemia and other stories. Full details are in the current issue (dated 31 December 2011 – 6 January 2012) which is on sale until Monday 2 January. Loyal RT readers living in Northern Ireland needn’t get too excited however – they won’t be getting any of these freebies. Their only option is to cough up £2.99 to get the books by post (plus a stamp for the application in the first instance). The reason for this unfortunate state of affairs is that there are no Rymans stores here – RT’s partners in this promo.
Sherlock DVD Due In 3 Weeks.
The second series of Sherlock will be released in the UK on DVD and Blu-ray on 23 January 2012, the day after the final episode is due to be screened. Radio Times for w/c 31 December (p64) says it’s due on 5 March but we don’t buy that.
Radio Times is offering the DVD on pre-order for £12.99 (RRP £20.42). That’s the same price as Amazon.co.uk. Amazon’s Blu-ray price is £17.49.
Those of you who never got around to buying series 1 can now pick it up at Amazon for only £4.99 (new) or £6.99 for Blu-ray. Amazon is also offering ‘double deals’ on series 1 & 2 together (also Blue-ray). Amazon’s Love Film division will be offering series 2 for rental (both formats).
We’re wondering what extras the new DVD will have to offer us. The first series DVD included the unseen pilot episode which was a nice bonus so unless there’s another one of those lurking in the shadows all we’re probably going to get are the bog-standard behind the scenes shots and interviews.
SH2 Box Office – It’s A Mixed Picture!
It was a definite case of failure to put bums on seats! Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows may have topped the box office but it was still a disappointing result for the first weekend in North America (US & Canada). The film lifted c.$40m, compared to c.$60 for SH1. However, it should be noted that it was a slow weekend for takings. www.bakerstreetblog.com
It was a much better picture in the UK where the film made £3.83m over a three-day period compared to £3.08 for SH1. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-16262418
SH2 – More Reviews.
The UK’s leading film magazines, Empire and Total Film have both reviewed Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows in their latest issues (February 2012). Contrary to what many reviewers have written, both these critiques are generally positive.
http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/reviewcomplete.asp?FID=137034
http://www.totalfilm.com/reviews/cinema/sherlock-holmes-a-game-of-shadows
The Irish Times review can be found here as can their tie-in interview with Jared Harris (who plays Moriarty) and a short review of Hans Zimmer’s soundtrack.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/theticket/2011/1216/1224309133588.html
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/theticket/2011/1216/1224309126769_pf.html
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/theticket/2011/1216/1224309132704.html
A Classic Study.
Classics Illustrated no.37 – due this month – will be A Study in Scarlet issue. The magazine, which publishes classic novels in cartoon strip format should be available at WH Smith and Eason’s (usually in the comics section, we are reliably informed). http://www.classicsillustrated.co.uk/
A Very Happy New Year to all our readers!