List of Sherlock characters

For characters from the novels, see Category:Sherlock Holmes characters.

The following is a list and description of the characters of Sherlock, a British television series that started airing on BBC One in July 2010. The series is a modern adaptation of the Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and was created by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss.

Main characters

Sherlock Holmes

William Sherlock Scott Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch) describes himself as "a consulting detective, the only one in the world," helping out Scotland Yard when they are out of their depth with cases (usually homicides). He appears as a tall, thin man with dark, curly hair. Like the original character, Sherlock is able to deduce or abduce information from the smallest details. Sherlock is often insensitive to how this affects the officers and usually ridicules their incompetence; however, he is frequently mocked by them for being eccentric, especially by forensics member Anderson and Sergeant Sally Donovan.

Sherlock seems to care more about the crimes than the victims involved, as in the original stories. He is not very sociable, but he refers to Dr Watson as his "intimate friend and associate." Sherlock is rude and inconsiderate towards others, including to an extent his flatmate and colleague John (often leaving him behind and asking him to do menial, domestic tasks such as shopping). However, Sherlock is shown to care deeply for John as the series progresses, showing uncharacteristic emotion when his friend's life is in jeopardy or when John comes to his aid.

Sherlock also has considerable fighting ability, fighting off a man armed with a sword using his bare hands in "The Blind Banker." In "A Scandal in Belgravia," he disarms and incapacitates a CIA agent on two separate occasions.

He considers only three people as his friends: John Watson, Mrs Hudson, and DI Greg Lestrade. The only other person he seems to trust fully is Molly Hooper, as seen in "The Reichenbach Fall" and brought up in "The Empty Hearse." However, he is not above insulting them: "What is it like in your funny little heads; it must be so relaxing not being me."

Sherlock appears largely asexual, self-described as "married to his work;" he is oblivious to or disdainful of 'love.' Sherlock initially seems completely oblivious to the romantic attraction that forensic pathologist Molly Hooper has for him, but sometimes uses this to his advantage if it assists him in a crime investigation. In series 2, after the introduction of Irene Adler, Sherlock appears to have some interest in Irene and comes to her rescue at the end of the episode. She frequently flirts with and texts Sherlock in "A Scandal in Belgravia," but he seldom responds. In Series 3 he is briefly in a relationship with Janine; however, it is later revealed that he is not romantically interested in her and is just using the relationship to gain information on her villainous boss.

He knows London's streets and alleys extremely well. He has strange connections, including a graffiti artist, as well as the entire network of the homeless (whom he uses as his "eyes and ears").

Sherlock is a smoker who finds the habit impractical in present-day urban London and, therefore, mostly makes do with nicotine patches. He may apply as many as three patches to himself at the same time when it is a "three patch problem"; he implies that the nicotine helps him to think. For the same professed reason, he plays the violin and even composes music from time to time. It is also implied that he has a history of illegal drug use. Sherlock has violent mood swings during periods of extreme ennui when there are no cases that interest him. He is once seen curled up on the sofa and firing a gun at the wall in his flat. In "A Study in Pink," he claims to be a "high-functioning sociopath", a term he insists on in subsequent episodes.

Trying to avoid getting his face taken in pictures, Sherlock disguises it with a deerstalker. This becomes his trademark, much to his annoyance as he greatly dislikes the hat.

Dr John Watson

John Hamish Watson (Martin Freeman) is Sherlock's flatmate and colleague. He is often a foil to Sherlock in both appearance and personality. Unlike Sherlock, John is short with blond hair. He is kind, caring, and 'human' compared to Sherlock's cold, calculating ways. He gets on better with the police and takes care of practical matters at their flat, apparently doing most of the shopping. He also gets a locum job at nearby general practice to help pay the bills, and starts dating Sarah, another doctor he meets working there.

At the start of the series, John was recently invalided home from Afghanistan after serving as an "army doctor" (it is unclear whether John served separately as a doctor then a soldier, or as a medic, although in his first scenes he is shown with a mug with the cap badge of the Royal Army Medical Corps). Prior to his military service, John read medicine at King's College, London as seen on his CV. He is in possession of a pistol, described as a "British Browning L9A1" in the show, but is actually a Sig Sauer P226. John is highly proficient with the weapon, described as a "crack shot" by Sherlock. Though John said he had seen more than enough death for one person's lifetime, when asked if he wanted to see more by Sherlock on their first case together, John responded "Oh God, yes!"

Before meeting Sherlock, and after returning to London from Afghanistan, John had several medical issues: a psychosomatic limp in his right leg, and bullet wound in his left shoulder, using a cane on his right side. As well, his left hand had an "intermittent tremor." His therapist noted John had "trust issues" and diagnosed him with PTSD, the latter of which Mycroft (Sherlock's brother) later subverted, saying John is not "haunted by the war" but rather misses it for the excitement. Following a chase around London with Sherlock, John's limp disappears (and so, presumably, does the tremor). This only proves the Holmes brothers correct, and John's therapist wrong.

John is also shown to be loyal and courageous, with a strong sense of personal integrity. His "strong moral principles" are likely a result of his medical training and army service. He refuses Mycroft's offer to pay him to spy on Sherlock, despite only having just met Sherlock at this time (and not knowing that Mycroft was his brother). He is willing to occasionally use deadly force, but he is only ever seen to do so when someone else's life is in immediate danger. He shows no visible signs of regretting his actions afterwards.

In the second series, John is referred to as Sherlock's P.A. and is not shown working any other job. John writes about Sherlock's cases on his blog, which attracts clients to them. He also gives the cases names he deems appropriate. Much to John's constant annoyance, he is often mistaken for a gay man because of the time he spends around Sherlock. He is alluded to have had a number of short-lived relationships with women – one of whom is shown ending their relationship due to John's commitment to Sherlock, saying, that "[Sherlock] is a very lucky man." When Mrs Hudson learns of his engagement in season 3, her first question is "So, what's his name?"

The only member of John's family that has been alluded to thus far is his sister, Harriet (aka Harry), with whom he has strained relationship as a result of her alcoholism and recent separation from her partner, Clara. During their first case together, Sherlock deduced that John had refused to accept help from Harry after being invalided out of the army, even though the fact that she gave John her old phone was an indication that she wanted to stay in touch with her brother.

Watson's middle name being Hamish was originally imagined by Dorothy L. Sayers to explain discrepancies in Watson's name between several of Conan Doyle's stories .

Metropolitan Police

DI Greg Lestrade

Detective Inspector Greg Lestrade (Rupert Graves) works for Scotland Yard and directly with Sherlock. He has a reluctant respect for Sherlock and often defends him from the other police officers' animosity. He is often frustrated by Sherlock's cryptic deductions and withholding of evidence, but believes that he is a great man (hoping that one day, he can overcome his poorer qualities, and become a "good" man). Proven in "The Hounds of Baskerville," Sherlock had absolutely no idea what Lestrade's first name was; he gave a sarcastic quip in response to Sherlock's surprise. In "The Reichenbach Fall," Lestrade agrees to bring Sherlock in for questioning and it becomes apparent that Lestrade's superiors were not aware of Sherlock's involvement in cases. Unlike Donovan and Anderson, Lestrade had complete faith that Sherlock was innocent of any wrongdoing, proving just how much he trusted him.

In "A Study in Pink," he mentions that he is in an on-again-off-again relationship with his ex-wife. In "A Scandal in Belgravia," Lestrade says he and his wife have settled their problems, but Sherlock flatly informs him that she is (as of Christmas that year) sleeping with a P.E. teacher.

Although Lestrade is ranked as 'DI,' i.e. 'Detective Inspector,' he is referred to in scenes as just 'Inspector,' possibly as Lestrade in the original novels was ranked as Inspector (the rank of 'DI' not having been created at that time.)

Sergeant Sally Donovan

Sergeant Donovan (Vinette Robinson) is DI Lestrade's sergeant and is usually seen with him on cases. Donovan resents Sherlock's presence at crime scenes, calling him a "freak" and warning Watson that Sherlock's a psychopath who will one day get bored of catching killers and become one himself.

In "A Study in Pink," she's involved in an affair with Anderson and in The Reichenbach Fall she is the first police officer to fall for Moriarty's deception and believe that Sherlock may be behind the recent theft and kidnapping.

In the un-aired pilot, Donovan is a constable and played by Zawe Ashton.

Philip Anderson

Philip Anderson (Jonathan Aris) is a member of the Metropolitan Police's Forensic Services. From the series opening, it is clear that Anderson and Sherlock have history of mutual dislike with Sherlock repeatedly antagonising Anderson throughout the series and Anderson refusing to assist him at crime scenes.

In "A Study in Pink," Sherlock reveals, to both their embarrassment, Anderson and Sgt. Donovan's affair. In "The Reichenbach Fall," Anderson is the second person at The Yard to be deceived by Moriarty into thinking Sherlock may be involved in the recent theft and kidnapping.

He appears in the mini-episode "Many Happy Returns" where it is revealed that he has lost his job with the police and is trying to convince Lestrade that Sherlock is not only alive but also is still solving mysteries across the globe.

His first name is not mentioned until the opening episode of series 3, "The Empty Hearse".

Villains

James 'Jim' Moriarty

James 'Jim' Moriarty (Andrew Scott) is the only "consulting criminal" in the world, a counterpoint to Sherlock's similarly unrivaled "consulting detective". He is also responsible for the criminals and crimes in all three episodes of the first series, acting as a sponsor, an informant, or a mastermind. He is shown to have an interest in Sherlock that borders on obsession, though he does not hesitate trying to kill him when he loses interest. He is a highly capable, and extremely powerful criminal. Moriarty's primary motivation appears however to be the avoidance of boredom rather than a thirst for money or power.

He is also an excellent actor, frequently shown to have convinced others that he is someone else – indeed his first appearance occurs as a gay man whom Molly is seeing, and Sherlock does not realise his identity at the time. In "The Great Game", Moriarty forces Sherlock to solve mysteries within a time limit, taking hostages to ensure that Sherlock is sufficiently motivated.

In the second series, he continues in his role as consulting criminal, giving Irene Adler advice on how to manipulate the "The Holmes Boys", having given them both nicknames. It is mentioned that he asked for nothing in return, becoming involved just to cause trouble, suggesting his obsessions are deepening. It is also alluded to that he might have an independent rivalry with Mycroft. He is seen briefly at the end of "The Hounds of Baskerville" apparently having been captured and in the process of being released by Mycroft.

Moriarty features extensively in "The Reichenbach Fall", simultaneously breaking into the Tower of London, HMP Pentonville and the Bank of England, being tried but acquitted after intimidating the jury, and then setting about to destroy Sherlock's reputation and ultimately force him into suicide. When Sherlock realises there is a way out as long as Moriarty is alive, Moriarty shoots himself in the head in order to force Sherlock into committing suicide.

In the closing moments of the third season finale, Moriarty's face appears on televisions across Britain repeating the statement "Did you miss me?", implying that he, too, survived his suicide.

Charles Augustus Magnussen

Charles Augustus Magnussen (Lars Mikkelsen) is a powerful businessman who controlled a media empire, consisting of newspapers and other media and was the primary antagonist of Series 3, mentioned in "The Empty Hearse" and appearing in "His Last Vow". In addition, he also held information on everyone of prominence in the Western world, and beyond that, allowing him to use such information for blackmail purposes in order to achieve his goals. Magnussen is based on the original character of Charles Augustus Milverton, the titular character of the short story "The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton".

Other characters

Mrs. Hudson

Martha Louise Hudson (née Sissons), commonly known as just Mrs. Hudson (Una Stubbs), is the landlady of 221B Baker Street. Sherlock won his way into her good graces after ensuring her husband, who ran a drug cartel, was executed for a crime in Florida. Despite repeated declarations that she is not their housekeeper, she fusses over Sherlock, and he takes it for granted that she will provide dinner for him. She is often horrified to see Sherlock keep human body parts in his kitchen appliances (refrigerator, microwave) for experimentation. Though Sherlock has been shown to make Mycroft apologise to her for saying to shut up, he will do so himself when stressed. When she met John, Mrs. Hudson thought he was Sherlock's romantic partner. Sherlock has a great deal of concern for her. In "A Scandal in Belgravia," Sherlock pushed a CIA agent out of a second-story window repeatedly to punish him for torturing Mrs. Hudson. It is revealed in "His Last Vow" (along with her full name) that she is a "semi-reformed alcoholic," a former "exotic dancer," and that her weakness is marijuana.

Mycroft Holmes

Mycroft Holmes (played by executive producer, co-creator, and writer Mark Gatiss) is first introduced when he kidnaps John and offers to pay him to spy on Sherlock out of brotherly concern. He is Sherlock's older brother and engages in sibling rivalry with Sherlock. Mycroft is frequently mocked by Sherlock for "putting on weight." He occupies a "minor position in the British government;" however, as with many Holmes-based works, it is heavily hinted that he has a much bigger role than he claims. He is driven around in a private car with his personal assistant who goes by the name of "Anthea." Mycroft, like his literary counterpart, is also very skilled at deduction, even correcting Sherlock on occasion, as well as lacking enthusiasm for "legwork." His intellect is borderline superhuman, being able to learn Serbian in a few hours. As such, even Sherlock admits that Mycroft is even smarter than he is. Sherlock claims Mycroft's childhood in a nutshell was summed up when he said "I'll be mother." Mycroft apparently doesn't mind bending minor rules, since he gave Sherlock a cigarette in "A Scandal in Belgravia", saying "We're in a morgue, there's only so much damage you can do." In Mycroft's opinion, Sherlock has "the mind of philosopher or scientist, yet he elects to be a detective." However, he considers this an improvement, since as a child, Sherlock initially wanted to be a pirate. Charles Augustus Magnussen in "His Last Vow" reveals Mycroft to be in MI6, the British spy agency.

Molly Hooper

Molly Hooper (Louise Brealey) is a 31-year-old pathology lab assistant working in the morgue at St Bartholomew's Hospital with an apparent crush on Sherlock. Due to her work position and crush on him, Sherlock frequently exploits her to let him examine victims' bodies. She was in a relationship with an IT employee named Jim, who was later revealed to be Moriarty. Molly maintains a blog and has a cat named Toby. Sherlock later finds out how deeply infatuated she is with him during "A Scandal in Belgravia," when she gives him a present for Christmas that was much better wrapped than the others; she received a kiss on the cheek and apology in return. She seemed to lose interest in Sherlock romantically after finding out he might be interested in someone else; however, she still remains a faithful friend. In "The Reichenbach Fall," Sherlock turns to her to help him fake his death.

In The Empty Hearse, while Watson is recovering from the hurt and shock of discovering Sherlock is still alive, she accompanies Holmes on some casework. She is engaged to Tom (Ed Birch), who looks and dresses quite a bit like Sherlock; by "His Last Vow" the engagement has been broken off - Sherlock observes she is not wearing her ring (as she is slapping him), but no reason for the broken engagement is given.

Molly was originally intended to be a one-off character to introduce Sherlock, but Brealey impressed Moffat and Gatiss and they "couldn't resist bringing her back."

Mary Morstan

Mary Elizabeth Watson, née Morstan (Amanda Abbington) is the current identity used by a former assassin (born with the initials A.G.R.A) and a part-time nurse in Watson's practice whom he met following the apparent death of Sherlock. She surprises Sherlock with her knowledge and insight into his character. She marries Watson and Sherlock is the best man. In "The Sign of Three", it is revealed that Mary is an orphan. She seems to know how to get what she wants from both Watson and Sherlock. It is later revealed in "His Last Vow" that she is in fact a former CIA agent, who went freelance and eventually on the run, and might not be English, just faking an accent. She stole a dead woman's (stillborn) identity five years before marrying Watson. Despite this, she genuinely loves him and says that her taking another identity was to escape her previous life.

Sarah Sawyer

Sarah Sawyer (Zoe Telford) is John's supervisor at the surgery where he works. Sarah and John were engaged in a romantic relationship. She is a very competent doctor, taking over for John when he falls asleep in his office. She is able to fight in self-defence during a fight with a mob of Chinese gangsters. In "The Great Game," John seemed close to sharing her bed with her the next time he stayed the night at her place. John and Sarah break up after their trip to New Zealand, as written in John's blog.

Irene Adler

Irene Adler (Lara Pulver) is featured in "A Scandal in Belgravia" as a dominatrix, more commonly referred to as "The Woman," who provides "recreational scolding" for anyone willing to pay for it. She takes pictures of her clients during her job as "protection" to make sure her clients don't do anything unfavorable to her. Irene is just as brilliant as Sherlock, being able to outwit him; however, she also ends up falling in love with him, which proves to be her downfall. She sends Sherlock a series of flirtatious texts, repeatedly requesting to "have dinner" with him. Having taken a picture of the information for "Bond Air," she was targeted by Americans, who were working with the British government to trick terrorists into thinking that their bomb would blow up a plane and take the lives of hundreds. She was also sought out by Mycroft for incriminating photos of herself and one of her clients. She contacted Moriarty about the Bond Air plan, being given advice on how to use it to her advantage. She successfully duped Sherlock into revealing what Bond Air was about, texting the answer to Moriarty, who informed the terrorists.

Facing off with both the "Holmes Boys," the Ice Man (Mycroft) and the Virgin (Sherlock), Irene attempted to get a list of demands fulfilled; however, Sherlock figured out the password to her phone – "I am SHER-Locked." With her protection gone, Irene was left to the mercy of any who were after her. Though it was reported she was beheaded by extremists in Karachi some time later, Sherlock had actually helped her fake her death.

Sebastian Wilkes

Sebastian Wilkes (Bertie Carvel) is an old acquaintance from university who hires Sherlock to solve his bank's security problem when the bank is broken into. Like most of anyone else who knows Sherlock, he was annoyed by Sherlock's deductive skills. He says that Sherlock could tell if anyone had been shagging the previous night when they came down for breakfast.

Kitty Riley

Kitty Riley (Katherine Parkinson) is the up-and-coming journalist who wrote the piece on Sherlock being a fake. She was tricked into a relationship with Jim Moriarty, disguised as Richard Brook, who gave her all the information she needed on Sherlock to write said article.

Anthea

Anthea (Lisa McAllister) is an assistant to Mycroft Holmes, who appears in A Study in Pink and The Empty Hearse.

Janine

Janine (Yasmine Akram) is the head bridesmaid in the wedding of Mary Morstan and John Watson in the The Sign of Three. She's the secretary of Magnussen, the villain of His Last Vow, in which it is revealed that both Mary and Sherlock independently befriended her in order to get access to him.

Lady Elizabeth Smallwood

Lady Elizabeth Smallwood (Lindsay Duncan) is a senior British government official who was chairing an inquiry into press standards and specifically the level of influence that newspaper baron Charles Augustus Magnussen had over the Western world. As a result of her pursuit of Magnussen, she found herself blackmailed by him with explicit, romantic letters that her husband had sent to a girl he was unware was underage, in the 1970s. Rather than submit to the blackmail, she employed Sherlock Holmes to bargain with Magnussen. It was also later shown that she held a position of prominence in the British security establishment, and that the blackmail had driven her husband to suicide.

External links

• Full cast and crew of Sherlock at IMDb