The Hounds Of Baskerville

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"The Hounds of Baskerville" is the second episode of the second series of the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

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crime drama series '' Sherlock'', which follows the modern-day adventures of

Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a " consulting detective" in the stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with observation, deduction, forensic science and ...

, and was first broadcast by

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, p ...

on 8 January 2012. It was written by co-creator

Mark Gatiss Mark Gatiss (; born 17 October 1966) is an English actor, comedian, screenwriter, director, producer and novelist. His work includes writing for and acting in the television series ''Doctor Who'', '' Sherlock'', and '' Dracula''. Together with ...

, who also portrays

Mycroft Holmes Mycroft Holmes is a fictional character appearing in stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle from 1893 to 1908. The elder brother (by seven years) of detective Sherlock Holmes, he is a government official and a founding member of the Diogene ...

, Sherlock's brother in the series, and was directed by Paul McGuigan. The episode is a contemporary adaptation of ''

The Hound of the Baskervilles ''The Hound of the Baskervilles'' is the third of the four crime novels by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle featuring the detective Sherlock Holmes. Originally serialised in ''The Strand Magazine'' from August 1901 to April 1902, it is set i ...

'', one of Sir

Arthur Conan Doyle Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for ''A Study in Scarlet'', the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Ho ...

's most famous works. In the episode, Sherlock (

Benedict Cumberbatch Benedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch (born 19 July 1976) is an English actor. Known for his work on screen and stage, he has received various accolades, including a British Academy Television Award, a Primetime Emmy Award and a Laurence O ...

) and his crime-solving partner John Watson (

Martin Freeman Martin John Christopher Freeman (born 8 September 1971) is an English actor. Among other accolades, he has won an Emmy Award, a BAFTA Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award, and has been nominated for a Golden Globe Award. Freeman's most no ...

) take on the case of Henry Knight (

Russell Tovey Russell George Tovey (born 14 November 1981) is an English actor. He is best known for playing the role of werewolf George Sands in the BBC's supernatural comedy-drama '' Being Human'', Rudge in both the stage and film versions of ''The Histo ...

), who 20 years earlier witnessed the brutal killing of his father by a "gigantic hound" on

Dartmoor Dartmoor is an upland area in southern Devon, England. The moorland and surrounding land has been protected by National Park status since 1951. Dartmoor National Park covers . The granite which forms the uplands dates from the Carboniferous ...

. The investigation leads the pair to Baskerville, a military research base. In the conclusion it is revealed that the hounds were images induced by a mind-altering drug, a chemical weapon whose creator was in fact the real murderer of Henry's father. Because of the popularity of the novel, Gatiss felt a greater responsibility to include familiar elements of the story than he did when adapting the lesser-known stories. The script was intended to follow elements of the horror genre and make the episode scary. As opposed to traditional ghost stories, Gatiss's plot focused on more contemporary horrors,

conspiracy theories A conspiracy theory is an explanation for an event or situation that invokes a conspiracy by sinister and powerful groups, often political in motivation, when other explanations are more probable.Additional sources: * * * * The term has a nega ...

and

genetic modification Genetic engineering, also called genetic modification or genetic manipulation, is the modification and manipulation of an organism's genes using technology. It is a set of technologies used to change the genetic makeup of cells, including t ...

. Filming was done throughout May 2011, with additional shots taking place as late as August. Location shooting took place mostly across

South Wales South Wales ( cy, De Cymru) is a loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire, south Wales extends westwards ...

, though parts were shot in Dartmoor. The hound was created using

visual effects Visual effects (sometimes abbreviated VFX) is the process by which imagery is created or manipulated outside the context of a live-action shot in filmmaking and video production. The integration of live-action footage and other live-action foota ...

. After its broadcast on

, the episode received consolidated figures of 10.266 million viewers in the United Kingdom. This rating, although a slight drop from the previous episode, still represented the second largest audience in British television the week it aired. Critical reaction toward the episode was largely positive, with reviewers praising both the modernisation and its tonal fidelity to the original. Critics praised Cumberbatch, Freeman, and Tovey, as well as Sherlock's "mind palace" sequence.

Plot

Sherlock (

) and

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

(

) receive a visit from Henry Knight (

), who witnessed his father's death by a "gigantic hound" at

20 years ago. After years of therapy, Henry revisited the site, only to see the hound again, prompting his request for help. Though initially dismissive, Sherlock is soon interested in Henry's use of "hound" instead of "dog". Sherlock and John arrive in Dartmoor to find the hound is a local legend. They visit Baskerville, a nearby

Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...

research base, using Mycroft's (

) security pass. After Mycroft's credentials cause a security alert, Dr. Bob Frankland (

Clive Mantle Clive Andrew Mantle (born 3 June 1957) is an English actor. He played general surgeon Mike Barratt in the BBC hospital drama series ''Casualty'' and '' Holby City'' in the 1990s, and Little John in the 1980s fantasy series ''Robin of Sherwood' ...

) vouches for Sherlock's identity, despite knowing the truth. Frankland says he was a friend of Henry's father and is concerned for Henry's well-being. Henry tells John and Sherlock about the words "Liberty" and "In" in his dreams. Sherlock, John, and Henry then visit the hollow in the hope of finding the hound. On the way, John notices what seems to be

Morse code Morse code is a method used in telecommunication to encode text characters as standardized sequences of two different signal durations, called ''dots'' and ''dashes'', or ''dits'' and ''dahs''. Morse code is named after Samuel Morse, one of ...

signals (these were unrelated; they were headlight flashes from a group of doggers). When Sherlock and Henry arrive at the hollow, they see the hound. At a local inn, Sherlock is visibly shaken and confesses he saw the hound. John tries calming him, suggesting he imagines things. Sherlock reacts with anger, denying there is something wrong with him. John tries to interview Henry's therapist, Louise Mortimer (

Sasha Behar Sasha Behar (born 25 September 1971) is an English actress, known for portraying the role of Maya Sharma in the ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street''. Career Behar portrayed the character of villain Maya Sharma in the ITV soap opera '' Coro ...

). However, they are interrupted by Frankland, who blows his cover. Meanwhile, Henry hallucinates the hound is stalking his home. The next morning Sherlock realises "hound" may be an

acronym An acronym is a word or name formed from the initial components of a longer name or phrase. Acronyms are usually formed from the initial letters of words, as in ''NATO'' (''North Atlantic Treaty Organization''), but sometimes use syllables, as ...

rather than a word. The pair run into DI Lestrade (

Rupert Graves Rupert Simeon Graves (born 30 June 1963) is an English film, television, and theatre actor. He is known for his roles in ''A Room with a View'', ''Maurice'', ''The Madness of King George'' and ''The Forsyte Saga''. From 2010 to 2017 he starred ...

) who was sent by Mycroft to keep an eye on Sherlock. They interrogate the innkeepers about a past order for meat that John has spotted, which struck him as odd for a vegetarian restaurant. The innkeepers kept a dog on the moor to boost the tourist trade but assured the investigators they had put it down. This explanation satisfies Lestrade but not Sherlock, who insists the dog he saw was monstrous. Calling Mycroft, Sherlock gains access to Baskerville again. Searching the lower levels of the genetics labs, John finds himself trapped and then hears growling, which he assumes is the hound. Locking himself in an empty cage, he calls Sherlock, who rescues him. Sherlock deduces a

chemical weapon A chemical weapon (CW) is a specialized munition that uses chemicals formulated to inflict death or harm on humans. According to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), this can be any chemical compound intended as a ...

designed to trigger violent hallucinations was responsible. Retreating into his " mind palace", a memory technique, Sherlock realises "Liberty" and "In" stands for

Liberty, Indiana Liberty is a town in Center Township, Union County, Indiana, Center Township, Union County, Indiana, Union County, Indiana, United States of America. The population was 2,000 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. It is the county seat of ...

. After viewing confidential files, he sees "H.O.U.N.D." was a secret

C.I.A. The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, ...

project aimed at creating a hallucinatory

anti-personnel An anti-personnel weapon is a weapon primarily used to maim or kill infantry and other personnel not behind armor, as opposed to attacking structures or vehicles, or hunting game. The development of defensive fortification and combat vehicles ga ...

chemical weapon. Nonetheless, the project was abandoned several years before. Sherlock realises Frankland, who participated in the project, has continued it secretly. After John receives a call from Mortimer that Henry has run off with a gun, John, Sherlock, and Lestrade run to the hollow to find Henry about to commit suicide. Sherlock explains the hound was a hallucination; his father was killed by Frankland, wearing a gas mask and a sweatshirt with "H.O.U.N.D. Liberty, In" on it; a child could not cope with this, so his mind tricked him. Every time Henry came back, Frankland gassed him with the hallucinogen; the chemical agent is the fog they encountered at the hollow, triggered by pressure pads in the area. As Henry calms down, they all see the innkeepers' dog affected by the gas; John shoots it. Sherlock finds and catches Frankland at the scene. Henry realises that Frankland murdered Henry's father because he found him testing the drug. Frankland flees into the base's

minefield A land mine is an explosive device concealed under or on the ground and designed to destroy or disable enemy targets, ranging from combatants to vehicles and tanks, as they pass over or near it. Such a device is typically detonated automati ...

and gets blown up. As Sherlock and John prepare to leave the following day, John wonders why he saw the hound in the lab despite not having inhaled the gas from the hollow. Sherlock surmises that the leaking pipes poisoned John in the laboratory. John realises Sherlock locked him in the labs to test his theory. He also points out Sherlock was wrong for once; he believed the drug was in Henry's sugar and put it in John's coffee. In the closing scenes, Mycroft oversees the release of

Jim Moriarty James Moriarty (born 20 June 1953) is a New Zealand actor and theatre director, who began acting professionally in 1967. He came to national attention and is probably best known for his role as the school teacher Riki Winiata in the 1970s soap ...

( Andrew Scott) from a holding cell in which he has written Sherlock's name all over the walls.

Sources and allusions

The story is based on Arthur Conan Doyle's novel ''

'', and also contains plot devices and lines from other Doyle stories: *The hallucinogenic gas comes from "

The Adventure of the Devil's Foot "The Adventure of the Devil's Foot" from 1910 is one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by Arthur Conan Doyle. It is one of eight stories in the cycle collected as ''His Last Bow''. Doyle ranked "The Adventure of the Devil's Fo ...

". *Holmes' bloodsoaked appearance with a harpoon comes from "

The Adventure of Black Peter "The Adventure of Black Peter" is a Sherlock Holmes story by Arthur Conan Doyle. This tale is in the collection ''The Return of Sherlock Holmes''. It was originally published in ''Collier's'' (US) in February 1904 and in ''The Strand Magazine' ...

". *Holmes' stated preference for something stronger than tea, perhaps "seven percent stronger", is a reference to his use of a seven percent

cocaine Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly recreational drug use, used recreationally for its euphoria, euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from t ...

solution described in ''

The Sign of the Four ''The Sign of the Four'' (1890), also called ''The Sign of Four'', is the second novel featuring Sherlock Holmes by British writer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Doyle wrote four novels and 56 short stories featuring the fictional detective. Plot ...

''. *The scene wherein Holmes claims to have made a bet with Watson comes from a similar scene in "

The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

." The episode also introduces the popular catchphrase, "Once you've ruled out the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be true", from several stories. The copy of ''

The Racing Post ''Racing Post'' is a British daily horse racing, greyhound racing and sports betting publisher which is published in print and digital formats. It is printed in tabloid format from Monday to Sunday. , it has an average daily circulation of ...

'', in the man's pocket is a clear allusion to the 'Pink 'un' from the original story's "When you see a man with whiskers of that cut and the 'Pink 'un' protruding out of his pocket, you can always draw him by a bet" *Sherlock calls Lestrade " brown as a nut", a phrase taken word-for-word from a different conversation in ''

A Study in Scarlet ''A Study in Scarlet'' is an 1887 detective novel by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle. The story marks the first appearance of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, who would become the most famous detective duo in literature. The book's title der ...

''.

Production

Casting

In June 2011, it was announced that

would appear in ''Sherlock'' series two in its second episode. Tovey, who liked ''Sherlock'' for staying true to the style of the novels despite its modern twist, said of the experience: "It's amazing to be a part of it", adding, "I got to act with Benedict and Martin which was awesome". The actor also explained that during his scenes, "We did about two and a half weeks of night shoots in Cardiff and I felt like I had jetlag." In terms of Henry's character, Tovey did not want him to be a "jibbering wreck", but rather mature and truthful as well as damaged and haunted. Gatiss also made Henry display signs of

survivor guilt Survivor guilt (or survivor's guilt; also called survivor syndrome or survivor's syndrome and survivor disorder or survivor's disorder) is a mental condition that occurs when a person believes they have done something wrong by surviving a traumati ...

. Tovey's nephew auditioned for the part of a younger Henry, but another child actor was cast for the role as the nephew was considered too young.

Background and writing

The episode was based on ''

'', first serialised in 1901–1902; it is considered one of

's most famous Holmes stories, as it was written after Doyle killed off Sherlock and, consequently, sold well. It was also one of the most adapted novels in the Sherlock Holmes series. Because of its popularity, writer

felt a greater responsibility to include familiar elements of the story than he did when adapting the lesser-known stories. Conan Doyle had killed off his famous character in the 1893 story "

The Final Problem "The Final Problem" is a short story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle featuring his detective character Sherlock Holmes. It was first published in ''The Strand Magazine'' in the United Kingdom, and ''McClure's'' in the United States, under the title ...

", but bowed to popular pressure to write another Holmes adventure. Gatiss observed that Conan Doyle's weariness with the character is demonstrated by Holmes' absence for half of ''The Hound of the Baskervilles'', in which Doctor Watson's role is foregrounded. In contrast to the original, however, the producers decided to centre Sherlock in their adaptation, so Sherlock only threatens to stay behind in London. In addition, the three episodes of the second series show Sherlock dealing, respectively, with love, fear, and death. Here, the producers wanted Sherlock, an arch-rationalist, to confront something that seemed impossible, especially since their Sherlock is still a young character who has not experienced fear yet. Freeman stated that when he sees the hound, Sherlock becomes "really terrified" and for some time, stops trusting the evidence he has seen. The producers also considered how to make the dog believable because, according to Gatiss, audiences always find the dog disappointing in the adaptations. Therefore, Gatiss wanted the solution to be more than a "dog with luminous paint". In one scene, Henry has an hallucination in his home, wherein the hound sets off the bright security lights in his back garden. That scene is apparently based on the experience of co-creator

Steven Moffat Steven William Moffat (; born 18 November 1961) is a Scottish television writer, television producer and screenwriter. He is best known for his work as showrunner, writer and executive producer of the science fiction television series ''Doct ...

and his executive producer and wife Sue Vertue, who also have bright security lights and are frequently startled whenever the lights turn on at night. There were other differences from the novel. Henry Knight was based on Sir Henry Baskerville, but the character Barrymore, a butler in the book, became an Army major. Another character, Fletcher, was original to the episode; the character was based on

Bertram Fletcher Robinson Bertram Fletcher Robinson (22 August 1870 – 21 January 1907) was an English sportsman, journalist, author and Liberal Unionist Party campaigner. Between 1893 and 1907, he wrote nearly three hundred items, including a series of short stories th ...

, the journalist who assisted Doyle with the novel. In another scene, John notices what appears to be Morse code, but it is unrelated to the case. Moffat named it the funniest instance where the producers take an element from Doyle's works and "do something cheeky with it". The Baskerville base was based on

Porton Down Porton Down is a science park in Wiltshire, England, just northeast of the village of Porton, near Salisbury. It is home to two British government facilities: a site of the Ministry of Defence's Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl ...

military science Military science is the study of military processes, institutions, and behavior, along with the study of warfare, and the theory and application of organized coercive force. It is mainly focused on theory, method, and practice of producing mil ...

research centre. While conducting research for the episode, Gatiss learned that artists and scientists made a luminous rabbit, using the

green fluorescent protein The green fluorescent protein (GFP) is a protein that exhibits bright green fluorescence when exposed to light in the blue to ultraviolet range. The label ''GFP'' traditionally refers to the protein first isolated from the jellyfish ''Aequorea ...

of a

jellyfish Jellyfish and sea jellies are the informal common names given to the medusa-phase of certain gelatinous members of the subphylum Medusozoa, a major part of the phylum Cnidaria. Jellyfish are mainly free-swimming marine animals with umbrella- ...

, which formed the basis for a side story involving a "glow-in-the-dark" rabbit created at Baskerville by Dr. Stapleton, the mother of the child who wrote to Sherlock at the beginning of the episode requesting that he help her find her missing rabbit. In the episode, it is specified that the spliced-in "GFP gene" that had allowed the rabbit to glow had come from a jellyfish of the species

Aequorea victoria ''Aequorea victoria'', also sometimes called the crystal jelly, is a bioluminescent hydrozoan jellyfish, or hydromedusa, that is found off the west coast of North America. The species is best known as the source of two proteins involved in biolu ...

. Also, Gatiss suggested the concept of a "mind palace", a memory technique originating in Ancient Greece; the idea came from a book by illusionist

Derren Brown Derren Brown (born 27 February 1971) is an English mentalist, illusionist, painter, and author. He began performing in 1992, making his television debut with ''Derren Brown: Mind Control'' in 2000, and has since produced several more shows fo ...

. This technique would lead Sherlock to the revelation of the secret H.O.U.N.D. project. Early script drafts had Henry accidentally kill Louise Mortimer, but producers were never satisfied with this development, thinking Henry would have failed if she died. Writers also posited that Henry's father's murder involved revenge after he had an affair, but the producers and Gatiss found it easier to mention he died because he learned of Franklin's experiments with the hallucinogenic gas. The ending also changed; the final scene had originally involved Moriarty entering the

Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is separa ...

but that was held back for the following episode.

Filming and effects

"The Hounds of Baskerville" took around four weeks to film, with shooting mostly taking place throughout May 2011. Additional scenes were shot later in July and August. Filming on location mostly took place across

, with parts of the episode being shot on location in Dartmoor, even though the producers did not originally intend to do so. The first day took place at a cemetery. The producers were looking for a village in South Wales that was "very English-looking." Scenes of the fictional "Cross Keys" pub were filmed at the Bush Inn in

St Hilary, Vale of Glamorgan St Hilary ( cy, Saint Hilari ) is a village in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. It is located just south of the A48, about a mile southeast of the market town of Cowbridge. The village has a population of about 260, in approximately 80 house ...

. The production team donated £500 to the village after filming had finished. In one scene, after Sherlock first witnesses the hound, Sherlock makes deductions about a mother and son from a nearby table. In filming the scene, Cumberbatch has to recall multiple pages of monologue in front of camera, and had to talk faster than he was used to. The scenes at Baskerville were filmed at a number of locations. The exterior was filmed at the gas works by Baverstocks near

Llwydcoed Llwydcoed is a small village and community north of the Cwm Cynon, near the town of Aberdare, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, with a population of 1,302 as of 2011 census. History The village initially developed in the Tregibbon area, where in 1801 ...

Mid Glamorgan , Government= Mid Glamorgan County Council , Status= Non-metropolitan county (1974–1996) Preserved county (1996–) , Start= 1974 , End= 1996 , Arms= ''Coat of arms of Mid ...

. The labs meanwhile were filmed in two separate locations, one of which was a microchip processing facility. The switch between two locations meant that the crew had to transport a lift set. The scenes in Dewer's Hollow, where the hound was sighted, was filmed near

Castell Coch (; ) is a 19th-century Gothic Revival castle built above the village of in South Wales. The first castle on the site was built by the Normans after 1081 to protect the newly conquered town of Cardiff and control the route along the Taff Gorge ...

. The reveal scenes in the hollow took two nights to film. At some point filming the scenes were delayed due to

rain Rain is water droplets that have condensed from atmospheric water vapor and then fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the Earth. It provides water f ...

. The scenes shot in Dartmoor took place in areas such as

Haytor Haytor, also known as Haytor Rocks, Hay Tor, or occasionally Hey Tor, is a granite tor on the eastern edge of Dartmoor in the English county of Devon. Location The tor is at grid reference , near the village of Haytor Vale in the parish of Il ...

and

Hound Tor Hound Tor is a tor on Dartmoor, Devon, England and is a good example of a heavily weathered granite outcrop. It is easily accessible, situated within a few minutes from the B3387 between Bovey Tracey and Widecombe-in-the-Moor. The site is adm ...

, the latter of which was said to be where the original story was set. Throughout his scenes, Rupert Graves was tanned because before filming the episode, the actor was in

Guadeloupe Guadeloupe (; ; gcf, label=Antillean Creole, Gwadloup, ) is an archipelago and overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean. It consists of six inhabited islands—Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galante, La Désirade, and the ...

, an island on the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

, appearing in '' Death in Paradise''. As a result, Gatiss added mention that Lestrade went on holiday in the script. In the original episode, John was to hallucinate the hound at a meat storage locker. However, after visiting such a locker in

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

, the producers came to realise that it would be too expensive, and cold for Freeman, forcing them to change the setting to the Baskerville labs. In one scene, Sherlock is driving a

Land Rover Land Rover is a British brand of predominantly four-wheel drive, off-road capable vehicles, owned by multinational car manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), since 2008 a subsidiary of India's Tata Motors. JLR currently builds Land Rovers ...

with John as a passenger after their arrival at Dartmoor; John was originally going to be the one driving the car, however Freeman cannot drive. In the client scenes, Tovey had to smoke a

herbal cigarette Herbal cigarettes (also called tobacco-free cigarettes or nicotine-free cigarettes) are cigarettes that usually do not contain any tobacco or nicotine, instead being composed of a mixture of various herbs and/or other plant material. However, Chi ...

as it was illegal to smoke real cigarettes on set. Throughout the episode, the production crew used split

dioptre A dioptre (British spelling) or diopter (American spelling) is a unit of measurement with dimension of reciprocal length, equivalent to one reciprocal metre, 1 dioptre = 1 m−1. It is normally used to express the optical power of a lens or curv ...

s in certain scenes, a camera technique where two separate camera angles are at the same focus on screen. The episode also includes shots of the hound, which was produced by

. Although the series used

computer-generated imagery Computer-generated imagery (CGI) is the use of computer graphics to create or contribute to images in art, printed media, video games, simulators, and visual effects in films, television programs, shorts, commercials, and videos. The images may ...

(CGI) in the past, it was the first time a visual effect was made on a large scale. However, there was no guide for the cast to interact with.

Broadcast and reception

"The Hounds of Baskerville" was first broadcast on BBC One on Sunday, 8 January 2012 between 8:30 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. It received preliminary overnight figures of 8.16 million viewers with a 29 per cent audience share. It was down by almost 400,000 from the previous week, but it was still the most seen broadcast in its timeslot, beating

ITV1 ITV1 (formerly known as ITV) is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the British media company ITV plc. It provides the Channel 3 public broadcast service across all of the United Kingdom except for t ...

drama '' Wild at Heart''. When final ratings are factored, the episode saw an increase of more than two million viewers, totalling 10.266 million viewers, making it the second most viewed programme for the week. The episode was later repeated on the digital channel

BBC Three BBC Three is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was first launched on 9 February 2003 with programmes targeting 16 to 34-year-olds, covering all genres including animation, comedy, curre ...

on Saturday, 14 January 2012 from 7pm, and was seen by 710,000 viewers. It also became the most-watched programme of 2012 on the online

BBC iPlayer BBC iPlayer (stylised as iPLAYER or BBC iPLAYER) is a video on demand service from the BBC. The service is available on a wide range of devices, including mobile phones and tablets, personal computers and smart televisions. iPlayer services del ...

as of May, with over 1.6 million views. The

British Board of Film Classification The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC, previously the British Board of Film Censors) is a non-governmental organisation founded by the British film industry in 1912 and responsible for the national classification and censorship of f ...

awarded the episode a 12 certificate for "moderate threat and violence." The episode, which is accompanied by an

audio commentary An audio commentary is an additional audio track, usually digital, consisting of a lecture or comments by one or more speakers, that plays in real time with a video. Commentaries can be serious or entertaining in nature, and can add informatio ...

by Moffat, Gatiss, Tovey and Vertue, was released with the remainder of the second series in the UK on

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...

and

Blu-ray The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of sto ...

on 23 January 2012.

Critical reception

Caspar David Friedrich - Wanderer above the sea of fog

Reviews of the episode were mostly positive. In a pre-broadcast review, Terry Ramsey of ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...

'' labelled the story's shift from a Gothic house to a military research base "an inspired piece of modernisation". He praised the two lead actors, and say that "the script is sharp and witty and the updating is clever, while remaining true to the original. A modern classic." Serena Davies, also of ''The Daily Telegraph'' praised the episode for being "pacy, sharp and witty, as we've come to expect from the Moffat and Gatiss crack creative duo, and rather less inscrutable than the New Year episode." Davies rated the episode four out of five stars. Chris Harvey, again from ''The Daily Telegraph'' identified a range of clues, cultural references and possible inspirations. He suggests that the scene in which "Sherlock Holmes clambered alone to the top of a Dartmoor mound and surveyed the landscape below, it appeared to be a direct visual reference to ... ''

Wanderer above the Sea of Fog ''Wanderer above the Sea of Fog'' is a painting by German Romantic artist Caspar David Friedrich made in 1818. It depicts a man standing upon a rocky precipice with his back to the viewer; he is gazing out on a landscape covered in a thick sea of ...

''" by 19th century German Romantic landscape painter

Caspar David Friedrich Caspar David Friedrich (5 September 1774 – 7 May 1840) was a 19th-century German Romantic landscape painter, generally considered the most important German artist of his generation. He is best known for his mid-period allegorical landscape ...

. Harvey also identified several references to

Thomas Harris William Thomas Harris III (born 1940/1941) is an American writer, best known for a series of suspense novels about his most famous character, Hannibal Lecter. The majority of his works have been adapted into films and television, the most notab ...

' character

Hannibal Lecter Dr. Hannibal Lecter is a Character (arts), fictional character created by the novelist Thomas Harris. Lecter is a serial killer who Human cannibalism, eats his victims. Before his capture, he was a respected Forensic psychiatry, forensic psychi ...

, plot similarities to the 2005 film ''

Batman Begins ''Batman Begins'' is a 2005 superhero film directed by Christopher Nolan and written by Nolan and David S. Goyer. The film is based on the DC Comics character Batman, it stars Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne / Batman, with Michael Caine, Liam ...

'', and jokes similar to ''

Scooby-Doo ''Scooby-Doo'' is an American animation, animated media franchise based on an animated television series launched in 1969 and continued through several derivative List of Scooby-Doo media, media. Writers Joe Ruby and Ken Spears created the orig ...

''. Sam Wollaston, for ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', favourably compared "The Hounds of Baskerville" to "

A Scandal in Belgravia "A Scandal in Belgravia" is the first episode of the second series of the BBC crime drama series '' Sherlock'', which follows the modern-day adventures of Sherlock Holmes, and was first broadcast by BBC One on 1 January 2012. It was written by ...

", writing that the episode "has a 21st-century pace to it, and fizzes with the wit we've come to expect from ''Sherlock'' ... ecapturingthe essence of ''The Hound of the Baskervilles'' ... like the original, it's properly creepy". The ''

Radio Times ''Radio Times'' (currently styled as ''RadioTimes'') is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio programme schedules, with other features such as interviews, film reviews and lifestyle items. Founded in May 1923 by J ...

''s David Butcher compared the episode to

's series opener, "A Scandal in Belgravia", saying this "is more of a creepy affair, all jittery camerawork, paranoia and suspense." Christopher Hootan of ''

Metro Metro, short for metropolitan, may refer to: Geography * Metro (city), a city in Indonesia * A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center Public transport * Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urba ...

'' thought the episode was "the perfect marriage of misty, moor-based foreboding and modern, fast-paced thriller," adding that "with a breakneck script and captivating acting from Benedict Cumberbatch, ''Sherlock'' offers about the fastest hour and a half of television going at the moment." Louisa Mellor of Den of Geek believed the episode was "well-schooled" in the horror genre, "with plenty of freaking out and jumping at shadows. Arnold and Price's elegant music came to the fore wonderfully in the largely wordless scenes of Watson and Henry's fearful hallucinations." Mellor was also appreciative of McGuigan's "stylish hand" as director, particularly highlighting the "mind palace" sequence, as well as Tovey's performance as Henry Knight and for "once again" seeing Watson's role for being "more than just sigh exasperatedly at his flatmate and apologise to others on Sherlock's behalf." In summary, the reviewer stated "I can only echo Sherlock's own closing words to Henry: "This case, thank you, it's been brilliant"." Chris Tilly of

IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...

rated the episode a "good" 7 out of 10, but stated that although it was "full of mystery and intrigue," the central story "wasn't strong enough to fill the 90-minute run-time, running out of steam at the mid-way point and padded out with irrelevant and at times exasperating efforts to throw the audience off the scent." Tilly praised Cumberbatch's performance as a mentally broke down Holmes, and Freeman for being "let off the leash this week, with Watson investigating solo on a couple of occasions," and also thought Tovey was a "fine addition to the ensemble." David Lewis of CultBox called it "a pretty straightforward thriller about chemical warfare, cover-ups and a colossal canine. It's also suspenseful, spooky and superb." The reviewer also commented on the hound's appearance: "It isn't utant of course—just an evil-looking mutt hired by Gary and Billy to drum up business for their boozer—and happily, like all the previous hounds that have haunted Holmes in film and TV for nearly a hundred years, it looks gloriously rubbish when it finally appears." Lewis rated the episode four out of five stars. Morgan Jeffery of

Digital Spy Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television programmes, ...

thought "The Hounds of Baskerville" was "an excellent installment of Sherlock — fun, moody and, at times, genuinely scary." Jeffery felt that the final realisation of the hound was impressive, and praised the CGI work, as well as the performance of Cumberbatch and Freeman. However, some critics gave the episode mixed to negative reviews. Tom Ryan of WhatCulture rated the episode two and a half out of five stars, summing up the review with; "Given the popularity of the original book and the success thus far of the current TV series, it is safe to assume that last night's episode was perhaps the most eagerly anticipated installment of the show since its inception. Too bad then that it was so underwhelming." ''The Guardian'' writer Stuart Heritage stated; "Last night's Hounds of Baskervilles wasn't quite as rapturously received as other adventures, perhaps because of the amount of time that Cumberbatch and Freeman spent apart. The whole middle section, where Watson stormed off in a huff after being subjected to another one of Sherlock's baroque "that man is left-handed and also has dog hair on one of his socks" monologues, felt slow and flat precisely because there was none of the chemistry between the two leads that we've come to expect from Sherlock." Jim Shelley of the ''

Daily Mirror The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily tabloid. Founded in 1903, it is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its masthead was simply ''The Mirror''. It had an average daily print ...

'' stated that the episode was "a disappointment," contrasting it against the original book as "a tedious treatise against vivisection." However, Shelley stated that he enjoyed the "mind palace" scene.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hounds of Baskerville, The 2012 British television episodes Television episodes written by Mark Gatiss Sherlock (TV series) episodes Works about the British Armed Forces Works about armies Television episodes about drugs