He Almost Didn't Audition for Sherlock. The Casting Director Had to Chase Him Down.
2026/06/17
Report
ADVERTISEMENT
He Almost Didn't Audition for Sherlock. The Casting Director Had to Chase Him Down.
Most actors would do anything to land a BBC lead role. Benedict Cumberbatch almost skipped the audition entirely.
In 2009, when Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss were developing their modern reimagining of Sherlock Holmes, Cumberbatch was already committed to a busy theatre schedule.
ADVERTISEMENT
The casting director, Kate Rhodes James, had seen him in a stage production and was convinced he was the one. When his initial response was lukewarm—he was genuinely uncertain whether a BBC pilot would go anywhere—she pushed back.
The article is not finished. Click on the next page to continue.
ADVERTISEMENT
The article is not finished. Click on the next page to continue.
Next page
He has one scene in the show where he is genuinely happy. Not performing contentment, not managing his presentation. Actually happy. It lasts eleven seconds. Fifteen years later, fans still treat those eleven seconds like a gift.
2026/08/20
Watson's blog exists. It was updated during the show's run, in Watson's voice, with case notes that never appeared on screen. Most fans don't know it's still online — or what it says about cases Holmes never told us about.
2026/08/20
There is a moment in Sherlock that Cumberbatch has described as the hardest thing he has ever been asked to do on screen. It is not a dramatic scene. It is not a physical challenge. It is eleven words — and how to say them to someone who cannot hear them.
2026/08/20
The Sherlock fandom has a word for the relationship between Holmes and Watson that exists in no dictionary. It has been used over 47 million times online. The creators know about it. They have never commented on it directly. That silence is its own kind of answer.
2026/08/20
The last scene of Sherlock was filmed in two hours. The crew knew, while filming it, that it was the last thing they would make together. What happened after the director called cut for the final time has never been reported anywhere — until a crew member mentioned it in passing last year.
2026/08/20
The 221B Baker Street Set Was Built to Disorient Visitors on Purpose. Here's What the Production Designer Hid in Plain Sight.
2026/06/17
Mark Gatiss Based Mycroft Holmes on Someone Real — And Benedict Cumberbatch Figured Out Who It Was.
2026/06/17
Why Watson, Not Holmes, Is the Moral Compass of Sherlock’s Darkest Cases 🔥
2025/12/02
Nick Hogan Finally Speaks Out on Brooke Hogan Feud After Their Father Hulk Hogan’s Passing
2026/09/03
Jersey Shore Star Jenni “JWoww” Farley Opens Up About Her Frightening Medical Emergency — What Really Happened?
2026/09/03
Jennifer Lawrence Finally Reveals the Cosmetic Work She’s Had Done — What Really Happened Behind Her Transformation？
2026/09/03
Heartbreaking Yet Beautiful: Rob and Michele Reiner’s Son Jake Marries Maria Gilfillan Eight Months After Losing His Parents
2026/09/03
Emotional Update: Naya Rivera’s Son Josey Honors His Mom’s Legacy With His First Acting Role Six Years After Her Tragic Loss
2026/09/03
Anna “Chickadee” Cardwell’s Widower Eldridge Toney Welcomes a New Baby, Fans Share Heartfelt Reactions
2026/09/03
Kelly Osbourne Reveals Why She “Never Explained Gender” to Her Young Son Sidney — Her Honest Parenting Choice Sparks Conversation
2026/09/03
Travis Kelce Makes a Rare Comment About Taylor Swift’s Style: ‘Tay’s Always Authentically Herself’
2026/09/03
Nina Dobrev Stuns in a Daring Sky Blue Sideboob-Baring Halter Dress for Finneas’s Wedding
2026/09/03
MEET WENDY! TAYLOR SWIFT AND TRAVIS KELCE FINALLY REVEAL THEIR DOG'S NAME 🐶✨
2026/09/03
Kate Middleton and Queen Camilla have developed a close and warm relationship
2026/09/03
Princess Diana’s Brother Charles Spencer Shares Heartbreaking Description of How He Feels Every Anniversary of Her Death
2026/09/03
