The Opening Scene of Sherlock Was Rewritten Fourteen Times. Here's What the Final Version Said That the First Thirteen Couldn't
2026/07/28
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Fourteen drafts.
That is the number Mark Gatiss has referenced when discussing the development of the opening scene of — the scene that would introduce Watson, establish his state at the beginning of the story, and set the emotional terms for everything that follows.
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He has not described what the first thirteen versions contained. He has described what they all failed to do: they introduced Watson as a character. They gave his history, established his circumstances, positioned him in relation to the story about to unfold.
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