Sherlock Holmes's popularity has sky-rocketed recently with both the Robert Downey Jr movies and the Benedict Cumberbatch TV series. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's detective character who first appeared in 1887 has retained a timeless quality, which has inspired generation after generation of fans. The super sleuth has been brilliantly portrayed in the TV series Sherlock with a contemporary adaptation, reimagining the character for a sophisticated modern audience. Whereas the films give an action spin, focusing on stunts and visuals to give a more exciting and action packed Holmes experience.
But the question remains who is the best Holmes? Which fandom do you aspire to be in? Are you a Cumberbitch or an RDJ Duckling?
We were sent a stack of Sherlock Holmes goodies by Gala Bingo so we could enjoy an evening of Baker Street fun and decide who we think makes the best detective.
To make such a decision, we had to harness our inner detective and Ian was only too happy to step into the role of Sherlock Holmes himself, rocking the original deerstalker look!
To hone his detective skills, we had a game of Sherlock Cluedo where he deduced that Moriarty was killed with the gun on the roof of St.Barts! The game itself features characters and locations directly from the TV series, transposed into the original Cluedo format. A great way to update an old classic.
Having a Sherlock Holmes themed night is a lot of fun. It provides an excuse to dress-up, play games and watch some cracking good TV and movies. You could throw in an element of Murder Mystery and designate someone to play Holmes (donning them with a deerstalker hat) then make clues for the guests to guess whodunnit! British themed food such as a traditional roast dinner followed by a sherry trifle would help set the scene. A snifter of Port afterwards is quintessentially British. Or how about a traditional tea party? You could even have a go at the slots with games such as Sheerluck Holmes on offer to raise the stakes of the evening even higher. There are Sherlock Holmes video games that you can download and play online to get you in the mood. There is even a Sherlock game for the Wii. Dressing up needn't be expensive, just grab a pipe and a magnifying glass! Instant Sherlock. Decorating the house with some period detailing...think candlesticks, drapes and throws, adds instant atmposphere. Or apply handprints and blood splashes to windows and paintwork to inspire some good old fashioned detecting.
So, after careful deduction, sleuthery and teamwork we have come up with our solution to the question of who is the better Holmes! Although Cumberbatch's intelligent portrayal of Sherlock has taken the story to a whole new level of genius throwing the character into 21st century London with a seamless ease, Robert Downey Jr wins hands down with us. I mean he is just so gorgeous and he is Iron Man too. Yes this is a very shallow way to determine who is the best Sherlock, but we're only human and cannot resist Downey's charismatic appeal. I am a self-confessed RDJ Duckling and Ian has a huge man-crush on him. Poor Benedict Cumberbatch did not stand a chance in the battle of the super sleuths (even though the intellectual side of me knows that his portrayal is in fact by far superior). This is a heart over head decision...definitely not a Holmes inspired well deduced logical piece of detective work!
