Doctor Who Vs. Sherlock Holmes (2008)

Co-producer Lionel Wigram was free to

develop this Anglo-American project when he

left Warner Bros. After legal issues with the

Conan Doyle estate were resolved, the studio

began production in 2007, and Guy Ritchie

(who imagined Holmes as a period action hero)

was assigned as director.

New York-born actor/singer Robert Downey Jr

and Jude Law were cast as Holmes and Watson.

Irene Adler and DI Lestrade were portrayed by Rachel McAdams and Eddie Marsan, whilst

Kelly Reilly and Geraldine James appeared as

Mary Morstan and Mrs. Hudson. 

Location filming was conducted in London,
Manchester, Liverpool, Chatham, then
Brooklyn, and the film was released at
Christmas 2009. A sequel (subtitled A Game

of Shadows) followed in late 2011 - it starred

Jared Harris (Moriarty), Noomi Rapace, Stephen

Fry, and Paul Anderson - and a third feature is

still planned.

Both shown on Channel 5 today, the films

featured a total of thirty-three Doctor Who cast and crew connections:

Sherlock Holmes

• James [William] Fox (Rotherham) voiced Professor Chronotis for Big Finish's Shada
• William Hope (Standish) voiced General Tillington for Renaissance of the Daleks (2007)
• Andrew Brooke (Captain) was Kahler-Tek the Gunslinger in A Town Called Mercy
• Miles Jupp (Waiter) voiced Dominic for Power Play (2012), and Inquisitor Xavier for The Revolution (2014)
• James Greene (Governor) was the Abbot in The Bells of Saint John
• Michael Jenn (Preacher) was Clarence in The Name of the Doctor
• Paul Bateman (Prisoner here; Stallholder in A Game of Shadows) was Groundling in The Shakespeare Code
• Peter Miles (Thug), Rick English and Glenn Foster were all stuntmen on Tooth and Claw too - Miles also worked on The Girl in the Fireplace
• Marcus Shakesheff (stunts here & Sherlock; Hashisheen in A Game of Shadows) was also stuntman on The End of Time and Cold War
• Nina Armstrong and Chris Pollard were stunt performers on The Runaway Bride and Robot of Sherwood respectively
• Paul Kennington and James O'Donnell were also stuntmen on Rise of the Cybermen, The Age of Steel, Army of Ghosts and Doomsday - O'Donnell also worked on The Doctor's Daughter
• Rob Cooper, Guy List and Ian Pead were stuntmen on Evolution of the Daleks, Dinosaurs on a Spaceship and Twice Upon a Time respectively
• Bean Peel was also stunt performer on Father's Day and Night Terrors
• Gordon Seed was also a stuntman on twenty-one stories, and the stunt co-ordinator on another thirteen (from The Idiot's Lantern to Kill the Moon)
• Ryan Stuart was stuntman on Nightmare in Silver too

A Game of Shadows

• Fry (Mycroft here; Watson for Audible's The Hound of the Baskervilles, 2021) voiced the Minister of Chance for Death Comes to Time, and was C in Spyfall (1)
• Anderson (Moran) made his TV debut as Jason in The Christmas Invasion
• Wolf Kahler (Hoffmanstahl here; the King in A Scandal in Bohemia, 1982) voiced Teacher for Willkommen (2022)
• Charles Walters (Bomber) was Robert Sleigh in An Adventure in Space and Time
• Laurence Dobiesz (Servant) voiced Wilheim Royzcki for Their Finest Hour (2018), and Torquil Jonas for The Ghost Writers (2020)
• Jonathan Christie (Diplomat) voiced Captain Schumer for The Lure of the Nomad, and Seth Heyer for Open the Box (both 2018)
• Maitland Chandler (Banker) voiced Rufus Dimplesqueeze for Other Lives, and Seo for Singularity (both 2005)
• Alexander Devrient (Gypsy) was Colonel [Christofer] Ibrahim in The Giggle, The Legend of Ruby Sunday, Empire of Death and The War Between the Land and the Sea
• Becky Wright (ADR voice group) voiced Lizzo for The Rani Elite (2014), Flo Hawkins/Alayna for Iron Bright (2018), Witch for Blood on Santa's Claw, Shreela/Jana/Pip/Janey for The Baby Awakes, Mole for Brightly Shone the Moon that Night (all 2019), Alex/Lehena for The Shoreditch Intervention, Nancy/Lady Calisto/Hologram Tyrax for Plight of the Pimpernel (both 2020), Private Claire Duval for The Curator's Gambit (2021), Terri for Dying Hours, and Jodall for Enemy Mine (both 2023)
• Lukas DiSparrow (Dealer) was Goblin in The Church on Ruby Road
• Levan Doran was stuntmen on Tooth and Claw too
• Lloyd Bass was also stuntman on The Time of the Doctor and Twice Upon a Time