During a virtual panel celebrating 10 years of the hit BBC One showSherlock, series creators Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss joined with Executive Producer Sue Vertue to answer a number of fan-submitted questions. One notable question near the end of the event asked who each guest would hypothetically cast asSherlock Holmes, John Watson, and Jim Moriarty if the characters were to be played by women, and the answers were intriguing.
Tossing their hats into the ever dynamic ring of fan speculation, both Moffat and Gatiss took a second to think, then shot out some suggestions. Moffat’s first pick was Michelle Gomez as Sherlock. Fans of the other hugely popular BBC show,Doctor Who, will likely recognize Gomez as Missy, one of the recent incarnations of long time antagonist The Master. Moffat’s choice is significant, as Gomez was notable as the first, and to date, only woman to portray the character.
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At the same time, Mark Gatiss offered Phoebe Waller-Bridge in the same role. An accomplished actress, writer, and producer, Waller-Bridge is known for several works, depending on who you ask. Some know her as the creator and titular character in the comedy-drama seriesFleabag, while others recognize her as the voice and motion capture actress of the activist droid L3-37 inSolo: A Star Wars Story. That dry snark would likely find a comfortable home with the hyper-intelligent Sherlock Holmes.
Moffat went on to suggest Olivia Colman, known as Queen Elizabeth II onThe Crown, while Vertue chimed in with Jodie Comer ofKilling Eve. Then they all took a moment to agree that the character of Sherlock Holmes could easily be transposed to a different sex with very few changes. “I think that part would go female very easily,” Moffat said, “I don’t think you have to do anything. Change the pronouns, but you don’t even have to change the name.” They later went on to clarify that all of their picks for Sherlock would work equally as well playing Holmes' nemesis, Moriarty.
He then added that the real tough call would bewho to cast as John Watson, Holmes' partner. No mention was made of Lucy Liu, who notably played the character in CBS’sElementary. Though when the question was posed to Moffat’s son, Louis (who was serving as an informal moderator for the event), he came up with American actress Claire Danes, known as Carrie Mathison on the spy thriller seriesHomeland.
Being a fan-focused event, the panel was less about new information and more about insight into the show as it is. Though there were a few other standout moments, such as Moffat addressing how Sherlock Holmes would react to thecurrent real world quarantine. “I think Sherlock could quarantine himself for 3 months without knowing that he had,” Moffat mused with a chuckle, “I think he could just sit there.”
Season 5 ofSherlockstill has yet to be officially confirmed, but the first four seasons are currently available to stream on Netflix.
