2009 BAKER STREET

Stephen Moffat, the British writer who brought us 'Coupling' and some of the best episodes in the revived series of 'Doctor Who', will be taking on the role of show-runner for that sci-fi series once Russell T. Davies finally takes his death grip off the controls. But Moffat won't be just focused on 'Doctor Who'; he'll also be updating the story of Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson to modern times, just as he did for the story of 'Jeckyll'.

Bernard Cumberbatch, whom I just saw in the 2003 series 'Fortysomething', will be Sherlock Holmes, the great consulting detective, while Martin Freeman, of the original 'The Office' and (unfortunately) that horrid movie adaptation of 'The Hitch-Hiker's Guide To The Galaxy', will be Dr. Watson.

In Moffat's script for the pilot, even some of the situations established in the Conan Doyle canon will be updated along with the characters. For instance, Holmes was able to ascertain that Watson was recently returned from service in Afghanistan, where he was wounded in the Battle of Maiwand. This works nicely for the modern version, as troops are still serving in Afghanistan....

If the BBC likes what they see - and hey! It's the Grand Moff writing this! - they will order a full series.

If so, I'm thinking that it just may be possible to keep the series in the main Toobworld, rather than depositing it into some alternate TV dimension, like the one for updated TV remakes where shows like this usually go.

Toobworld has a habit of rewinding past lives and situations and letting them play out again. We're seeing that happen even now with the American version of 'Life On Mars'; for a while, the plots of the US copy of 'The Office' followed those of the original.

So why couldn't it be that these "Fabulous Baker Street Boys" are descendants of the originals? Destined by the Fates to relive the adventures shared by their great(plus) grand-sires? As such, we can not only link them to the Jeremy Brett incarnation of the Great Detective, but it could stave off any Zonks caused by mentions in other Toobworld series of the original Holmes and Watson. (The existence of the original stories has long been splained away as being written by Dr. Watson, and that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle merely served as their literary agent.

The game's afoot!

BCnU!
Toby O'B