Characters

The following is a list and description of the characters of Sherlock, a British television series that started airing on BBC One in July 2010. The series is a contemporary adaptation of the Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and was created by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss.

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Played by Benedict Cumberbatch, Sherlock describes himself as "a consulting detective", helping out Scotland Yard when they are out of their depth with cases. He appears as a tall, thin man with dark, curly hair. Sherlock is highly intelligent and able to deduce information from the small details.

> Sherlock Scott Holmes <

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Dr. Watson is Sherlock's best friend. He is often a foil to Sherlock in both appearance and personality. John is short with blond hair. He is friendly, compassionate, and patient. He gets on better with the police and takes care of practical matters at their flat, apparently doing most of the shopping.

> Dr. John Hamish Watson <

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Detective Inspector Greg Lestrade works for Scotland Yard. He has a reluctant respect for Sherlock and often defends him from the other police officers' animosity. He is often frustrated by Sherlock's cryptic deductions and habit of withholding evidence, but believes that he is a great man.

> Inspector Greg Lestrade <

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Mrs. Martha Louise Hudson, née Sissons played by Una Stubbs is the landlady of 221B Baker Street. Sherlock won his way into her good graces after ensuring her husband, who ran a drug cartel, was executed for a double murder in Florida.

> Martha Louise Hudson <

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Mycroft Holmes is Sherlock's older brother and engages in sibling rivalry with Sherlock. He occupies a "minor position in the British government"; however, Sherlock remarked that Mycroft is the British government "when he’s not too busy being the British Secret Services, or the CIA on a freelance basis".

> Mycroft Holmes <

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James "Jim" Moriarty is a "consulting criminal". He is responsible for the criminals and crimes in the series, acting as a sponsor, an informant, or a mastermind. Like Sherlock, he possesses a genius level intellect and appears to be motivated by boredom rather than money or power.

> James Moriarty <

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Molly Hooper is a 31-year-old specialist registrar working in the morgue at St Bartholomew's Hospital with an apparent crush on Sherlock. Due to her work position and crush on him, Sherlock frequently exploits her to let him examine or perform experiments on victims' bodies.

> Molly Hooper <

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Rosamund Mary Morstan, played by Amanda Abbington, is a former assassin and a part-time nurse in John's practice whom he met following the apparent death of Sherlock. She surprises Sherlock with her knowledge and insight into his character. She marries Watson, with Sherlock as best man.

> Mary Watson <

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Eurus Holmes is Sherlock and Mycroft's "secret" sister. She first appears in disguise in "The Six Thatchers" as a potential romantic interest for Watson, and then in two alternate disguises: Watson's therapist and Faith Smith in "The Lying Detective".

> Eurus Holmes <

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Irene Adler is known professionally as "The Woman". She takes pictures of her clients during her job as "protection" to make sure her clients don't do anything unfavourable to her. Irene is brilliant enough to impress Sherlock, and also ends up falling in love with him, which proves to be her downfall.

> Irene Adler <

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Charles Augustus Magnussen is a powerful businessman who controls a media empire. He holds information on many people of prominence, allowing him to use such information for blackmail purposes in order to achieve his goals.

> Charles Augustus Magnussen <

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Philip Anderson, is originally a member of the Metropolitan Police's Forensic Services. From the series opening, it is clear that Anderson and Sherlock have history of mutual dislike with Sherlock repeatedly humiliating Anderson and Anderson refusing to assist him at crime scenes.

> Philip Anderson <

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Sergeant Sally Donovan is often seen working with Inspector Lestrade on cases. Donovan resents Sherlock's presence at crime scenes and treats him with extreme disrespect and rudeness, and warns Watson that Sherlock is a psychopath who will one day get bored of catching killers and become one himself.

> Sally Donovan <

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Culverton Smith is a prominent entrepreneur and philanthropist, Smith is secretly a serial killer, who doesn't kill out of hate or love, but for the pleasure of killing. Using his wealth and unassailable power, he is able to use his charity-funded hospital as a way to kill patients.

> Culverton Smith <