Michael Bodkin in the film Nora, and in a television adaptation of Henry James's The American, before making his London theatre debut in Conor McPherson's Dublin Carol at the Royal Court Theatre. He was cast in the BAFTA-winning drama Longitude, and the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers. Scott has described the working atmosphere on Band of Brothers as "awful". In 2004, he was named one of European Film Promotions' Shooting Stars. After starring in My Life in Film for the BBC, he received his first Laurence Olivier Award for his role in A Girl in a Car with a Man at The Royal Court, and the Theatregoers' Choice Award for his performance in the Royal National Theatre's Aristocrats. He created the roles of the twin brothers in the original Royal Court production of Christopher Shinn's Dying City, which was later nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. In 2006, he made his Broadway debut in the Music Box Theater production of The Vertical Hour written by David Hare and directed by Sam Mendes, for which he was nominated for a Drama League Award. Scott appears as Col. William Smith in the 2008 HBO miniseries John Adams. In 2009, he appeared in Sea Wall, a one-man show written especially for him by playwright Simon Stephens. He starred in a sell-out run of Cock at the Royal Court in late 2009, a production which won an Olivier Award in 2010. His turn in an episode of Foyle's War, in which he plays a prisoner determined to allow himself to hang for a crime he may not have committed, was described in Slant magazine as a "standout performance". His film appearances include a role in Chasing Cotards (a short film made for IMAX) and a role in the short film, Silent Things; he plays the role of Paul McCartney in the BBC film Lennon Naked. He also stars in the critically acclaimed 2010 film The Duel. He is best known for his role as Sherlock Holmes' nemesis Jim Moriarty in the BBC drama series Sherlock. He had a guest role in the second series of Garrow's Law playing a gay man on trial for sodomy. In 2010, he appeared in the Old Vic production of Noël Coward's Design for Living. In 2011, he played the lead role of Julian in Ben Power's adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's epic Emperor and Galilean at the Royal National Theatre