<P> Sherlock is a British crime drama television series based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle 's Sherlock Holmes detective stories . Created by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss , it stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes and Martin Freeman as Doctor John Watson . Thirteen episodes have been produced , with four three - part series airing from 2010 to 2017 , and a special episode that aired on 1 January 2016 . The series is set in the present day , while the one - off special features a Victorian period fantasy resembling the original Holmes stories . Sherlock is produced by the British network BBC , along with Hartswood Films , with Moffat , Gatiss , Sue Vertue and Rebecca Eaton serving as executive producers . The series is supported by the American station WGBH Boston for its Masterpiece anthology series on PBS , where it also airs in the United States . The series is primarily filmed in Cardiff , Wales , with North Gower Street in London used for exterior shots of Holmes and Watson 's 221B Baker Street residence . </P>
<P> Sherlock is a British crime drama television series based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle 's Sherlock Holmes detective stories . Created by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss , it stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes and Martin Freeman as Doctor John Watson . Thirteen episodes have been produced , with four three - part series airing from 2010 to 2017 , and a special episode that aired on 1 January 2016 . The series is set in the present day , while the one - off special features a Victorian period fantasy resembling the original Holmes stories . Sherlock is produced by the British network BBC , along with Hartswood Films , with Moffat , Gatiss , Sue Vertue and Rebecca Eaton serving as executive producers . The series is supported by the American station WGBH Boston for its Masterpiece anthology series on PBS , where it also airs in the United States . The series is primarily filmed in Cardiff , Wales , with North Gower Street in London used for exterior shots of Holmes and Watson 's 221B Baker Street residence . </P>
who portrayed watson in the recent bbc show ' sherlock '
who portrayed watson in the recent bbc show ' sherlock '
Martin Freeman
Martin Freeman