I like the idea of old-fashioned being classic rather than brown and dingy. And that's what Mark Gatiss has done with Sherlock. There's something quintessentially British about his work
Sherlock is brilliant television. It has completely reinvented British drama, and upped the stakes for home-grown shows. And while, of course, Steven Moffat also deserves lots of credit for Sherlock, I think it is Gatiss who brings that lovely, rather old-fashioned quality to it. I like the idea of old-fashioned being classic, rather than brown and dingy and a bit crap; Gatiss is like that ? there's something antique and quintessentially British about his work.
For years we've had all the big-hitting HBO box-set dramas, all these brilliant, witty, clever shows, and in return the only thing we've had to offer is big period dramas like Downton Abbey. We do that very well, but in terms of really good contemporary drama, I think we haven't really had a voice that showed us at our best. Sherlock does that.
I'd heard the buzz about the show, but it managed to surpass that. It knew precisely what it was doing. The writing and direction were so good; so surprising and exciting.
You can see Gatiss's fascination with horror and the bizarre in the show ? there's a little bit of Tales of the Unexpected and HG Wells and that old Conan Doyle vintage in there too. He's married it with his brilliant sense of humour and somehow created a thrilling piece of British drama. I'm in awe of what he's done.
That's been true right from the beginning of The League of Gentlemen. I'm a massive fan ? I love Psychoville too. They take their comedy into some very black places. Comedy needs to be a bit offensive sometimes and run off into scary places.
I was going to say that Mark Gattis is an unsung TV hero ? but he's beginning to be sung like he should be. I've worked with Reece Shearsmith and Jeremy Dyson, who was our script editor for Armstrong and Miller, but I've never worked with Gatiss. I'd do anything to work with him! He's such a talent, a phenomenal actor too.
? Alexander Armstrong presents The Great British Weather and Epic Win, both on BBC1.
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/2011/jul/25/my-tv-hero-mark-gatiss
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