favourite screencaps 
↳ sherlock: the blind banker

you were never supposed to leave;
now my head’s splitting at the seams

favourite screencaps 
↳ sherlock: a study in pink

we’ll keep you on the run

Mycroft: Always so aggressive. Did it never occur to you that you and I belong on the same side?
Sherlock: Oddly enough – no.
Mycroft: We have more in common than you’d like to believe. This petty feud between us is simply childish. People will suffer. And you know how it always upset Mummy.

Transcript of live chat Q&A with Steven Moffat 

• MasterpieceModerator: Hello, and welcome to our MASTERPIECE Live Chat today with Steven Moffat, co-creator of Sherlock with Mark Gatiss. We'll begin in just a few minutes. Feel free to start sending us your questions now!
• Steven Moffat: Hello
• MasterpieceModerator: So let's get this show on the road!
• Brittney: You have developed quite a reputation due to your highly intense and emotional style of writing in "Sherlock" and "Doctor Who." Where do you get the inspiration for all these crazy ideas?
• Steven Moffat: Well mainly, in the case of Sherlock, from Doyle. Obviously our version has become known as the emotional version, but the fact is, people wore black arm bands when the Victorian Holmes died. So this is nothing new! All down to Doyle!
• Natasha: How many series of Sherlock would you like to do?
• Steven Moffat: 167. Oh, who knows. Mark and I are probably up for doing it forever, but we're not the main deal. But it's occasional, short-run status will probably extend its life. For myself and Mark, we could never be tired of Sherlock Holmes.
• Elizabeth R.: Obviously the three-episode-a-season nature of the series means you have a lot of flexibility with which cases you choose from Conan Doyle's stories, but would you ever consider doing an entirely original case--or one based off the Rathbone films?
• Steven Moffat: Certainly, we'd consider anything.
• Colleen: Will Irene Adler ever return?
• Steven Moffat: And we consider everything canon, and we LOVE Rathbone.
• Steven Moffat: Irene - oh it's hard to know. What's left of their story? They've admitted how they feel - in their bonkers ways - what's left to tell, I could be lying of course, I could have the next chapter all sorted out in my head, in tragic, romantic, twisty-turny detail....
• Meg: Where was your favourite location to film in the past two series?
• Steven Moffat: Ha! Better question for Mark and Sue, who frankly turn up more often! I can tell you their least favourite location was the morgue. For myself, I LOVE it when we're in 221B.
• JDominik: Would you consider allowing a spin-off from Sherlock?
• Steven Moffat: If there was a good one, and it wouldn't damage the mother ship. Always good to have more. But not good to have the same amount spread over a wider area, which CAN happen with the spin-off.
• Vicky Park.: Steven, what is it that you admire about Mark and Steven Thompson's writing? And how easy was it to work all three into the script?
• MasterpieceModerator ["favourite villain" poll between Irene Adler, the hound and Moriarty]: Moriarty wins. Obviously.
• MasterpieceModerator: We're chatting live with Sherlock co-creator Steven Moffat! We'll get to as many questions as we can in the time allotted!
• Steven Moffat: I think Mark has an incredible grasp of the gothic and the scary, but such glee in them that he never forgets to make it FUN. His love of the grotesque makes the grotesque weirdly attractive. Steve has a HUGE MATHEMATICAL BRAIN, which can scare Mark and me, but I like his humourous character stuff most of all - effortless jokes that makes you laugh before you've noticed them. But they're both BRILLIANT writers is the main thing - best of the best.
• Audrey: Did you ever write yourselves into a hole in season 2 and go, "How can we get ourselves out of this one?"
• Steven Moffat: No. Because we dug the hole, based on hole plans, and a number of hole meetings, and with approval from the Hole Committee. MInd you, Baskerville is a sod to make sense of. Thanks, Sir Arthur!!
• Addy: Where did you get some of your original ideas? For example, (to my recollection), Sherlock didn't have a mind palace in canon, so where'd you get the inspiration to put that in?
• Steven Moffat: That scene was a bugger to get right. Because if you look at it, all it really consists of is Sherlock going "Hang on, I've just remembered something important which I failed to mention earlier in the plot ... " We had to DISGUISE that. And during one of our many anguished meetings about making sense of Baskerville, we remembered Derren Brown and his mind palace, So we nicked that, Mark wrote a very funny scene, and no one noticed that it's a tiny bit of a cheat, Shhhh!!!
• Lex: Do you think Sherlock will get more emotional in the upcoming series? We saw a considerable progress from series one to series two.
• Steven Moffat: Well I don't think he'll ever go soft. In the originals, he DOES become a wiser, funnier, marginally more heroic figure as time goes on - but he retains that terrifying core that makes him special. Somehow it chills all the more, when it's more disguised. I don't anyone will ever think he's TOO emotional.
• Mharielle: Describe in one word the story of how Sherlock faked his death.
• Steven Moffat: Cleverly.
• Anne: Were Sherlock's tears in Reichenbach real?
• Steven Moffat: He's Sherlock Holmes, he knew exactly what he was doing. Sentimentalise him at your peril.
• DeJune H.: What are the chances of Moriarty coming back from the dead? Andrew Scott has been amazing in the role.
• MasterpieceModerator: MASTERPIECE Feature - Actor Andrew Scott and co-creators Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat take us into the mind of a madman in "The Making of Moriarty." http://www.pbs.org/masterpiece/sherlock/moriarty.html
• Steven Moffat: Did you SEE all that blood???
• Pau (Argentina): I find Moriarty so incredible... I would never have imagined him like that by reading the books. You've done a wonderful job.
• Steven Moffat: Thankyou! A lot down to Andrew.
• Elizabeth: Have you thought about making a cameo appearance in the next season?
• Steven Moffat: No, Never will. Can't act. I leave that to my much cleverer collaborator.
• Jonathan: So Irene then. Did Sherlock truly love her? Or was she merely the catalyst for him discovering his heart and/or emotions?
• DeJune H.: We also saw ALL THAT BLOOD coming out of Sherlock's head too. LOL!
• Steven Moffat: Oh does it MEAN when a boy hacks up terrorists for you with a great big sword? She's one of the few people on Earth he cares about, whatever that means in his case. Fascinated by here. Thrilled by her. And for a moment, when he saw her, he thought maybe, just maybe, there's somebody else like me. What else is going on, the great man has not confided in his biographers.
• E.W.: Even though it was just a coincidence, because this was filmed & aired in UK a while back prior to last night, using Bee Gees for Moriarty's ring tone was a nice send up to Robin Gibbs, RIP
• Steven Moffat: Very, very sad. Nice too, but mostly sad.
• Vicky P.: Mycroft is a very complex character. Will we see much more of him?
• Steven Moffat: Yes, there's an upcoming shower scene. Mark's going to the gym already. Other than that, yes, we love Mycroft. Became a much bigger, more important than we expected, especially in Scandal. Somehow - for me, anyway - he's the key to Sherlock. Imagining that past, those boys, that home....
• MasterpieceModerator: From Facebook Fan Niki White: WHY did Mycroft free Moriarty to begin with?
• Steven Moffat: Who can understand the mind of Mycroft? They'd got all they could from him - nothing.
• Rose: Will we see the other members of the Holmes family (aside from Sherlock and Mycroft)?
• Steven Moffat: Wait and see. There are no other in the originals.
• Dasha: Mr Moffat, will there be Col. Sebastian Moran in the 3rd season of 'Sherlock'? So many fans want to see this character and the relationships between Moran and Moriarty (as flashback maybe). What actor could play him? What do you think about the fan version - Michael Fassbender as Sebastian Moran?
• Steven Moffat: Not telling you.
• Guest: Could you ever see Sherlock and John traveling outside the UK for an episode, like Doctor Who?
• Diana M.: Such a tease.
• Steven Moffat: It would have to be story-driven, and I'm not telling you about upcoming stories. You have to have a good reason to take him out of London, though. It's a very London show (made in Cardiff!!)
• Jas: Do you secretly enjoy winding up all the fans?
• Steven Moffat: Secretly?
• Terry W.: How much time do you personally spend on set during filming? With so many projects, do you simply leave the magic in the hands of Paul McGuigan & Co., or do you like to be right there in the midst of it all as it unfolds?
• Steven Moffat: Sue always on set, Mark very often on set, me the least. But one of the three of us will be around. It's a very tightly run show - by the time we get to the shoot, the decisions are pretty much taken. I always think if I've got something vital to do on a shooting day, clearly I've made a big mistake somewhere. Which DOES happen. Was on set for quite a lot of Scandal, cos Sue made me - and because I'd just finished the Who Xmas special.
• Brittany S.: Your show made me start reading Sherlock Holmes, and I now have a passion for it. How does it feel to introduce a new generation to Sherlock Holmes?
• Steven Moffat: Great. Nothing Mark and I would like better. We've never wanted there to be spinoff books of our version of Sherlock, cos if you want to READ it you should read Doyle. Nobody does it better.
• Amanda: Now that Sherlock is huge on an international level, are you planning on bringing in more household-name-actors? And congrats on the BAFTA award, good luck next sunday!!
• Alicia: Wishing Benedict, Martin & Andrew the best of luck in BAFTA!
• Steven Moffat: We cast the RIGHT people, not the most famous. Anyway, right now it's tough to be bigger than Benedict and Martin!
• Patty: When "Reichenbach" aired in the UK, you said that fans had missed an important clue. Have they found it yet?
• Steven Moffat: You'd better ask them.
• Maia: What are Benedict and Martin like to work with? Any good behind the scenes stories for us?
• MasterpieceModerator: We've got nearly 20 minutes to go in our MASTERPIECE Live Chat with Steven Moffat!
• Steven Moffat: Well, they're both very lovely and very brilliant. But it's a fast-paced show to make, not a lot of anecdote space. Trying to think of something funny. Benedict fell over once, it was hilarious. But you had to be there. And you weren't. Sorry.
• Robin: Will Molly show up more? Her character growth has been wonderful.
• Steven Moffat: Oh we love Molly. Molly will be back
• Jessica: What do you think is the best way to heal Post-Reichenbach-Depression?
• Steven Moffat: Doctor Who.
• Ilya: Many fans are very interested in one question. Is there any some sort of love between Sherlock and John?
• Tilly: Of course they love each other! How could they go through all their adventures and not love each other? There's all kinds of love.
• MasterpieceModerator: Enter for your chance to win the Grand Prize of one of ten Sherlock 1 & 2 DVD Combo sets in the MASTERPIECE Sherlock Sweepstakes (US Only)! http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/sherlock/season2_sweepstakes.html
• Steven Moffat: They love each other very much. The whole story is that, always has been - these two unshakeable friends who complete each other, and redeem each other. It's a story over a century old, and we show no sign of getting tired of it, and why should we? Some people want that love to be, well, more romantic, and good luck to them. Everyone should enjoy the show the way they want to and all interpretations are equally valid - I'm only a writer. Personally, I thought Charlie's Angels all lived in the same jacuzzi - I was happyl
• Rory: Did you think about making a few hints in Sherlock about Doctor Who, or other way round?
• Steven Moffat: Oh, there's quite a few if you know where to look.
• Jacquelynn: Would you ever consider filming at Undershaw, Doyle's former home in Hindhead?
• Steven Moffat: Again, it would have to be story-driven.
• Masha: If you could take one object from the real 221B, what would you take?
• Steven Moffat: A chair by the fire, and I'd refuse to move, until I was allowed to go out on a case!!
• Leslie: Did Irene Adler live at the former "Upstairs Downstairs" house -- #44 Eaton Place?
• Steven Moffat: Erm. I don't know, sorry. Tell you what, though. Some of the interior scenes were shot in the same house as Blink!! Ooh, new nerd fact!! Internet, brace yourself!
• Emilie: Are you going to incorporate more original characters such as Molly Hooper or is that a one time thing?
• Elaine: I love Molly! She is my favorite!
• Steven Moffat: Molly happened as a one-off deal, to help introduce Sherlock, and we'd already decided not to invent our own regulars. But Mark and I, sitting at the monitors, fell in love with Loo, and Mark came up with gay boyfriend gag. And we all know how THAT ended up!!
• Allie: Is there any significance of the ring on Mycroft's right hand?
• Steven Moffat: It has a concealed laser. Probably.
• Hanna: Benedict is an otter, Martin is a hedgehog. What animal do you think Mark Gatiss is? What animal are you?
• Steven Moffat: Mark is a creature previously unknown to science. I'm a Grump. The only one in the world - or maybe all the others just fell out with me.
• Maria...rty: Do you have any more location nerd facts?
• Steven Moffat: No. That was it. Sorry.
• Shawna: Have you worked out how senseless John is going to throttle Sherlock when he discovers he's not dead?
• Steven Moffat: Wait and see.
• Shelby: In a previous interview, you said that you kept up with all of the online theories about how Sherlock successfully tricked everyone. Has anyone gotten close?
• Steven Moffat: Yeah, that was AGES ago. I stopped looking so I don't know.
• MasterpieceModerator: MASTERPIECE Fan Discussion: After the "Fall" - Riveted by the end of Sherlock season 2? Comment with other fans on the climactic season finale. http://www.pbs.org/masterpiece/sherlock/season2_fall.html
• Elizabeth B.: DO YOU ENJOY WATCHING US SUFFER?
• Steven Moffat: I can't actually SEE you, that's an unpleasant rumour. Probably.
• Pia: What was the trickiest part of planning/writing season 3?
• Steven Moffat: I'll let you know in a year!!
• Elizabeth B.: Do you have any advice for anyone who wants to become a writer?
• Steven Moffat: Write. Write lots. Don't ask for advice, just write. And read the kind of stuff you want to write, because that's the only advice that matters. If it's screenplays, read William Goldman's - he know EVERYTHING.
• Cecilia: Could you give us any clues about the canon stories you were inspired by for the third series?
• Steven Moffat: Yes. They were written by Doyle.
• Amelia: I know many fans won't agree with me, but I love the waiting between the different series. I mean, I've watched the episode 10 times, and I never get bored. My imagination is running wild, and I love how you get the fan to /think/ about everything. Besides, series three will be extra-amazing when released.
• Steven Moffat: No pressure then!!
• Iv.: What's your favourite case from the past two series?
• Steven Moffat: I honestly love them all. I could never choose!
• Vicky S: Is there anything you can tell us about series 3 that you haven't already?
• Steven Moffat: No.
• Smilla: Re: the ending of Reichenbach Fall, did you consider NOT showing Sherlock at the end?
• Sade: You're such a tease! And we love you for that.
• Steven Moffat: No, that was our first plan. Everyone knows he survives. We wanted a definite dead scene in Watson's arms. a graveside and ta-da!!
• Lizzy Vernet: Steven, Mark and you have given to me the best nightmares ever, thank you so much. you two are the best. never change.
• Steven Moffat: Thankyou, very kind. More and worse to come. Oh yes.
• Pau: How many times did you actually read the original books?? It's quite amazing you've included such specific details - Vatican cameos for instance.
• Steven Moffat: No idea. A lot, but I couldn't even guess.
• MasterpieceModerator: And, last but not least, our final question --
• Ruby: Aside from Moriarty, who is your personal favorite canon criminal?
• Jenny K: Can I vote for Helen Mirren to play a hypothetical Mummy Holmes?
• Steven Moffat: This villain I'm pointing at now, in my series 3 story document. That one right there. LOVE that one. Oooh!!
• MasterpieceModerator: Thanks for participating in today's Live Chat with Steven Moffat! Special thanks to Steven for taking the time to be with us!
• Katrina: Such a fan!!! You are an amazing storyteller and look forward to more of your work in both sherlock and doctor who!
• Ingvild: 'Sherlock' is absolutely brilliant! Thank you for creating such superb series. You have brought lots of happiness (and some tears) to me and many other people.
• Steven Moffat: No worries. Bye.
• MasterpieceModerator: For more on Sherlock, please visit the MASTERPIECE web site: http://www.pbs.org/sherlock. To order "Sherlock" on DVD and Blu-Ray, please visit ShopPBS.org!
• MasterpieceModerator: As always, for all things MASTERPIECE, visit us at pbs.org/masterpiece, and find us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/masterpiecepbs) and Twitter (@masterpiecepbs) for the latest news and updates!

Your only three friends in the world will die. Unless…

Transcript of live chat Q&A with Mark Gatiss 

• MasterpieceModerator: Hello, and welcome to our MASTERPIECE Live Chat today with Mark Gatiss, who wears many hats on Sherlock: co-creating the series with Steven Moffat, writing last night's "The Hounds of Baskerville," and portraying Sherlock's older brother Mycroft Holmes. We'll begin in just a few minutes. Feel free to start sending us your questions now!
• MasterpieceModerator: We'll get started as soon as Mark enters the chat and says hello!
• Mark Gatiss: Hello!
• MasterpieceModerator: And here we go!
• Guest: What did you learn from the first series that was most helpful in making the second?
• Mark Gatiss: I suppose the importance of treating them as movies on TV, really. 90 min adventures demand a certain scale of story-telling. It's very exciting and quite liberating to move at that kind of pace but it absolutely eats up story! The reaction was so incredible, though that we all felt very excited about coming back for more.
• Melanie: What scene in Hounds were you most excited to see come to life on screen?
• Mark Gatiss: I'm very proud of the big deduction scene by the fireplace. Benedict had to do it only three days into coming back so it was a huge evening for everyone. I love the rattling pace of it but also the thrill of seeing Sherlock out of his comfort zone. That and John's obvious hurt at being treated so badly! Paul and Fabian (the DOP) did such a fabulous job with it, using a split diopter lens of the type often used in big 60s movies so that two actors can remain in ficus at the same time. I can't imagine it being any better realised.
• Jessica: Do you have a hound?
• Beth B: Loved the fireplace scene! Lighting was incredible.
• Mark Gatiss: Yes! We have a six year old Labrador called Bunsen. He is the light of our lives and, though he leaves gigantic footprints, he is in no way scary. I adore dogs and it pained me very much to have to have the Hound in Sherlock shot. It was a lovely, soft gigantic creature.
• Christine C.: What do you find most difficult about being a co-creator of and, at the same time, an actor in Sherlock?
• Mark Gatiss: It's not really difficult, it's just about time management. It's extremely useful to wear two hats. I try to be around on set as much as possible anyway but it's sometimes nice to only concentrate on the acting side. I have occasionally had to go to urgent lunchtime meetings with Sue whilst still dressed as Mycroft - though I never take my umbrella in case people think it's an offensive weapon.
• Ruby: Whose idea was it to give Mycroft that incredible umbrella?
• Morgan: I just wanted to express my gratitude on behalf of the entire Sherlock fandom! Your writing is superb!
• Mark Gatiss: Mine. Is it incredible? It's just a brolly! It originally came from wanting to create a good silhouette in the first scene in 'Pink' where Mycroft and John meet. I wasn't trying to invoke John Steed but there's something very Establishment about it- and that's what Mycroft is. The Dark Government and the Old School Tie. I think it's his comfort blanket. He may even sleep with it. The umbrella comes from a wonderful old shop in New Oxford St. They still advertise 'dagger canes' and 'sword sticks' but, to their great regret, are no longer allowed to stock them!
• Mark Gatiss: Thank you, Morgan. Very kind.
• dl: How are you different from Mycroft? What if anything do you admire about him?
• liza: just want to say THANK YOU for the fantastic work!love you,love Steven Moffat,love Sherlock!Cheers from Russia!
• Mark Gatiss: I'm totally different, I hope. I wish I was half as clever but I'm glad I'm not detached like him. 'The Ice Man' as Moriarty calls him. He and Sherlock have both clearly decided that they mustn't get involved with human relationships. They perceive them as weaknesses. 'Caring is not an advantage'. Yet, deep down, Mycroft clearly does care about his brother. All he wants to do is to bring him into the fold. To stop him being a loose cannon. I'd like to find a way of showing more than we have that he's actually even cleverer than Sherlock - but the deductions are hard enough as it is!
• Danielle: I love everyone on the show and I adore your portrayal of Mycroft. As well as Rupert's as Lestrade. In 'Hounds' he says "I don't just do what your brother tells me." Will we get a chance to see more inter-action between the two?
• Mark Gatiss: Thank you, Russia. We're delighted and amazed by your country's love of the show!
• Mark Gatiss: Mycroft and Lestrade haven't appeared in any scenes together yet so it would be nice and Rupert's such a lovely man, it'd be a pleasure. Have you seen 'Maurice'? Haha.
• Georgie: Would you like a real-life brother like Sherlock?
• Mark Gatiss: I have a real-life brother but he's nothing like Sherlock! I'm not sure I'd want such a highly-strung brother, it must be exhausting. Still, he'd get you out of any trouble and also be able to tell you what you had for breakfast just by looking at the crease in your trousers.
• Dee: There seems to be so much history between Sherlock and Mycroft. Will we ever find out what exactly happened between them?
• Gertel: I really love Mycroft's soothing, yet threatening tone and his "britishness".
• Mark Gatiss: No. As Yoda might say "Back story show not you"! Far better to leave things in everyone's imaginations. It's nice to give little hints here and there but never a full answer. Why are the Holmes brothers the way they are? What are their parents like? Maybe we'll see one day. We actually cut a bit from 'Pink' which gave a bit too much away about the obvious frisson of animosity that exists between them. It's not there in the original stories it comes entirely from Billy Wilder and Izzy Diamond's brilliant 'Private Life of Sherlock Holmes' and Christopher Lee's cold, disdainful Mycroft. if you haven't seen it - do!
• Inna: From the start of filming did you decide that the role of Mycroft is yours?
• Mark Gatiss: Well, Mycroft wasn't in the pilot so, no. But when we came to rethinking and reshooting episode one it just sort of happened. I'd just auditoned to play peter Mandelson in TV film and we'd already discussed how reptilian and Mandelsonian we wanted Mycroft to be. It was actually Steve Thompson who suggested it. I was happy to comply! We also saw a great chance to fool people into thinking I was Moriarty. And it worked!
• Ingrid: So. The scene in Buckingham Palace, with the infamous Sheet. Were you able to all keep serious or did it need a few takes?
• M: Thank you for doing such a superb job with the "Hounds" story! It's one of my favorite stories and perhaps the episode I've been most looking forward to- and it was FANTASTIC.
• Amber: One of my favourite scenes is definitely the Buckingham Palace scene :D
• Mark Gatiss: It was actually a very smooth day, that. A Sunday, as i recall, in the Guild Hall. I think Ben found the (near) nakedness quite liberating! He did fall over at one point when I stepped on the sheet. It was like seeing a Mummy tumble out of its bandages.
• V.: do you have a 'mind palace' like sherlock in hound where you go to when writing?
• Mark Gatiss: Thanks 'M'. Glad you enjoyed.
• Mark Gatiss: I don't have a mind palace, no. It's a great idea but you need Sherlock's level of mental discipline. I 'd love to sue such a thing on long plane journeys or on the Tube when it;'s packed full of people. It'd be nice to be able to drift away - or find some precious piece of memory. I think I've got a Mind Hut. yes. A Mind Hut.
• Katherine: Is there an obscure reference from the Canon that you're most proud of sneaking in there? A prop or a line of dialogue?
• MasterpieceModerator: We've got nearly 30 minutes to go in our MASTERPIECE Live Chat with Mark Gatiss!
• Jasmine: Did you see that 'Mind Palace' was trending on twitter in America last night? That was very exciting, I was quite proud.
• Mark Gatiss: Well, we take great delight in sneaking in obscure references to the Canon as you can tell. I'm glad we got James Phillimore and his umbrella in! I'm proudest of restoring the idea that Sherlock has huge gaps in his knowledge (eg the Solar System). I loved that as a child and you so rarely see it. He's a specialist not an omniscient bore. It's great to see him foul up now and then.
• Katy: Will there ever be a gag reel released on DVD? Your commentaries frequently refer to "that's one for the gag reel." We're all salivating like hopeful hounds.
• Mark Gatiss: Yes, amazing that "Mind Palace' was a countrywide tend, even for four minutes!
• Mark Gatiss: Gag reel. Hmm. There are mistakes but they tend to be more frustrating than funny! Maybe one day when we're all very old.
• Ian: With contributions to Sherlock and Doctor Who, it seems you only need James Bond to complete some kind of British icons collection. Would you be interested if the call ever came?
• Mark Gatiss: Are you kidding? I ADORE James Bond. In fact, I've just been in a radio version of 'From Russia With Love' which is on in June. I've rarely been so happy. Dame Eileen Atkins is Rosa Klebb and I play Kronstein the chess master. Heaven! My favourite is O.H.M.S.S. - a hugely underrated and gorgeous film.
• Guest: What can PBS viewers do help with the SaveUndershaw Project?
• Mark Gatiss: And so does Steven, of course. I think we probably talking about Bond when we first discussed Sherlock Holmes!
• Tracey: Mark, you would make a terrific villian in a James Bond film!
• MasterpieceModerator: The Undershaw Preservation Trust, of which Mark is their patron, is working to preserve Arthur Conan Doyle's home for future generations of Doyleans.
• Mark Gatiss: Undershaw is a three-pipe problem. If it were just a question of raising the money to buy it, I think everyone around the world would sort it out in weeks. But it's still the subject of a judicial review. The best thing to do is to try and raise awareness and hope that will influence the outcome. It's a national disgrace that the house has been left to rot. Doyle is one of our greatest writers. Full stop.
• Ollie: Сongratulations on winning of BAFTAs! "Sherlock" really deserve it.
• Mark Gatiss: Thank you. We're all delighted. I don't think any of us anticipated people would love the show this much. It's very humbling.
• rainiejanie: What's your opinion of all the Sherlock fanfiction and fanart: flattering or horrifying?
• Joanne: My partner and I just want to say you're our absolute hero. You grew up to be everything you ever wanted to be. That doesn't happen very often and is incredibly inspirational. We thank you.
• Mark Gatiss: I don't know as I haven't read any. If you don't believe me then I can assure I hardly have time to get through my own work without reading someone else's! I'm very happy that the show inspires other people to write. I get sent a lot of pictures which is very nice and there are some really talented people out there.
• Mark Gatiss: Thanks Joanne. I count my blessings every day!
• Lizzie: You know how Moriarty's theme is 'Stayin' Alive'? Well, what would be Mycroft's theme?
• Mark Gatiss: Lazy Bones.
• Pau: How many seasons are you actually planning to do?
• MasterpieceModerator: A few more questions with Mark before we wrap up!
• Mark Gatiss: Three hundred and forty six!
• Gina: Can you give us a three-word teaser for the third season (like Woman, Hound, Professor was for season two)? Please!
• Mark Gatiss: It was The Woman, The Hound, The Fall wasn't it? Well...
•  The Return. The Middle One. The Third One?
•  I'm being mean. But then, you know, I am.
• Molly: I'd just like to say thank you for introducing me to the original Sherlock Holmes stories - they're utterly brilliant. Are we likely to see an adaptation of the 'Dying Detective'? It would be very funny!
• Alison in FL: How very Mycroft of you. ;-)
• Mark Gatiss: We're all so chuffed that new fans are going back to Doyle's stories. It's a dream come true. 'The Dying Detective' is a very good late story. I've always liked it, especially when Sherlock so hurts Watson's feelings by questioning his medical credentials. Ouch!
• Nora: Will we ever get to meet Mummy Holmes?
• Mark Gatiss: Perhaps. And art in the blood is liable to take the strangest forms...
• David: Are you looking forward to doing episodes outside the canon?
• Mark Gatiss: Well, they already are to a great extent. We take bits and pieces from favourites and sometimes the structure of something like, say 'A study in Scarlet' but there's an awful lot that's already very new. I think we;'re very happy sticking with that approach and mixing the old and new.
• Emily: Will we see much more of Molly?
• Kathy: I just wanted to say THANK YOU for this fantastic show. It's brilliant! And I agree with Molly^^ thanks for introducing me to the original stories!
• Mark Gatiss: Yes but we're planning to give her a new job so we dont have to film in that xxxxxxx morgue any more! Maybe she could work as a life guard, like in Baywatch. Somewhere very warm.
• Isabel: Have you any advice for how to survive the long wait 'till series 3?
• Mark Gatiss: Thanks Kathy.
• Mark Gatiss: Drink and dance and love and lie/Love the reeling midnight through for tomorrow we shall die! (but alas we never do.)
• MasterpieceModerator: And, last but not least, our final question --
• kenia: have any of you started writing for the next series?
• MasterpieceModerator: For more on Sherlock, please visit the MASTERPIECE web site: http://www.pbs.org/sherlock. To order "Sherlock" on DVD and Blu-Ray, please visit ShopPBS.org!
• Rita: Dear mr.Gatiss, thank tou very much for your film! It's fully changed all my life, my job and my mind
• Amber: You, friend, are a genius.
• Fran: More Mycroft!
• Carlina: Thanks for taking time with us today and answering questions!
• Mark Gatiss: We've had several meetings and we're very, very excited about getting going! Certain things may already have been committed to paper, yes. Little bits of paper. That fly around. Like a man falling off a building. Has anyone suggested that Sherlock by the graveside might actually be a ghost?!
• MasterpieceModerator: "The Reichenbach Fall," the Sherlock, Series 2 finale, airs this Sunday, May 20th on MASTERPIECE on PBS (check local listings). Join us next week as we chat live with co-creator and writer Steven Moffat - http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/sherlock/season2_chat_moffat.html
• MasterpieceModerator: Thanks for participating in today's Live Chat with Mark Gatiss! Special thanks to Mark for taking the time to be with us!
• Mark Gatiss: Enjoy 'Reichenbach', it's great! bring a hankie. Thanks for watching and for all your questions. x

save yourself from the heartache;
go now before it’s too late

save yourself from the heartache;
go now before it’s too late