Sherlock, Season 1
(BBC, 2010)
Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman combine brilliantly in this dark, funny, fast-moving and at times stylistically surreal modernisation of Sherlock Holmes. Perfectly cast and ingeniously scripted in deference to its feature-length format, this is easily some of the best television ever made.
The Imitation Game
dir. Morten Tyldum (2014)
Notwithstanding its ahistorical dramatisations, and much though it might misrepresent Alan Turing the man, The Imitation Game does correctly decode the pathos of Turing’s wartime contributions and subsequent revilement for being homosexual. Benedict Cumberbatch flashes his poetic licence, but to masterful effect.