Sherlock: The Lying Detective
by Steven Moffat; dir. Nick Hurran (BBC, 2017)
At once a small story (Toby Jones proving disturbingly effective as the Jimmy Savile-esque villain) and a larger, lurching, exceedingly dark character piece where the moment-to-moment excellence serves only partially to cloak the too-fast unravelling and resetting of Watson and Sherlock’s relationship.
Sherlock: His Last Vow
by Steven Moffat; dir. Nick Hurran (BBC, 2014)
Another inspired reworking of the source material. Lars Mikkelsen turns Magnussen into one of television’s more memorable one-off villains. Amanda Abbington employs consummate restraint in selling Mary’s character development, her inner turmoil matched only by Martin Freeman’s at his subtle, expressive best.
The Day of the Doctor
by Steven Moffat; dir. Nick Hurran (BBC, 2013)
Like many of Moffat’s ‘big’ scripts, this has a rushed, scattershot feel—not from poor conceptualisation but from trying to cram too much into too little space. That said, there are plenty of nice moments. The interaction amongst Doctors is perfectly pitched.