Benedict Cumberbatch filming Sherlock in London, UK.
In celebration of tonight’s new episode of Sherlock, we decided to put together a post full of Setlock photos and memories. Many of our followers have already seen some of these photos feat. Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman and a few other cast members, but we’ve included many never before published ones too.
(Because YAY!!! NEW EPISODE TONIGHT!!!)
Sherlock and John (Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman) between takes on North Gower St, London.
Back when we still lived in beautiful Cardiff, the capital of Wales, it was always easy to either jump on a bus and go to London to see some of our favorites on theatre stages or in the streets filming their movies and shows, or just simply stay home and walk a few blocks to where they were then filming BBC’s shows Sherlock and Doctor Who.
The following photos were taken on a rainy day in Cardiff, a bright sunny day in Cardiff Bay and on the fake Baker Street in London, all in August of 2013 when they were filming Sherlock season 3.
By the way, the word “Setlock” is short for “Sherlock set” (obviously). Just in case you’re not familiar with the term!
It was sometime in the morning when we got word about Sherlock being filmed in the streets of Cardiff once again. We had no clue of the address, but quickly figured it out with a little help from Twitter, a local friend and Google street view. We suspected it was going to be interior shots only, which meant we possibly couldn’t see much, but decided to check it out anyway.
What followed was one of the happiest memories of all times. Well, first we had to stand in the cold rain for about 6-7 hours to only spot a few quick glimpses of Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman and Rupert Graves. But after all that waiting, Benedict finally appeared from the trailers and came to talk to us. At that point, there were only 7 of us waiting patiently, keeping a polite distance, so we got a pretty intimate few minutes with our favorite detective.
We were all so blown away by him introducing himself, shaking all of our hands and chatting away casually, that we didn’t even think of asking for selfies! Regrets… we’ve had them ever since. (But we swear this happened! He was super friendly and it was super amazing.)
The next morning we headed out again for some groceries and kept an eye on Twitter. Lo and behold, the Sherlock cast and crew emerged once again. And not more than a mile away from our house. This time, they were filming in a parking lot in Cardiff Bay, on quite a popular street. So, word quickly spread on Twitter and soon there were dozens of people standing around, fans grinning from ear to ear and journalists (paparazzis!) trying to catch some photos and spoilers like their life depended on it.
Tiia was too shy to flash around her big camera and wasn’t sure if taking photos was frowned upon or not, but ended up with a few nice ones feat. Benedict, Martin and Amanda Abbington.
It was a hot day, we stood around for simply too long (too excited to leave) and we remember someone suffering from severe back pains. Somehow, the word got to the set doctor and he came over to see what could be done. He was a friendly guy and took good care of the show’s fan.
Weeks before the shooting day, word had spread wide and far on Twitter about the Sherlock crew filming in the fake Baker St. in London, so a lot of fans were expected to be arriving. We hesitated a little, wondering if it’d be worth the 3-4 hour bus ride there and then back, but decided to go anyway. After all, it was Tiia’s birthday and she wanted nothing more than one Cumberbatch gift-wrapped. So off we went.
It turned out to be another extremely long day on set, as we ended up having to wait from the early hours (7-8am) until the late afternoon for the actors to arrive. We had loads of fun waiting with the gathering crowds and even met a new friend from the US: Andrea, a comic artist and illustrator and a huuuuge Sherlock fan.
Andrea had a flight to catch in the evening, so we were really nervous about her seeing Benedict and Martin as the clock kept ticking. And yay, they arrived just in time! We were so happy for our fellow fan. Since this day, we’ve stayed friends with Andrea and even met up with her in New York City. Aw, fandom family <3
It was a long and happy day. The cast interacted with the fans all day, like they’d decided to just embrace the circus instead of trying to keep everyone away. Tiia got a “Happy Birthday” from Martin and Amanda and we even talked to her afterwards and got selfies taken.
Below you’ll see a fraction of the photos we got that day, including many never before published ones!
Since we’ve visited such a long list of Sherlock locations for our sceneframing project, we’ve also put together a list of locations with a handy map, so you guys can visit the locations as well! Just check out this post (or even our Cardiff filming locations map) and you’ll be off to a good start as a film tourist.
There we have it: our cherished Setlock photos and memories in a short little post. Hope you enjoyed! We also hope you (and we!) will enjoy tonight’s episode, because maaaan… it’s been a really long wait.
Let us know below or on Twitter just exactly how excited you guys are, ok? :)