TAXI. Sherlock sits in the back lost in thought. Partway into the journey, the TV screen on the back of the driver’s seat switches on and an advertisement starts to play. London Taxi Shopping is advertising jewellery.
VOICEOVER: This is a stunning evening wear set from us here at London Taxi Shopping.
SHERLOCK (to the driver): Can you turn this off, please?
(The driver doesn’t respond and the advert continues.)
VOICEOVER: As you can see, the set comprises of a beautiful ...
SHERLOCK (louder, angrily): Can you turn this off ...
(The image on the screen begins to fritz as if another channel is breaking through. There are momentary glimpses of someone who can only be Jim Moriarty grinning at the screen. Eventually the advert disappears and Jim is seen smiling cheerfully. Behind him is a pale blue wall with painted white fluffy clouds floating across it. Jim’s voice takes on a sing-song quality as if he is talking to children.)
JIM: Hullo. Are you ready for the story? This is the story of Sir Boast-a-lot.
(Sherlock stares at the screen, his face intense.)
SCOTLAND YARD. Sally is showing Greg one of the photographs.
DONOVAN: The footprint. It’s all he has. A footprint.
LESTRADE: Yeah, well, you know what he’s like – CSI Baker Street.
DONOVAN: Well, our boys couldn’t have done it.
LESTRADE: Well, that’s why we need him. He’s better.
DONOVAN: That’s one explanation.
LESTRADE: And what’s the other?
TAXI. Jim’s image continues to smile from the TV screen.
JIM: Sir Boast-a-lot was the bravest and cleverest knight at the Round Table, but soon the other knights began to grow tired of his stories about how brave he was and how many dragons he’d slain ...
(Behind him, the pale blue sky gets darker and the white clouds become grey and threatening.)
JIM: And soon they began to wonder ...
(Behind him, rain begins to pour from the clouds.)
JIM: ... ‘Are Sir Boast-a-lot’s stories even true?’
SCOTLAND YARD (offscreen)
DONOVAN (voiceover): Only he could have found that evidence.
TAXI. Jim shakes his head.
JIM: Oh, no.
SCOTLAND YARD.
DONOVAN: And then the girl screams her head off when she sees him – a man she has never seen before ... unless she had seen him before.
LESTRADE: Wh-what’s your point?
DONOVAN: You know what my point is. You just don’t wanna think about it.
JIM (on the taxi TV screen): So one of the knights went to King Arthur and said ... (in a dramatic whisper) ... ‘I don’t believe Sir Boast-a-lot’s stories. He’s just a big old liar who makes things up to make himself look good.’
(At Scotland Yard, Anderson has now come in and he and Sally stand opposite Greg’s desk as he sits talking with them.)
LESTRADE: You’re not seriously suggesting he’s involved, are you?
ANDERSON: I think we have to entertain the possibility.
(Greg stares at him, bewildered.)
JIM (on the TV screen): And then even the King began to wonder ...
