Sherlock Character Files

Sherlock Holmes

Name: William Sherlock Scott Holmes (AKA: Sherlock Holmes)
Played by: Benedict Cumberbatch
Gender: Male
Nationality: British
Associated with: New Scotland Yard
Occupation: Consulting Detective
Family: Mr Holmes (father), Mrs Holmes (mother), Mycroft Holmes (brother), Possible 3rd brother?

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"Don't make people into heroes, John. Heroes don't exist, and if they did, I wouldn't be one of them." ―Sherlock to John Watson

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Biography
William Sherlock Scott Holmes, simply referred to as Sherlock Holmes, is the world's only consulting detective, a profession he created for himself. He is currently based in London and is often consulted by Greg Lestrade of New Scotland Yard, often taking his best friend and former flatmate, John Watson, on cases. He has a keen interest in unusual or bizarre crimes, without which he rapidly becomes bored, relying on nicotine to keep his brain active, although in the past he has dabbled in illegal drugs for entertainment, such as cocaine.

Sherlock is a thinker and an observer; he has a notable ability to notice and draw deductions from seemingly trivial details and that is his main tool for solving crimes that he investigates. He also often uses his "mind palace", a tool for remembering the smallest of details and organising his memories in a visual way. However, his unusual and somewhat anti-social personality has led to many in the official police force distrusting and disliking him. Sherlock claims on more than one occasion to be a "high-functioning sociopath". However, according to Jim Moriarty, as well as Sherlock's own actions and displays of emotion and empathy, this may not be true. Sherlock does not seem to exhibit any of the symptoms of an anti-social personality disorder. John mentions once, in order to excuse Sherlock's behaviour, that has Aspergers Syndrome, a form of autism.

Personality
"Brilliant, aloof and almost entirely lacking in social graces. Sherlock is a unique young man with a mind like a 'racing engine'. Without problems to solve, that mind will tear itself to pieces and the more bizarre and baffling the problems the better. He has set himself up as the world's only consulting detective, whom the police grudgingly accept as their superior."

―BBC's description of Sherlock

Sherlock has a deep tendency for deductive reasoning. Upon meeting a person, he will often "scan" them, using elements of their appearance to arrive at astonishingly accurate conclusions about their past or personality. John Watson, his flatmate, while initially impressed by this skill, sometimes shows exasperation at this and tells him off for showing off. However, Sherlock is not always as accurate as he admits, "there is always something" that he misses or misinterprets.

Sherlock uses a memory retrieval technique called the "method of loci". He refers to this system as his "mind palace". John explains this technique as the storing of memories by plotting them on a map of a familiar location, and retrieving those memories by finding the way back to them, so as to theoretically never forget anything. To use this skill, Sherlock requires silence and space to himself to reduce outside interference

Sherlock shows skill in unarmed and armed combat. In reference to his Conan Doyle counterpart, the rules of the combat discipline Baritsu hang over his bed. He can use deductive reasoning to identify weaknesses of his opponents before he strikes them. He demonstrates his prowess in bringing down an assassin with one blow, successfully disarming an American operative with a gun, and fighting off a group of terrorists with a sword. However, he lost in a fight to John, but that was also because he was taken surprise and John was angry at the time. (John: Of course...)