金融时报:夏洛克——BBC的摇钱树

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2021年11月25日

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夏洛克——BBC的摇钱树

新《夏洛克》仅仅拍了9集，就在全球引发了空前的关注，为BBC赢得了无数大奖和商业收入。而编剧斯蒂芬·莫法特表示，很有信心让2015年开拍的第四季取得的成功“让前三季黯然失色”。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

a“three pipe problem” 一个需要三支烟的难题，在《福尔摩斯探案集·红发会》中，福尔摩斯说：这是个需要抽三支烟的问题，请你50分钟内不要打扰我。

outstrip [aʊt'strɪp] 超过

controller [kən'trəʊlə] 财务主管

sleuthing ['sluθɪŋ] 侦探，侦查

cast [kɑːst] 这里是演员阵容的意思

hyperbole [haɪ'pɜːbəlɪ] 夸张

twist and turn 迂回曲折

eclipse [ɪ'klɪps] 使黯然失色

‘Sherlock’ a big winner for BBC's finances（887 words）

By Claer Barrett

In a curious twist, neither Holmes nor Watson was present to collect the record haul of seven Emmy awards won by the hit BBC series Sherlock in Los Angeles on Monday night. However, solving the mystery of their no-show was not quite a “three pipe problem” the Deerstalker-wearing detective would normally have to solve. The critics had considered British stars of the show Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman to be outliers for the awards. The surprise victory for them, and for a series produced on a fraction of the budget of big US TV dramas that dominate the event, highlights the financial boost that Sherlock has provided for the BBC. It said last month that the series is now its biggest selling export, licensed to 224 territories worldwide – more than any other programme.

Revealing that filming of the fourth series of Sherlock will begin in January, the head of BBC drama said he expects this series to outstrip the success of even the third, promising viewers around the world a “shocking” plot twist which was revealed to the lead actors in a secret meeting a month ago.

Winning gongs respectively for outstanding lead actor and supporting actor in a mini series or movie, Sherlock 's co-creator Steven Moffat also picked up the best writer trophy at the 66th annual Emmy Awards. Four technical awards took the total haul to seven, one more than the night's other big winner, the US crime drama series Breaking Bad.

The three Emmys were all in recognition of His Last Vow, the final episode from the third series, first aired on UK screens in January. A contemporary reworking of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Adventures of Charles Augustus Milverton, the society blackmailer of his 1904 tale is transformed into a treacherous newspaper magnate, Charles Augustus Magnussen, played by Lars Mikkelsen.

“Sherlock is our best-selling programme, and won more awards than any other programme last night at a fraction of the cost of the American shows,” said Ben Stephenson, controller of BBC drama.

He said a significant share of BBC Worldwide's profits was driven by the export of just four programmes – Sherlock, Dr Who, Top Gear and Dancing with the Stars (the US name for Strictly Come Dancing).

Financial results for the broadcaster's commercial arm last month revealed that BBC Worldwide had generated profits of £174m to be returned to the BBC, an 11 percent rise on the previous year, and equivalent to 10 per cent of the annual content funding budget for BBC TV programmes.

Conceding that Sherlock has made a “huge amount of money” for the broadcaster (the BBC will not break down specific revenues per show), Mr Stephenson was initially surprised at the rapturous reception the show received in America, where it is licensed to the channel PBS.

“In the US, the assumption is you have to make 12 or 24 episodes,” he said. “Sherlock has made nine episodes over the course of three years, yet it's been such a big hit. Ultimately, it comes down to amazing creativity – whatever its shape or size, creativity does drive commerciality.”

Last month, it was revealed that BBC Worldwide is in talks to sell a near-50 per cent stake in its flagship BBC America channel to US television group AMC Networks – the home of Breaking Bad – as it seeks the financial power to compete with high-end drama rivals such as HBO and Netflix.

Nevertheless, Sherlock's global success has broken many records. The BBC says the third series – where Mr Cumberbatch's detective miraculously returns to sleuthing after seemingly plunging to his death from the roof of Bart's Hospital at the end of series two – has received more than 70m hits on the Chinese digital platform Youku.

The DVD of the third series received the most pre-orders ever for a BBC series yet to be broadcast – at a time when the format is dying – and the final episode was the most tweeted about television programme when it was first aired on UK screens.

Fans around the world are waiting with breathless anticipation for series four, and screenwriter Mr Moffat revealed he had a “devastating” plan for the next instalment.

“We've practically reduced our cast to tears by telling them the plan,” he said in an interview after the awards ceremony on Monday night. Mr Stephenson said: “This is not hyperbole.” He confirmed that the BBC will film a “special with a big twist” in January, followed by a three-part series filmed in 2015, with no fixed date for broadcast.

“Steven sat down with Martin [Freeman] and Benedict [Cumberbatch] a month ago and took them through what the plans are [for series four]. It's impossible to guess what's going to happen. They are being very bold and brave. There are twists and turns, as you would expect. But it is shocking.”

He said he was confident that sales of this series would eclipse the success that series three has enjoyed.

“The amazing thing about Sherlock is that every time we've done it, sales and ratings have gone up,” he added. “We sold to 224 countries last year, and I think that will continue to rise. Obviously there are only so many countries in the world, but maybe we'll start selling it to the aliens next.”

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.Who won the most Emmy awards this year?

A.His Last Vow.

B.Breaking Bad.

C.Sherlock.

答案(1)

2.What is the difference between American TV series and British ones?

A.America does not have high-end TV drama makers.

B.Americans often make 12 or 24 episodes a season.

C.American makers are always better financed.

答案(2)

3.What is the season 4 going to be, according to screenwriter Steven Moffat?