Comparing the original Sherlock Holmes to the BBCs adaptation Essay

Comparing the original Sherlock Holmes to the BBCs adaptation - Essay Example Literary works produced in earlier years often tend to be adapted and reproduced to fit current lifestyles, especially if such works stirred great interest in their original formats. As such, books, novels, short stories among others can be reproduced in a different genre, for example in a film. The process of adapting and reproducing a literary work is often challenging and can lead to some degree of distortion of the original work. The distortion occurs when the producers, for example, try to fit a character to modern times and the probable scenarios that the character would play. Sherlock, the BBC’s adaptation of â€Å"The Complete Sherlock Holmes† continues to portray Dr. Watson and Sherlock as two males having a close non-sexual relationship just like the original piece. However, the BBC’s version is more daring towards creating doubt on the gender markers of Dr. Watson, by making it appear as if the latter is attracted to Sherlock. The frequent allusions by people that the two could be gay serve to create anxiety in the viewer concerning whether subsequent scenes will reveal that in deed Dr. Watson and Sherlock are romantically involved. However, this scenario does not happen and viewers are kept in anxiety over whether the series will end that way. Keeping the viewers in suspense over the sexual orientation of particularly Dr. Watson is good for interest retention, but the producers concentrate too much on making gay jokes that it almost becomes offensive for gay people and other GSM. A good percentage of the society has come to accep t the GSM and as such, it is not appropriate to keep on joking about such a sensitive matter.