Liselle

Yeah; I'm sure people would understand if I told them I had a wedding to attend, right?

Not at all; I was considering it myself for a minute

Ah, I see I'm so annoyed; I made plans to go out with someone tonight, forgetting that Sherlock would be on... how could I forget that?! I'll be able to watch it on iPlayer afterwards, but it won't be the same as seeing it when it's broadcast

... I think you mean episode 2

Ah, okay then; thank you. My mistake

Which episode was it when Mycroft texted because he was at the dentist? I thought that was Baskerville...

I agree with you that the clue everybody missed could be the mobile, but I wouldn't necessarily say it was the text to Mycroft. The sound (if we're talking about the same one) sounded more like the click of a call being answered, and then it was followed by a woman's voice saying hello (though no one seems to be able to hear that but me and a few other people I've seen mention it over the internet). Also, I thought there was something weird about the texting too... Mycroft never texts if he can talk, remember? There could be an argument for the fact that he didn't really have the time to have a phone conversation with Sherlock, but still.....

I could be wrong here, or getting a bit confused, but I was under the impression that Anderson was sort of fantasising that whole scene with Sherlock; I haven't watched it a second time yet so I might have missed something that would suggest otherwise. But there were lots of things that made me think it was all just in his head; the fact that we'd already seen him making up a theory; the fact that, as he himself said, Anderson would probably be the last person Sherlock would reveal all to; the fact that he had what appeared to be a breakdown after Sherlock 'left', and then the fact that the room they were in was like a creepy shrine to Sherlock. It all just made me think Anderson was crazy and was having some sort of episode. Plus (and I think a few other people on this forum have said this) I don't feel that the solution in that scene was satisfying enough; something seems wrong with it somehow, and not quite real. Not to mention it doesn't match up with what Moffatt and Gatiss told us to look out for-- the thing that Sherlock did that was out of character, and the fact that there was apparently something everyone had missed. And there was that scene at the end, when John asked if Sherlock would ever tell him how. Why would that be there if we'd already seen the solution? Why would Sherlock have told Anderson and not John? Nah, it has to be another fake.

http://sounds.bl.uk/Accents-and-dialects This site is brilliant; you can pick pretty much any county in Britain and hear audio clips of people from that region speaking, so you can hear the accents

Whilst I think I've heard the term 'Britcoms', I think it's a term used by non-Brits. I've never heard it used here. And I kind of understand what you mean about them being exaggerated, but I can't really think of any examples; I guess it doesn't seem exaggerated to me, just that the show's based in a particular place so all the characters have that area's accent. Ooooo, whereabouts in northern Wales have you been to? I used to live in Chester whilst I was at university, which is just above the northern Welsh border, so I visited a couple of places in northern Wales whilst I was there, like Colwyn Bay and Rhyl. Same here; I'd know a Welsh accent when I heard it, but I couldn't tell you whereabouts in Wales it was from. Really? Wow; you don't really think about Welsh being heard in America; it's quite a rarity to hear it even in England (unless you live close to the border). As far as I know it's even becoming a lot less common in Wales as well; most Welsh people don't know any Welsh, from what I know. I love the sound of the Welsh language though; sometimes it sounds so lyrical and soft, and then other times it just goes crazy Yes, that accent is known as a West Country accent; it's mostly associated with Cornwall, Devon and Somerset. It's one of our more recognisable accents, I'd say

Yeah; non-British programmes do tend to exaggerate British accents, especially American ones, I've found. I guess you have a point there, Carol; although I do think I can tell a New York accent when I hear one. But I wouldn't know a Chicago accent. Really? It surprises me if that's true; I'd have thought Americans would recognise a Geordie or Brummie accent, at least. Or maybe Bristolian? The not distinguishing between Scottish accents actually extends to the rest of the UK as well, I would say; I doubt most English people could tell the difference between an Edinburgh and Dundee accent, for example. I certainly couldn't And Andrew Scott... well, at first I didn't realise he was Irish, but I could tell he had a certain twang to his accent that made it not English, and now I can definitely hear an Irish lilt to his voice. As a matter of interest, would you recognise a Welsh accent?

Hahaha; I've heard so many non-Brits tell me how much they love the British accent, but I think what they're really referring to is a specific type of British accent; very much a Benedict Cumberbatch accent. There are so many different accents in the UK, and I refuse to believe that all of them are pleasing to the ear of a non-Brit. Some of them are quite harsh after all. I suppose you're right about visiting the country of your favourite TV show or literature; my friends and I feel the same way about Finland, because so many of our favourite bands are from there. It's been a dream of ours for so long to go there and see some of the wonderful things we've heard about it through the bands we like. I've never been to Ireland, but I've been to Scotland quite a lot and visited quite a few of its cities, and I have to say it's absolutely beautiful; I've never been to one place I didn't like. I think it's the real feeling of wilderness that I love about it; it's the kind of place that makes you want to run through the forests and dance on the mountain-tops... or maybe that's just me... I'm ashamed to say I don't know nearly enough about Germany as a country as I should do; I have a few friends who live in Berlin though and they really love it

I'm always bewildered by the fact that non-British people want to holiday here in the UK; I mean, it's so... unremarkable But I guess everyone thinks that about their own country. And there are some good points about the UK I suppose; I mean, we have the whole monarchy thing going on, and some of the countryside can be quite beautiful... After that I'm drawing a blank So what, for you non-Britons, is the allure of the UK?

I have literally been bouncing off the walls since I saw that trailer

Numbers 2, 5 and 8 have been solved: 2.) Run after the tower: Steeplechase Run = Chase. Another word for tower = Steeple 5.) The French behind journey leap: Triple Jump Journey = Trip; Leap = Jump. Put 'the French' (le) behind 'journey' (trip) and you get 'triple'-- Triple Jump. 8.) That woman's Heather: Hurling That woman = Her. Another word for Heather = Ling. Her + Ling = Hurling

Hello everyone I'm doing a charity quiz and I'm stuck on a few questions in one of the rounds. They give you a list of cryptic clues and the answers are all sports of some kind, so as an example: "Wicker sphere" is Basketball, because a sphere is another word for a ball, and baskets are made of wicker. Basket + ball = Basketball. "Small Mr Cowell hangs on" is Cycling, because Mr Cowell is Simon Cowell; shorten Simon and you get Si. To 'hang on' to something is to cling, so Si + cling = Cycling. Get it? Okay, now these are the ones I'm stuck on; if anyone could offer any help or ideas I'd be very grateful... 1.) Alien by narrow inlet. 2.) Run after the tower. 3.) Sounds like a root vegetable. 4.) Opener can't stop talking. 5.) The French behind journey leap. 6.) Visiting Liz's. 7.) Hiss before the girls. 8.) That woman's Heather. 9.) Line up the officer. 10.) Bad witches frozen with 45 (I think this is referring to clue 45 in the actual quiz, which is the 'hiss before the girls' clue. So if I can solve 'hiss before the girls', that should give me the answer to 'bad witches frozen with 45'). Thank you in advance!

Moved here from another thread: Just wondering if anyone was aware of the news that there's going to be a special mini-episode on Christmas Day? I didn't know if it had been posted anywhere on the forum; I couldn't find it though, so here's a link if you weren't aware of it: http://tv.uk.msn.com/news/sherlock-gets-christmas-outing It looks like it'll be a UK-only thing though; it says it will be available via the red button on BBC.

Sorry Carol; I forget that for once the UK is quite lucky and will get to see the episodes before anyone else does It's strange... if it was any other programme, I wouldn't mind spoilers so much. Well, except for Game of Thrones, but for that I've read all the books, so I know what's going to happen anyway. But any other programme wouldn't be an issue for me. Sherlock is just too good; I want the experience of seeing things unfold and trying to figure out the mystery as it goes along.

I suppose you're right; I just get so caught up in the programmes I like that I just wish they'd never end; I'm actually a very patient person in all other areas of my life but when it comes to my favourite TV shows, I'm like a little kid on a neverending xmas eve And I'm doing exactly the same thing with regards the episodes; I keep feeling like I should be able to get the answer what with the information we already have coupled with the number of times I've seen the series, but I just can't! That's what I'm worried about; I think I'm going to have to abstain from society for those few weeks because if anybody spoils anything for me from that episode, I will not be responsible for my actions. Mainly by sitting in the corner of a dark room, hugging my knees to my chest and rocking whilst whispering over and over "Not long now... not long now..." Omg, tell me about it.... I mean, faking one's own death to save the lives of one's friends? Soooooooo passé, Mofftiss; do try harder

Eeeeeeeee, there's finally an air date; I'm so happy Though I thought the BBC said it would be shown during the christmas schedule? Jan 1st isn't exactly christmas; it's New Year! Ah well, I shouldn't complain; it's on its way... But it's kind of depressing me a little that, like Toni says, it'll all be over in 11 days and then it'll be another loooooooong wait for more episodes

How is it that I've waited sooooo long for this already, and yet now that I know it's coming within the next 4-6 weeks, it feels like I've got another two years to wait? It just can't come soon enough!!

Yeah, I knew Gideon did a voice for a character in Dragon Age, but I've never played it. But if the character is anything like Balthier, I know I'd love it Him (and Balthier's partner Fran) absolutely stole that game. And then they went and stole the sequel, Revenant Wings, as well. Square Enix were desperately trying to make Vaan the protagonist of both games and Balthier and Fran were just like 'nope' I really love JRPGs; though I have to admit that lately they're going downhill. Everyone went mad about Xenoblade Chronicles but I absolutely hated it, aside from the graphics. The plot and character development were shockingly cliched and unoriginal, and the battle system was horrific But The Last Story, on the other hand, is probably up there with the FF series as one of my all-time favourite games. It was simply beautiful all-round. Anyway, back on topic... Not sure what you mean by plain text; I've been copying and pasting the URL, but do I have to do anything extra to it? Thanks for the tip though Ooooo, I love that song

Well, Jeremy Irons has an amazing voice; seriously, it gives me shivers every time he speaks. But I think one of my absolute favourites (other than Benedict) has to be Gideon Emery, who voiced the character of Balthier in Final Fantasy XII. If you haven't played the game (and I suggest you do; it's brilliant), Balthier is a charming, witty sky pirate, a sort of cross between Jack Sparrow and Han Solo And Gideon Emery's voice is absolutely perfect for him; it's like chocolate for the ears Here's Balthier's first scene if you want to hear him. Oh, and in case you couldn't tell, Balthier is the darker haired guy; not the whiny blonde one. Oh, how I hate you, Vaan... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYNdRv1EXnY Also someone I think is deserving of a mention is Ville Valo, the lead singer of the Finnish band HIM. His accent, coupled with that gravelly baritone, just makes me go weak every time I hear it... here's a clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GSkSWydO5s Plus he's easy on the eyes, which helps too....

Yay, I'm not alone! I wouldn't say I detest it on the whole, because I do watch the films if they're on television and I do like them more than the books, but I really don't see why people love it so much. To me, the writing is childish (and yes, I know they're aimed at children and young people, but children's books shouldn't necessarily be childish, if you know what I mean) and basic, and a lot of the story is predictable. Plus I never really liked or connected with any of the characters; Harry's a whiny, petulant little thing; Hermione's a brat and Ron, though he's probably the least offensive of the three, is pretty irksome sometimes... ... Sorry if I've offended any HP lovers out there; it's not my intention I just don't understand why there's such love for it. ... And I actually like Twilight, but I know where you're coming from. It's far from being the best book in the world; it has a lot of faults.

I realised I forgot something when compiling my list (surprising though it may be ) ... A Series Of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket. I'm not usually a fan of books aimed at younger readers (hence why I didn't really get along with Harry Potter; am I the only one here who doesn't actually like it? ), but a friend reccommended them to me and I picked up the first book in the series in a bookshop one day and browsed the blurb, just to see what all the fuss was about. And it sounded really interesting; I'd never come across a book that explicity tells you it's not going to have a happy ending before So I decided to give it a go, and then once I'd finished the first one I bought the second one straight away, and then I was hooked Yes, the characters and plot aren't anything special, but it's the twists and turns and the writing style that made these books really special for me. I just found them hiding in a box in my garage, after having not been read in a few years, so I might just start re-reading them all over again now