Not only does Benedict Cumberbatch have the greatest name ever, but he’s also a damn fine actor.  Cumberbatch stars as a modern day Sherlock Holmes in the stellar series Sherlock opposite Martin Freeman’s Dr. James Watson, and we’ve been provided with a few copies of the show’s excellent second season as well as a signed poster to give away to a couple lucky readers.  Created by Steven Moffat (Doctor Who) and Mark Gatiss (The League of Gentlemen), each season of Sherlock consists of three 90-minute episodes that are an absolute joy to watch.

Having seen all of seasons one and two, I can honestly say there’s not a bad installment in the batch.  Season two ramps up the stakes to a whole new level with a dastardly iteration of Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic villain Moriarty.  Hit the jump to see how you can win.

The second season of the fantastically witty and fabulously acted series Sherlock, starring Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes and Martin Freeman as Dr. John Watson, returns to PBS on May 6^th with three more 90-minute installments – “A Scandal in Belgravia,” “The Hounds of Baskerville” and “The Reichenbach Fall.” Set in 21^st-century London, the updated duo battle the worst that modern criminality has to offer, including the unassuming mastermind of evil, James Moriarity (Andrew Scott), who wants to rule the world.

During this exclusive interview with Collider, actress Lara Pulver (who plays dominatrix Irene Adler) talked about how she came to be a part of the show, what attracted her to the role, the research she did to play a dominatrix, how anxious she was to be something of a love interest for Sherlock Holmes, filming the scene in which she is completely naked, working with her brilliantly talented co-stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman, and how she would love to return for another episode, if they find something great for the character to do.  She also talked about her brief time on Season 4 of the HBO vampire series True Blood, what attracts her to specific projects, and how she would love to do a Broadway musical someday.  Check out what she had to say after the jump:

For nearly 40 years, Masterpiece on PBS has captivated audiences with the works of the finest classic and contemporary writers, interpreted by the world’s foremost actors.  In 1985, Rebecca Eaton took over the helm and oversaw the highly successful relaunch in 2008, with three distinct programs strands – Classic, Mystery! and Contemporary.  Under her watch, the series has presented such high-profile titles as Prime Suspect, Inspector Morse, The Complete Jane Austen, Wallander and the recent hits Sherlock (returning for Season 2 on May 6^th), Upstairs Downstairs and Downton Abbey.  With 34 Primetime Emmy Awards, 17 Peabody Awards, a Golden Globe and two Academy Award nominations, her distinguished career has earned her the official recognition of Queen Elizabeth II.

During this exclusive interview with Collider, executive producer Rebecca Eaton talked about what her job at Masterpiece entails, the gut feeling that she goes with when it comes to determining programming, which aspects of her job she enjoys most and dreads most, and what keeps her coming back, year after year.  She also talked about the overwhelming success of Sherlock and Downton Abbey, why audiences have responded so strongly to the pairing of Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes and Martin Freeman as Dr. Watson, and why they only do three 90-minute movies per season.  Check out what she had to say after the jump.

While this news actually broke a couple of days ago, it’s still sure to put a smile on your face: The excellent BBC series Sherlock will indeed be coming back for a third season. The second season of the show recently came to a conclusion in the UK, and shortly afterward the show’s creators Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss took to Twitter to announce that a third season was actually commissioned at the same time as the second (cheeky bastards).

I absolutely loved the first season of the series, and stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman are outstanding. The show is incredibly entertaining (moreso than Guy Ritchie‘s films, in my opinion) and masterfully written. The second season hasn’t aired here in the States yet, but Steve has seen the season’s three episodes and said that the second season finale is the best installment of the show so far. Hit the jump for more.

Today, at the Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour in Pasadena, actor Benedict Cumberbatch was via satellite from London, where he is for the British premiere of War Horse, to promote the second season of the hit television series Sherlock. v Having premiered on January 1^st in the UK, and on PBS on May 6^th, Season 2 is stronger, better (yes, it’s true!) and wittier than Season 1.

While we will run what Benedict had to say about playing the iconic detective later, we did want to post his comments on how he feels about being chosen for a lead role in the Star Trek sequel, what he makes of the level of stardom he’s currently experiencing, and whether he might return for a Season 3 of Sherlock. Check out what he had to say after the jump:

A few new trailers for the second season of the BBC series Sherlock have been released. The show is one that I’ve heard nothing but great things about, and after watching these trailers I’m kicking myself over not moving season one up my Netflix queue faster. It’s a modern day revamp of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s beloved detective stories and stars Benedict Cumberbatch (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) as Sherlock Holmes and Martin Freeman (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey) as Doctor John Watson. The show was created by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss (Doctor Who) and it really just looks fantastic. Like season one, season two will be comprised of three 90-minute episodes.

Hit the jump to watch the trailers. The first new episode is set to premiere January 1st on BBC One.

Empire Big Screen is a bit like Comic-Con in that studios come by the show off footage from their new movies and the filmmakers come to talk up those films.  The festival is run by the good folks at the world’s best movie mag, Empire Magazine, so I approve.  Since we don’t have anyone at the event, we’ll be running quotes from other sites who are attending.  The first piece of news comes from Empire who spoke with Sherlock creator/writer Mark Gatiss.  Gatiss says they’re only about a week and a half away from wrapping production and that this season will be “The Woman, The Hound and The Fall” trilogy.  To be more specific, this year’s episodes will adapt the Sherlock Holmes stories “A Scandal in Bohemia”, “The Hound Of The Baskervilles”, and “The Final Problem”.  The second season of BBC’s Sherlock will premiere in early 2012.

Hit the jump for reactions to footage from Titanic 3D, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, and more.

When I first heard that Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffatt and writer Mark Gatiss were coming out with a Sherlock Holmes TV miniseries, I was extremely excited.  When I finally saw it, I was blown away by how incredibly good it is.  Sherlock is a modern take on the Holmes stories, and it doesn’t disappoint.  Holmes and Watson translate very well into contemporary characters with a dynamic relationship that’s brilliantly played by stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman, who will play Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit.  Sherlock is sharp, funny, and so suspenseful by the end that waiting until 2011 for more seems unfathomable.  Hit the jump for my review.

We’re always running tons of interviews here at Collider, but this past week has been especially crazy.  When you pair all the interviews Steve did during his visit to the sets of The Thing and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, coupled with the number of interviews we run on a daily basis, there’s probably some stuff you may have missed.  With this in mind, we’ve created a handy catch-all recap article that contains links to every interview we’ve posted over the last week.  Here’s some of them, but hit the jump for the rest:

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows On Set Interviews

• Director David Yates
• Daniel Radcliffe
• Rupert Grint
• Warwick Davis

The Thing On Set Interviews

• Director Matthijs van Heijningen
• Mary Elizabeth Winstead
• Joel Edgerton
• Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje

In the latest from PBS’ Masterpiece Mystery!, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic detective Sherlock Holmes enters the 21^st century in a new contemporary version that blows away the fog of the Victorian era. Created by the Doctor Who storytelling team of Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, Sherlock airs on October 24^th, 31^st and November 7^th, and stars Benedict Cumberbatch in the title role and Martin Freeman as Dr. John Watson, a retired army doctor that was wounded during service in Afghanistan.

Each adventure holds the flair and wit of the original while giving it its own 21^st century twist. In an age of forensic detection, computers and online blogs, it is still Sherlock’s brilliant brain and powers of deduction that crack the baffling cases.

During a recent interview with actor Benedict Cumberbatch, he talked about his approach for the updated and modernized Holmes, working alongside Martin Freeman as Watson and how he’s been a fan of the Sherlock Holmes stories since the age of 12. He also revealed some details about his role in the upcoming feature War Horse, directed by Steven Spielberg and due out in August 2011. Check out what he had to say after the jump:

Stephen Moffatt’s (Dr. Who) BBC series Sherlock seems like a fine show.  From what I’ve heard, it’s a hit in England.  But when all is said and done, will it have been worth missing out on the role of a lifetime?  That may be the dilemma that faced star Martin Freeman (The Office).  A source at The Sun [via TheOneRing.net] indicates that MGM made a formal offer for Freeman to star as Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit, but he had to decline because due to his commitments to a second season of Sherlock — “It was agonizing, but [Freeman] had no other choice.”  More after the jump.

Guy Ritchie recently brought an audience back to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic literary detective with last year’s holiday hit Sherlock Holmes.  Now BBC is counting on the audiences who loved the film to tune in to their series re-imagining, Sherlock.  Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss — who have done wonders for Doctor Who as the series’ respective showrunner and writer — are responsible for the contemporary update, said to “ground the forthcoming tales in reality, and appease ardent fans of the classic tales.”  Benedict Cumberbatch (Atonement) takes the role of the titular detective while Martin Freeman (The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy) plays his loyal sidekick Dr. John Watson.

Hit the jump for images, more details, and the official synopsis for this promising series.