‘Sherlock’ Mistakes You’ll Never Be Able to Unsee

The BBC’s ‘Sherlock‘ is full of intricate details, but observant viewers have noticed a few small errors when rewatching the show. These are simply the inevitable glitches that happen when filming a fast-paced series on location in London, with lots of editing and technology involved. They don’t ruin the story, but they offer a glimpse behind the scenes of how television is made. Here are ten common mistakes that fans tend to spot and remember.

Baker Street That Isn’t Baker Street

The exterior scenes of 221B Baker Street are actually filmed on North Gower Street. Since it’s a real, busy street, the background details – like cars and parked vehicles – often change between shots. This means you might see a taxi disappear or suddenly reappear during a conversation. The shop signs and window displays also get updated by the actual businesses between episodes. If you watch the opening shots from different stories, you’ll notice the same location is subtly changed to fit the needs of each case.

Teleporting Across London

To keep things moving quickly, movies and TV shows often skip over travel time. Characters can go from one far-off location to another instantly. For example, a real walk from 221B Baker Street to St. Bartholomew’s Hospital would take a while, but on screen, the scene might cut directly from one place to the other. This happens a lot with locations all over London – characters might seem to travel across the city in just minutes. While this keeps the story fast-paced, it doesn’t accurately reflect how far apart these places really are.

Props With Changing Fill Levels

On TV shows and in movies, the amount of liquid in glasses and mugs often isn’t consistent. A cup might start almost full, then appear half-empty in the next shot, and then be full again. This usually happens during longer scenes that are filmed in multiple takes and edited together. You can also notice this with things like milk in the refrigerator or the amount of liquid in containers on a lab bench.

Phones That Morph Between Shots

When filming text message conversations, filmmakers often use a special ‘hero’ phone for close-up shots and a different, stand-in phone for wider views. This allows them to subtly change the phone’s appearance – its color, size, or even what’s displayed on the screen – from shot to shot. Details like notification icons and battery levels are often added or adjusted later in editing. When characters discuss messages, the times shown on screen might not perfectly match what they’re saying, sometimes differing by a few minutes.

On Screen Text With Drifty Timestamps

Sometimes, the timestamps on message bubbles don’t match the actual time of day – you might see a nighttime message while it’s bright outside. In group chats, replies can appear out of order as the app tries to make the conversation easier to follow. Also, the way contact names are displayed isn’t consistent; you might see a person’s full name on one screen and just their first name on another.

Wardrobe Continuity in the Coat and Scarf

Throughout the show, small details in Sherlock and Lestrade’s clothing change from shot to shot. For example, Sherlock’s collar and scarf aren’t always in the same position, and he sometimes appears to put his gloves on or take them off repeatedly. Similarly, Lestrade’s tie and anything in his pockets seem to move around. These inconsistencies happen because scenes aren’t filmed in the order they appear, leading to these subtle continuity errors, particularly during scenes filmed outdoors in the rain.

Gloves and Tape at Crime Scenes

Okay, so as a movie buff, I’ve noticed something that bugs me in a lot of crime scene dramas. It’s the little things, you know? Like, an actor will put gloves on to grab a piece of evidence, then take them off to chat with someone, and then touch the same evidence with bare hands! It totally breaks the realism. And it’s not just that – the police tape seems to magically move closer or farther away depending on the camera angle. Plus, those numbered evidence markers? They’ll subtly shift position between shots, so the whole scene layout looks different from one moment to the next. It’s a small detail, but it pulls you out of the story when you notice it.

Mirror Flips That Swap Instrument Details

Sometimes, a flipped image briefly appears in the final video, switching the left and right sides of the scene. You might notice details like a violin’s chin rest being on the wrong side or a ring suddenly changing hands. Reversed street signs or jacket buttons can also reveal these flips. These errors usually only last a few seconds, but once you spot them, the whole scene can feel unnatural.

Reused Newspapers and Documents

Movie and TV props, like newspapers and case files, are often recycled. They’re updated with new covers or labels, but the inner pages and text can sometimes reappear in different scenes. You might notice the same background text or filler paragraphs even when the story or suspect changes. A good way to spot this reuse is to pay attention to the inner columns and look for identical blocks of text.

Computer Screens With Movie Logic

In movies and TV shows, the computer screens you see aren’t always accurate. The graphics are often created or altered after filming, and things like commands, IP addresses, and email headers might not be formatted correctly or even be valid. You’ll also notice things happen much faster on screen than what the characters are saying, like progress bars jumping ahead between cuts.

I’m always noticing little details in ‘Sherlock,’ and I’d love to hear what sneaky slip-ups other fans have spotted! Let’s share our discoveries so we can all keep an eye out for them while we rewatch.

2025-10-22 01:57