When the BBC's television series Sherlock debuted in summer 2010 and traveled to the U.S. via PBS a few months later, no one-including Hartswood Films producers, series co-creators Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, stars Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock Holmes) and Martin Freeman (John Watson), or those who would become ardent fans-knew what an international phenomenon it would become. Since then, Sherlock has encouraged a diverse fandom who participate in such traditional fan activities as writing fiction, creating art, attending conventions, and buying merchandise. Yet, Sherlock fandom does far more than that. Like the object of their affection, Sherlock Holmes, fans scrutinize clues about the series' meaning and deduce what happens off screen or off the set, then share their findings across the internet. They postulate theories and create personally empowering readings of the characters and relationships. They have tweeted with The Powers That Be, mobilized to filming locations via #Setlock, and become advocates for LGBTQIA communities. Sherlock's digital communities have changed the way that fans and TPTB interact in person and online as each publicly takes "ownership" of beloved television characters who represent far more than entertainment to their fans.

About the Author
Lynnette Porter is a professor in the Humanities and Communication Department at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida, and has written extensively on television and film.

Jennifer Wojton is an assistant professor in the Humanities and Communication Department at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida. She has previously published work about popular culture and pedagogy.

Reviews
"The popularity of the BBC's recent Sherlock series, fueled by social media, has only added to the longtime fandom of Arthur Conan Doyle's quirky detective. Authors Wojton and Porter contend that the BBC production's unique, compelling feature is its complex attitude toward sexuality, a pairing known in fan communities as Johnlock...describ[es] the ways online fans analyze and celebrate the ambiguous relationships between characters, often through fan fiction"-Booklist



Book Information
ISBN 9781476670201
Author Jennifer Wojton
Format Paperback
Page Count 200
Imprint McFarland & Co Inc
Publisher McFarland & Co Inc
Dimensions(mm) 229mm * 152mm * 8mm