Moffat: 'Sherlock a later Doctor Who'

Sherlock writer Steven Moffat has revealed that he sometimes refers to the show as a later version of Doctor Who.

The new three-part BBC drama will see Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch) and John Watson (Martin Freeman) transported to 21st century London.

In an interview with Den of Geek, the showrunner was asked if the adaptation is suitable for family viewing.

"It's pre-watershed, but it's an adult show that kids will love watching," Moffat said.

"We sometimes call it Doctor Who an hour later. Definitely for grown-ups, but kids will ask to stay up to watch it."

He added: "We tried it on our kids, and they absolutely loved it. They were 7 and 9. Oddly enough, the thing they really enjoyed were the deductions. They were very, very hard to write."

Moffat also described the differences between the characters of the Doctor and Holmes, calling the pair "opposites".

"I think the Doctor is more human," he said. "I think he's more playful, and more ordinary and more distractible. They are sort of opposite. The Doctor is an alien, a remote outsider, who aspires to be one of us. He likes playing around with us. And Sherlock Holmes aspires to be a Time Lord.

"I don't know how they'd get on with each other."

Sherlock begins on Sunday at 9pm on BBC One.

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