Sherlock watched in more countries than any other BBC show

The BBC1 detective drama starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman is officially a global phenomenon

Radio Times staff, 21 July 2014

RadioTimes

Fans in France, Germany, Russia and on both sides of the Atlantic may already know it, but Sherlock is now officially a global phenomenon.

The BBC detective drama starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman was sold to more broadcasters worldwide last year than any other BBC show – more even than Doctor Who, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2013 with a simulcast to 94 different countries.

Sherlock was licenced in 224 territories around the globe – also including Australia, Belgium, Canada, India, Israel, Serbia and Taiwan – according to the BBC's annnual report, which was published today.

The series was also named as one of the Corporation's biggest domestic successes of the year, after season three was watched by an average audience of 12.8 million in January, drawing an additional 3.2 million requests on iPlayer.

Doctor Who was also cited as one of the BBC's global highlights, with anniversary special The Day of the Doctor shown in a total of 98 countries, in 15 languages, after picking up a Guinness World Record for a simultaneous broadcast seen by viewers in 94 nations.

The feature-length episode was even a big-screen success, selling 649,138 cinema tickets in 25 countries after fans in Sweden, Norway and Argentina petitioned local theatres to show it.

One man who will take particular pleasure in the announcement is Steven Moffat – not only is he co-creator and writer of Sherlock, but also showrunner on Doctor Who.