Last summer CultBox visited the Sherlock set in Cardiff during the filming of the second series and chatted with star Benedict Cumberbatch.

Series 2 continues at 8.30pm on Sunday on BBC One with The Hounds of Baskerville.

> Order the Series 2 DVD on Amazon.

Benedict Cumberbatch discusses how he approached Series 2…

“It’s a difficult one, because we only did three last year and while they burnt bright because of that, you want to evolve things but at the same time you have to fulfil some of the boxes that we ticked last year for what people are expecting.

“But it’s never going to be the same, especially with three very different scripts from very different writers, tackling the three big stories. In a way, we’re moving on in the same direction, if that makes sense. He is evolving, he’s a year older for start in story terms. John and him are established as a team and there’s a synchronicity there which is fantastic.

“There are still a few ‘I can’t believe he’s doing that’ moments on either one of our parts. Yeah, there’s a bit more of a united front. It’s not just [Watson] going ‘Sherlock’s amazing’ and me going ‘catch up’.

“The characters are being thrown the biggest challenges that they’ve had so far, so it’s out of necessity rather than a need to fiddle with something that’s already worked very well. I think Martin and I are very keen for it to evolve. I think the big arc from last year is the fact that [Sherlock] is gaining a humanity.”

Benedict Cumberbatch discusses how he performs Sherlock’s deduction scenes…

“I’m basically cracking a code which is on the phone and it’s all about what information [Irene Adler] possesses and it’s this constantly slipping sliding landscape of trust and counter-trust and counter-move. At the same time it’s a massive flirtation, it’s a dance between them.

“But there’s a huge fuck-off deduction which I’ve got to do! It’s a painful birth; it’s always a very fucking painful birth as anyone who’s been on set with me will testify. You just have to work very, very hard at it and on the day just find pockets of time where you can completely shut off and be quite meditative about it.

“You have to inhabit it as well; the minute you start thinking before or after what you’re doing, you’re lost.”

Benedict Cumberbatch discusses being recognised in public…

“Well, I was going for a swim and this group of girl going in to the pool just happened to be all turning around at the same time trying to see if it was me and they all sandwiched each into the turnstile. And I laughed!

“It’s weird, because I’m not him, I get more recognised for being a fictional character than I do for being myself. But I’m not complaining about that, it makes complete sense.”

Benedict Cumberbatch discusses Sherlock’s relationship with Irena Adler…

“She’s someone who has an incredible amount of power and seemingly from a position of vulnerability, being a woman. I think also he has a blind spot which is female emotions. He’s very good at guessing the everyday circumstances that you pick up, but I think what she has is much more complicated than that and that’s where his blind spots lie.

“She’s very beautiful. She’s incredibly smart and intelligent and quick-thinking and resourceful; she’s got a lot of attributes that mirror him. She doesn’t suffer fools gladly. He can match her on every level.

“Also he’s seemingly sexually not just obtainable but opaque. The sexual drive is very, very, very disguised with Sherlock.”

What do you think of Series 2 so far? Let us know below…