Sherlock creators want Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Jodie Comer and Olivia Colman to play female version

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Sherlock creators list Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Jodie Comer and Olivia Colman as their top choices to play a female version of the iconic sleuth

By Andrew Bullock For Mailonline

Published: | Updated:

The creators of BBC series Sherlock have listed the likes of Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Jodie Comer and Olivia Colman as their top candidates to play the title role, if ever the gender was flipped around.

During an online Q&A, Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, co-creators of the BBC drama, responded to the question posed by a fan of the show.

‘There’s quite a few [possibilities],’ said Moffat, who named Colman. 

Role reversal: Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, the creators of BBC series Sherlock, have listed the likes of Jodie Comer as a top candidate to play the title role, if ever the gender was flipped around

Gatiss added Waller-Bridge to the mix. Both she and Colman appeared in Emmy winning series Fleabag.

‘I quite like the idea of Michelle Gomez,’ Moffat added, having worked with her on Doctor Who.

Sherlock producer Sue Vertue hinted at Jodie Comer, who rose to fame in Doctor Foster and is now known for playing Villanelle in Killing Eve.

Sherlock’s BBC adaptation is one of many to centre around the character created by Arthur Conan Doyle.

In the mix: Phoebe Waller-Bridge's name was also tossed into the ring

And another: Olivia Colman was also a suggestion

In the mix: [L-R] Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Olivia Colman’s names were also tossed into the ring

Candidate: 'I quite like the idea of Michelle Gomez,' Moffat added, having worked with her on Doctor Who [pictured in The Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina in 2020]

Candidate: ‘I quite like the idea of Michelle Gomez,’ Moffat added, having worked with her on Doctor Who [pictured in The Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina in 2020]

The show was celebrating 10 years on the air, marked with the online Q&A.

‘I think we could sit here [and] generate quite a lot of names of female Sherlock Holmes,’ Moffat added. ‘I think that part would go female very easily. I don’t think you have to do anything.

‘Change the pronouns and you don’t even have to change the name. Sherlock Holmes could be a woman quite easily.’

What proved more of a conundrum was coming up with the name of an actress to take the role of Dr Watson.

All-male cast: In the BBC's Sherlock, Benedict Cumberbatch plays the titular role, while Martin Freeman is Watson

All-male cast: In the BBC’s Sherlock, Benedict Cumberbatch plays the titular role, while Martin Freeman is Watson

A new take: 'I think we could sit here [and] generate quite a lot of names of female Sherlock Holmes,' Moffat added. 'I think that part would go female very easily. I don't think you have to do anything'

A new take: ‘I think we could sit here [and] generate quite a lot of names of female Sherlock Holmes,’ Moffat added. ‘I think that part would go female very easily. I don’t think you have to do anything’

This has already been done, however, with Lucy Liu taking the role in Elementary – the US adaptation of the classic detective stories.

Lucy played Dr Joan Watson opposite Jonny Lee Miller’s Sherlock Holmes in the seven-season run, set in modern-day Manhattan. It came to a close last summer. 

In the BBC’s Sherlock, Benedict Cumberbatch plays the titular role, while Martin Freeman is Watson.

The series last aired a new episode in January 2017, marking the end of the season four.

Wats-on a name? This has already been done, however, with Lucy Liu taking the role in Elementary - the US adaptation of the classic detective stories

Wats-on a name? This has already been done, however, with Lucy Liu taking the role in Elementary – the US adaptation of the classic detective stories

Femme fatale: Lucy played Dr Joan Watson opposite Jonny Lee Miller's Sherlock Holmes in the seven-season run, set in modern-day Manhattan. It came to a close last summer

Femme fatale: Lucy played Dr Joan Watson opposite Jonny Lee Miller’s Sherlock Holmes in the seven-season run, set in modern-day Manhattan. It came to a close last summer

Gatiss said in January 2019 that it was the busy schedules of the main stars causing delays to a potential fifth run. 

The idea of flipping the gender of titular film and TV characters has been rife in recent years, with the role of Doctor Who famously taken over by Jodie Whittaker in 2017.

Much interest has been given to making the character of James Bond female, as Daniel Craig winds down his tenure as the seventh 007.