Thankyou to www.adamcatterall.co.uk for this image.

Tuesday 21 January 2014

SHERLOCK IN AUSTRALIA

The Australian Sherlock Fandom

You may not know it, it may not be obvious, but there is a Sherlock fandom Down Under. We are committed, we are crazy and we are 100% real. We range from young to the young at heart, and take many different forms, and are certainly thousands strong.



But Sherlock (in all forms) has a very small presence in Australia. You can buy Doyle's books, you can join one of the few Holmesian committees (for an annual fee) and you can watch some Sherlock-based shows on TV now and then (and if you're lucky, the Warner Bros' Sherlock Holmes {with Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law playing Sherlock and John respectively} rendition at the cinemas). Other than that, we Aussies must rely on Youtube and online methods to watch Sherlockian films, purchase merchandise and meet/greet other Sherlockians. 

Sherlockians/Holmesians/Doyleockians in Australia are able to watch BBC Sherlock Season 3 this year, on Channel Nine. Here is the advertising currently available for the international hit drama, here in Aus:

TV Ads: One short advert on Channel Nine.
Posters/Billboard/Mass Media Ads: None.

Merchandise (aside from the DVDs): None.
Flyers/Posters/Meet-Ups: None.
Air Date: Unconfirmed.


And that is the current status of Sherlock's exposure down here in Australia. 

Sherlock Holmes, being such a rich source of culture and excitement among fans of quality literature/filmography/television, needs a bigger presence here. We need more than just the occasional book we pounce upon in an Op Shop, or bits and pieces of collections of older renditions of the Great Detective (such as that of Jeremy Brett). We need a thriving Sherlockian community, and a way for Sherlockians to come together that does not involve annual fees, forms and great hiatus; we need Twitter pages, Tumblr blogs, #Sherlockedmeetups, cosplay competitions, more merchandise availability and more prominent advertising from the BBC. 

No words can quite explain the frustration that comes with the sheer absence of something so treasured in our Sherlockian community. But the thing is, it's we fans who need to do something about this. Why don't we follow the example of fanclubs in our fellow Sherlocked countries around the globe? How difficult can it be to arrange an informal, cost-free meet up, competitions or some webpages especially for Sherlockians Down Under?


((The Sherlock Fandom in Australia - links)).
Sherlockians at the Supanova 2012 in Sydney (Youtube)
The Australian Cumberbatch Army (Tumblr)
The Sydney Passengers (Sherlockian Society)



Today, I'm appealing for the assistance and support of all Sherlockians to begin such a movement for the #Sherlockcause in Australia. If everyone dons their deerstalker and gets their blog posts ready, we can do something about this atrocity. 
If you are interested in supporting me with this project, titled 'Holmes Down Under', contact me via this blog, or at:
Twitter - @SherlockedReena

Tumblr - holmesdownunder.tumblr.com

PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD - THE GAME IS AFOOT!


Yours,
Reena