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120 Sherlock BBC Trivia Questions, Answers, and Fun Facts

How much do you know about Sherlock BBC? This category is for trivia questions and answers related to Sherlock BBC (Television). Each one is filled with fun facts and interesting information.
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1 The opening scene of the special is set during which war?
Answer: Afghan War

The series had previously been set in modern times, so viewers were understandably confused at the start of the episode when it opened at the close of the Second Anglo-Afghan war in 1890s.

The setting ends up being Sherlock imagining what his life would have been back in that timeframe.
    Your options: [ Afghan War ] [ The War of 1812 ] [ World War II ] [ The French and Indian War ]
  From Quiz: The Abominable Bride
2 What item did Dr. Watson tell Mrs. Hudson that he had to wear because he wouldn't be recognized without it?
Answer: A mustache

The Watson of the late 1800s wore a bushy mustache. Mrs. Hudson told Watson that she didn't like his stories because in the stories, she didn't do anything but show people in and serve breakfast. When she complained that he made the room "so drab and dingy" in his stories, Watson responded, "Blame it on the illustrator; he's out of control. I've had to grow this mustache just so people would recognize me". After Mrs. Hudson later gave Holmes a bit of attitude, he told Watson to "give her some lines, she's perfectly capable of starving us".
  From Quiz: The Abominable Bride
3 What's the name of John's sister's lover?
Answer: Clara

When Sherlock borrows John's phone, he notices the engraving on the back: "To Harry, love Clara, xoxo".
  From Quiz: "Sherlock": "A Study in Pink"
4 Season 1 Episode 1: Who introduced John Watson to Sherlock Holmes?
Answer: Mike Stamford

The entire episode is based on the first Sherlock Holmes story, "A Study in Scarlet". Mike Stamford is an old friend of John's, and when John tells him he is in need of a roommate to share the rent with him, Mike introduces him to Sherlock Holmes, who is also in need of a roommate.
  From Quiz: "Sherlock" Through the Seasons
5 What is Sherlock's profession, according to him?
Answer: Consulting detective

Sherlock states his profession many times during the show; the first time is in the first episode, "A Study in Pink". He is the only one in the world - he invented the job.
  From Quiz: I am Sherlocked - BBC's "Sherlock"
6 Anderson is part of a club dedicated to what Sherlock-inspired activity?
Answer: Coming up with theories about how Sherlock Holmes faked his death.

Lestrade thinks he's wasting his time and theorizes because Anderson's actions in part led to Sherlock jumping off the roof. Sherlock eventually tells Anderson how he did it; Anderson says he's disappointed. The show's writers nicely pay homage to fan theories and reactions by presenting alternate theories and having Anderson disappointed in how Sherlock survived. On the DVDs, the writers mention bizarre fan theories about his survival, which include a flying suit, anti-gravity boots, Pegasus, and the TARDIS from "Doctor Who."
  From Quiz: "Sherlock": The Quiz Is Never Over
7 Which detective believed Sherlock was still alive and had theories to prove it?
Answer: Philip Anderson

Anderson continually tried to convince Lestrade that Sherlock was alive. Everyone thought he was crazy, but he wasn't so insane after all.
    Your options: [ John Watson ] [ Philip Anderson ] [ Greg Lestrade ] [ Sally Donovan ]
  From Quiz: "Sherlock" Season 3
8 "But it's the solar system!" Who says this?
Answer: Dr Watson

This quote is from the episode "The Great Game". Sherlock is talking to Watson about topics which he doesn't see necessary to know, like who is prime minister. "Or that the Earth goes around the sun?"
  From Quiz: BBC "Sherlock"
9 At the beginning of the second season, we see how Sherlock and John get out of their predicament with Moriarty at the pool. It starts when Moriarty's phone rings out which fitting song?
Answer: Stayin' Alive

Appropriate choice. There's been a change of plans and Moriarty lets them go. But this isn't the last we see of him in this episode... nor is it the last time we hear that ringtone.
    Your options: [ I Just Died In Your Arms Tonight ] [ The "Back to the Future" theme ] [ Bohemian Rhapsody ] [ Stayin' Alive ]
  From Quiz: "Sherlock" : The Quiz Is On Again!
10 Who played the title role of Sherlock in the 2010 BBC series?
Answer: Benedict Cumberbatch

The show was an instant hit and has gone on to win numerous awards in both the UK and the USA.
  From Quiz: Sherlock
11 How does Sherlock Holmes describe himself?
Answer: High-functioning sociopath

When Anderson calls him a psychopath, Sherlock "corrects" him with this comeback. Although he likely isn't a sociopath, he doesn't seem to understand many human emotions (like why a mother would still remember her stillborn daughter years later) and flat-out tells Watson that he doesn't care about others because caring won't help solve a crime.
  From Quiz: The Quiz Is On: "Sherlock"
12 Sherlock and John are introduced by a mutual friend. What is his last name?
Answer: Stamford

This is one aspect of the show that is true to the stories.
  From Quiz: BBC's "Sherlock"
13 What was Sherlock doing when he first appeared in the episode?
Answer: Beating a corpse with a whip

Sherlock was beating the corpse in order to establish how long after death a human body would still bruise.

This was where Sherlock and Dr. Watson were introduced in the 1890s setting.

Sherlock then walked out of the meeting and told Watson to meet him at 221B Baker Street to finalize their living arrangements.
  From Quiz: The Abominable Bride
14 Upon returning to 221B Baker Street, Holmes and Watson found a veiled woman all dressed in black in the middle of the sitting room. Holmes quickly deduced that the shrouded woman was Watson's wife Mary. What gave her away?
Answer: Her perfume

Before the woman could speak, Holmes proceeded to explain why she was there: "You have recently married a man of seemingly kindly disposition who has now abandoned you for an unsavory companion of dubious morals. You have come to this agency as a last resort in the hope that reconciliation may still be possible. All of this is, of course, perfectly evident from your perfume". Watson was shocked that Holmes could have gathered all of that information from a woman's perfume, something which Holmes said didn't bode well for Watson since he didn't recognize his own wife's fragrance.
  From Quiz: The Abominable Bride
15 While sitting at Baker Street, John suddenly makes an exclamation about his leg, and then he apologizes to Mrs. Hudson, who's overheard. She replies, "Don't worry, dear. I've got a ____."
Answer: hip

Mrs. Hudson implies that her hip causes her pain, perhaps from some sort of prior injury.
    Your options: [ leg ] [ knee ] [ hip ] [ shoulder ]
  From Quiz: "Sherlock": "A Study in Pink"
16 Season 1 Episode 2: What item is found with each of the victims?
Answer: a black paper lotus

The Black Lotus Tong is a smuggling ring from China who leaves small black paper lotuses with the bodies of their victims.
  From Quiz: "Sherlock" Through the Seasons
17 What country was John fighting in before he was injured and sent back to England?
Answer: Afghanistan

Sherlock deduces this the first time he sees John, just by looking at him. The first thing he says after borrowing John's phone is 'Afghanistan or Iraq?'.
  From Quiz: I am Sherlocked - BBC's "Sherlock"
18 What is John's reaction to seeing Sherlock alive again in the restaurant?
Answer: He attacks Sherlock.

John is reasonably angry that Sherlock never gave him a hint that he was alive and leaving him to grieve the loss of his best friend for two years. John's girlfriend Mary is there and is understanding about the whole situation as they talk and fight in gradually less elegant restaurants.
  From Quiz: "Sherlock": The Quiz Is Never Over
19 When John was trapped in the pyre, what holiday were the people celebrating?
Answer: Guy Fawkes Night

November 5, known as Guy Fawkes Night, is the anniversary of the 1605 Gunpowder Plot to blow up Parliament. After John was rescued, Sherlock realized that it is November 5, and the bomb is in London's Tube, underneath Parliament.
  From Quiz: "Sherlock" Season 3
20 "Anderson, don't talk out loud. You lower the IQ of the whole street!" Who says this?
Answer: Sherlock

This quote is said in "A Study In Pink" by Sherlock who is trying to figure out the case. Anderson works for forensics and hates Sherlock.
  From Quiz: BBC "Sherlock"
21 Sherlock is pulled off a case and shows up in Buckingham Palace wearing what?
Answer: A bedsheet

Only Sherlock would go to meet (possibly) the Queen wearing no pants. Mycroft tells him of his "assignment" to find the photos taken by dominatrix Irene Adler.

In a nod to the original stories, early in the episode, Sherlock puts on a deerstalker cap to get away from the cameras; someone gets his picture and that's the photo that everyone sees. Even though he doesn't wear a hat. While Doyle's Holmes rarely wears a deerstalker in the stories, that image is the one that stays in the public's memory. Just like in the episode. Clever, huh?
  From Quiz: "Sherlock" : The Quiz Is On Again!
22 Who is the first person in the "Sherlock" series to say Moriarty's name?
Answer: The Cabbie

Sherlock forces the name of Moriarty out of the cabbie by pressing his foot on the cabbie's wound.
  From Quiz: Sherlock
23 When Sherlock and John move into the flat together, the landlady Mrs. Hudson assumes they are what?
Answer: a couple

This is a continuing joke throughout the series; John and Sherlock are constantly mistaken to be together.
  From Quiz: BBC's "Sherlock"
24 Which holiday is the plot of the story framed around?
Answer: Christmas

When Insp. Lestrade is first introduced in the episode, he Watson and Mary (Watson's wife) each exchanged pleasantries and a Christmas greeting.

Holmes simply remarked about being glad they had gotten that out of the way.
    Your options: [ Christmas ] [ St. Patrick's Day ] [ Halloween ] [ Armistice Day ]
  From Quiz: The Abominable Bride
25 Lestrade asked for Holmes' assistance in the case of Emelia Ricoletti. Witnesses had seen Ricoletti shoot her husband. What was unusual about the case?
Answer: Emelia Ricoletti was already dead.

The previous morning, a deranged Emelia Ricoletti had been seen on a balcony, wearing her wedding dress and shooting wildly at passers-by while exclaiming "You! You! You! Or Me?" She then put the gun toward her mouth and shot herself, with the blood spatter visible on the curtains behind her. Lestrade said her body was taken to the morgue, but a few hours later, as Thomas Ricoletti was leaving an opium den, his wife arrived in a hansom cab and killed him with a shotgun. She then turned away, the back of her bloodied head visible to a policeman who witnessed the crime, and she walked off in the fog.
  From Quiz: The Abominable Bride
26 What does "rache" mean in German?
Answer: revenge

When they find the pink woman's body, she scratched "rache" into the floor. It is deduced that she was trying to write Rachel, the name of her deceased daughter.
  From Quiz: "Sherlock": "A Study in Pink"
27 Season 1 Episode 3: What is the nickname of the assassin who strangles Alex Woodbridge and Professor Cairns?
Answer: the Golem

Oscar Dzundza, also known as the Golem, is a Czechoslovakian assassin hired by Jim Moriarty. He kills Alex Woodbridge because he realized that a valuable painting is actually fake, and then he kills Professor Cairns because she had contacted Alex about the possibility of the painting being a fake.
  From Quiz: "Sherlock" Through the Seasons
28 Where does Sherlock first meet Moriarty?
Answer: The hospital

Sherlock is examining a pair of shoes in the hospital lab and Moriarty comes in, pretending to be Molly Hooper's secretly gay boyfriend.
  From Quiz: I am Sherlocked - BBC's "Sherlock"
29 How does Sherlock diffuse the bomb under Parliament?
Answer: He turns it off.

He laughs and tells John that terrorists always put an on/off switch on their bombs. He knew it but didn't tell John so that they could get all their feelings out. John isn't very happy with Sherlock in this episode.
  From Quiz: "Sherlock": The Quiz Is Never Over
30 What was the name of Mrs. Hudson's chief bridesmaid?
Answer: Margaret

Mrs. Hudson said that she and Margaret were going to be best friends, but after her wedding, they hardly saw each other.
  From Quiz: "Sherlock" Season 3
31 "I don't have friends, I've just got one." This is said by Sherlock in what episode?
Answer: The Hound of Baskervilles

"The Hound of Baskervilles" is the second episode in the series. The story evolves around a deadly hound being spotted in Dartmoor. Sherlock and Watson discover that it isn't all what it seems.

I won't spoil anymore. :)
  From Quiz: BBC "Sherlock"
32 Who says this to Sherlock at the Christmas party? "You always say such horrible things."
Answer: Molly

Sherlock has been deducing some rather unflattering things about Molly and then realizes that the person she had dressed up for was him. He apologizes and gives her a kiss; Watson is shocked. Things are changing: Sherlock's finally cluing into the hurt that other people feel.
  From Quiz: "Sherlock" : The Quiz Is On Again!
33 What was the name of the stock trader mysteriously killed in the episode entitled "The Blind Banker"?
Answer: Eddie Van Coon

Eddie Van Coon was killed by a man climbing in through his balcony window, a feat Sherlock duplicates to gain access to his apartment.
  From Quiz: Sherlock
34 Shortly after moving in with Sherlock, John's life becomes a lot more interesting -- and dangerous. At one point, John is ushered into an unknown limo and taken to a deserted warehouse. Who is waiting for him there?
Answer: Mycroft Holmes

One wouldn't think so based on his actions, but it seems Mycroft cares for his younger brother! Also, it seems as though theatricality runs in the family.
  From Quiz: BBC's "Sherlock"
35 What word was repeated many times during the apparent suicide and murder?
Answer: You

The word was used by the bride, just before shooting herself, and again just before shooting her husband and also written in blood on the wall at the morgue.

There were then five more murders not shown on screen where the word was written on the wall in blood.
  From Quiz: The Abominable Bride
36 At the morgue, Watson was more observant than Holmes for a change. What did Watson notice about the mortuary director that Holmes had missed?
Answer: He was a woman

On the way to the mortuary, Holmes asked Lestrade who was the duty officer at the mortuary and wasn't pleased to hear "you know who". Dr. Hooper and Holmes apparently had an acrimonious relationship, and they snipped at each other while discussing the case. As they were leaving, Watson pointed out to Hooper that even though Ricoletti had died from the gunshot, she had signs of consumption and suggested an autopsy. Hooper responded with a snide comment about Watson being "observant now that daddy's gone", which made Watson confirm that he WAS observant because he realized that it was "amazing what one has to do to get ahead in a man's world".
  From Quiz: The Abominable Bride
37 Season 2 Episode 1: What is Moriarty's ringtone?
Answer: "Stayin' Alive"

At the very beginning of the episode, just as Sherlock is about to shoot the explosive vest and kill them all, Moriarty's phone rings. After a brief conversation, he calls off the snipers he has trained on John and Sherlock and leaves.
  From Quiz: "Sherlock" Through the Seasons
38 In "A Scandal in Belgravia", what does Sherlock take from Buckingham Palace?
Answer: An ashtray

Sherlock deduces that his anonymous employer smokes from seeing it.
  From Quiz: I am Sherlocked - BBC's "Sherlock"
39 What does Sherlock describe as "Two people who currently live together are about to attend church, have a party, go on a short holiday, then carry on living together"?
Answer: Marriage

He tells Mrs. Hudson this before the wedding. He carries on with his dismal views while giving his speech at the reception, then admits that he is rude and ignorant and can't understand most of the wonderful things that everybody else does.
  From Quiz: "Sherlock": The Quiz Is Never Over
40 What was written on the sticky notes on John and Sherlock's foreheads?
Answer: Madonna and Sherlock Holmes

John and Sherlock were playing a game where they guess who was written on paper stuck to their foreheads. John was Madonna and Sherlock was Sherlock.
John asked, "Yeah, but am I a pretty lady?"
Sherlock replied, "I don't know who you are. I don't know who you're supposed to be."
"You picked the name!"
Sherlock admitted that he chose a random name from the paper.
  From Quiz: "Sherlock" Season 3
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