The fictional "Appledore" inhabited by Magnussen (actually Swinhay House)
Episode no.
Series 3 Episode 3
Directed by
Nick Hurran
Written by
Steven Moffat
Based on
"The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton" by Arthur Conan Doyle
Produced by
Sue Vertue
Featured music
David Arnold
Michael Price
Cinematography by
Neville Kidd
Editing by
Yan Miles
Original air date
12 January 2014 (2014-01-12)
Running time
89 minutes
Guest appearances
Andrew Scott as Jim Moriarty
Lars Mikkelsen as Charles Augustus Magnussen
Lindsay Duncan as Lady Elizabeth Smallwood
Yasmine Akram as Janine
Tom Brooke as Bill Wiggins
Timothy Carlton as Mr Holmes
Wanda Ventham as Mrs Holmes
Louis Moffat as young Sherlock[1]
Episode chronology
← Previous "The Sign of Three"
Next → "The Abominable Bride"
List of episodes
"His Last Vow" is the third and final episode of the third series of the BBC Television series Sherlock, which follows the modern-day adventures of Sherlock Holmes. The episode was first broadcast on 12 January 2014, on BBC One and Channel One.[2][3] It was written by Steven Moffat and directed by Nick Hurran with music composed by Michael Price and David Arnold. The episode is a contemporary adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's short story "The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton".
In the episode, Sherlock Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch) and John Watson (Martin Freeman) take on a case about stolen letters. This leads the pair into conflict with Charles Augustus Magnussen (Lars Mikkelsen), a media mogul specialising in blackmail whom Sherlock despises. Holmes and Watson try to get Magnussen arrested, but their attempt fails when they confront him at Appledore, Magnussen's home.
On its first broadcast on BBC One, the episode received 11.37 million viewers,[4] a 32.1% audience share. Although this was a drop from "The Sign of Three" and "The Empty Hearse", it became the most tweeted-about single episode of a drama series in the UK. The episode received critical acclaim, and Mikkelsen's performance as Magnussen, in particular, was praised. For their performances in the episode, Cumberbatch and Freeman both won the Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie and Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie, respectively. Moffat also won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special for his work on the episode.
^"TV: Sherlock was a family affair for show boss Steven Moffat". Gloucestershire Echo. 12 January 2014. Archived from the original on 16 January 2014. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
^"Channel One will show the new "Sherlock" along with BBC". Gazeta.ru. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
^"The third series of Sherlock on the Channel One". Channel One Russia. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
^"Weekly top 10 programmes". BARB. Archived from the original on 18 July 2014. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
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