Following an International Emmy win in 2025 for YA hit Fallen, Silver Reel has set up its next high-end English language drama with Sphere Abacus, Sky, SRF and ARD Degeto. The Death of Sherlock Holmes explores the missing chapter in the life of the world’s most famous detective and will star Rafe Spall (Under Salt Marsh, Trying) and Deleila Piasko (The Exposure, Transatlantic) with a premiere date set for 2027.
Created by Claudia Bluemhuber (Fallen), André Küttel (Platzspitzbaby) and Pierre Monnard (Winter Palace), written by Küttel and Simone Schmid (Die Beschatter), and inspired by the iconic characters of Arthur Conan Doyle, the series has started production, with Pierre Monnard and Bluemhuber directing.
The series begins with one of the most famous moments in literary history: the apparent death of Sherlock Holmes at the Reichenbach Falls. While the world believes the master detective perished in his final duel with Professor Moriarty, The Death of Sherlock Holmes reveals for the first time what happened during the three mysterious years between his disappearance in 1891 and his return in 1894 – a chapter that Arthur Conan Doyle left untold and which now finds its story.
Set against the majestic and merciless Swiss Alps, the story follows an Englishman found barely alive in an icy mountain stream by local woman Alma and her young son, Franz. When the village doctor is found murdered, villagers turn on the boy – leaving the amnesiac stranger as his only hope. Though the man remembers nothing, flashes of razor-sharp deduction betray a hidden past. As unsettling fragments of memory return, he must confront an unnerving question: who is he really? What starts as an isolated Alpine mystery soon opens into a far-reaching conspiracy that draws the man closer to the truth of his past – and the legendary name he may once have borne.
Silver Reel is producing this Swiss-German-Belgian co-production with Sky Switzerland, SRF, ARD Degeto and Umedia. Sphere Abacus handles international distribution. Sky will broadcast the series exclusively in the UK and Ireland. The series will stream on Sky in Switzerland and Germany, while SRF will broadcast in Switzerland and ARD Degeto in Germany. The project is supported by FFF Bayern and the IDM Film Commission. Bluemhuber and Monnard showrun, supported by co-execs Florian Dargel, Alexander Jooss, Fabian Stein, Baptiste Planche, Bettina Alber, Jonathan Ford and Will Stapley. Alen Bulic oversees the project for Silver Reel.
Claudia Bluemhuber says, “Following the international success of Fallen, I’m excited to return as showrunner and director to bring a bold new creative vision to life.
From the outset, The Death of Sherlock Holmes stood out—a fresh, character-driven take on an iconic world, where a gripping mystery meets a powerful search for identity.
With Rafe Spall and Deleila Piasko leading the cast, and the support of Sphere Abacus, Sky, SRF, and ARD Degeto, we’re creating a visually striking, internationally resonant series set against the Swiss Alps.”
Jonathan Ford, Managing Director of Sphere Abacus says, “Audiences continue to be enthralled by the exploits of Sherlock Holmes. This new iteration, created by our friends at Silver Reel and recounting Holmes’ completely unknown adventures during a mysterious and pivotal moment in Holmes’ life, is sure to delight viewers around the world.”
