Which BBC’s Sherlock episode adapts “A Study in Scarlet”?

“A Study in Pink” is the BBC’s Sherlock episode that adapts ideas from “A Study in Scarlet.”

The episode serves as the series premiere and introduces Sherlock Holmes and John Watson in modern-day London. Its title echoes Doyle’s first Holmes novel, A Study in Scarlet, while the story changes the setting, technology and details for television. The famous Victorian railway and Mormon-related plot elements from the novel are not reproduced directly.

Instead, the episode centres on a series of apparent suicides connected by a pink-clad victim and a mysterious taxi driver. Sherlock uses modern forensic evidence, text messages and online information as part of his deductions. John’s military background is also updated to reflect service in Afghanistan.

The adaptation is therefore best understood as a modern reworking rather than a scene-by-scene version. Later Sherlock episodes similarly borrow titles, characters or plot ideas from Doyle while reshaping them for a contemporary audience.