Young Sherlock star Hero Fiennes Tiffin: "I'm not going to get a 'nepo baby' tattoo, or put it in my bio!"

This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine.

On the set of the latest series revolving around the character of Sherlock Holmes, there’s not a deerstalker or pipe in sight. In fact, Holmes is dressed as a Victorian washerwoman for a scene in which his future arch-rival James Moriarty breaks him out of prison – a scene full of fisticuffs and larger than life derring-do.

That’s because this is an origin story of the famous detective, directed by Guy Ritchie, and shows the genius as a young man, long before he develops his skills or wears his trademark outfit.

Hero Fiennes Tiffin, who plays the lead role in Young Sherlock, explains: “We meet him way before he becomes the character we know and love. He’s ridiculously intelligent but there are things he needs to refine, like his deduction skills. He’s youthful, excitable – the tragedies that ultimately make him distant and cold haven’t happened yet. It was bold of the original stories to depict him as a character with addiction issues, and you can become curious as to why that happens. That’s part of our challenge.”

There are Holmes tropes drip-fed throughout the eight-part series – including the moment he first utters his catchphrase, “The game is afoot” – which were a thrill for Fiennes Tiffin, who watched all four series of the BBC’s Sherlock, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, three times.

“The deerstalker, the pipe, the trench coat – they’re valuable poker chips that you don’t want to spend all at once,” he says. “It’s not a new character, we want to show the slow progression.”

The action begins with a young Holmes drifting through life, in and out of prison. In a bid to get him on the right path, older brother Mycroft (Max Irons) gets him into Oxford University – not as a student, but as a porter cleaning rooms and waiting tables.

At Oxford he meets Moriarty (Dónal Finn). But while anyone familiar with the books or past series will know him as Holmes’s nemesis in later life, throughout this series, the pair are friends, embarking on a mission to solve a Holmes family mystery: his first detective work. What ensues is a typically Ritchie-esque escapade – a bold mix of period drama with a contemporary spin, big stunts and whip-smart dialogue.

“We’re not slaves to the period,” explains Fiennes Tiffin. “At first glance, we’re in accurate period dress, but if you look closely, it’s all designer wear, like Ralph Lauren. Our Sherlock’s not Brad Pitt in Snatch level of cool, but he does some cool things. One of Guy’s most consistent notes was, ‘Be cool. Be cooler’.”

While Moriarty teaches Holmes to fight, Holmes reciprocates by showing Moriarty his famous “mind palace”, where he re-creates the scene of a crime in his imagination and spots minute details. One of the pleasures of watching their relationship is knowing they will later become deadly enemies.

“They’re already rivals; they want to ‘one up’ each other,” says Fiennes Tiffin. “If they can’t be friends, they would be enemies – they never want to be strangers. They elevate each other, and they both have a narcissistic streak. It’s like Ronaldo and Messi, two footballers at the top of their game, pushing each other to keep surpassing themselves. Or to use another football analogy, it’s like the local derby: playing your biggest rivals is always the most fun match.”

For now, they’re working together on the series’ big mystery, which revolves around the death of Holmes’s sister, a tragedy that led to his mother Cordelia (Natascha McElhone) being admitted to an asylum, his father Silas (Joseph Fiennes) working abroad, and Holmes going to boarding school. The series marks the first time Fiennes Tiffin – son of writer-director Martha Fiennes and film-maker George Tiffin – has worked with his uncle, Joseph Fiennes.

“I was filming for months before Joe came on set,” Fiennes Tiffin says. “You start off a show with imposter syndrome then, after a while, you start to have self-belief. Then Joe came on set, and it was all depleted back to zero again! I was, like, I need to prove to him that I’m a half-decent actor. But those feelings quickly went away.”

When I bring up the subject of nepotism, Fiennes Tiffin insists he’s happy to talk about his famous family – his other uncle is Ralph Fiennes. “I completely understand the intrigue about nepotism and the opportunities you get for and from your family,” he says. “I’d be the first to admit that I don’t think I’d be here if it wasn’t for them. But I’m not going to get a ‘nepo baby’ tattoo, or put it in my bio!

“I appreciate how lucky I’ve been to get a foot in the door, but I feel I’ve proved that I deserve to be here through the work that I’ve done. I’m not shy about talking about these things.”

In fact, the 28-year-old resisted the idea of acting until his mother saw his potential and gently pushed him towards it. “What your parents do often doesn’t seem very cool,” he explains, “and you want to pave your own way. My mum would say, ‘I know you want to play football with your mates, but do this audition quickly, I’ll help you’. With the wages from the first acting job I did, I got a West Ham kit with my name on the back and I thought, ‘Yeah, this acting stuff’s not too bad!’ My love for acting has grown gradually, but I’m so grateful for Mum’s support and so thankful to be in this position.”

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