His Last Vow

"His Last Vow"
Sherlock episode
The fictional "Appledore" inhabited by Magnussen (actually Swinhay House)
Episode no.	Series 3 Episode 3
Directed by	Nick Hurran
Written by	Steven Moffat
Produced by	Sue Vertue
Featured music	David Arnold Michael Price
Cinematography by	Neville Kidd
Editing by	Yan Miles
Original air date	12 January 2014
Running time	89 minutes
Guest appearance(s)
Lars Mikkelsen as Charles Augustus Magnussen Lindsay Duncan as Lady Elizabeth Smallwood Andrew Scott as Jim Moriarty Yasmine Akram as Janine Wanda Ventham as Mrs Holmes Timothy Carlton as Mr Holmes Tom Brooke as Bill Wiggins Louis Moffat as young Sherlock
Episode chronology
← Previous "The Sign of Three" Next → "The Abominable Bride"
List of Sherlock 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. 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 adaption 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, 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.