James Barbour

James Barbour

Press Secretary and Head of Communications

Part of UK in USA

5th December 2011 Washington DC, USA

Elementary My Dear Watson

We spend a lot of time here at the Embassy talking about the interconnectedness of the UK and US.  Our defence relationship, both historic and present; our mutually essential trade links; and the cultural roots that underpin this special relationship – this is the bread and butter of what the Comms team here does.  And while we can trot out trade figures and battlefield stats to illustrate the strength of the UK-US relationship, it’s the cultural examples that often add a splash of colour.

Last week’s Grammy nominations for both Adele and Mumford & Sons showed how British music continues to permeate successfully into US pop culture.  The Beckhams and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are among the most well-known and recognized figures in the US, while franchises like Harry Potter exemplify the strength of US-UK collaboration in creative industries.

The latest such successful collaboration, “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows,” gives a 21st century angle to a 19th century classic and hits American cinemas in just over a week.   The UK-US connections abound.  American production companies created the film, which was directed by British director, Guy Ritchie, shot in the UK, starring British and American actors.  Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle, the man who started it all, is said to have drawn much of his inspiration from arguably the greatest American illusionist, Harry Houdini.

If you’re as keen as I am to see “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows” you may not have to wait as long as you think.  Thanks to Warner Bros. Inc we have several pairs of tickets to a sneak preview of the film on 13 December.

Every day this week you will be able to enter for a chance to win by visiting our Facebook page.  We will be posting at least one question per day to our page relating to Sherlock Holmes or the UK’s creative industries.  All you need to do is answer in the comment section and you will be entered into a drawing at the end of the week. You can enter again with every new question that is posted, so come back more than once to increase your odds.

Be sure to enter and get a chance to see an example of Special Relationship creativity at its finest!

About James Barbour

James Barbour is the Press Secretary and Head of Communications at the British Embassy in Washington. He joined the FCO in 1997, having studied Politics at the University of Edinburgh.…

James Barbour is the Press Secretary and Head of Communications at the British Embassy in Washington. He joined the FCO in 1997, having studied Politics at the University of Edinburgh. Roughly half of his career has been spent in London, in a range of jobs covering the OSCE and the Balkans, corporate social responsibility and corporate governance, press work and public relations. From 2000 to 2004 James was posted to the British High Commission in Cape Town, and more recently spent 2007 to 2011 in Moscow. In Washington James is responsible for managing and portraying the Embassy’s – and the British Government’s – public presence in the United States, engaging in debates in the US media environment on policy issues of importance to the UK, and contributing presentational perspectives to the Embassy’s policy discussions. James is keen to help the FCO make the most of social media; this is his third blog, and he often dabbles with Facebook, Foursquare and Twitter. James is joined in Washington by his wife Carrie and their two children.

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grammy movie sherlock holmes Special Relationship tickets uk usa