Royal Mail is bringing out a new set of 10 stamps to mark the popularity of the TV series, Sherlock, which stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes and Martin Freeman as the faithful Dr Watson and has been shown in 180 countries.

Apart from Holmes and Watson, four of the six stamps in one set feature other characters in the modern version of Arthur Conan Doyle stories — “Jim” Moriarty; Irene Adler; Mary Morstan; and Mycroft Holmes. When UV light is shone over the stamps hidden details from each episode are revealed.

The six episodes featured are A Study in Pink (when Watson meets his new flatmate); The Great Game (when a woman hostage is strapped to a bomb and the great detective is up against the notorious criminal, James Moriarty); A Scandal in Belgravia (when Irene Adler has compromising photographs of a member of the Royal Family on her phone, and calls on Holmes and Watson to retrieve the device); The Reichenbach Fall (when Moriarty is acquitted of robbing the Bank of England and stealing the Crown Jewels and instead accuses Holmes of being a fraud); The Empty Hearse (when Holmes returns to London two years after faking his suicide); and The Final Problem (when Holmes discovers that in addition to his brother Mycroft, he also has a sister, Eurus).

A further four stamps feature new illustrations of other stories written by Doyle: The Adventure of the Speckled Band; The Red-Headed League; The Adventure of the Second Stain; and The Adventure of the Dancing Men.

Richard Doyle, the author’s great nephew, said: “In the first chapter of my great uncle Arthur’s famous Sherlock Holmes novel, The Sign of Four, Sherlock remarks upon the sheet of stamps in Watson’s desk — imagine his consternation if it turned out to be this sheet of stamps! What would he have deduced from what he observed?”

“I hope those who take a close look at these fascinating stamps, observing not just seeing, are inspired to read the original stories and novels written by my great uncle.”

— Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.”

According to Royal Mail, “when Sir Arthur Conan Doyle published his first Sherlock Holmes novel, A Study in Scarlet, in 1887, he had no idea how iconic the character would become. Inspired by the detective stories of Edgar Allen Poe and real-life figures such as

Scottish surgeon Joseph Bell, Conan Doyle would produce 56 Holmes short stories and four full-length novels before laying the character to rest in 1927.”

Philip Parker, from Royal Mail, added: “We celebrate the enduring fascination with the world’s most famous fictional detective – Sherlock Holmes.”

Devised and written by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, Sherlock aired for the first time in July 2010. “This interpretation of Doyle’s mysteries offered audiences a fresh, modern take on his novels and short stories, with an irreverent tone and 21st century technology such as internet searches, texting and GPS,” it was pointed out.

Sue Vertue, producer of the Sherlock series that has won BAFTA and Emmy awards, commented: “We are terribly proud of our Sherlock TV series and now am ridiculously excited about these Royal Mail stamps.”