With Sherlock on indefinite hiatus, there’s nothing for fans of the BBC detective drama to do but rewatch the series over and over again. Thankfully, the 13 episodes released so far are stuffed full of references and easter eggs that you might’ve missed the first time around, like this one found in season 4’s second episode, titled “The Lying Detective,” which features an unexpected connection to the Whoniverse.
One Twitter user’s noticed that on Sherlock’s messy mantelpiece in Baker Street, there’s a card with a very familiar logo on it that fans of Doctor Who and its associated spinoff should most definitely recognize. And it even has a magnifying glass to make sure that we see it. It’s the logo for Torchwood, of course, the alien-hunting organization led by John Barrowman’s Captain Jack in the much-missed sci-fi show.
See for yourself below:
This was likely just put there as a fun bit of set dressing from the production team. As both are products of BBC Wales, there’s a lot of crossover in the crews of the two shows. However, within the context of Sherlock, it raises a lot of questions. For instance, has Benedict Cumberbatch’s detective had dealings with Torchwood, or is the magnifying glass over the name a reminder to him that he needs to investigate the highly secretive team and find out what they’re up to?
At the very least, this easter egg fuels something that practically every Doctor Who and Sherlock fan believes: that they’re both set in the same universe. After all, co-creators of the latter, Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, are two of the most important writers on the BBC’s other jewel in the crown. Maybe if we look hard enough, we’ll even find the TARDIS hiding in the background, too. Oh wait, someone already has.
As for the future of Sherlock, there was a recent flutter of excitement when it was rumored that season 5 was coming soon, but those rumors were soon shot down. From what we understand, the earliest possible point we can expect more from Holmes and Watson is in 2020, but Doctor Who will be back a lot sooner than that, as season 11’s expected to kick off in October.
