Perhaps the one single criticism levelled at Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat’s that we can empathize with is that, despite producing some of the best episodic content in the medium, the prolonged wait for new episodes is enough to send the diehard Sherlock faithful stir crazy. With the fourth season of BBC’s award-winning drama not due until 2016, fans will be keeping one eye on this year’s Christmas special with gleeful anticipation, and we’re happy to report that the first full trailer is now online for your viewing pleasure.
Whisking Holmes and Watson back to Victorian England, the footage underlines just how much the creative team has embraced the temporal shift, what with the horse-drawn carriages and Martin Freeman’s moustache – heck, there’s even a nod to Arthur Conan Doyle’s indelible work with Watson all but slapping Sherlock on the wrists for not donning the famous deerstalker hat.
Returning to the same 221B Baker Street we know and love, Sherlock‘s Christmas Special will serve as a standalone period piece, which ought to be enough to sate our appetite as we hunker down for the long wait for season 4. There’s no word yet on plot details, and it’s anyone’s guess whether Gatiss and Moffat will adopt one of Doyle’s classic literary tales or, on the other hand, mould an entirely new case for the titular sleuth to solve.
It’s a welcome return to the character’s roots, really, considering that the acclaimed BBC series has earned its accolades for offering a modern spin on the incomparable Mr. Holmes – in the vein of CBS’ Elementary. So, how will the creative team handle a story where the character is situated in his native era? Time will tell.
“Oh, Watson. Nothing made me. I made me.” Yes, Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sherlock Holmes returns with all his impish charm and mind-bending intelligence this Christmas for a one-off special. Are you excited?