The Sherlock Christmas Episode will be set in Victorian England… as show runner Steven Moffat confirms the crime-fighting duo will head back in time.
During an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Steven Moffat explained that the BBC Christmas special is set in Victorian England.
“The special is its own thing,” he explained. “We wouldn’t have done the story we’re doing, and the way we’re doing it, if we didn’t have this special. It’s not part of the run of three episodes. So we had this to do it – as we could hardly conceal – it’s Victorian.”
And it looks as though the highly-anticipated Christmas Special will remain entirely separate to the rest of the show.
“[Co-creator Mark Gatiss] and me, we wanted to do this, but it had to be a special, it had to be separate entity on its own. It’s kind of in its own little bubble.”
Of course, Sherlock fans had an inkling that something wasn’t quite right when set photos began to leak from the Christmas Special… and with Cumberbatch and Freeman both dressed in Victorian garb, many wondered whether there would be a more logical reason for it.
But it looks as though Moffat and co are putting together a Victorian episode simply because they can. No bumps on the head or hallucinogenic drugs – just a good, old-fashioned special episode.
Obviously, this seems to debunk various theories that Sherlock and Watson might be attending a costumed ball, or that this is all part of a dream sequence. Instead, it seems that Sherlock is going back to its roots for a one-off trip to the 19th Century.
And I can’t help thinking it’s going to be a real fan pleaser.
Unfortunately, this likely means that we’ll have to wait until Series 4 before we find out more about Moriarty’s ‘return’. And that gives us plenty of time to come up with more theories on exactly what happened.
But don’t expect any answers in the Christmas Special.
Are you looking forward to the Sherlock Christmas Special? Do you think it’s the right move? Let us know what you think in the comments below…
