Nothing says Sherlock Holmes like Victorian England, but the most popular television version of Sherlock, starring Benedict Cumberbatch as the famous detective, occurs in modern day.
However, that didn't stop Sherlock executive producer Steven Moffat from creating a special episode of the series in the late 1800s.
This Christmas, Sherlock returns, but not as we've seen him before (at least in this iteration of the character). This time, Sherlock appears in all his Victorian-clothed glory, hunting for clues with his faithful sidekick John Watson (Martin Freeman) and solving crimes the only way he knows how: through the power of deduction.
In a new trailer released to promote the episode, which will appear on PBS in the U.S., we see what the results of this Victorian episode looks like, and it's likely that viewers will see this and exclaim, "Elementary, my dear Watson!"
Even Moffat thought that placing Sherlock back in the time period that he was originally written in was a no-brainer.
"We discovered there was some precedent for doing Sherlock in the Victorian era," said Moffat at San Diego Comic-Con earlier this year, as reported by Entertainment Weekly. "When we first did Sherlock, press asked how can Sherlock possibly survive in a world with an iPhone? And when doing the Victorian, the press came in and said how can he do this without his iPhone? [...]It's very much the show you know. It's the Sherlock as you know it, but in the correct era. It's one of the best ones we've made. I think it's really terrific."
Sherlock Holmes, the creation of author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, first appeared in print in 1887, but ended up as the subject of four novels and over 50 short stories by the writer. The character became so popular that other writers also found themselves inspired to write about the world's greatest detective. Sherlock Holmes has also appeared in many movies, video games and films.
Ian McKellan starred in a film about the famous detective earlier this year — Mr. Holmes. Meanwhile, Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law recently signed on for a third film in their series of films dedicated to Doyle's creation. CBS' Elementary TV series offers another modern take on the character.
Moffat's version of Sherlock debuted in 2010 and instantly garnered a fanbase for Cumberbatch, helping to launch his career in film. After the Christmas special, a fourth season of the popular series arrives in 2016.
The Sherlock Christmas special airs later this year on PBS.
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