"Sherlock" fans have until 2017 to wait for the return of the BBC hit series, but they do have the Christmas special to tide them over before the fourth season airs. Co-creator Steven Moffat has previously hinted that the 90-minute miniseries will be set during the Victorian era and that Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch) and Watson (Martin Freeman) will be entirely different than their usual selves.
In an interview with IGN, Moffat said that Sherlock will be "a lot less brattish," while Watson will be "a bit more uptight." He teased that the two will have manners of the Victorian gentlemen, totally different from their modern, uptight versions.
"They're the same people, seen through the prism of a different time and fitting in to a different society. I would say this Sherlock is a little more polished, and he operates like a Victorian gentleman instead of a posh, rude man, which he does in the modern too," Moffat said.
As for how the partners will be able to get in that epoch in the first place, the creator did not offer any enlightenment. He jokingly teased that since they never bothered to explain why the two were in modern day London, they will also not do so in this special. However, he revealed, according to Entertainment Weekly, that the Victorian setting will help in creating a spooky story for the viewers.
Moffat also clarified that the special will be a one-timer only, as they are making it entirely separate from the rest of season 4. He said that the next installment will still revert to modern times.
"Really, this is a one-off. Unless we go mad and decide on setting it in the 1940s and have them fight Hitler. Nothing is inconceivable if you have no taste," Moffat stated.
"Sherlock" season 4 will reportedly top the last Emmy-winning installment when it airs in 2017. The series will be a lot darker and will take the audience somewhere they have never been to before in the private investigator's world.
