Steven Moffat Confirms Next Sherlock Will Be Set in Victorian Era

Posted on March 16, 2015

Sherlock showrunner Steven Moffat has bowed to the inevitable and admitted that the next 90 minute Christmas special for Sherlock will be set in Victorian England. Benedict Cumberbatch returns as as Sherlock Holmes and Martin Freeman returns as Dr. Watson in the special which will air in December, 2015, in the U.K. The U.S. release date has not yet been set.

Moffat wanted to keep fans guessing, but it's been impossible as fans with smart phones have captured Cumberbatch and Freeman in full Victorian regalia shooting the series in various locations. At the South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin, Texas, Entertainment Weekly cornered Moffat and got him to spill the deets. Moffat confirmed that the special is, in fact, set in Victorian London. He also confirmed that the Victorian setting is a one off -- it's not for the rest of the series.

Moffat explained, "The special is its own thing. 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." He revealed that he and his co-creator Mark Gatiss had wanted to do a Victorian setting for a while, 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."

Moffat said that they are almost done shooting the special and he's very happy with the results. Fans have been hovering around the sets, trying to get a sneak peek at the intrepid duo who look quite dashing in their costumes. In fact, they both look quite at home in the Victorian garb. When the series first aired, Benedict Cumberbatch was relatively unknown. Now he's a movie star. Cumberbatch was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Alan Turing in the film The Imitation Game.

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