X

Uncovering mysteries in the upcoming 'Sherlock' Victorian special

While the "Sherlock" Victorian special "The Abominable Bride" gets closer to its January 2016 air date, we present the facts, another trailer and a stockpile of photos to decipher any hints.

Bonnie Burton
Journalist Bonnie Burton writes about movies, TV shows, comics, science and robots. She is the author of the books Live or Die: Survival Hacks, Wizarding World: Movie Magic Amazing Artifacts, The Star Wars Craft Book, Girls Against Girls, Draw Star Wars, Planets in Peril and more! E-mail Bonnie.
Bonnie Burton
3 min read
sherlock-abominable-bride-press-bbc-6.jpg
Enlarge Image
sherlock-abominable-bride-press-bbc-6.jpg

Sherlock Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch) and Dr. John Watson (Martin Freeman) will don Victorian garb for the special "Sherlock: The Abominable Bride."

BBC/Hartswood/Robert Viglasky

Next year, we'll get to see Sherlock (Benedict Cumberbatch) and Dr. John Watson (Martin Freeman) hunt down clues in another mystery, but this time it'll be set in 1890s Victorian London.

The 90-minute one-off special is titled "Sherlock: The Abominable Bride" and co-written by series creators Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss. It will air on January 1, both on BBC One in the UK and on PBS in the US. It will also get a theatrical release in select venues around the world, including China.

Though fans recently got another peek into the special with a new teaser trailer posted on November 6, as well as an earlier, more revealing trailer, the actors and show creators are keeping mum on plot points. But just like the clever detectives we adore, we may have uncovered a few things on our own.

Many of the regular series characters make appearances, including Mary Morstan, also known as Mrs. Watson (played by Amanda Abbington), as well as Mrs. Hudson (Una Stubbs) and Inspector Lestrade (Rupert Graves).

Even though both Molly Hooper (Louise Brealey) and Anderson (Jonathan Aris) are listed via IMDb to appear in the special episode, we have yet to see them in the trailer. Newcomer to the series Natasha O'Keeffe is seen in it portraying the mysterious Emilia Ricoletti.

We also know that series creators Moffat and Gatiss like to pay homage to the original Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock stories with episode titles. "A Study in Pink" was in reference to the original "A Study in Scarlet." "The Sign of Three" was originally "The Sign of Four" in the books. "The Adventure of the Empty House" was retooled for modern Sherlock audiences as "The Empty Hearse."

New pictures reveal more clues from 'Sherlock' Victorian special

See all photos

The Victorian special "The Abominable Bride" refers to a moment in the original story "The Musgrave Ritual" when Holmes looks through his old case files and tells Watson, "Here's the record of the Tarleton murders and the case of Vamberry, the wine merchant, and the adventure of the old Russian woman, and the singular affair of the aluminium crutch, as well as a full account of Ricoletti of the club foot and his abominable wife."

We still don't know for sure if the character Emilia Ricoletti is indeed the Abominable Bride in the special, or if it's an irate Mary Morstan. Perhaps even Molly Hooper? It doesn't help that Emilia Ricoletti's face isn't shown in the promo photo, but clearly she's in the image credit. We do see her in the most recent trailer wearing a wedding gown and shooting a gun.

Some fans are speculating that the special itself was placed in the Victorian era to show Holmes at his grandest, but also smoking his signature pipe as well as wearing his famous deerstalker hat. Others wonder if this is merely a blog story written by Watson, who desperately missed his dapper mustache.

Luckily, over Thanksgiving weekend, the BBC released a treasure trove of promo images of Holmes, Watson, Lestrade, Mrs. Hudson, Mary and even the potential bride herself, Emilia Ricoletti -- which we put in a handy gallery.

Sadly, after the Victorian special is over, we will still have to practice Holmes-like patience to see new episodes. BBC One confirmed that series 4 of "Sherlock" will start shooting next spring. "Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss are busy writing away right now," BBC One tweeted out in October.

Season 4 will take Sherlock and Watson into "deeper and darker water than ever before...The Game is on -- again!" Gatiss said of the next season earlier this year.

Until then, good luck finding more clues in the new photos and teaser trailer from "Sherlock: The Abominable Bride."