Steven Moffat on ‘Sherlock’ special; how long series can go

Sherlock and Dr Watson in the upcoming Victorian special. “Sherlock is a bit more polished”, Moffat said.

Showrunner Steven Moffat revealed that Sherlock will be more of a Victorian gentleman and less of a rude man. The special episode will show a totally different Sherlock, according to the Hindustan Times.

Moffat seemed to say at a Summer TV Tour session Saturday (Aug. 1) that he and Gatiss are doing the special – starring Benedict Cumberbatch as the title deducer and Martin Freeman as his sidekick Watson – as a one-off lark.

“We are aiming for zero cognitive content in our answers today”, warned executive producer Steven Moffat at a “Sherlock” press conference today during the PBS portion of the TV critics press tour.

“We never bothered to explain what we were doing in modern day London”, the writer-turned-producer admitted.

Among the hints that Moffat dropped is that the time period is not the only big change in the episode. “Nothing’s inconceivable if you have bad taste”.

Sherlock fans are in for a surprise when the show airs its special episode, which features a nicer and more gentlemanly version of Benedict Cumberbatch’s character. “Ghost stories work better in the Victorian setting”, said Moffat. They are basically the same people but are portrayed living in another different “time and society”, Moffat continued.

Sherlock’s right hand man (Freeman), meanwhile, will be “more uptight.”

– And when, pray-tell, will we actually see this special? The “return” to a Victorian setting was “just because we can, really”.

“It’s probably Christmas-ish”, added Moffat. At this time, PBS, which airs the series in the U.S., has not set a premiere date because the BBC has not yet set theirs.

Moffat also commented on the British government potentially removing public funding from the BBC.

“It staggers me that we’ve got a government that got elected and decided the main problem with Britain is our national broadcaster”, he said. “Moffat declared that “…I think Benedict really enjoyed being Victorian Holmes. There will be a slight difference in the way the characters speak, Sherlock will have the manners of a Victorian gentleman rather than acting like a brat, and Watson will be a bit more upright. “There must be something more important to do”. “We haven’t done much with them in the modern show…”