After three successful seasons, Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat’s BBC series Sherlock (which airs on PBS in the States) is taking a different tack for this year’s Christmas special: Instead of being set in the 21st century, like the rest of the series, it will take place in the 19th century. We already got a glimpse of old-timey Sherlock Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch) and John Watson (Martin Freeman) in a short clip shown at Comic-Con in July, and now the BBC has released a trailer, which shows more familiar characters clad in Victorian garb.
The trailer reveals only hints about the plot of the special: We see a frantic woman berating Holmes, a dead body in a hallway, and several revolvers. More than narrative, this preview emphasizes mood, with the darkness and shadows of industrial-era London prominent in nearly every shot. It also seems that the special will feature plenty of the wit and self-awareness that the series is known for: There’s a gag about Holmes’ famous hat, and Watson at one point strikes a match and says, “Little use us standing here in the dark. After all, this is the 19th century.”
