WENN/BBC Not long to wait now until new Sherlock hits the air

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The actress, who plays Mary Morstan on the show, indicated at the MCM London Comic Con that The Abominable Bride, which goes back to Victorian London, will be worth the wait for fans who have waited nearly two years since the last episode. "It's proper gothic horror, it's properly scary and edge-of-your seat," she told Digital Spy.

"It feels very original and authentic. It's fantastic." Steven Moffat explained how much inspiration the creative team drew from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's work, saying: "There are loads and loads of details from the original stories.

WENN The show was filmed earlier this year

BBC Benedict Cumberbatch plays the title role

It's our version of Sherlock done in the Doyle trappings. Steven Moffat

"There is a case referenced in the story about 'Ricoletti with the club foot and his abominable wife', so this is broadly speaking that." He added: "It's our version of Sherlock done in the Doyle trappings." The writer and producer, who also helms Doctor Who, said that the team would never have attempted to pull off an episode of this nature as part of a regular series. "We wouldn't have done it unless we had a special," he insisted. "This is over and above our normal Sherlock."

BBC All new episodes will be filmed after The Abominable Bride

Three new regular instalments of the drama, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman, will begin filming in April 2016. For now, Mark Gatiss has said the team weren't worried about suffering pushback from fans as they try something different to the usual tone. "Why would you?" he said. "[This episode] is the definition of a treat. It's a Christmas treat." The Abominable Bride airs on New Year's Day on BBC One.