Star says he was eventually convinced that The Abominable Bride, which will air in the UK and US on New Year’s Day, was ‘absolutely brilliant’

Benedict Cumberbatch has admitted that fans may not relish the decision to set a one-off Sherlock Christmas special in Victorian times.

The actor, who plays Holmes in the drama, initially thought the decision to set the feature-length special, The Abominable Bride, in 1895 was mistaken.

“I thought they’d finally lost the plot, jumped the shark ... then they expanded the idea and pitched it to me properly and I think it’s fantastic. Absolutely brilliant,” Cumberbatch said.

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It is the first outing for Sherlock in almost two years and comes as production begins on a new series, which returns to the modern day, early next year.

Despite being unsure of whether fans would enjoy the programme, Cumberbatch said that was one of the pleasures of working on Sherlock.

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“We can’t disguise the fact that we’re often filming it in cities or public places where people are going to take snapshots of us dressed in Victorian kit. We haven’t disappointed fans in the past it seems so hopefully this won’t – I hope they enjoy it.”

Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman are the only actors to portray Holmes and Dr Watson in both classical and contemporary settings apart from Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce.

The special will be shown on New Year’s Day on BBC1 in the UK and PBS Masterpiece in the US, as well as in cinemas around the world.



It will be the first time that Sherlock has been shown in the US and the UK on the same day.

The show has been sold to some 200 countries and proved wildly popular in China despite only being available online rather than broadcast on TV.

Cumberbatch said Holmes had always had global appeal. “I don’t think this is a phenomenon tied in with our success. I think it’s to do with Conan Doyle’s extraordinary invention which has a universal appeal to all nationalities,” he said.

“This is a man who’s an outsider, who’s intelligent, who doesn’t tolerate mediocrity, who is incredibly efficient, but also has his weaknesses and comeuppances. You never know where it’s going to lead - there’s an endless amount of potential adventure.”