Seemingly since the moment that Sherlock first appeared, fans of both it and Doctor Who have been clamoring for a crossover episode. Dubbed “Wholock” by those with far more creativity than I possess, it certainly has the potential to be quite the excellent concept. Just imagining The Doctor and his companion meeting Sherlock and Watson as they were both on the track of the same villain is amazing.

Unfortunately, the concept of Wholock appeared to be relegated to the realm of fan fiction. In the Christmas Special “The Snowmen,” when Matt Smith’s Doctor claimed to be Sherlock Holmes, it was established that Holmes is a fictional character in the Whoniverse. Well, so much for that crossover actually occurring, at least officially.

That appears to have changed. At some point in Sherlock, he and Watson will be travelling back to the Victorian Era. While this will not be a part of the fourth season specifically, but rather a stand-alone episode, that may be the best way to bring in The Doctor. Could this episode be a confirmation that Moffat has had a change of heart about Holmes being a fictional character when it comes to Doctor Who? If so, how would the crossover be done without glaring plot holes? They did it with Robin Hood, so I’m sure that they’d find a way. (There have been fan suggestions on the matter.)

Based on his comments to Entertainment Weekly, that appears to be the case. While his initial reticence may actually have been more of a matter of feeling that such a crossover would disappoint, Steven Moffat seems to have come around on such a creation. Instead of worrying about the episode not matching expectations, Moffat has indicated that he will make it even better.

“…I got persuaded by Mark [Gatiss], Benedict [Cumberbatch], [executive producer Sue Vertue] and Martin [Freeman] saying, ‘Look, it will never be as good as they think it’s going to be,’ and then I say, ‘Yes, but we’ll just bang it out and make it as good,’” Moffat said.

It will certainly be interesting to see how The Doctor and Sherlock react to one another, especially if it is the Twelfth Doctor meeting up with the famous detective. Just imagine Sherlock being his typical self, while the sarcastic Doctor is constantly ripping him, and vice versa, as Clara and Watson commiserate with one another. The two “smartest men in the room” may finally meet their matches, even if they do not want to admit it.

Wholock may well become a reality. Even if it is not this season, that long awaited crossover between Doctor Who and Sherlock appears to be closer to actually happening than we could have imagined.