Sherlock loves to go on long breaks between series, and so fans of the BBC/PBS show were pleasantly surprised when executive producer Steven Moffat dropped a first look at the upcoming Christmas special. The one-off episode drops Sherlock Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch) and Dr. John Watson (Martin Freeman) into the Victorian era, the very same era where Holmes and Watson do their investigating in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s books. Moffat has no explanation for the time jump; it just is.

“We discovered there was some precedent for doing Sherlock in the Victorian era,” Moffat told the Comic Con crowd. “When we first did Sherlock, press asked how can Sherlock possibly survive in the world with an iPhone. And when doing the Victorian [era special], the press came in and said how can he do this without his iPhone?” He later added, “It’s very much the show you know. It’s the Sherlock as you know it, but in the correct era. It’s one of the best ones we’ve made. I think it’s really terrific.”

Eye the detecting duo in their 19th Century garb above. Be sure to then jump after the break and watch 1:27 preview that is very meta, indeed. Also shown at Comic Con and posted after the break is a special video starring Andrew Scott (aka Sherlock‘s Moriarty) addressing the crowd with a wink and a nod.

There’s no date set in stone quite yet for the Christmas special; Moffat hopes to premiere it “in the next year.” What’s neat is that in addition to airing on television, it will also come to the big screen in select theatres globally.

Curious about Sherlock season 4? Moffat hasn’t even finished writing it yet (pity!), but he warns fans of “shattering emotionally draining you’ll-never-be-the-same-again cliffhangers” that will “sucker punch you into emotional devastation.” Great.

[Via Deadline; EW] Continue reading Comic Con: ‘Sherlock’ time travels to Victorian era in upcoming Christmas special (video inside) →