The good news: Sherlock (the show) was at San Diego Comic-Con this year. The bad news: Sherlock (the man who plays Sherlock, also known as Benedict Cumberbatch) was not at San Diego Comic-Con this year. Nor was Martin Freeman or Andrew Scott or Mark Gatiss, unfortunately. Still, they did have an apology video, which you can watch below.
So Shakespeare and some spy called Jimmy Bond are the culprits behind this crime - though it's still not clear where Martin Freeman is, though shooting something Marvel-related would be a good guess - and so writer-showrunner Steven Moffat, producer Sue Vertue and Lestrade himself, Rupert Graves, were the sole answer providers for the assembled masses.
But before any of that is discussed, enjoy this teaser clip of the upcoming Victorian era special, which was also shown to the crowd. Be warned, however: it features Martin Freeman with a particularly fruity 'tache. Phwoar and so forth.
If you were playing Victorian Sherlock bingo at home, that's a big inky stamp for "snowy street", "deerstalker hat", "horse and carriage", "curved pipe", "silly facial hair" and "mention of dismemberment". Short and sweet, but thoroughly exciting, it's the briefest tease of what's to come this December.
The most important piece of news to come from the panel is that the Victorian special will be shown in selected cinemas across the globe around the time of its TV release, which will finally do the BBC's high-end production proud as the show is played on the big screens it truly deserves.
But what else can we expect from the special? The clue word this time around is "ghosts", something that Moffat wryly mentioned, followed by "Surely you can deconstruct the whole thing from that?" In other words, you may want to read The Adventure Of The Blue Carbuncle. And remember: with no iPhones, this Sherlock really has to think. *Think *think. “It’s still the same sense of humour, it’s still very much the show you know…" says Moffat. "But it’s in the 'correct' era, which was unbelievably thrilling.” And no, there will be no Molly in the 19th century, as back then things were "unbelievably sexist" and also, you know, Moffat and Gatiss made her up.
Elsewhere, Moffat teased a few other things, such as what to kinda-sorta expect from the infamously release date-free series 4: "We know very clearly what stories we're doing for the next season... and the never-stop-crying cliffhangers." Moffat even went so far as to say viewers will be "sucker punched into emotional devastation", but again, this was delivered with a big smile on his face, so take everything with a big pinch of salt.
The special Victorian episode of Sherlock is available to pre-order on DVD and Blu-ray now, and will be released after it first airs this Christmas time.