Like a parent trying to make sure a second child still receives attention while the first’s birthday party is going on, the Beeb snuck a small promo for Sherlock in at the end of the huge, globe-spanning simulcast celebration of Doctor Who on Saturday. Take a look at the brief – very brief – new trailer for series 3 below.
The revelation that Benedict Cumberbatch’s Holmes is alive is a surprise to exactly no one who saw the end of The Reichenbach Fall (or to those who noticed that the show’s title has not suddenly switched to 'Watson'). But to those in the universe of the show, it’s going to come as an almighty shock, one that we doubt will be greeted with total joy when they discover the wool that has been pulled over their eyes.
This tiny trailer shows the wider world learning of Sherlock’s survival, but offers few hints as to what we can expect from the new show beyond Martin Freeman’s healthy new face fuzz and the excitable reactions of the Sherlocked groupies who follow his every move.
Even more frustratingly, we still don’t know when it’ll air, as the trailer keeps with the “coming soon” mantra. Perhaps the BBC has handed the Radio Times an exclusive or some such thing (Other listings magazines are available).
With Holmes, Watson, Molly and the rest set to hit US airwaves on Jan 19 at 10pm on PBS, we can confidently predict it’ll be back on in the UK before then. Our best guess remains New Year’s Day, but until then? We suppose we have to be content with teasers.
Finally, Steven Moffat’s other show also put out a mini-teaser yesterday, for its Christmas episode, set to feature the handover from Matt Smith to incoming Doctor Peter Capaldi (who we – spoiler alert! – glimpsed in The Day Of The Doctor). That’ll air on Christmas Day.