Mark Gatiss, Series 4 preview

“There are certainly things which will come to fruition in this episode that have been building for a long time – a 125-year-old spoiler – see what you can make of that.”

This line from Mark Gatiss’ preview of Series 4, shown when The Abominable Bride was re-released in theatres, has always bothered me. He rushes through it so that it matches 2:21 in the countdown. It’s the most open invitation we’ve had to figure out what story they’re going to tell.

The Adventure of Wisteria Lodge is set in 1892, which fits. However, since Sherlock Holmes died in 1891, and returned in 1894, Baring-Gould’s chronology places that story in 1890 instead. Until The Six Thatchers aired, I assumed the “spoiler” would have something to do with Sherlock’s time away.

But, now that we’ve seen The Six Thatchers, it seems likely that the spoiler is about what Holmes, upon his return, called Watson’s “sad bereavement”. Watson suffered a loss during their separation, but was it his wife, or his child, or both? We’ve never known for sure.

And, given the amount of false testimony presented in the episode, we still can’t be sure!

Good evening. Hope you enjoyed The Abominable Bride as much as I did - or as much as we enjoyed making it.

John:  Excuse me, I do hope we’re not interrupting.

But now, for series four of Sherlock, we are returning to contemporary London where we all belong.  And I have got four minutes, apparently, to tell you absolutely nothing about the new series.  What can I tell you in the next three minutes and thirty seconds?  Well, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson are back in Baker Street, as is Mrs. Mary Watson.  There is a new arrival in the form of a baby.

(Music only)

Three minute to go.  Ah, so we have a new team in Baker Street,  maybe we could call this The Adventure of the Three Watsons, but we haven’t; we’ve called it The Adventure of the Six Thatchers.  There’s a clue there if you you know your Arthur Conan Doyle.  Go back to the original story and find out precisely as much or as little as you want to.

(Music Only)

Two minutes and thirty seconds to go.  Uh, and there are certain things which come to fruition in this episode which have been building for an awful long time - hundred and twenty-five year old spoiler - see what you can make of that.

(Music)

Two minutes to go.  Well, Sherlock and John and Mary are tested as never before.  They are put through an emotional wringer, leading into episode two which is based on Arthur Conan Doyle’s Adventure of the Dying Detective, now called The Adventure of the Lying Detective.  (Two minutes and fifteen seconds) starring the great Toby Jones as Culverton Smith, one of the scariest baddies we’ve ever had, and probably one of the scariest baddies ever committed to the television screen.

(Music)  

Umm, Episode two is an extraordinary emotional punch in the guts.  I think it’s quite unlike anything we’ve done before, and I’m very, very proud of it.  Leading into episode three which we don’t have a title for yet - yes we do, but we’re not telling you because it’s something of a giveaway.  Uhh, it’s a culmination of everything we’ve been building up for for the last six years of Sherlock, all kinds of clues and red herrings (One minute to go) are finally paid off in episode three, which features lots of extraordinary things I can’t tell you anything about.  Umm, and but possibly things will never be the same again.  But  in the next thirty seconds, perhaps I can speculate on how they might alter.  Sherlock will come to a shattering climax, like a great piece of music, I hope.  Whether there will be another concert to enjoy, who knows.  we’d certainly like to.  Perhaps if you come to the cinema more often and watch it, there might be a fifth series.  Who can say?  (Fifteen seconds - I’m enjoying this!)  Uh, I hope you have a lovely time; I think series four of Sherlock is the  best one we’ve done; I’m very proud of it.  I think everyone’s at the top of their form, and I think it’s going to be quite something,  God Bless.