--- --- # Here's the Sneak Preview of the Next _Sherlock_ Special by [Eric Dodds](https://time.com/author/eric-dodds/) ## Eric Dodds Jul 9, 2015 11:52 AM UTC by [Eric Dodds](https://time.com/author/eric-dodds/) ## Eric Dodds Jul 9, 2015 11:52 AM UTC It’s been more than 18 months since the last episode of _Sherlock_ aired on BBC, but the British network has finally released an image of the show’s stars ahead of the upcoming special, expected to arrive on Christmas Day in the U.K. > [](https://twitter.com/BBCOne/status/618917799109468160) According to showrunner Steven Moffat, the [next installment](http://mashable.com/2015/07/09/sherlock-special-photo/) of Sherlock will be a standalone episode set in Victorian times, which could help explain the short hair of Benedict Cumberbatch (who plays the titular role of Sherlock Holmes) and the prodigious mustache of Martin Freeman (Dr. John Watson). It also means that fans of the show will have to wait even longer to discover what happens when Sherlock makes his triumphant return to London in the wake of his exile at the conclusion of the third series. If recent history is any indication, the standalone special will arrive in the U.S. shortly after it airs in the U.K. ### Benedict Cumberbatch Roles You Didn’t Know About  Van Gogh: Painted with Words This 2010 docu-drama by the BBC starred Cumberbatch as the tormented Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh. BBC  The Other Boleyn Girl Cumberbatch plays William Carey, a courtier and husband to Mary Boleyn (Scarlett Johansson) in this 2008 historical drama pic. Columbia  Amazing Grace Cumberbatch played William Pitt the Younger, the youngest ever Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, in this 2006 drama about banning the slave trade in the British Empire. Samuel Goldwyn  Creation Cumberbatch (right) played Joseph Dalton Hooker, an esteemed British botanist and close friend of Charles Darwin (Paul Bettany), in this 2009 British film about Darwin. Newmarket  Stuart: A Life Backwards This 2007 television drama co-produced by the BBC and HBO starred Tom Hardy as the titular character Stuart Shorter, a homeless activist, with Cumberbatch as Alexander Masters, an author and friend of Stuart. HBO  Parade's End The BBC and HBO teamed up for another Cumberbatch series in 2012 with Parade’s End which saw the actor play Christopher Tietjens, an English aristocrat and statistician for the British government. BBC  War Horse Cumberbatch (left) takes on the role of Major Jamie Stewart, the leader of a cavalry company in World War I in this 2011 war drama by Spielberg. Disney  Atonement Marking one of his creepier roles, Cumberbatch played a rapist named Paul Marshall in this 2007 British drama that starred James McAvoy and Keira Knightley. Universal  Fortysomething Cumberbatch plays Rory, the son of Paul Slippery (Hugh Laurie), in this six episode 2003 British comedy television series. ITV  Starter for 10 This 2006 British comedy had Cumberbatch (second from right) take on the role of Patrick Watts, the smug team captain for a British game show called University Challenge. Picturehouse Sherlock: Latest Image of Upcoming Special Is Revealed ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3950802/sherlock-special-preview/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3950802/sherlock-special-preview/"},"headline":"Here's the Sneak Preview of the Next Sherlock Special","datePublished":"2015-07-09T11:52:07.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:02:35.434Z","description":"Yes, Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman do seem to be doing something a bit different with their hair","url":"https://time.com/3950802/sherlock-special-preview/","keywords":["Television","Sherlock"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Eric Dodds","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/eric-dodds/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3950802/sherlock-special-preview/","name":"Here's the Sneak Preview of the Next Sherlock Special"}}]}] ```