It looks like the BBC wants to dispel a little mystery surrounding its New Year’s Day special Victorian period one-off episode of the Sherlock TV show, Sherlock: The Abominable Bride. The British network hasn’t just planted clues, it has positively dumped them. In the US, the 90-minute special premieres Friday, January 1, 2016 on MASTERPIECE Mystery! on PBS at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT, and simultaneously online at pbs.org/masterpiece, with an encore broadcast on Sunday, January 10 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

This special episode of Sherlock marks the first time that the US will see an episode on the same day it airs in on BBC One, in UK. A what-if episode, in Sherlock: The Abominable Bride, Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock Holmes) and Martin Freeman (John Watson) portray their fictional counterparts during the Victorian age. Season four of the regular Sherlock TV show, which is set in contemporary London, returns to production in April, 2016,

Here’s the BBC press release including episode details:

Sherlock – The Abominable Bride

Date: 25.11.2015 Last updated: 25.11.2015 at 13.38
Category: BBC One; Drama
“Dr John Watson, meet Mr Sherlock Holmes.”

We’ve been here before – but what if this wasn’t the modern day but the late Victorian period? What if the world’s most famous consulting detective and his best friend lived in a Baker Street of steam trains, hansom cabs, top hats and frock-coats?

Welcome to ‘Sherlock’ in 1895!

Some things, though, remain reassuringly the same. Friendship, adventure and especially, MURDER…

Why is Thomas Ricoletti a little surprised to see his wife dressed in her old wedding gown? Because, just a few hours before, she took her own life…

Mrs Ricoletti’s ghost now appears to be prowling the streets with an unslakeable thirst for revenge. From fog-shrouded Limehouse to the bowels of a ruined church, Holmes, Watson and their friends must use all their cunning to combat an enemy seemingly from beyond the grave and the final, shocking truth about… the Abominable Bride!

Sherlock is written and created by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, and inspired by the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Sherlock is produced by Sue Vertue and the executive producers are Beryl Vertue, Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat for Hartswood Films, Bethan Jones for BBC Cymru Wales, and Rebecca Eaton for Masterpiece.

Sherlock, The Abominable Bride was commissioned by Charlotte Moore, Controller of BBC One, and Ben Stephenson, former Controller of BBC Drama Commissioning.

The episode will broadcast on BBC One on 1 January 2016.

Did you get a good look at John and Sherlock at the top of this page? Here are additional shots from Sherlock: The Abominable Bride.

Lestrade:

Sherlock and Mrs. Hudson:

An industrious fan has uploaded a whole gallery. Check it out.

What do you think? Are you excited to see Cumberbatch and Freeman portray Sherlock and John in the characters’ original era in this Victorian special, or do you prefer the contemporary London setting? Do you plan to watch Sherlock: The Abominable Bride on January 1?