New ‘Sherlock’ special, ‘The Abominable Bride,’ airs on PBS

Actors Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman have won fans and critical praise for their portrayals of Sherlock Holmes and his sidekick, Dr. John Watson, in the British television series “Sherlock,” which also airs on American public television.

The series transports the characters from Victorian England to present-day London, giving them modern identities, modern technology, modern madmen as foes and enough sexy subtexts to make Sir Arthur Conan Doyle blush.

But a new special, “Sherlock: The Abominable Bride,” takes Cumberbatch and Freeman back in time to play Holmes and Watson in their native time period, late Victorian England.

Decked out in tweed, top hats and frock coats — as well as Holmes in his trademark deerstalker cap — they dash through the foggy streets of London in horse-drawn cabs and race through an even foggier countryside in pursuit of a ghostly woman in white.

The “Abominable Bride” special will air Friday (Jan. 1) in the United Kingdom and the United States. On Jan. 5 and 6, the special will be shown at several local movie theaters.

It will be an exciting moment for “Sherlock” fans, who have been waiting for new episodes of the show, which airs as part of PBS’ “Masterpiece” series.

After this week’s “Sherlock” special, series creators Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss promise three subsequent episodes that will form a fourth season of “Sherlock.”

Those episodes begin production in January when the game, once more, will be afoot.

This story was originally published December 30, 2015 at 8:17 AM with the headline "New ‘Sherlock’ special, ‘The Abominable Bride,’ airs on PBS."