'Sherlock' Season 4 Air Date, Premiere & Trailer: Plot of Victorian Christmas Special Tackles ‘The Role Of Women’ Says Show Producer

Fans of the well-loved spy Sherlock Holmes and his trusted friend Dr. Watson have been waiting for almost two years for "Sherlock" season 4. As an early Christmas gifts for Sherlockians, it was previously reported that "Sherlock" will have a one-off holiday special, which will air on New Year, Jan. 1. Now, series producer and actor Mark Gatiss spills the beans on what fans could expect in the Victorian special titled "The Abominable Bride."

MTV News had a talk with Gatiss, while promoting his another show "Doctor Who." The actor opened up about the much-anticipated "Sherlock" Victorian special. According to Gatiss, in "The Abominable Bride," fans will see a big change on its women characters compared to Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch) and Watson (Martin Freeman).

Gatiss revealed that Holmes and Watson, even during the Victorian era, were already "modern men" so there will be not much character change for the two.

However, when it comes to the women, Gatiss said, "The big challenge was the role of women. You can’t ignore how it was — in fact, it’s fundamental to the plot. It was very interesting; a lot of things you would just take for granted in terms of how women got about, in that society, are totally different."

“The way that women were controlled in the 19th century was the total absence of public lavatories for women. There is a story about the first public lavatory for women — it’s still there, it’s made of stone, but the first one was made of wood. The first one was destroyed by an irate cab driver who drove his cab into it because he thought it was disgusting. But basically, if you were a woman in that age and you couldn’t really go around without paying a visit, you couldn’t go very far from home. Isn’t that an extraordinary thought? It’s like mind control, it is," he added.

Gatiss also emphasized that even though it's set in a different time, it's still "Sherlock," and fans will expect the same quality and storyline despite the new setting. As for "Sherlock's" signature text messaging technique, Gatiss revealed that the show will adapt it, Victorian-era style.

Meanwhile, a report from GamesRadar revealed some teaser footage from the full trailer of "The Abominable Bride." The footage shows Holmes and Watson's first encounter, and if this footage is to be used as a basis, this may tell that the two main characters in "Sherlock" will not know each other at the start of the Victorian special.

The "Sherlock" Christmas special, tagged as "The Abominable Bride," will be shown on Jan. 1, 2016 in the U.K. and U.S. via BBC and cinemas.