Thanks for the pictures, nakahara. They make the point perfectly.

About the characters' ages: Benedict was much younger than Jeremy Brett when the respective series started filming; the difference is almost 20 years. And in the canon, I believe, Holmes and Watson are even younger ( in "The Study in Scarlet" Watson keeps wondering what Sherlock might be studying... so Sherlock was closer to the age of student of medicine rather than, say, a professor of medicine).
It is a wonder that no past series made Holmes and Watson young. As much as I LOVE the Granada series, when Watson meets Mary Morstan it is such a jolt because the age difference is so vast. And in the canon, he meets her smth. like 5-6 years after moving in wth Sherlock? ( I am not fact chekicng at the moment so please forgive me if I am a year or so off)
One of my biggest joys of BBC Sherlock is to find all the re- shuffled references from the canon and the previous series. One can just imagine Mofftiss' delight at using and twising yet another obscure reference.
I am a little bit in love with Brett as Sherlock. One lift of an eyebrow is worth a thousand words. And his affection for Watson is undeniable.
 
 

Thrilled with the news that they might record this year- will keep my fingers crossed. Thank you so much for updates.

Saw the Pilot last night.
It really has very little to do with "Sherlock" except the names of the main characters. Very different emotional undertones. Not much to do with Canon, either- will have to see if that changes.
I mildly enjoyed it, and will watch the next 2 or 3 episodes to see if it is worth watching- I watch very little TV, so it'll have to grab me. It has fewer emotional ups and downs than 'Sherlock"; it had no times when I squeeled- "Whoever wrote this is a genius"- like I did from Episode I of "Sherlock". It is less spectacular, more in sepia. Which might work very well, too. I like Lucy Liu, always have ( I always considered her a gloriously beautiful woman), and I like her understated delivery here. But again, to me, the show bears no resemblance to the one on BBC. The fact that it seems humorless might be a deal- breaker; straightforward sincerity might get tedious. But I'll give it a go.

I guess I'm an o-mEEEEga dog, as I went for a safe hard cheddar.
That's probably my favorite episode

KeepersPrice wrote:

Well, Moftiss could have John marry someone. Then they could kill her off. Then Sherlock gets to comfort poor John  .

Here's my real prediction for Rat Wedding Bow:

In episode 1, Sherlock comes back to Baker Street (and the Empty House) disguised as a rat exterminator.

In Episode 2, he saves a royal wedding from disaster.  (Queen Elizabeth enjoyed her role in Peter Boyle's Opening Ceremony so much she now has accepted a part in 'Sherlock') 

In Episode 3, Sherlock and John do something heroic to save the British Government and Mycroft forces a knighthood on them. They have to practice bows for the ceremony (Queen Elizabeth has now demanded a recurring role and is secretly in love with Benedict).

That's it folks.  Simple! 

I love your Rat Wedding Bow theories. Brilliant. All totally grounded in the Canon! Even Queen Elizabeth as it references Queen Victoria from "Private Life of Sherlock Holmes", a film so beloved by Moftiss.
Edited to add:
Will Sherlock be exterminating a Giant Rat of Sumatra?
Seriously, I've been chuckling over your choices for quite some time now
I have numerous speculations in my head, just need to find time to write them down. It is so fun.

LOL. Benedict does not hold back.

I would think No.
My guess is that Donovan is a very by- the- rules individual. Sherlock is not only arrogant, insulting and infuriatingly right all the time, but he is an "off books" presence in the police force. Lestrade breaks the rules to consult him, and Sherlock always ends up solving crimes that the police force failed to solve. That's enough to make a narrow- minded career person be suspicious and hate Sherlock's guts; no broken hearts needed.

Hi, welcome! There's a huge Australian representation on this forum, which is really cool, ( doubly cool for me as I am about to visit Australia for the first time in my life in a couple of months).
Forums are wonderful ways to deal with obsessions! Please stay and write lots.

I love how Moftiss are playing cat-and-mouse with us, keeping the interest very much alive. I'll be rereading everything in the nearby future, but my current speculations are:
RAT. Quite possible "The Boscombe Valley Mystery", as not only there is an important reference to "Rat" in the story- which was short for Ballarat- but a secondary character, a fourteen-year-old daughter of the lodge- keeper is called Patience Moran. I am sure it was just coincidence/ forgetfulness on part of Conan Doyle, but  can see Moftiss making a thing out of it and combining "Empty House" with "Boscombe Valley" to deal with Sebastian Moran.
I'll have to re-read "The Sign of Four" to recall the rat reference there.
"Wedding" is the most ambiguous one. There are tons of cases featuring near-weddings, unhappy weddings etc. And, of course, there is Sherlock's engagement in Augustut Milverton" ( which I'd OVE for them to tackle!) and John's very real wedding to Mary Morstan. I'll have to come back to this one later.
"Bow". Most probably refering to "His Last Bow". Why? Becasue Moftiss wants us in hysterics that it's Sherlock's last case. So many articles say that's when Sherlock goes into retirement, which of course is false- that when he comes out of retirement. I do not believe for a second that they'll definitevely bring the series to an end. They might put it on hiatus- who knows- but this toy is too fun- not only for us, but for them as well.
My current theory on "Bow"- in "His Last Bow" Sherlock is undercover, flushing out a spy ring. Watson joins him late in the case, after they have not seen each other for years. Quite similar to "Empty House", where Sherlock is under cover flushing out Moriarty's criminal web, and he and John do not see each other for years. I do not see "Empty House" and "His Last Bow" in one season, unless they make an overall arc of Sherlock under cover dealing with a criminal ring ( or a spy ring... with computer codes etc it might well be one and the same) for

I have only just started- about 20 mi. in- but I already heartily recommend it. It is clearly a great source of inspiration and reference to Moftiss, as well as very diverting in its own right ( so far veering towards comic, with clear "Sherlock" parallels). I hope people here see it so it can be discussed!
For those in the US who have Amazon Prime- the movie can be streamed on your computers for free.