BBC 'Sherlock' Season 4 and Special Episode Spoilers: Stand-alone Special Set in Victorian Era, Tom Hiddleston Rumored to Join the Cast for Fourth Season

Season 4 of "Sherlock" is fast approaching, and if rumors are to be believed, viewers can look forward to impending death and triumphant revival in the upcoming season.

There is no shortage of guesses regarding what the unfolding storyline will be, but what seems to be fairly obvious is there will be intrigue, speculation and mystery. Moriarty, Sherlock's arch nemesis, is expected to make a miraculous recovery, though details of this feat have yet to be revealed. Of course, the executive producer Steven Moffat has denied the claim all together, asserting Moriarty didn't likely survive a self-inflicted gunshot to the face.

One thing that has been confirmed about the series, however, is time travel... of sorts. The special episode of the series, which will premiere around Christmas, will be set in Victorian London, and Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman and the rest of the crew will be clad in routine 19th century attire.

Entertainment Weekly reported that "the special is its own thing," and the standalone episode will not be connected to the three-episodes included in the upcoming fourth season. Moffat confirmed this by saying that he and co-creator Mark Gatiss wanted to make it its own thing.

"We wouldn't have done the story we're doing, and the way we're doing it, if we didn't have this special. It's not part of the run of three episodes," Moffat said to EW.

'Sherlockers' and 'Holmies' have been patiently waiting for their favorite series to premiere on BBC and PBS Masterpiece, but for those who are at their breaking point, here are a few titillating spoilers to get fans through the next few months without incident: December 2015's special episode is said to conclude the Moriarty story arc, and Mary Morstan, Watson's wife, will likely die very soon.

Series regulars Amanda Abbington (Mary), Louis Brealey (Molly Hooper) and Jonathan Aris (Anderson) are set to the return. Suzie Lavelle ("Doctor Who," "Ripper Street") will join as Director of Photography. Tom Hiddleston ("The Avengers") could join the cast as Sherlock's third brother.