10. A Christmas Special Based On The Blue Carbuncle
This and the following entry both presume that a one-off episode is intended as a Christmas special. With Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman both having stage commitments in 2015, it's likely that a Christmas special would have to be shot later this year. Assuming for the moment that this is possible, The Blue Carbuncle is the ideal choice for an one-off episode with a festive flavour - despite fellow WhatCulture! writer Joe Gardner advising against it back in January. The series has already borrowed from The Blue Carbuncle, with the Christmas setting of parts of A Scandal in Belgravia and the hat-based deductions of Sherlock and Mycroft in The Empty Hearse. But there is still a lot of potential in the story, particularly surrounding Holmes' capacity for mercy (or lack thereof). It would certainly be a test of the show's character, especially for those who felt that parts of Series 3 were too frothy and not case-focussed enough (people like me, for instance).