Sherlock: 20 Easter Eggs, In-Jokes And References
12. Irene's Battle Dress
One of the most talked-about moments from A Scandal In Belgravia was Irenes famous introductory scene where she shocks Sherlock out of his disguise by appearing in the nude.
Youd think such a saucy scene would be unique to Sherlock (after all, it is written by the man who created sex comedy series Coupling) but, while you would be right in thinking Conan Doyle never came up with such an idea, the notion of Sherlock being confronted with a naked woman comes from classic film The Private Life Of Sherlock Holmes.
In the 1970 movie, the amnesiac Gabrielle Valadon awakes in 221B and embraces Holmes in her birthday suit, mistaking him for her husband. The scene clearly made an impression on Moffat who recreated it in Sherlock.