Sherlock: 20 Easter Eggs, In-Jokes And References

11. Coffee At The Criterion

Did you know that there exists an unaired pilot of Sherlock? Running at just 60 minutes, it follows the same plot as A Study In Pink minus a few scenes and the visual techniques that would become a staple of the series. It also has a juicy easter egg not quite found in the broadcast version.

When John bumps into old friend Stamford, they go for lunch at the Criterion €“ which is where John first hears of Sherlock. This sequence is entirely lifted from the original novel A Study In Scarlet, in one of the most faithful recreations of the source material in the whole series.

However, when it came to refilming the scene for the new first episode, the action was moved to a park bench. Though a nod to the original scene was kept by John and Stamford drinking from coffee cups labelled Criterion.