Sherlock Season 4: 18 Easter Eggs & References From 'The Lying Detective'

Many viewers have commented that Toby Jones' serial killer villain Culverton Smith is a thinly-veiled fictional version of Jimmy Saville. It hasn't been confirmed, but the similarities are so clear that he must have been an inspiration for Smith's depiction.

In case you missed the recent scandal, Jimmy Saville was once a popular figure on British television, eventually being granted a knighthood for his charity work and extensive hospital visits. After his death in 2011, it came out that Saville was culpable for numerous accounts of sexual and child abuse. He might not have been a murderer, but the idea of a celebrity using his fame and power to shield his despicable crimes is very near-the-knuckle.

In 2010's The Great Game, before his crimes came out, a catchphrase associated with Saville from his show Jim'll Fix It was used by Sherlock to describe how Moriarty operated as a consulting criminal: "Dear Jim, will you fix it for me to...?"