Sherlock Season 4: 20 Easter Eggs & References In 'The Final Problem'

The final shot of The Final Problem is a striking image - Sherlock and John racing off into their next adventure. If this is the last ever time we see these heroes, it's a good reminder that these characters will never really die and will be solving crimes for as long as people keep on writing about them.

The building they are running out of in this scene has a plaque reading 'Rathbone Place'. This is an obvious reference to Basil Rathbone, the actor who played Holmes in 14 movies during World War Two. These were notable for bringing the character up to date and plonking him into the 1940s, a move that directly inspired Sherlock's similarly modern-day setting.

Mark Gatiss has explained the decision behind this final easter egg:

“The reason we [ended with] Rathbone Place is that, actually, if we do come back – and we would love to come back – we could absolutely very easily start with a knock at the door and Sherlock saying to John ‘Do you want to come out and play?’. They have become the two heroes that we always knew them to be.”