"UNLOCKING SHERLOCK" Premieres Sunday, January 12, 2014, 10:00 P.M. ET on PBS

Available for streaming on PBS.org on Wednesday, December 25, 2013, at 10:00 a.m. ET

- Go behind the scenes of the new "Sherlock" and watch interviews with Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman -

ARLINGTON, VA; December 23, 2013 -Leading up to the long-awaited return of MASTERPIECE "Sherlock" (Season 3) on January 19 at 9:58 p.m. ET, PBS today announced the premiere of UNLOCKING SHERLOCK, a one-hour special that explores how writers Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss created the hit television sensation. UNLOCKING SHERLOCK premieres Sunday, January 12, 2014, at 10:00 p.m. ET on PBS (check local listings). As a special holiday gift for Sherlock fans, PBS will make the program available for streaming on PBS.org beginning Wednesday, December 25, 2013, at 10:00 a.m. ET.

"As excitement builds for the new season of 'Sherlock' on MASTERPIECE, we invite viewers to join us as we delve into the writers' inspiration for the modern-day Sherlock Holmes that has captivated fans nationwide," said Beth Hoppe, Chief Programming Executive and General Manager of General Audience Programming for PBS. "This special highlights the transformation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's most-portrayed character into a cultural phenomenon."

UNLOCKING SHERLOCK takes viewers on a personal voyage through the versions of Holmes that have served as inspirations for the new series - the original stories, their factual origins, hundreds of film adaptations - to arrive at their thoroughly modern Sherlock. Moffat and Gatiss explain the challenges they encountered adapting the original adventures of the iconic super-sleuth. The special goes behind the scenes on the set of the hit television series, and includes interviews with actors Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman and Lara Pulver, who talk about the reinvention of their fictional characters.

Moffat and Gatiss describe the evolution of Dr. Watson, Inspector Lestrade, Mycroft, Jim Moriarty and Irene Adler, as well as Holmes, from Conan Doyle's original characterizations, through numerous cinematic and televised versions to the contemporary "Sherlock."

UNLOCKING SHERLOCK is a Midnight Oil Production in association with Hartswood Films for BBC Worldwide and PBS. The special is executive produced by Sue Vertue for Hartswood Films and Gillane Seaborne for Midnight Oil Productions.

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