The Sherlock clue only the Chinese can crack: Christmas special gives secret message to 98 million fans of 'Curly Fu' in China and leads this year’s festive TV offerings from Strictly to Doctor Who
- BBC show will be full of secrets and clues for loyal fans but will also feature extra one in Chinese for Asian viewers
- Despite its bans, the programme is watched by 98 million people in China where Holmes is nicknamed 'Curly Fu'
- Other shows to feature in festive schedules are Call The Midwife, The Making of Dad's Army and Downton Abbey
- Poldark star Aidan Turner also set to return to screens in new role in Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None
This year's Christmas special of Sherlock will include a secret message to its millions of Asian fans by making a reference to one of the clues in Chinese.
The BBC show, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, will be packed full of the usual covert messages but will also include an extra one directed at its 98million Chinese fans, whom refer to the detective as 'Curly Fu' and his sidekick Dr Watson as 'Peanut'.
Details of the show - a ghost story entitled The Abominable Bride - were announced yesterday alongside a host of family favourites which the BBC hopes will help it win the battle of the ratings this Christmas.
Other shows in the Corporation's festive programme - most of which have not yet been scheduled - include a seasonal special of Call The Midwife, a Strictly Christmas Special and a much anticipated Agatha Christie film starring Poldark actor Aidan Turner. Meanwhile, ITV is bringing another Downton Abbey Christmas special to our screens, which will be the last ever installment of the hit period drama.
The show's Chinese fans have nicknamed Sherlock Holmes (left) 'Curly Fu' and Dr John Watson 'Peanut'
Despite the love for Cumberbatch thousands of miles away, he admitted he sometimes feels like 'a d***' when he's dressed up for his Sherlock Holmes role
Sherlock Script writer Steven Moffat told the Radio Times: 'It's a new story, but if you know the original stories, you'll see that it's fashioned out of quite a few others. As ever with us, we've chosen several and there are loads of references. One of them you have to be able to speak Chinese to get.'
Sherlock is one of a number of British shows which are banned from appearing on the Chinese Central Television network due to its sexual content. But millions of people still stream it online and get their fix of Sherlock Holmes.
Cumberbatch has earned the nickname 'Curly Fu' due to his hairstyle - the word Fu mean Sherlock - while there is an online forum in the Far East country dedicated to the English actor's character called Baidu Curly Fu Bar.
Dr Watson's 'Peanut' originates from the Chinese translation of Martin Freeman's name, 'Hua Sheng', which sounds like the Mandarin word for nut.
And Then There Were None (BBC One)
Poldark star Aidan Turner - whose glistening bare chest and rugged looks won the hearts of women across the country - will return to our screens in a BBC adaptation of Agatha Christie’s bestselling crime novel.
In the three-part drama, based on Christie's book which sold 100million copies worldwide, he will play charming but mysterious mercenary Philip Lombard.
The story, set in 1939, sees ten strangers invited to an isolated island. The guests are killed off in turn, and realise the murderer must be among them. Turner leads an all-star cast that also includes Douglas Booth, Charles Dance and Miranda Richardson.
Poldark star Aidan Turner will return to our screens in a BBC adaptation of Agatha Christie’s bestselling crime novel And Then There Were None on BBC One
Aidan Turner (pictured right as Poldark) is set to appear in a BBC adaptation of Agatha Christie's novel And Then There Were None (left)
While his millions of female fans may be disappointed that his luscious locks have been cut, Turner admitted he was grateful for the change.
He told Radio Times: ‘I want to keep that look for Ross, and doing a movie where you have long hair and you’re trying to style it differently just doesn’t work. Plus, you can’t get away with hair like that in real life!’
Turner also said filming And Then There Were None had been ‘surreal’ as it involved returning to the Cornish coast, where Poldark was mostly shot.
He said: ‘It was the very first day of the shoot, and I was standing at the edge of a cliff – and I kind of had to check what costume I was wearing! Because all I could see were cliffs and sea and all these familiar sights.’
The Many Faces of Ronnie Corbett (BBC Two)
The schedule will also feature The Many Faces of Ronnie Corbett, a documentary which follows the life of the comedian – who turns 85 next month – through interviews and archive footage.
The programme touches on his days as an organist and his first screen role in You’re Only Young Twice, while also looks into his partnership with Ronnie Barket in sketch show The Two Ronnies.
The Great Barrier Reef (BBC One)
Sir David Attenborough will present a new three-part documentary, in which he returns to the Great Barrier Reef sixty years after first scuba-diving there in 1957. This time, the intrepid presenter is using new technology and the latest scientific research to study the area.
Sir David Attenborough will present a new three-part documentary, in which he returns to the Great Barrier Reef sixty years after first scuba-diving there in 1957
Among the equipment in his weaponary, Attenborough will use satellite scanning to show the 2,300km expanse of living coral, and revolutionary macro lenses that will capture the reef’s tiniest, normally unseen, life-forms.
Meanwhile, Kate Winslet is narrating the nature documentary Snow Chick which follows a penguin during its first precarious months on ice as it tries to survive in some of the harshest conditions on the planet.
We’re Doomed! The Dad’s Army Story (BBC Two)
This one-off docu-drama will explore how BBC bureaucracy almost stopped the classic sitcom and its stars from ever reaching our screens.
Ahead of the film adaptation of the comedy which due to hit the cinemas in February, the programme, by Stephen Russell, will follow the origins of the cult show, from writer Jimmy Perry’s initial idea in 1967 until the transmission of the first episode in 1968.
John Sessions as the pompous Capt Mainwaring, with his immortal ‘You stupid boy’ catchphrase, in We're Doomed! The Dad's Army Story
Captain Mainwaring – originally played by Arthur Lowe – is being brought back to life by John Sessions while other cast members include Paul Ritter, Julian Sands, Mark Heap and Keith Allen.
Dickensian (BBC One)
Other highlights include Dickensian, an ambitious 20-part series that brings the much-loved characters of Charles Dickens - including Fagin and Scrooge, who are seen bumping into one another in the local pub - together in one London street where they concoct a plot for Great Expectations's Miss Havisham to be jilted.
The production, written by former Eastenders script writer Tony Jordan and filmed in west London, stars Stephen Rea as Bleak House’s Inspector Bucket, Caroline Quentin and Mrs Bumble from Oliver Twist and Tuppence Middleton, as Amelia Havisham.
Stephen Rea as Bleak House’s Inspector Bucket in Dickensian, an ambitious 20-part series that brings the much-loved characters of Charles Dickens
Downton Abbey (ITV)
This year's Christmas special will be the last ever installment of the period drama and will see the scriptwriters tie up numerous loose ends for the characters. Although those behind the programme remain tight-lipped about what is planned, Lady Edith is expected to take centre stage in the finale while Mary is seen getting to grips with married life.
Call The Midwife (BBC One)
The festive edition of Call The Midwife sees the nuns celebrating Christmas in 1965 with a festive bus trip to see the lights in Regent Street. But disaster strikes when Sister Monica Joan (Judy Parfitt) goes missing.
The festive edition of Call The Midwife sees the nuns celebrating Christmas in 1965 with a festive bus trip to see the lights in Regent Street. But disaster strikes when Sister Monica Joan (Judy Parfitt) goes missing. Pictured: Sister Julienne played by Jenny Agutter
Strictly Come Dancing (BBC One)
A special on this Saturday night favourite, broadcast from Blackpool, sees Sir Bruce Forsyth return to the fold as six winners and contestants from previous series compete against one another.
The show will include Abbey Clancy, Alison Hammond, Harry Judd, Lisa Snowdon, Tom Chambers and the winner of The People's Strictly for Comic Relief 2015, Cassidy Little.
Stick Man (BBC One)
Younger generations can enjoy Stick Man, based on the book by The Gruffalo author Julia Donaldson, which follows a stick man on an adventure that sees him chased by a dog and end up on a fire as he tries to get home in time for Christmas.
The cast involved in the animation include Martin Freeman, Hugh Bonneville, Jennifer Saunders and Rob Brydon.
Younger generations can enjoy Stick Man , based on the book by The Gruffalo author Julia Donaldson, which follows a stick man on an adventure that sees him chased by a dog and end up on a fire as he tries to get home in time for Christmas
And some other highlights...
Stephen Fry is celebrated in a new documentary looking at his contribution to TV, while David Beckham can be seen travelling around the globe playing football on all seven continents in documentary film Beckham: For The Love Of The Game (BBC One).
As well as the new commissions, many of the usual favourites are also returning, with special episodes of Doctor Who (BBC One), Call The Midwife (BBC Two) and Still Open All Hours (BBC One), featuring Sir David Jason.
Meanwhile, comedy staples including Catherine Tate, John Bishop, Michael McIntyre and Mrs Brown’s Boys (BBC One) also have new offerings. In the latter, Agnes is determined to have a peaceful holiday this year but there's surprises in store when a handsome stranger at the pub believes she is in love of a little festive romance.
Cookery programmes are also well catered for, with Christmas treats served up by Nigella Lawson and James Martin.
Still Open All Hours , featuring Sir David Jason as Granville and James Baxter as Leroy (pictured), forms part of the BBC's festive programme
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