This week, a new adaptation of Dracula aired on the BBC from the minds of Sherlock creators Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss. It’s intended as a follow-up to the smash-hit detective drama – as it’s another retelling of a Victorian literary classic – but two easter eggs found in the show’s first episode actually seem to confirm that it takes place in the same universe as the other TV show the pair used to work on: Doctor Who.
First of all, near the beginning of the premiere, titled “The Rules of the Beast,” Jonathan Harker (John Heffernan) reads a letter sent to him from his fiancee Mina Murray (Morfydd Clark). In the letter, Mina teases him that her affections might wander now that they’re separated, joking that she might spend some time with “the adorable barmaid from The Rose & Crown.”
This is a direct reference to the events of Doctor Who‘s 2012 Christmas special “The Snowmen,” written by Moffat. In that, Clara Oswald – or at least, one of the many versions of her scattered throughout time (don’t ask) – works as a barmaid in a pub called The Rose & Crown. The only hitch is that Dracula‘s first episode takes place in 1897 while “The Snowmen” is set in 1892, and this version of Clara dies in that same special. However, remember that the actual Clara was last seen having her own time-traveling adventures with Ashildr (Maisie Williams), so maybe she hopped back to 1897 and briefly spent some time in the profession of her other self?
What’s more, later on in Dracula‘s opener, it’s revealed that Sister Agatha (Dolly Wells) has brought Mina to see the ailing Jonathan in Budapest. Agatha notes that it wasn’t too difficult to find her as she has “a detective acquaintance in London.” This could be a nod to Sherlock Holmes, but it may also be referring to Madame Vastra, the Silurian detective operating in Victorian times who appeared throughout the Moffat era of Who. With her feminist attitudes and fascination with the unusual, it makes sense that Agatha would be good pals with Vastra.
The following two episodes don’t feature any more Who easter eggs (that I spotted, anyway), but maybe there’ll be further confirmation that Dracula is set in the Whoniverse if it gets a second season. Stay tuned for more.