With beloved detective drama Sherlock now approaching a decade-long hiatus, co-creator and co-writer Steven Moffat has provided an update on a potential fifth season for the popular BBC series.
The modern-day retelling of Arthur Conan Doyle's classic collection of novels saw Benedict Cumberbatch portray the iconic detective, while Martin Freeman played his devoted sidekick Dr John Watson.
After four three-part seasons, plus a standalone special - 'The Abominable Bride' - in 2016, the detective drama went on hiatus in 2017 following the release of 'The Final Problem', and it's unclear if it will ever come back.
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Moffat, who co-created and co-wrote the series with Mark Gatiss, has expressed hope that the proverbial band could get back together, and he had a clear idea in mind should that dream become a reality.
"If I can persuade everybody else, of course I'd revisit it," he said during an appearance on the Half the Picture podcast. "Can you ever say that you've run out of Sherlock Holmes stories? There are 60 originals. We've done, what is it, 13 or 14?"
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"There's loads more you could do with Sherlock. I'd quite like to revisit it simply because they would now - our two leads - be the normal age for Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson," he explained.
"We were conscious that we were doing the beginning of the story… So I'd quite like to see them as their more middle-aged, settled versions.. I don't think it's used up," added the writer, who also co-created and co-wrote BBC's Dracula with Gatiss.
Moffat also reflected on his "extraordinary" time with the detective drama, which came at the same point that he served as the showrunner for BBC's sci-fi saga Doctor Who. He said it was a "manic time", as he never "stopped working".
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"I loved that show. I look at it now and I watch it, and I think all of it is excellent," he said of Sherlock. "I just think it’s really well made, beautifully acted, and dare I say it, [a] beautifully written show. I think it's cracking. And I’m massively proud of it. And I miss it."
While Moffat is eager to return to the world of 221B Baker Street, it doesn't seem that a comeback will happen any time soon, as Gatiss shared in June 2025 that Cumberbatch and Freeman "didn't want to do any more" episodes (via RadioTimes).
Sherlock aired on BBC One and streams on BBC iPlayer.
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Reporter, Digital Spy George is a freelance writer who specialises in Movies and TV. After graduating with a degree in Film Studies and Journalism from De Montfort University, in which he analysed the early works of Richard Linklater for his dissertation, he wrote for several websites for GRV Media. His film tastes vary from blockbusters like Mission: Impossible and John Wick to international directors such as Paolo Sorrentino and Hirokazu Kore-eda, and has attended both the London and Berlin film festivals.
