Ever since Sherlock series four finished, fans have wondered whether we’d see Benedict Cumberbatch return as the super-sleuth once more. And although series co-creator Steven Moffat suggested another series could happen, it’s not clear if Cumberbatch himself has been in contact with the showrunners about possible new episodes: he offered a mysterious “maybe” when previously asked by RadioTimes.com.


However, Moffat has now revealed that Cumberbatch is “very keen” to reprise his role as Baker Street’s finest.

When asked about future plans for Sherlock on Graham Norton’s Radio 2 show, Moffat said: “We all love our show. And we’d love to come back and do a future show some day. We’re not doing it right now. I have done nothing but Doctor Who and Sherlock for around 10 years, so I’ve got to be allowed to do something else.”


He added: “Benedict is very keen to play it again. At some point, it’ll come back.”

So, even if Cumberbatch would be willing to move around his busy shooting schedule for Sherlock, series five could be many years away. While Moriarty actor Andrew Scott estimated a two-year pause for the detective drama, co-creator Mark Gatiss has predicted a longer break while he and Moffat work on a Dracula TV series.

“We’re not going to do Sherlock whilst we’re doing Dracula," he told RadioTimes.com earlier this year. "So it’s not going to happen in the immediate future. Never say never, but no – we don’t have an idea [right now].”


In other words, the game is still afoot – just a very long time away.