TV’s darling detective almost hung up his hat before Season 4!

Benedict Cumberbatch – arguably the most beloved actors to play the iconic Sherlock Holmes – almost didn’t return for the final season of the BBC series final season.

Steven Moffat, co-creator of Sherlock with Mark Gatiss aka ‘Mycroft Holmes’, recently spilled the beans on the challenges of convincing Cumberbatch to return to the series. By the time BBC Sherlock Season 4 was to go into filming, Cumberbatch and his on-screen partner Martin Freeman aka John Watson had become mega stars.

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While Cumberbatch was enchanting audiences as Doctor Strange, Freeman was taking us all to adventures in the world of The Hobbit. Both the actors have also dabbled with each other’s universes with Cumberbatch as Smaug and Freeman as Everett Ross – much to the delight of Sherlock’s fans. However, this much work meant that both the actors had their plates full with movie work.

Moffat confessed that the Sherlock team didn’t think they could convince either of them to come back for a Season 4. However, much to their pleasure and of the fans, both Cumberbatch and Freeman showed love and dedication to the show. Despite their packed calendars they both decided to return for a newer story with even newer character lines.

Fans of Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock are aware that the sleuth is neither overtly emotional nor a regular family man. But as is the case with Gatiss and Moffat’s genius, Season 4 brought a notable turn in Sherlock’s character.

SPOILER ALERT!

It has been over a decade that the final season of BBC Sherlock aired on TV. But to the hardcore fans, the years of waiting has made it seem like it was only yesterday when Watson walked into Bart’s [St Bartholomew’s Hospital] lab and met the ever inquisitive Sherlock.

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Coming to Season 4, Moffat shared that they always had to bring new storylines to both Cumberbatch and Freeman for every season. And this time around it was no different. Sherlock’s character underwent transformation from an indifferent genius to a compassionate brother, who also finally correctly called Greg’s name! For Watson too, life after Mary’s death seemed to finally return to normalcy in Season 4!

One final note of hope and excitement that Moffat shared was that there is always a chance that the beloved detective and his sharp-witted sidekick could return for yet another season of deductions!