Is There More Sherlock To Come? Mark Gatiss Says “We’ll See.”

Sherlock’s series four finale drew in an audience of 5.9 million. Its stars, Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman, have gone on to head in their own franchises. The show’s twists and turns frequently throw the twittersphere into a furore, and it’s been both praised, criticised as too Bond-esque, and, at times, mired in controversy.

So it makes sense that one of the first questions on everyone’s lips at the BFI and Radio Times TV Festival’s Mark Gatiss panel was will there be more? Gatiss proved to be as slippery as his show’s titular character; apparently, there are no plans at the moment. The “we’ll see” Gatiss tacked onto the end might at least keep some keener fans happy – although Cumberbatch and Freeman’s increasingly busy schedules are the usual source of contention. The fact that series four finished on a happy note – rather than the climactic cliff hangers we’re used to – coinciding with a slew of poor reviews serves as another clue that we may have officially seen the end of everyone’s favourite Sherlock and Watson.

Said poor reviews were briefly touched upon, as Radio Times Television Editor Alison Graham mentioned the snootiness surrounding Sherlock’s Christmas episode The Abominable Bride. Gatiss shot back with a casual “who cares?” – although he did mention that “the inevitability” of the criticism surrounding the show had become “wearying”. It’s a typically blasé approach that saw Gatiss respond to previous criticism in poetry form – because why not?

Gatiss also confirmed at the talk that The League of Gentlemen is set to return with a reunion for one of the show’s “many anniversaries”, and that banker Tycho Nestoris will make a come-back in the upcoming season of Game of Thrones. Gatiss also spoke on future projects, including Queers, a BBC 4 series of dramatic monologues charting “a century of UK gay experience”, explaining that he thought it would be “distasteful” to ignore the tougher things about history.

Other attendees at the BFI and Radio Times TV Festival included Tom Hiddleston with a talk on The Night Manager, Peter Capaldi and Pearl Mackie there to discuss season 10 of Doctor Who, and Aiden Turner on Poldark.