Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman are the ‘problem’ stopping Sherlock return

Sherlock co-creator Steven Moffat has said the main roadblock to getting the show revived are its lead stars.

Running from 2010 until 2017, the BBC TV adaptation based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes detective stories was created by Steven and Mark Gatiss and starred Benedict Cumberbatch as Holmes and Martin Freeman as Doctor John Watson.

Across four seasons, 13 episodes were released, with the series set-in modern-day London while the novels were set in the Victorian and Edwardian eras.

The show was critically acclaimed, being nominated for numerous awards including Emmys, BAFTAs and a Golden Globe, while the third season also became the UK’s most watched drama series since 2001.

It’s now been seven years since the finale of season 4 aired, with fans holding on to hope it might return for either another season or even a movie.

Over the years Steven, 62, has expressed his support to return to the project but has now revealed what could prevent that happening.

‘As I’ve said before, I’ll do it tomorrow I mean Arthur Conan Doyle wrote 60 novels,’ he told .

‘It’s not a format that will wear out. Sherlock Holmes will never wear out.

‘I’d love to do it again. I would absolutely love to again.’

He added: ‘I’m easy, but you need to get the two big stars. That’s the problem.’

Despite his comments, Benedict did recently share with that he would love to reprise the role.

‘You won’t hear it here first if there is,’ he answered with a wry smile.

‘But we never say never,’ he added.

However, in a 2022 interview the actor said it ‘had to be the right time’, adding he and Martin were also ‘really busy with other stuff’.

Just last month, co-creator Mark – who also played Sherlock’s older brother Mycroft Holmes on the series – addressed the possibility of a comeback.

When asked about the prospect of a fifth season by Deadline, he replied: ‘Don’t know, you’ll have to ask Benedict and Martin. Are they here?’

‘We’d like to make a film but it’s just very… Trying to get everyone together is very difficult, so we’ll see.’

Last year Steven also stated that he would ‘start writing Sherlock tomorrow’ if Benedict and Martin were to return for another season.

‘They’re onto bigger and better things but, Martin and Benedict, please come back?’ he said on BBC’s Today programme, as reported by RadioTimes.com.