Steven Moffat would write more Sherlock if the cast returned: 'Martin and Benedict, please come back'
There have been no new episodes since 2017
Steven Moffat has said he would write more episodes of Sherlock if Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman returned to the show.
Moffat, who was previously the showrunner for Doctor Who, was appearing on the BBC's Today programme to promote his debut play The Unfriend.
Asked about his popular take on the iconic detective, Moffat said he would 'start writing tomorrow' if Cumberbatch and Freeman returned to play Sherlock and Dr Watson respectively.
He then joked: “They’re on to bigger and better things but, Martin and Benedict, please come back?”
Moffat has previously acknowledged that future episodes of Sherlock are dependent on whether Cumberbatch and Freeman want to return to the BBC drama.
He said: "It's down to Benedict and Martin. They were very loyal to that show over a very long while when it was out, when it definitely became their lowest paying job. And I don't think that's necessarily what they want to do now – fair enough, absolutely fair enough. But if anyone thinks I'm the one getting in the way, I will confidently tell you I would start writing it tomorrow, if everybody else did too."
Read more: Benedict Cumberbatch slams 'pathetic' Sherlock co-star Martin Freeman
Since Sherlock premiered in 2010, both Cumberbatch and Freeman have become major Hollywood stars. Cumberbatch has since become tied to the Marvel Cinematic Universe playing Dr Strange while Freeman played Bilbo Baggins in Peter Jackson's Hobbit trilogy.
Martin Freeman has previously commented on the possibility of returning to the show, saying that it is unlikely but 'it's never a completely shut door'.
Cumberbatch made similar comments in 2022: "I don't know, you know. I like to say never say never. I don't know many of us that have come out and said, 'No, it's a done thing. I guess it just has to be the right time. We are all really busy with other stuff."
Since the last episode of Sherlock, there have been other adaptations of literature's most famous detective. Will Ferrell played the character in Holmes & Watson while Henry Cavill appeared as Sherlock in Enola Holmes.
Watch below: Benedict Cumberbatch pays tribute to late sister
