He may be heading for mega movie stardom as Marvel's Doctor Strange - but Benedict Cumberbatch isn't turning his back on Sherlock.
Fans of the BBC's modernised take on Sherlock Holmes were dismayed earlier in the year when rumours circulated that the show's upcoming fourth season, to air in 2017, would be its last.
But in an interview this morning on The Chris Evans Breakfast Show on BBC Radio 2, Cumberbatch cleared up any confusion and settled fans' nerves.
When asked if there will be more Sherlock, he said: "Yes. Listen I know where this [rumour] came from.
"This came from an arts desk or any kind of news outlet going, 'Oh we really need a story', so they sort of shipped out this quote which said that I said, 'This is the last one', which is not what I said.
"I said, 'For the time being'. And you'll see when you watch [the new, fourth season], that there's a good reason why I said that.
"We won't be doing one immediately after this one airs. That's all I meant. We never ever say never on that show. We love doing it."
That's not to say, of course, that Sherlock will keep running as long as Cumberbatch has a pulse and is willing carry on as the legendary sleuth.
"There might come a time [when the show ends], or there might come a time when there's a big gap," he said. "That's a possibility.
"I suppose [it could end] but I never say never. I enjoy him too much. I enjoy the show too much and the people in it."
