(Credit: Alamy)
Wed 19 November 2025 11:30, UK
Benedict Cumberbatch has become as big a star as his name is fun to say.
The poshest man to ever live is all over the place these days, be it as Doctor Strange in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), through his collaborations with Wes Anderson, or his numerous other high-profile outings.
It’s easy to forget with all the success he’s had since, but Cumberbatch first exploded into the public eye playing one of the most famous characters in all of literature. The syllable-heavy actor was picked to play the titular detective in Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss’ BBC show Sherlock.
Alongside Martin Freeman as Dr John Watson, Cumberbatch enthralled viewers across the first two seasons of the show, quickly becoming one of the most talked-about actors in the UK and beyond. He also inspired a bunch of nerdy guys to grow out their hair and buy a long coat, which might be the one biggest black mark against his entire career.
Sherlock opened so many doors for our friend Ben, so it’s not hyperbole to say that, without it, he wouldn’t be the star he is today. He played the character between 2010 and 2017, which sounds like a lot, but given the nature of the show, he only appeared in 13 episodes, which very much leaves the door open for the “high-functioning sociopath” to make a comeback, thereby begging the question, what it would take to get Cumberbatch back in the deerstalker.
“A lot of money,” he joked to Variety, or at least, I think he was joking. “It would take it to be better than it ever was,” he clarified, “You leave them or yourselves wanting more. There’s always that itch to scratch, but I think it would have to be the superlative version of what we’ve already achieved.”
The most recent episode of Sherlock aired as the finale to its fourth season, with ‘The Final Problem’ wrapping up several storylines, including the death of Watson’s wife, Mary Morstan, and the reveal of Sherlock and Mycroft’s secret sister (don’t ask). The episode concludes with a voiceover from Amanda Abbington’s Mary praising the crime-fighting duo, as Holmes and Watson run out of a building in slow-motion: it’s just as cheesy as it sounds.
There’s no reason Sherlock couldn’t return as the two protagonists are still alive, and there are plenty of Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic stories left for the writers to adapt; however, the general feeling among the show’s fanbase is that it has run its course. What had started as a fresh take on a historical tale suddenly felt tired and played out, with the show seemingly more interested in generating posts on Tumblr than crafting fun plots, which is one of Moffat’s worst traits as a writer. Cumberbatch and Freeman could reprise their parts, but a lot of people would be left wondering why.
Then there’s the small matter of both actors being incredibly busy, where Freeman has found success in the Hobbit film series and the MCU, and we’ve already spoken about how Cumberbatch is bloody everywhere. The chances of a reunion are slim, but never say never in show business; we can’t really rule out a return to Speedy’s for sure.
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