'Sherlock' Season 4 return date countdown in motion, BBC Store tweets fave memory

"Sherlock" Season 4 return date could be in January 2017 if filming would push through as scheduled in April this year. Showrunner Steven Moffat has earlier said there will be some "quite strong surprises" for the viewers when the BBC series returns. Meanwhile, BBC Store tweets one of the best (and shortest) Sherlock-Watson scenes in the series.

"There are a couple of things we’ve got lined up that are really quite strong surprises, but we’ll see," Moffat told Collider about five months ago. At the time, no "Sherlock" Season 4 script had been completed yet. In the same interview, however, Moffat estimated an "April-ish" filming schedule. This is consistent with a more recent clue on the return date of "Sherlock" on BBC.

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In an interview with Zap2It three weeks ago, PBS president Paula Kerger said the "Sherlock" Season 4 premiere could come "a year from now." The PBS exec hinted at the busy schedule of Benedict Cumberbatch as reason for the fans' long wait, which is apparently extended up to January 2017. She added "Sherlock" BBC episodes "are produced almost like films," which means it takes more than just a couple of weeks to wrap up filming for one episode.

The "Sherlock" Special ("The Abominable Bride") which aired on Jan. 1 this year leaves the fans with important clues on the presumed death of Jim Moriarty (Andrew Scott). After an elaborate, Inception-like work of imagery in his mind palace, Sherlock Holmes tells Dr. John Watson (Martin Freeman) that Moriarty is certainly dead. Despite this, however, the genius detective also said Moriarty is definitely back. The "how" of it all is expected to unravel when "Sherlock" Season 4 premieres in 2017.

On Twitter, BBC Store is tiding "Sherlock" fans over with a GIF of a scene in "Sherlock" Season 1, Episode 2: "The Blind Banker." In the GIF media post, Sherlock catches a pen from Watson without even looking at it. This sharp presentation of the efficient partnership between the two gentlemen is one of the avid fans' favourite 'little moments' from the series. As explained on the tweet, Cumberbatch and Martin have done the scene perfectly on first take, but they had to redo it due to camera issues.

Meanwhile, "Sherlock" actor Benedict Cumberbatch and "Harry Potter" actress Emma Watson are receiving recognition as visiting fellows at Lady Margaret Hall by Oxford University. The appointment comes to nine other non-academic individuals, including Pet Shop Boys frontman Neil Tennant and former children's laureate Malorie Blackman, reports BBC. As a visiting fellow, Cumberbatch is expected to "drop in occasionally at college," BBC quotes college principal Alan Rusbridger.

Fans of Cumberbatch will soon see him in the comedy film "Zoolander No. 2" which premieres on Feb. 12 in US cinemas. He plays "All," an androgynous supermodel character. The role has drawn some criticisms, saying it is a mockery of the real-life androgynes. A call for boycott on thepetitionsite.com has gathered over 24,000 supporters. In reaction to the critics, Ben Stiller's co-screenwriter Justin Theroux has said, "people will see, once the movie’s out, that it was kind of much ado about nothing."

GIF: 'All is All,' - Benedict Cumberbatch in 'Zoolander No. 2'
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"The Benedict character is an incredibly powerful character and the joke is really on these two middle-aged models, who are idiots," Theroux said, reports the Irish Examiner. “So that’s the punchline, not Benedict’s character.”

Another "Sherlock" man is getting recognition: Show boss boss Steven Moffat has received his OBE (Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) for his contributions to drama. Speaking to the media after the ceremony, Moffat said "Sherlock" will go on "as long as Benedict and Martin want to show up." This gives fans hope that Season 4 will not be the final season.

"I've got not one, but two dream jobs ["Sherlock" and "Dr Who"] so to get this [OBE] for already indulging myself in public, seems like an excess of good fortune," Daily Record quotes Moffat.

In a related update, the actor playing Sherlock's partner in crime-solving, Martin Freeman, will soon be seen in a Crackle original series titled, "Start Up." The series also stars Adam Brody. Freeman is FBI agent Phil Rask, specializing in financial crimes, Deadline reports. Brody is Nick Talman, a financier in Miami. The show will deliver ten hour-long episodes via the streaming service. "Start Up" will be written and directed by Ben Ketai, who will also act as the showrunner/executive producer.

The countdown for "Sherlock" Season 4 release date is rolling, but it will be a longer wait for the fans. The "Doctor Strange" movie, starring Cumberbatch as Dr. Stephen Strange, would arrive sooner by a couple of months. Perhaps "Start Up" featuring Freeman would also arrive sooner. For the avid fans, another year of waiting is just fine, as long as the series returns with new episodes on BBC.