[9:24] Benedict Cumberbatch, best actor nominee for his role in "The Imitation Game," and his wife Sophie Hunter arrive at the 87th Academy Awards
Benedict Cumberbatch, best actor nominee for his role in "The Imitation Game," and his wife Sophie Hunter arrive at the 87th Academy Awards in Hollywood, California February 22, 2015. Reuters/Lucas Jackson

BBC’s “Sherlock” Season 4 is not going to premiere in Jan. 2016, as was expected and speculated by fans, because the production on the three episodes of new season is going to begin next year.

Benedict Cumberbatch, who plays Sherlock Holmes, and Martin Freeman, who plays Dr Watson, will be reporting to the set of “Sherlock” for the filming of Season 4 in spring 2016, co-creator Steven Moffat and executive producer Sue Vertue have revealed, according to Digital Sky’s report.

With the filming schedule to begin in the first half of 2016, probably because of Cumberbatch and Freeman’s busy acting schedules, it is most likely that “Sherlock” Season 4 is going to premiere in January 2017 or end of 2016. Moffat and Vertue did not reveal when they expect the new season to premiere.

Moffat previously said in an interview given to Entertainment Weekly that “Sherlock” Season 4 is going to be about consequences. He said “chickens come to roost,” adding that it is going to be dark, with a “sense of... things... coming back to bite you.” Moffat said, “It’s hilarious and exhilarating some days, but some days it’s going to be bloody frightening.”

The co-creator also said that fans will feel desperate for “Sherlock” Season 5 after watching the fourth season. And the new season is going to be intense, with “emotional upheaval,” and it is going to be a “tough series,” according to Moffat.

Meanwhile, the production on the one-off, special episode of “Sherlock” is complete. It is most likely to air this Christmas. BBC, however, has yet to announce its air date. The special will see Cumberbatch and Freeman in Victorian costumes, as the one-off episode is set in the Victoria era, in the year 1895.

Last month, nearly 6000 fans of BBC’s hugely popular series turned up at the world’s first “Sherlock” convention, according to Mirror’s report. At the convention, Cumberbatch told his fans, “I’m a bit busy at home at the moment, though not as busy as my wife, if you know what I mean.” The actor is expecting his first child with Sophie Hunter.

You may contact the writer at a.shrivastava@IBTimes.com.au

RELATED STORIES