"Sherlock" season 4 cancelled

"Goodbye, My Dear Watson" - scheduled 4th season of the popular BBC show "Sherlock" scrapped.

LONDON - A BBC London press conference held at 5pm local time confirmed what many fans of "Sherlock", the popular crime drama based on the century old Sherlock Holmes novels, have feared for a long time now - there will be no fourth season.

The highly acclaimed series, starring Benedict Cumberbatch as the brooding, witty and inordinately clever Sherlock Holmes and Martin Freeman as his trusty assistant, Doctor John Watson, burst onto the TV scene in 2010 and has since then become a hugh success, garnering a sizable cult following. But now it seems, that is all coming to an end. Director Mark Gatiss was given the word at today's press conference and this is what he had to say about the future of Sherlock: "I have some bad news regarding Sherlock. I know that we have promised you a fourth season time and time again, but at this point in time, this is not a prioritization that BBC can make in the near future. The team has worked hard to try and coordinate this, but unfortunately the studio has decided that it is best to let the project go. The entire cast is incredibly sorry that we won't be able to fulfil our promises but we hope that you will enjoy that Christmas special that will still air this year. That is the last you will see of Sherlock in its current form"

Speculations have run rampant online in the short time since the announcement as to what has forced BBC to cancell such a profitable series, and many expect that it's not a financial matter at all, but a personal one between the director and the board of BBC. We reached out to Benedict Cumberbatch's agent for a comment on the sad news and this is the message that was passed to us.

"Benedict feels great sorrow that Sherlock, the show that really put him on the map as an actor, won't be continued and is deeply regretful about so many Sherlock fans worldwide being let down. He is looking forward to the Christmas special and will see it as a perfect opportunity to bid the series farewell."

"Filmatizations of the Sherlock Holmes novels are frequent, but the magic with which BBC portrayed a mordern Sherlock will be sorely missed" says a Twitter user about the news and captures what we believe most of those who have followed the series feel today.

To discuss the cancellation, tweet under #SherlockCancelled