Sherlock star Martin Freeman hints that upcoming fourth season could be the show’s last
The Dr Watson actor revealed that least series, which was the UK's most watched drama, 'had a sense of finality'
SHERLOCK will be one of the highlights of the festive calendar when it returns for the first of three episodes on New Year’s Day.
But MARTIN FREEMAN has dropped a bombshell which will devastate millions of fans around the world — it’s coming to an end.
The actor, who plays Dr John Watson in the BBC show opposite BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH, both below, said: “Life does sometimes have a way of telling you, this is probably it now.
“This last series did have a feeling of, I don’t know whether it has a finality to it, but it certainly had a feeling of a pause.
“And I am never ever afraid of things ending. I mean I am not looking forward to life ending or love ending, but things that we make, should end.”
The upcoming trio of episodes will be the fourth outing for the detective drama, following a one-off special last January.
It would be a shock decision, as the third season became the UK’s most-watched drama series since 2001, bringing in an average of 11.8million viewers in 2014.
But Martin insists they want the show to go out on a high.
He said: “We all know the alternative is that you leave people wanting less and saying, ‘I wish you’d stopped five years ago,’ and that’s not a good place however much money you have made.”
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In a further blow, Martin suggested he wouldn’t want the show to return in the future either, saying: “I believe in the finite nature of things and I like things being left alone.
“I have never been a massive fan of reunions.”
It sounds like making another series could be a case even Sherlock would struggle to crack.
Em is CBB's star turn
HERE’S a first publicity shot of Celebrity Big Brother host EMMA WILLIS, celebrating the reality show’s theme of All Stars and New Stars.
The new series is just weeks away – and as its slogan suggests, it’s set to be more explosive than ever, as old housemates go up against new blood.
Shameless actor JODY LATHAM – best known for playing Lip Gallagher in the Channel 4 drama – is the latest star to sign up for the show, which kicks off on Channel 5 on January 3.
He is rumoured to be joining STEPHEN BEAR, KATIE PRICE, NICOLA McLEAN and BIANCA GASCOIGNE.
It’s one of my favourite shows on TV. I can’t wait.
James up for some top bantz
THE last thing Top Gear needed after a disastrous year under CHRIS EVANS was JEREMY CLARKSON’s The Grand Tour to launch to rave reviews.
But the BBC programme, which now has MATT LeBLANC as the sole host, isn’t going to just roll over and accept defeat.
Jeremy’s Grand Tour co-host JAMES MAY has revealed Top Gear is undergoing a total overhaul in a bid to compete with their Amazon motoring show.
He said: “The great thing about us doing this and Top Gear re-inventing themselves – which I know is going on in secret – is there’s going to be two big car shows going on in the world and they will be rivals.
“I don’t know what they’re doing. They need to sort of start again. They’ve got a golden opportunity to re-invent what is a very popular idea – a general p***-about show about cars.
“I’m desperate to see what they’re doing and then I can ring them up or tweet them and take the p*** out of them.”
In last week’s episode of The Grand Tour, Jeremy could not resist a swipe at former host Chris when he compared a lacklustre BMW to his Top Gear failure.
But James, left, hopes that remaining host Matt LeBlanc will retaliate when the show comes back to BBC2 next year.
James, who returns to BBC4 with The Reassembler at 9pm on December 28, added: “I hope they will have a few pops at us as well.
“We can bounce off each other a bit – I think that’ll be great fun.”
SOAPBOX
IT doesn’t look like Christmas will be too merry for Eileen Grimshaw in CORONATION STREET.
After boyfriend Phelan was hit around the head in last night’s episode, she’s left fearing the worst. She’s convinced Kevin is responsible for the attack. Elsewhere on the cobbles, David is convinced to have a night out on the town while Adam feels put out when Maria goes cold on him after spending the night together. Over on EASTENDERS, the kids get dressed up for the Nativity but Abi is confused when she realises Dot missed it on purpose. Still struggling with how distant she feels from Amy, Roxy turns to Reverend Stevens for help. It’ll take a fair few prayers to solve her problems.
Is Bowles a winter sport?
SPENCER MATTHEWS isn’t the only person with royal links taking part in The Jump.
The reality TV playboy, whose brother JAMES is PIPPA MIDDLETON’s fiancé, will be joined on the Austrian slopes by CAMILLA PARKER BOWLES’s niece EMMA.
This week the former society girl, whose uncle Andrew is Camilla’s ex-husband, has been training with her fellow contestants at an indoor snow slope in Hemel Hempstead, Herts, for the Channel 4 show.
Former model, magazine writer and TV presenter Emma, said last night: “I have the ability of a mountain goat and am an adrenalin junkie so The Jump is right up my alley.”
She previously tried hosting a US motoring reality show but it did not work out and she ended up rescuing stray dogs in Hollywood for a living.
She will fly out to Innsbruck in the New Year to compete on the show, in which a group of celebrities try to master various winter sports.
On this year’s The Jump seven celebrities end up in hospital – including Olympic gymnast BETH TWEDDLE, who suffered fractured vertebrae.
Yesterday I revealed that disgraced Olympian LOUIS SMITH has also signed up.
The former gymnastics champ is currently banned from competing after appearing to mock Muslims in a wedding video, so he signed up for the show to keep busy.
He won’t be knocking back many other offers.