Martin Freeman drops hint about possible Sherlock one-off special

Martin Freeman's profile has soared since 'Sherlock' (Getty Images)

Martin Freeman has a dropped a tantalising teaser about the forthcoming instalment of Sherlock, saying that it could focus on a “fantastic” idea in a one-off special.

The star, who plays the super-sleuth’s sidekick Dr John Watson, said “I don’t exactly what it’s going to involve apart from this one central idea – [writer] Mark Gatiss might beat me up now.”

“There was an idea for a one-off special for a fantastic [idea] – it’s such a good idea. As I was listening to this, I was thinking ‘we’ve got to do this,’” he told the audience of the Alan Carr: Chatty Man talk show on Friday.

But eager viewers may have to wait a while before they will get to see the detective and his trusty companion in action again.

“I don’t know when we’re going to be able to do it unfortunately,” Freeman said, adding that the story had not yet been written.

The global success of Sherlock has sent the profiles of the programme’s lead stars soaring and both Freeman and Benedict Cumberbatch, who plays the famous detective, are now busy with other projects.

Freeman is currently starring in Fargo, a television adaptation of the Coen brothers’ quirky film and he will be treading the boards in the West End as Richard III in July.

Lead writers Gatiss and Steven Moffat, too, are equally busy, Moffat is also the producer on Doctor Who which will be returning in autumn with Peter Capaldi as the new Time Lord.

While Gatiss has penned episodes for the new series of Doctor Who and is starring as Tycho Nestoris in season four of Game of Thrones.

Series three of Sherlock ended back in January and saw the return of the detective’s arch-nemesis Moriarty.