--- description: After teasing fans with the hashtag #221back, the BBC has announced that "Sherlock" will return for a fourth season and a special episode title: "Sherlock" to return with a special and 3 new episodes #221back image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0bbfad14f2e482ba/69869a4535ba6f5196c02dc0/sherlock3_sig.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # BBC Says _Sherlock_ Will Return With a Special and 3 New Episodes by [Megan Gibson](/author/megan-gibson/) ## Megan Gibson Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jul 2, 2014 2:03 PM CUT  From left: Martin Freeman as Dr. John Watson and Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes From left: Martin Freeman as Dr. John Watson and Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock HolmesRobert Viglasky—Hartswood Films/MASTERPIECE by [Megan Gibson](/author/megan-gibson/) ## Megan Gibson Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jul 2, 2014 2:03 PM CUT BBC announced Wednesday that its hit show _Sherlock_ will return for a special episode, followed by three all-new episodes. > [](https://twitter.com/BBCOne/status/484325909768704000) The announcement wasn’t a complete surprise for the show’s biggest fans, as BBC had teased a mystery announcement earlier on Twitter with the hashtag #221back. Shooting on the special will begin in January 2015 and shooting on the episodes will follow later next year. There’s no word yet on when the new episodes will air, but star Martin Freeman (who plays Watson) told the [_Telegraph_](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/10930426/Sherlock-back-for-Christmas-special-says-Martin-Freeman.html "undefined") that he thought that _Sherlock_ would likely do a Christmas special in 2015. “It’s taken a little while to get the dates sorted as none of the boys are exactly sitting back twiddling their thumbs but there was unanimous goodwill to make this work, so we’re thrilled that 221b is going to be inhabited again,” said executive producer Sue Vertue,. In addition to _when_ fans will get to see Benedict Cumberbatch resume his role as the famous detective, BBC is also keeping fans guessing _who_ will be appearing in the new episodes. Sherlock’s nemesis Jim Moriarty (played by Andrew Scott), who was thought to be dead, announced his return at the end of the last season on a screen in the back of a black cab; the BBC has been teasing his return along with the announcement. > [](https://twitter.com/BBCOne/status/484083280950882304) Yet it’s still too early to know what to expect and _Sherlock_ creators seem happy to keep fans guessing. Despite all the teasers, co-creator, writer and executive producer Steven Moffat said in a statement, “we’re reasonably confident that the very next thing to happen to Sherlock and John, is the very last thing you’d expect.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/2949320/sherlock-new-episodes-special-221back/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/2949320/sherlock-new-episodes-special-221back/"},"headline":"BBC Says Sherlock Will Return With a Special and 3 New Episodes","datePublished":"2014-07-02T14:03:54.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T08:56:18.616Z","description":"After teasing fans with the hashtag #221back, the BBC has announced that \"Sherlock\" will be returning for a special episode followed by three new episodes","url":"https://time.com/2949320/sherlock-new-episodes-special-221back/","keywords":["Television","Sherlock","Benedict Cumberbatch","BBC"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0bbfad14f2e482ba/69869a4535ba6f5196c02dc0/sherlock3_sig.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Megan Gibson","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/megan-gibson/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0bbfad14f2e482ba/69869a4535ba6f5196c02dc0/sherlock3_sig.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"From left: Martin Freeman as Dr. John Watson and Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes","caption":"From left: Martin Freeman as Dr. John Watson and Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes","creditText":"Robert Viglasky—Hartswood Films/MASTERPIECE","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/2949320/sherlock-new-episodes-special-221back/","name":"BBC Says Sherlock Will Return With a Special and 3 New Episodes"}}]}] ```