Mark Gatiss has "no immediate plans" to revive Sherlock

Speaking in the latest issue of Radio Times, Gatiss said there were no plans for any further Sherlock series currently in the pipeline – although he didn’t rule out a return somewhere down the line.

“You could go back,” he said, “but there are no immediate plans.”

The pair did, however, confess that they wanted to bring back another iconic detective: Columbo.

Moffat said: “I really tried with Columbo. I did have a decent go at it, but the rights are really tied up.

“I think it’s a devastatingly brilliant format. My plan was to put Peter Falk to the back of my mind and start again from the beginning. Maybe just go madly different.

“But the one thing Columbo has to be is the most unprepossessing, seemingly unimpressive sadist you’ll ever meet. All that ‘Oh, just one more thing’ stuff isn’t absent-mindedness. He’s such a sadist.”

With no immediate return of Sherlock and the desired Columbo series not yet looking likely either, it looks like we’ll have to cherish Dracula when it airs this winter.

The series will star Danish actor Claes Bang in the titular role – and from the look of the trailer it looks set to be a particularly gruesome affair.

Meanwhile, Gatiss has already hinted that there could be a second series of Dracula - although nothing has been confirmed so far.