More 'Sherlock' may be 5 years away, says Gatiss

Actor-writer Mark Gatiss has said that another season of popular series "Sherlock" is at least five years away.

The BBC's modern interpretation of Arthur Conon Doyle's work features Benedict Cumberbatch as the famed detective Sherlock Holmes while actor Martin Freeman plays his sidekick and friend Dr Watson.

Gatiss, who co-created and co-wrote the series with Steven Moffat, told On the Line podcast that they have not ruled out future seasons of the show but it will not happen anytime soon.

"We're certainly not ruling it out. We're shooting 'Dracula' next year, that's a two or three year process to get that from script to screen. Even if we then started planning 'Sherlock' season five that would be another two years, so it's a way off," Gatiss said.

Availability of Cumberbatch and Freeman, who are currently busy with their Hollywood careers, also appears to be a major hurdle for the prospective fifth season.

"It was very, very, very difficult to schedule the fourth series in terms of Benedict's and Martin's availability, and everyone's availability, so it's not easy. It's not a lack of will, it's just about practicality," Gatiss said.

"I think it would be nice to leave them and then come back and see what's happened to them," he added.