Sherlock is, of course, by far one of the most successful British dramas of the decade, so it’s fair to say that co-creators Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss probably don’t have too many regrets. The writing has been lauded by critics and fans alike and their casting of Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman has created two of the most in-demand actors around. Still, Gatiss has revealed that he does regret at least one thing: killing off Moriarty.
Fans will remember that Sherlock’s nemesis, James Moriarty (Andrew Scott) shot himself in the season 2 finale, as part of a complex plan to get the detective to kill himself. Seasons 3 and 4 then brought the character back in the form of flashbacks, dream sequences and even video messages recorded before his death, but looking back at it now, it seems that Gatiss wishes they’d just let the guy live.
“There’s always things you’d do differently. Maybe we shouldn’t have killed Moriarty off in the second season… I remember going to the Edinburgh TV Festival with Andrew Scott and he said, ‘I’m a bit sad really because it’s all over’ and he’s left the show, like, five times now… That was the point though – telling 90-minute stories, they’re so big and film-length, the stakes [like killing off major characters] have to be big.”
When asked if he had any other regrets, Gatiss jokingly responded: “Give me 20 years to decide – by which time there’ll be a fifth season.”
Sherlock is currently on hiatus, as the cast and crew have agreed to take some time away from the show due to the busy schedules of all involved. The likes of Cumberbatch, Freeman and others, however, have stated that more seasons could happen in several years time – let’s just hope Gatiss was joking about the 20 years comment.
