Hitting the TV back in 2010, BBC series 'Sherlock' has been incredibly successful on the channel, picking up legions of loyal fans across four seasons, totalling just 13 episodes. It's hard to believe the show has been around for so long when you look at the small amount of screen time the characters have actually had, but feature-length episodes more than made up for the series' absence on screen the majority of the time.

Mark Gatiss and Benedict Cumberbatch in 'Sherlock' season 4Mark Gatiss and Benedict Cumberbatch in 'Sherlock' season 4

With Benedict Cumberbatch leading the way in the titular role, the show also stars Martin Freeman and series co-creator, Mark Gatiss. Now, Gatiss has been talking about why he thinks the end of his version of 'Sherlock' may already have happened.

"It was very, very hard to schedule the last series, because of Martin [Freeman] and Benedict [Cumberbatch]'s availability," the actor explained while speaking on the podcast, A Stab in the Dark. "And Steve [Moffat]'s and mine. There is always that 'Fawlty Towers' principle of, 'Let's just leave it'. We've had the keys to Baker Street for a while, but one of the wonderful things is that they're always shared. They were shared while we were making it."

Though he may not ever be returning to 'Sherlock', he's not against a brand new version hitting the small screen.

The fourth season of 'Sherlock' may have been the show's lastThe fourth season of 'Sherlock' may have been the show's last

"There's nothing wrong with saying, 'That was our version, somebody out there go and do their version'," he continued.

The comments won't come as a surprise to 'Sherlock' loyalists who have been keeping up-to-date with information about the series, as Gatiss has previously expressed similar opinions. With a 'Game of Thrones' role and an array of different projects in the pipeline, Gatiss is just one of the in-demand actors involved in the BBC show.

Freeman and Cumberbatch both have major Marvel Cinematic Universe roles, so getting all three together to film a new series of 'Sherlock' is proving more and more difficult as time rolls on. We'll have to wait and see if it's something that eventually comes together.

More: Benedict Cumberbatch's Nose Nearly Cost Him 'Sherlock' Role

We'll bring you more news on 'Sherlock' as and when we get it.