Sherlock strikes again with new series set to be darker than ever

Benedict Cumberbatch and co return for a new series of adventures that promise to be darker than ever, writes Jeananne Craig

Some things are synonymous with New Year: Midnight fireworks, Prosecco-fuelled renditions of ‘Auld Lang Syne’, and in recent years, a hotly anticipated new series of Sherlock.

After whetting our appetites with a special at the start of this year (‘The Abominable Bride’, the most-watched programme in the UK over the festive season, drawing 11.6m viewers), the world’s favourite deerstalker hat-wearer is back for a fourth installment, kicking off with the first of three feature-length episodes on January 1.