Prepare for 2016′s latest piece of terrible news, Sherlock fans – Benedict Cumberbatch may just have hinted that this series will be his last.

Series four of the BBC adaptation of Arthur Conan Doyle’s sleuthing tales is due to air on New Year’s Day, but the hugely popular star of the show seems to have reordered his priorities when it comes to work.

Benedict, who plays Sherlock, told the Daily Mail’s Weekend magazine: “The older I get, the happier I am. Yes, work is going well, which is nice, but I’ve also had a very rich couple of years personally.”

The actor and his wife Sophie Hunter welcomed their son Christopher in 2015 and are expecting their second child together in the spring.

He went on: “I’m grateful that I and my family have our health and that I’m still doing the work I love, so it’s a golden moment. Of course, I now have extra responsibilities and I do have to make certain decisions about the future because there are more people in my life who are important to me.”

Benedict, 40, continued: “This new series goes to a place where it will be hard to follow on immediately.

“We never say never on the show, but in the immediate future we all have things we want to crack on with, and we’ve made something very complete as it its. So I think we’ll just have to wait and see.”

Co-creator Mark Gatiss has also said: “We would love to do more, but we are not lying, we absolutely don’t know. It’s up to all kinds of factors, scheduling. Willingness to do it is all all here, but we are just not sure.”

The new series of Sherlock airs on BBC One at 8.30pm tomorrow.