Sherlock actor Benedict Cumberbatch is “desperate” for the contemporary BBC detective drama to be a massive hit in the United States.

The actor has revealed to The New York Times that he believes Sherlock, whose second series finally airs on Sunday, May 6 on PBS, is just a “cult thing” and has yet to become the mainstream success that it is in the UK.

The 35-year-old actor told The New York Times;

“I’m desperate for America to really take to this… It has taken it into its heart as a cult thing, but I’d love it to hit the mainstream this time. Because I just think it’s of that quality, and it belongs there.”

Cumberbatch’s comments come just as CBS are plotting an Americanised version of the BBC show with “Elementary”, which is not strictly a remake but is definitely an influence as the US show takes Arthur Conan Doyle’s super sleuth detective to a modern day New York City setting. That show will feature Johnny Lee Miller as Sherlock Holmes and Lucy Liu as a female Doctor Watson and will get a full series depending on the success of an initial pilot.

A third series of BBC’s Sherlock we heard previously is likely but is at least a year away from production, if not more.

Want to write about the stuff you're passionate about and have your work read by an audience of over 10 million a month? Click here to become a contributor.

In this post: •