Sherlock season 4: New pictures reveal first look at Uncle Holmes

There's also a closer look at Toby Jones's new villain

(Hartswood Films 2016)

Season four of the BBC’s critically acclaimed Sherlock is almost here, with Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman reprising their respected roles as Holmes and Watson.

For fans of the series, it has been an awfully long wait: almost three as season three ended on the 12 January 2014, while season four will start 1 January 2017. (There was, of course, last year’s The Abominable Bride to help tide things over.)

Already, we’ve seen multiple trailers, one hinting at the return of Andrew Scott’s Moriarty. Now, new images released by PBS - the US station for Sherlock - give us a proper look at new villain Culverton Smith, played by Toby Jones.

Executive producer Steven Moffatt said of Jones’s character recently: “He’s the darkest villain we’ve had. There was always something charming and engaging about Moriarty. There was something fascinating and actually amoral, rather than immoral, about Charles Augustus Magnussen. This guy is the purest evil.”

The images also give us a closer look at baby Watson, while Mycroft and Mrs. Hudson also make an appearance. Fans will certainly be anxious to know how this season ends, with Benedict Cumberbatch strongly hinting that season four of Sherlock will be its last.