Sherlock star Martin Freeman recently spoke about the difficulties of getting together to film episodes of the series, particularly for outside shots involving him and Benedict Cumberbatch.

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Freeman, who plays John Watson on Sherlock, recently spoke with The Independent about a variety of topics, including the struggle to get together to film the series. He admitted that he would not want to film as much beyond what they already do.

"By American standards it's nothing!" Freeman noted, of the show's three-episode seasons every two years. "Even by Downton [Abbey] standards it's pretty short! It's not eight months of our year, and it's not every year. It's so intermittent. That's what for me makes it do-able. I don't know about Ben but certainly for me it would soon lose a lot of its appeal if we were schlepping that around for eight months of the year, every year. A bit of the sheen would have gone off it."

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Even though they are only filming for a short period of time, it can be difficult due to the massive level of popularity Sherlock has received over the years. Whenever they are tasked with filming outdoor scenes, which require one or both of him and Cumberbatch, it can be tough with all the fans.

"When we're [filming at] our stand-in for Baker Street, it is hard to do your job. And I don't love it," he admitted, adding "It's like trying to act at a premiere. ... I wasn't in The Beatles. But I've never seen anything like it. There's such a heightened sense of excitement, so every time we come out, there's applauding - and it's like, 'No, can you n-.' Or, if we do anything - 'Cut!' - applause. ... It's like, 'No, this isn't a gig.'"

However, the publication noted that he is quick to admit that these are pretty A-list problems to have. The actor is now a bonafide movie star with the success of The Hobbit franchise. He is slated to film the new movie The Taliban Shuffle after he finishes with Sherlock this year.

The Sherlock holiday special is slated to air during the Christmas season this year, while the fourth season will be airing in early 2016 on PBS in the U.S.

Tags: Sherlock television BBC PBS Martin Freeman