Scott reprised the role in the final moments of Series 3’s finale, ‘His Last Vow’, earlier this month.

The actor told Daily Star Sunday: “[The producers] didn’t have to convince me to come back because we knew all along Jim Moriarty would return. That’s what we always planned to do.”

He added: “I kept getting asked if Moriarty would ever return [in Series 3] and I said they could assume whatever they pleased. It was always a question that was probably left unanswered.”

However, Scott admitted to being cautious about his the character’s return: “I think it’s very important with Moriarty that you don’t overuse him. I think the reason he’s been a success is because he has a mystery.”

> Find out everything we know so far about Series 4 in our news summary.

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> Buy Series 3 on DVD on Amazon.

> Buy the Series 1-2 boxset on Amazon.

Watch the Series 3 teaser trailer…