“Benedict Cumberbatch filming something special for BBC One and BBC Two. More details soon ...”
The teaser, which was put up on the BBC One’s Facebook page a few days ago, was accompanied by images of the British actor.
Ben Stephenson, the BBC’s controller of drama commissioning, said: “He was great. Stay tuned,” in response to the announcement.
Cumberbatch shot to fame with his portrayal of the famous detective in the popular BBC series Sherlock, adapted from Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories. The third season was broadcast earlier this year.
But what is the BBC referring to and why is it top secret?
It can't possibly be the fourth season of Sherlock because it was announced months ago: in July, the BBC said a full-length, special episode of Sherlock will begin filming in January 2015, and the series (each season features three 90-minute episodes), will be filmed later in the year.
There is speculation that Cumberbatch might be working on a short, 45-minute episode that will be broadcast before the mini-series and special episode hit screens around Christmas 2015 (a date has not been announced yet).
Then again, the FB post might be linked with a fund-raising project for the BBC's official charity Children in Need, but some believe the images either are scenes from Doctor Who or his forthcoming BBC Two film The Hollow Crown, in which he portrays Richard III. But www.radiotimes.com reported BBC sources as claiming that it is definitely not Doctor Who. It also said that whatever it is Cumberbatch is working on, will be broadcast on both channels.
Meanwhile, fans are agog with excitement and frustration, with one user commenting beneath the Facebook post: “That’s all?! You can’t leave me with this!!!!”
Another said: "Ohh BBC, you tease. It doesn't look like Sherlock, 'cause of the hair. But if it's worth a tease, it must be something good."
Cumberbatch won an Emmy this year for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries for his role in Sherlock: His Last Vow, the final episode of season three, which gathered seven awards in total.
artslife@thenational.ae
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Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
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Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
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Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
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How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
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Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
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