In a strange twist of fate, it turns out that Benedict Cumberbatch, who plays Sherlock Holmes in the TV series, is actually related to the author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who created the character over 100 years ago. The genealogy detectives at Ancestry.com discovered that Cumberbatch and the author who passed in 1930 are 16th cousins, twice removed. The website was not approached to find this information out, but Dallin Hatch, a spokesperson for Ancestry said that their researchers just love the series.

The team apparently has yet to contact Cumberbatch to give him this information. Their common ancestor was John of Gaunt who was the Duke of Lancaster and the 4th son of King Edward III. According to the website, John of Gaunt was Doyle’s 15th Great Grandfather and Cumberbatch’s 17th Great Grandfather. According to the Family Historian at Ancestry, Lisa Elzey:

“Making family history connections is similar to piecing together a mysterious puzzle, one that the great Sherlock Holmes himself would be intrigued to solve”

Sherlock Holmes and his ever present sidekick John Watson were introduced to the world in an 1890 novel and have been reintroduced in multiple books, movies, and shows. The PBS show where Benedict Cumberbatch plays the lead is returning today to bring a little bit of New Years joy to all the Sherlockians who have been patiently awaiting this season. Fans are assured that this development was not paid for as some kind of season 4 advertising, but just a beautiful coincidence. Do you see a family resemblance?

What do you think about this bit of Benedict Cumberbatch news? Does it make you more excited for the new season? Let us know in the comment section below and make sure to follow Don’t Feed the Gamers on Twitter, because that’s where the magic happens! Have you seen the adorable season 4 photos that include one of Uncle Holmes? Check them out here!