‘Sherlock’ star Benedict Cumberbatch distant relative of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

The fourth season of “Sherlock” is going to be premiering on PBS and CNN in just one day’s time, but before we get around to it, how about something fun that is completely unrelated to the show itself, but tied very much to its star?

In what has to be one of the most interesting bits of news that we’ve heard in quite some time, series star Benedict Cumberbatch actually is related to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the man responsible for creating the Sherlock Holmes character in the first place. In a statement (per Entertainment Weekly), here is was Ancestry historian Lisa Elzey had to say on the subject, as the company was responsible for helping to figure this out:

“We love that through family history we can connect the creator of this brilliant detective and the captivating actor who portrays him … Making family history connections is similar to piecing together a mysterious puzzle, one that the great Sherlock Holmes himself would be intrigued to solve.”

Specifically, it turns out that the two parties are 16th cousins, twice removed, have a common ancestor in John of Gaunt, who is one of the children of King Edward III of England. Basically, both Cumberbatch and Doyle are descendants of royalty, in addition to being a masterful actor and author. It’s such an interesting connection that makes it seem like Cumberbatch playing this role is almost destiny — or, at the very least, if you believe in this sort of stuff.

Over the upcoming three episodes of “Sherlock,” we are going to see the title character deal with some rather unique struggles — including some that are tied to his extended “family” that includes John Watson, his wife Mary, and their new child.

How crazy is this to you? Let us know in the comments! Also, be sure to check out a new video previewing what is coming up moving forward this season. (Photo: PBS.)