THE writer Steven Moffat and his hit show Sherlock have won a series of awards at one of the US's most prestigious prize ceremonies, the Emmys.

Moffat, from Paisley, won the award for writing for a mini series, and the BBC show itself, which stars Benedict Cumberbatch, won seven Emmys in total, landing four technical awards last week and three on Monday night.

The writer, also known for his work with the modern version of Doctor Who, revealed plans for a new episode of the popular re-imaginging of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's hero.

He said: "We are going to start shooting a special episode in January at the same time we start shooting Doctor Who, so that will be great.

"We have a plan to top it and I do think our plan is devastating and we practically reduced the cast to tears with our plan."

Moffat, 52, said it has "always been tricky" to create a schedule for when Cumberbatch, whose star has risen in recent years, is available.

He said: "When we started on Sherlock, we thought it was a simple, private thing - good but not celebrated. We are still reeling from its success, and the joy it has brought so many. We came out to LA thinking we would take nothing home but the memory of a great night - to have won seven Emmys in total is something none of us will ever forget."

He explained he hoped would get more people watching the show and said: "I didn't think to prepare a single word because I didn't think we could win."

Moffat studied at the University of Glasgow before becoming a high school teacher in Greenock then going on to create, in 1989, his first TV success, Press Gang.