BBC Says Sherlock Will Return With a Special and 3 New Episodes

BBC announced Wednesday that its hit show Sherlock will return for a special episode, followed by three all-new episodes.

The announcement wasn’t a complete surprise for the show’s biggest fans, as BBC had teased a mystery announcement earlier on Twitter with the hashtag #221back.

Shooting on the special will begin in January 2015 and shooting on the episodes will follow later next year. There’s no word yet on when the new episodes will air, but star Martin Freeman (who plays Watson) told the Telegraph that he thought that Sherlock would likely do a Christmas special in 2015.

“It’s taken a little while to get the dates sorted as none of the boys are exactly sitting back twiddling their thumbs but there was unanimous goodwill to make this work, so we’re thrilled that 221b is going to be inhabited again,” said executive producer Sue Vertue,.

In addition to when fans will get to see Benedict Cumberbatch resume his role as the famous detective, BBC is also keeping fans guessing who will be appearing in the new episodes. Sherlock’s nemesis Jim Moriarty (played by Andrew Scott), who was thought to be dead, announced his return at the end of the last season on a screen in the back of a black cab; the BBC has been teasing his return along with the announcement.

Yet it’s still too early to know what to expect and Sherlock creators seem happy to keep fans guessing. Despite all the teasers, co-creator, writer and executive producer Steven Moffat said in a statement, “we’re reasonably confident that the very next thing to happen to Sherlock and John, is the very last thing you’d expect.”