Earlier this week, Martin Freeman suggested that our next dose of Sherlock would come in the form of a Christmas special, with Deadline now confirming that that episode will be along in December 2015.

According to the report, Freeman and Benedict Cumberbatch’s busy schedules mean that the special will not shoot before January 2015, with the episode to be released at the end of the year.

Happily for fans of the show, that won’t be where the fun stops, as a new series of three 90-minute episodes is also scheduled to follow the special episode, and is set to arrive at some point in 2016.

Deadline suggests that the new instalments will shoot later in 2015, with creator Steven Moffat jokingly referring to the three-episode series as “a record-breaking run”.

“We’re ready to unleash the most shocking and surprising series of Sherlock yet,” confirmed the BBC yesterday. “The only thing to expect is the unexpected.” The game’s afoot…