Steven Moffat has confirmed BBC's hit drama 'Sherlock' will return for a third season.
"Yes of course there's going to be a third series — it was commissioned at the same time as the second. Gotcha!," said the co-creator of the modern-day update of the detective following the final episode of season two in the UK.
Moffat had been playing coy with the media in recent months as to whether Sherlock Holmes would survive the three episode second season.
The series, which will air on Masterpiece on PBS this May, has delivered strong ratings on the BBC.
Although there was some outcry in the UK after the premiere episode featured a brief nude scene.
Star Benedict Cumberbatch defended the scene as a "source of stimulation for the audience."
"It's supposed to throw Holmes' radar off," he said, "which is exactly what it does."
An official date for the new season has not been announced but it is expected to be sometime next year given the busy schedules of both Cumberbatch, who was recently cast as the villain in the new 'Star Trek' film, and Freeman, who is currently filming 'The Hobbit'.