Well, it’s official: Filming on the second episode of the highly anticipated third series of Sherlock wrapped this week, according to co-creator Mark Gatiss. Good news: We’re two-thirds of the way to done! Bad news: Production is about to take a two month hiatus to accommodate the busy schedules of leads Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman, who have a bunch of movies to make. They’ll reconvene to shoot Episode 3 – whatever it’s going to be called – later this summer. Welcome back to the waiting game, gang!

Gatiss also took to Twitter to clarify that all the rumors surrounding a potential airdate for Series 3 are just that – rumors. “Incidentally, anything online about transmission dates etc is entirely bogus. Nothing will be decided for months yet,” he wrote.  (Oh, and he also shared that rather artistic – and teasingly lit – photo of Cumberbatch you see to your right.)

So, there we have it – official confirmation that none of the wild speculation – and sometime outright declaration – that Series 3 would premiere in whatever XX timeframe are all false. The internet has been abuzz with constant chatter on this topic ever since filming started, since pretty much everyone is dying to see the world’s only consulting detective back on our screens as soon as possible. There have been supposedly confirmed reports touting UK airdates in August, September, and November making the rounds for months, even though none of these claims were sourced from anyone who might actually know something about the situation.

But, when might we actually expect to see the third series actually air? Of course, the answer is that this depends. Putting our best deductive earhats hats on, let us consider the facts. 

Time for another update for us Sherlock fans who are currently existing on the crumbs of information slowly being revealed as filming continues on the drama’s highly-anticipated third series. Production on the second episode of Series 3, called The Sign of Three, began this morning, and, naturally, we're all excited about it.

Dun dun dunnnn! Of course, just because filming is now officially under way doesn’t mean we know anything more concrete about this episode than we did last week. But, thanks to the magic of social media, we’re gotten enough new tidbits to get the wheels of speculation turning properly.

Here’s what we do know. 

News about the highly anticipated third series of Sherlock has started coming fast and furious now that production has finally kicked off on the new episodes. Yesterday, Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss officially revealed the title for the second episode of the series it is [drumroll, please] The Sign of Three.

Steve Thompson – of “Yes, I’ll Be Stomping All Over Your Heart Now” Reichenbach Fall fame – will be penning the second episode. The first episode has already been revealed as The Empty Hearse and is written by Gatiss. (This of course leaves Moffat as the writer for the third season finale so probably you just ought to start stocking up on tissues now as a precautionary measure.)

The Sign of Three continues the Moffat/Gatiss tradition of referencing classic Sir Arthur Conan Doyle stories from the Sherlock Holmes canon in (most of) their episode names. In this particular episode, it looks like we’re redoing the novel The Sign of Four, which involves, among other things, a missing father, secret criminal pacts, corrupt prison guards, and the introduction of Holmes’ drug habit. How this episode fits in to the “three words” that producers teased as alleged clues to Series 3’s content is anyone’s guess.

Let’s engage in some wild speculation, shall we?

Thanks to the official start of filming on the long-awaited third series of Sherlock, we’re finally getting some real information about what the new episodes of the drama might hold in store for fans. We already know that the first episode of Series 3 will be called The Empty Hearse and will feature (at least in part) some sort of take on the How-Sherlock-Holmes-Comes-Back-From-the-Dead plot from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Empty House.

Now with the advent of the series first bit of public shooting this week, further details about the new episodes have started to surface and a few filming photos have started to appear. (This is all going under the jump to protect anyone who’s trying not to find out anything about the new season before it airs, but other than official casting news, it’s spoiler free.)

As previously mentioned, after what feels like a waiting period of basically my entire life, filming has officially begun on the highly anticipated third series of Sherlock. And now, straight from the horse’s mouth – or rather, from its computer, thanks to the Twitter account of co-creator Mark Gatiss – we know the official name of the first episode of the new season.

[Insert drumroll and fanfare here.]

Fans have been waiting for this day for so long, it probably ought to be some sort of official international holiday, but at last, it is finally here – filming on the highly anticipated third series of Sherlock begins today.

Set designer Arwel Wyn Jones has been tweeting up a storm during the past few weeks of pre-production and has recently shared what is possibly his best behind-the-scenes photo yet. With filming imminent, Wyn Jones has tweeted a pretty fantastic complete panoramic view of the full set for the 221b Baker Street flat, all dressed and fancy and up close and personal. 

Congrats to everyone for surviving the horrifying ten month wait with little-to-no Sherlock news to speak of whatsoever, because apparently we have reached the promised land and the floodgates of Series 3 information have opened. Following the announcement of the official start of production on Series 3 and first episode read-through yesterday, there’s actually even better news to share. (Yes, really.)

[Normally I feel a bit bad about doing two posts on the blog in a row about the same topic, but since this news really is pretty exceptionally awesome, I hope everyone will forgive me.] 

Nope, that’s not a typo in the headline – the event we’ve all been waiting for is finally happening – production on the highly anticipated third series of Sherlock is officially underway! While actual filming doesn’t commence until next Monday (March 18), the cast assembled for a read-through of the script of the first episode slated to be shot for the new season. No idea what episode they read today, but since co-creator Mark Gatiss has traditionally been the fastest writer to finish his Sherlock scripts, the smart money is on this being the one based on reunion story The Empty House, whatever they choose to call it. (Start stockpiling your tissues now, maybe?)

The best part of all of this is that finally there is actually some new Sherlock information to report – carry on reading for some new production details, casting tidbits and a slightly larger version of what is possibly the best new photo ever (which you can see to your left).

Finally – a bit of good news for Sherlock fans in the wake of the announcement that Series 3 filming has been delayed! Earlier this fall there was much wailing and gnashing of teeth online thanks to an unfounded news report that claimed the drama’s third season was likely to be its last, citing the packed professional schedules of stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman.

Despite the fact that this initial report came from “unnamed sources” and featured more than a few inaccuracies, Sherlock fans understandably freaked out because, well, it wouldn’t be the first time that a television series has lost out because stardom came calling for its leads. Cumberbatch is busy starring in what appears to be every other movie slated for release next year and Freeman’s professional dance card is about to get a lot more crowded, now that he’s playing Bilbo Baggins in this little trilogy whose first installment broke global records at the box office last weekend.

However, there appears to be little to worry about where the future of Sherlock is concerned – and that’s news straight from the star himself. In a recent interview with Yahoo UK, ostensibly to talk about his role in the upcoming Star Trek sequel, the actor did have one particularly interesting thing to say about Sherlock. Asked whether his current big screen success means that he might “get too big for Sherlock” in the future, Cumberbatch seems adamant that that will never be the case.

Sad news for Sherlock fans everywhere – we’re going to have to wait a bit longer than we originally thought for production on the highly anticipated third series of the hit drama to get started.

Entertainment Weekly is reporting that filming on Series 3 – originally slated to get under way this January – has been pushed back until March. Considering filming was originally supposed to wrap by the end of March, we’re probably now looking at something like June before principal production finishes up.

Since stars Benedict Cumberbatch (who’s apparently starring in every movie ever) and Martin Freeman (who’s now got to make a third Hobbit film) are basically the definition of superbusy, this news isn’t terribly surprising, even if it does make those of us who are waiting for a resolution to the Reichenbach Fall cliffhanger crazy.

Seriously, guys, we’re like the television viewer equivalents of Doctor Who’s Amy Pond: The Fans that Waited.