The fourth series of BBC One's award-winning Sherlock has begun filming, with co-writers Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat promising fans that the titular sleuth (Benedict Cumberbatch) and John Watson (Martin Freeman) will face the ghosts of the past.
Three feature-length episodes are being filmed with Doctor Who and The Wind in the Willows director Rachel Talalay behind the lens for the first.
TY all for your good wishes. And especially @Markgatiss @hartswoodfilms for inviting me into the genius of #Sherlock. May I live up to it.
— Rachel Talalay (@rtalalay) April 7, 2016
The series will open with Sherlock back home and John and wife Mary (Amanda Abbington) expecting their first child. A transmission date has yet to be announced.
Leading man Benedict Cumberbatch said he was "genuinely thrilled" to be back in Baker Street.
"I can't wait for everyone to see season four. But you will have to wait... though not for long... And it will be worth it," he promised.
Writers Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss added: "Whatever else we do, wherever we all go, all roads lead back to Baker Street - and it always feels like coming home."
Mark Gatiss - "Ghosts of the past are rising in the lives of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson, bringing adventure, romance and terror in their wake"
To keep fans guessing about what lies ahead, the duo left them with the following teaser: "This is the story we've been telling from the beginning. A story about to reach its climax..."
The first trailer of Cumberbatch in the new Marvel Comics adventure Doctor Strange will be unveiled next week. The film is due in cinemas on October 28.
Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange
