After the great success of the current series, Sherlock will be returning to the nation's screens again.

As the BBC One drama's second series drew to its climax on Sunday night and just as fans began to mourn the end of another spectacular show, the programme's creators announced that it will be back.

Steven Moffat, the Doctor Who writer who's famously a fan of keeping viewers guessing, waited until the last moment to break the news - despite the third series being commissioned months ago.

READ: Our review of episode three.

He previously told BBC News there was "no guarantee we'll be bringing him back", but yesterday he wrote on Twitter:

@steven_moffat
Steven Moffat

#sherlock Yes of course there's going to be a third series - it was commissioned at the same time as the second. Gotcha!

January 15, 2012 10:44 pm via TweetList Pro Reply Retweet Favorite

Moffat's Sherlock co-creator Mark Gatiss then tweeted:

@Markgatiss
Mark Gatiss

Gotcha! And of course there'll be a third series! It was commissioned at the same time as series two!!

January 15, 2012 10:43 pm via Twitter for iPhone Reply Retweet Favorite

An average audience of 7.9m tuned in to watch his modern take on Arthur Conan Doyle's The Reichenbach Fall last night, which saw Sherlock (played by Benedict Cumberbatch) fake his own death.

Despite the good news that Sherlock will return, when that will be is still a mystery. It is likely to be next year at the earliest, as its stars - Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman - are both currently involved in the filming of major blockbuster films.