The BBC has confirmed that Sherlock series 3 will air during the Christmas period. But which of two dates will they choose?

Within a media pack published to their website this week detailing their holiday offerings, BBC One states that the Sherlock series 3 premiere date is set for this Christmas season.

Should the show air on Sundays like it did for its past two series, Sherlock series 3 will premiere on either December 22 or December 29. Each of the three episodes will be 90 minutes long.

Before then, episode 1 will make its world premiere at an event in London on December 15. Some of the show’s stars will be in attendance.

The BBC is reportedly set to debut its detailed Christmas programming schedule on December 4, so an announcement about the show’s air date may arrive as late as then.

Meanwhile, PBS has already confirmed that Sherlock series 3 will premiere on January 19 in the United States.

A trailer with a few new glimpses into episode 1 “The Empty Hearse” was released during the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special over the weekend.

Place your bets: Will ‘Sherlock’ series 3 premiere on December 22 or December 29?

The beloved detective drama stars Benedict Cumberbatch in the titular role and Martin Freeman as his partner John Watson. Episode 1 will begin with the latter under the assumption that Sherlock has died — even two years after his fall depicted in the series 2 finale. “Dr John Watson has got on with his life,” reads a synopsis released by BBC One. “New horizons, romance and a comforting domestic future beckon. But, with London under threat of a huge terrorist attack, Sherlock Holmes is about to rise from the grave with all the theatricality that comes so naturally to him.”