Filming on Sherlock series 3 has been underway for the past week, and today we’re getting a first glimpse at our beloved lead back in the saddle.

Warning: Very small spoiler ahead!

Benedict Cumberbatch shot nighttime scenes for Sherlock 3×01 in Portland Square last night. The scene involved a huge bonfire.

As these photos prove, the public had a very close-up view of the action last night. Cumberbatch’s Sherlock look has no big changes for series 3. Which is great, because he’s always been perfect. Understandably, showrunners would not comment on what scenes they were filming in order to keep the plot a secret.

We learned last week that Sherlock 3×01’s title is “The Empty Hearse.” “You are in for an absolute stonker,” Cumberbatch said of the series 3 premiere episode when asked about it recently at an awards ceremony. “It’s going to be a treat. It’s a terrific episode,” he added.

The show is expected to premiere this winter on BBC 1. The cast and crew will film episodes one and two back to back, then take a small break so Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman (Watson) can take care of other projects before filming episode three. The two lead stars are both on board for series 4 already.

Thanks to This Is Bristol for the pics.