The co-creator has announced that he’ll reveal hints concerning the three Sherlock Holmes stories which will form the basis of the show’s upcoming series.

The writer took to Twitter to tell fans “this year’s three words revealed tomorrow at #MGEITF [MediaGuardian Edingburgh International Television Festival].” Last year’s keywords were “Woman,” “Hound” and “Fall” – which lead to fans working out that series 2 would be based on “A Scandal In Bohemia,” “The Hound of the Baskervilles,” and “The Final Problem.”

While the series may not start shooting for several months, Moffat’s revelations will give fans plenty of time to swot up on the stories referenced and speculate about the contemporary twists. Back in May, writer and star Mark Gatiss confirmed he would be penning the series opener, an adaptation of Arthur Conan Doyle’s “The Adventure of the Empty House.” Not only did this confirmation reveal several aspects of the potential plot, but many fans have deduced that the series’ villain will be Colonel Moran – Moriarty’s right hand man. So, we can safely assume that the first word will be “House,” but the other two (written by Steven Moffat and Stephen Thompson) remain a complete mystery.

Moffat will reveal this year’s words as part of his Sherlock master class at the TV Festival, which also features a screening of Doctor Who (of which he is the writer and showrunner). He will be joined by Martin Freeman and Benedict Cumberbatch.

“Cumberbatch, who has earned a legion of fans and garnered critical acclaim for his portrayal of the iconic detective, will join previously announced panelists Steven Moffat (writer and cocreator), Sue Vertue (producer), Mark Gatiss (writer and co-creator) and Paul McGuigan (director) for the session, a collaboration with The Network, the unique career development scheme created for young people who want to work in TV.

“The masterclass will reflect upon Sherlock’s award winning two series, with the TV drama now widely hailed as the significant TV break out hit of recent years. The creative team behind the series will discuss the show’s conception and how the show maintains its dual appeal between die-hard fans of Conan Doyle’s original stories and contemporary TV viewers.”

Hypable will bring you complete coverage of the event tomorrow, as well as analysis of the episodes and stories likely to feature in series 3.

What stories do you expect to see in Sherlock series 3?