Image caption Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman won wide critical acclaim for their performances

Crime drama Sherlock is to get a second series, the BBC has confirmed as part of a raft of new commissions.

Its three-part first series, starring Benedict Cumberbatch in a contemporary take on the classic detective, attracted around nine million viewers.

Creators Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat have promised "baffling new puzzles, old friends and new enemies" in three new episodes due in autumn 2011.

Luther, starring Idis Elba, will also return for two hour-long specials.

BBC One controller Jay Hunt said: "Sherlock was the hit of the summer, Luther the most memorable new detective on the block.

"I am delighted they will both be returning to BBC One."

A two-part adaptation of Sebastian Faulks's acclaimed novel Birdsong, set during World War I, will be brought to the screen by award-winning writer Abi Morgan, while Welsh comedian Rhod Gilbert is to present his own comedy panel show.

Meanwhile, the BBC has announced that the next series of Doctor Who, in 2011, will be split into two separate runs with the first block in spring ending on a cliffhanger.

The next block will begin in the autumn.

On BBC Two, the Edwardian ghost story Oh, Whistle And I'll Come To You, My Lad, is given a modern reworking.

Wine expert Oz Clarke and comedian Hugh Dennis will set up a bar serving only local UK produce in Oz And Hugh Raise The Bar.