**Since the time of writing, filming on Doctor Who has been pushed back to April**


Steven Moffat could be a busy man later this month, with the news that both Sherlock series three and the Doctor Who 50th anniversary special are to begin filming on Monday 18 March.

Moffat is showrunner on the sci-fi series – which celebrates its half-century this year – as well co-creator of the detective drama, with Mark Gatiss.

Last week, Doctor Who executive producer Caro Skinner revealed that March 18 would see shooting start on the Doctor Who special, while Moffat’s wife Sue Vertue has since told independent Sherlock guide Sherlockology that work on the crime drama will kick off on the same day.

Thankfully, the first episode of Sherlock – in which fans will finally learn how the detective survived his seemingly fatal fall from the roof of a London hospital – is written by Gatiss, while co-executive-producer Vertue should also help free up Moffat to oversee filming on the anniversary special.

With Sherlock stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman increasingly busy with other projects, work on Sherlock series three will be split into two parts, with two episodes filming from 18 March before the final 90-minute instalment shoots the other side of an early summer break.

The Doctor Who 50th Anniversary special is expected to broadcast in November, to coincide with the original 1963 air date of the first ever episode, while Sherlock series three is also slated for late 2013.

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