Steven Moffat has explained the Sherlock series three finale's post-credits scene.

Following the apparent return of Andrew Scott's Moriarty in video footage during the final moments of the Moffat-penned 'His Last Vow', the character appeared one final time speaking directly to the camera.



The moment left some viewers wondering whether it had been intended as confirmation that Moriarty was genuinely alive, while others took it as an Easter egg for fans.

"That was [decided] in the cutting room," Moffat revealed. "It was Mark [Gatiss]'s idea to get one more little blip of him, and we shot the live action shot which we hadn't done for the actual show and put that in after the credits.

"It was just a final little treat, really, to wind people up!"

Moffat went on to joke that he was "as surprised as anyone" when Moriarty returned.

"He was definitely dead! You can't fake shooting yourself in the face - part of his head came off," he insisted.

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Sherlock Series 1 - 3 Deluxe Edition is on iTunes now

Watch Moffat, Gatiss and the cast discussing Sherlock's third series with Digital Spy below:

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