Sherlock exec Beryl Vertue has confirmed shooting dates for the next series.
The detective drama will resume filming in "early 2013", the producer told the BBC's in-house magazine Ariel.
However, Vertue added that it is too early to confirm a transmission date for the new episodes.
A third series of Sherlock - which stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman - was announced in January.
Series co-creator Steven Moffat announced that fans would not have "that long" to wait for the new run, though executive producer Sue Vertue later confirmed that the show would not return until 2013.
Cumberbatch is currently filming the sequel to 2009's Star Trek, while Freeman is shooting Peter Jackson's adaptation of The Hobbit.
The second series of Sherlock concluded on January 15, pulling in an overall audience of 9.78m for BBC One.
