Mark Gatiss on 'Sherlock' series 2

Speaking at the Kapow convention over the weekend, writer/actor Mark Gatiss (League Of Gentlemen) divulged details about the second series of Sherlock. The new three-part run will adapt Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's "A Scandal In Bohemia", "The Hound Of The Baskervilles" and "The Final Problem".

Gatiss, writer/co-creator:

Having had a successful first run, we knew that the natural order would be to do the three most famous things, so we're doing a version of [those three stories.] They just fall like that, and then it's a question of how to get out of that cliffhanger! Now that the scripts are well underway, [it's] about trying to find certain things between the three of them, where we can find a little bit of an arc. You don't want to just go back to the beginning. You've got to move on somewhere.

Gatiss will write the "Baskervilles" update, co-creator Steven Moffat will write the premiere "Bohemia", and Steve Thompson is writing "Final Problem", meaning no change to the series 1 lineup. Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman will both return, as Freeman's commitment to The Hobbit has been factored into the scheduling. Sherlock isn't expected to return until later this year on BBC1.

What do you make of this news? Is it a wise decision to just remake the existing Sherlock Holmes stories, or were you hoping for more original plots?