With the filming of Sherlock season 3 near completion, actor Benedict Cumberbatch was spotted having his make-up done as the cast and crew filmed at scene at a London pizza restaurant last week.

Cumberlatch looked to take a break from shooting as he enjoyed a cup of tea, as seen in photos here.

His co-star Martin Freeman was also spotted with a brush over his face as he prepared for the scene, in which he is drinking a glass of red wine.

The cast and crew of BBC's popular series were spotted filming multiple scenes in London this past month.

Sherlock fans have regularly flocked to filming scenes across London, prompting the team to set up false shooting scenes to thwart onlookers.

"We did a few false shots. There will be things that people saw that have nothing to do with it. That's the way we handled it," director Jeremy Lovering said, according to Radio Times.

Episode 1 of the season 3 premiere will be titled "The Empty Hearse." It is likely to be based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's sort story in which Holmes reveals that he faked his own death.

The finale episode of season 2 saw the famous detective watching his own funeral from a distance.

The filming of BBC's hit series is almost complete but the popular detective drama still does not have an official release date as of yet.

However, a rumored air date for the UK series has surfaced online, pointing to a premiere date in January 1, 2014.

The date stems from a tweeted by Blogtor Who, who wrote: "Sherlock Series 3 Ep 1 is set in November and will air on Jan 1, 2014." It is not clear whether the rumored premiere date is for BBC in UK or PBS in the U.S.

See a trailer of Sherlock season 3 below: