One of these things is not like the other… (Picture: BBC)

The BBC’s new four-part drama Apple Tree Yard premiered on Sunday night leaving a lot of viewers livid because it wasn’t a secret Sherlock episode.

Sherlock viewers are convinced that the show has come to an end

Yep, it turns out the Sherlock fandom actually thought that Apple Tree Yard was potentially a surprise fourth episode of Sherlock’s fourth season which concluded last Sunday, and when it became obvious that it was actually an adaptation of a popular book about a middle-aged woman having an affair, well, let’s just say the BBC ended up with some very angry tweets sent their way.

‘Imagine: apple tree yard stops in the middle of the episode, the screen turns black, the Sherlock theme starts playing and episode 4 begins,’ tweeted one fan who remained hopeful ten minutes in the show.

Imagine: apple tree yard stops in the middle of the episode, the screen turns black, the Sherlock theme starts playing and episode 4 begins — Salina | SH s4?? (@touchof_fangirl) January 22, 2017

is there a plot to this thing or is it just random sex scenes? — ☯️ (@getsherlock1) January 22, 2017

BBC Support: How can I help you?

Sherlock fan: I'd like to complain about Apple Tree Yard

BBC: What's wrong?

Fan: It's not Sherlock

BBC: … — abigbatchofcumber (@bigbatchofcumbr) January 22, 2017

Apple Tree Yard also known as NOT SHERLOCK. — suora depressa™ (@Giorgia_59) January 22, 2017

But for many other Sherlock fans, they were more angry that within minutes of Apple Tree Yard, viewers saw two white heterosexual characters having sex in Westminster but after six years of Sherlock there has yet to be nary a whisper of potential romance between Sherlock Holmes and John Watson.




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‘wtf bbc is acceptable for two strangers to fuck 7 min into s1e1 but John and Sherlock can’t even TALK ABOUT THEIR FEELINGS (sic),’ tweeted one angry fan while another decided all caps would be more suitable: ‘GIVE US GAYS GIVE US LESBIANS GIVE US BI PEOPLE (cof cof john watson) GIVE US REPRESENTATION NOT STRAIGHT PEOPLE HAVING SEX.’

why can they fuck in ep1 and yet the gays can't even kiss after 4 season and 7 years???? — ashley (@broflovskys) January 22, 2017

a heterossexual couple having sex in a church, rape and violence are ok but two men kissing is not ok????? what???? the???? fuck???? — lara (@holmesdirtysoul) January 22, 2017

hi @BBCOne explain how 587462 times straight sex in s1e1 is accepted but a gay kiss after 7 years of build-up is not? — Emma De Backer (@emsdebacker) January 22, 2017

The romance between Sherlock and Watson has long been a favourite of fans of the original Arthur Conan Doyle books and the BBC TV show, but showrunner Steven Moffatt emphatically admitted that there would be no romance between the pair on screen in 2016.

After a panel in which he discussed the representation of the LGBT community in sci-fi TV some fans thought that meant he was hinting that Sherlock and Watson were endgame, but Steven said that he felt that fans were then ‘trivialising it beyond endurance’.

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‘We’ve explicitly said this is not going to happen – there is no game plan – no matter how much we lie about other things, that this show is going to culminate in Martin and Benedict going off into the sunset together,’ added Mark Gatiss during a chat with website With An Accent.

‘They are not going to do it. And if people want to write whatever they like and have a great time extrapolating that’s absolutely fine. But there is no hidden or exposed agenda. We’re not trying to fuck with people’s heads. Not trying to insult anybody or make any kind of issue out of it, there’s nothing there. It’s just our show and that’s what these characters are like. If people want to do that on websites absolutely fine. But there’s nothing there.’

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Metro.co.uk has contacted reps for BBC for comment.

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