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The producer of Sherlock has shared her views on the possibility of a new series – and her comments will undoubtedly excite fans of the BBC show.

Sherlock starred Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman and Amanda Abbington, who has this year been embroiled in a Strictly Come Dancing scandal.

The show drew to a close with a divisive fourth series in 2017 – but it seems there has always been hope it would return as producer Sue Vertue revealed the set is “still in storage somewhere”.

Speaking at Amazon Prime Video’s Trailblazers event on Monday (1 October), Vertue was asked about the fate of the show, which was created by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss.

“We love that show and there is a future for it,” Vertue told Deadline, adding: “One day. Maybe. If everyone wants to do it.

“I’ve still got the set in storage somewhere, which is probably rotten, to be honest with you. It’s just getting everybody aligned – it’s getting the actors to want to do it.”

Cumberbatch plays the literary detective, created by Arthur Conan Doyle, with Freeman playing his partner Doctor John Watson.

In all, there have been 13 episodes of the hit show, including four series and a special. While the majority of the show’s episodes were acclaimed by fans, a shock twist in the series four premiere was branded “inherently bad” by long-time viewers.

*Spoilers follow – you have been warned*

“The Six Thatchers” saw the show’s female lead Mary Watson – who was played by Abbington – dramatically killed off.

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Her character was seen leaping in front of a bullet aimed at Cumberbatch’s protagonist, and fans watched on as she died begging her husband, Watson, to look after their newborn baby.

Speaking about her character’s death at a press conference, Abbington revealed she’d known about the twist for some time. “Steven and Mark told me. It was either going to be something like that, or being hit by a bus… just something quite random.”

She continued: “It’s a dream for an actor. You can kind of just be completely self-indulgent and think, ‘I can go to town with this!’ – and I probably did a bit.”

​Cumberbatch himself stated that “it was a very upsetting scene to film. It’s a big moment – two became three, and then this incredibly important part of what Sherlock is suddenly is no more, in the most violent way imaginable”.

Gatiss said: “Mary’s been dead for 100 years, so it’s hard to surprise people in those circumstances. The only thing we could do was do it earlier than people expected, so that it would happen as wrenchingly and as horrifically as such things happen in real life.

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“We’ve obviously been very true to [Arthur Conan] Doyle and also very untrue,” he elaborated. “So we didn’t necessarily have to do this. But it just felt absolutely right for us to do it.”

THE couple were on the brink of divorce, but can their rekindled passion get their marriage back on track next week in EastEnders.

Denise Fox (Diane Parish) arrives back early after hearing the news about Pastor Clayton’s suicide in upcoming scenes on the BBC soap.

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During a heart-to-heart, Yolande (Angela Wynter) talks to Denise about the importance of honesty and truth.

This triggers a guilty Denise into opening up in a vague way about her lies over the club crush, caused by her daughter Chelsea Fox (Zaraah Abrahams).

With Yolande’s words about the corrosive nature of lies ringing in her ears, Denise steels herself to tell Jack Branning (Scott Maslen) the truth about Chelsea causing the club crush.

But will she follow through after seeing Amy Mitchell (Ellie Dadd) and the extent of her injuries?

Meanwhile, Jack is overwhelmed with the demands of caring for Amy and running the house singlehandedly.

He reluctantly agrees that Penny Branning (Kitty Castledine) can go over to No.27 to support Amy.

However, Jack is pleased to find Amy in much better spirits thanks to Penny’s visit.

But, Jack ruins the whole mood by making a tactless comment that upsets Penny, causing a massive row between them.

After hearing about Penny and Jack’s continuing issues, Denise makes it her mission to fix their relationship.

She gets them both to come to Denzel’s (Jaden Ladega) 16^th birthday party – but can she bring them together?

Later, at the Branning house, Jack tells Denise how grateful he is for everything she’s done for their family.

He gives a moving speech about how amazing she is.

Can the turbulent couple get their married life back on track?

EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday at 7:30pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

Most complained about soap storylines

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Over the years, all three of the main soaps have featured plots that have had even die-hard fans reaching for their phones and laptops so they can get in touch with Ofcom and complain. Here are just some of the most scandalous…

EastEnders baby theft: 13,400 Ofcom complaints – Back in 2011, EastEnders was flooded with complaints when Ronnie Branning (RIP) swapped her baby for the dead son of Kat Moon. The storyline drew the most number of objections in the soap’s long history and saw it roundly criticised by campaigners – with 13,400 flying in over the course of the storyline. Some viewers called it “distressing” and “horrific” but Ofcom ruled the scenes were not “unduly disturbing”.

Emmerdale dog-napping: 550 Ofcom complaints – Back in 2016, Ross Barton and Charity Dingle came up with a plan to steal a dog and hold it ransom – but viewers didn’t like it one bit. The nation’s pet owners rose up, insisting the storyline would encourage copycats (not to mention copydogs). Complaints over two episodes totalled a staggering 550 and soap writers quickly learnt you don’t mess with animal-lovers.

Coronation Street double murder: 546 Ofcom complaints – Marginally less people complained about a gruesome double murder than objected to a dog-napping plot when Pat Phelan was at the centre of a spate of killings. First he forced Andy Carver to shoot dead Vinny Ashford – and then Pat killed Andy. All the bloodshed back in 2017 proved to be too much for some viewers, who lodged complaints in vast numbers about the “violent scenes”.

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Reality star and former American Pickers presenter Frank Fritz has died at the age of 60.

His death on Monday (September 30) comes two years after he suffered a debilitating stroke in October 2022.

“It’s with a broken heart that I share with all of you that Frank passed away last night,” Fritz’s former co-star Mike Wolfe announced on Instagram on Tuesday (October 1).

Alongside a picture of the two of them, Wolfe wrote: “I’ve known Frank for more than half my life and what you’ve seen on TV has always been what I have seen, a dreamer who was just as sensitive as he was funny. The same off camera as he was on, Frank had a way of reaching the hearts of so many by just being himself.

“Who would have ever dreamed we would share the cockpit of a white cargo van in front of millions of people interested in our adventures,” he continued. “Before the show we would take off together to places we never knew existed with no destination in mind and just the shared passion to discover something interesting and historic.

“We’ve been on countless trips and shared so many miles and I feel blessed that I was there by his side when he took one last journey home. I love you buddy and will miss you so much I know you’re in a better place.”

Born in Davenport, Iowa, Fritz rose to fame as a longtime co-host on American Pickers, a reality show that followed him and Wolfe as they traveled across America in search of rare artifacts to sell in their Antique Archaeology stores in Le Claire, Iowa, and Nashville, Tennessee.

Fritz stepped back from the History Channel show in March 2020 after he underwent back surgery. However, despite being open about his desire to return to the show, it was revealed in July 2021 that he had been replaced by Wolfe’s brother Mike.

In October 2022, it was reported that Fritz had been placed under temporary guardianship after he suffered a stroke that left him “unable to communicate, or carry out important decisions concerning his own financial affairs.”

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Following news of his death, The History Channel and American Pickers production company Cineflix Production released a joint statement, which read: “Frank filmed American Pickers for over a decade. We will always remember ‘the bearded charmer’ and his never-ending search for vintage motorcycles and bikes.

“Our thoughts are with Frank’s loved ones during this difficult time. He will be deeply missed.”

Besides co-hosting American Pickers for 10 years, Fritz also featured on other History Channel series, including Pawn Stars and American Restoration. He also lent his voice to an episode of the adult cartoon Family Guy.