‘I’m a fan’: Martin Freeman says Sherlock ‘not fun’ comment was ‘quoted out of context’

Martin Freeman has claimed comments he made about Sherlock no longer being fun to film were “taken out of context”.

Freeman, who plays Dr. John Watson in the hit BBC series, previously suggested his love for the show had dwindled due to the demanding expectations from fans.

He said: “People’s expectations, some of it is not fun anymore. It’s not a thing to be enjoyed, it’s a thing of, ‘You better f****** do this, otherwise you’re a c***’. That’s not fun anymore.”

But Freeman has claimed his comments were misconstrued to make a “headline”, insisting he loves the series.

Speaking to the Daily Beast he said: “There’s a certain aspect that some fans are going to run with the ball and make their own thing out of your show – which is completely fair enough, as long as we all acknowledge that that is what is happening.

“I think when you get into a slightly tail-wagging-the-dog scenario, that gets boring for me.

“So when people insist that Sherlock is supposed to be this show, when we decide what show it is, it’s like, ‘No, this is actually the show we’re making, and that we’ve always made. I know you want to see this happen, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to have to happen.’”

He continued: “I want all kinds of things, but they’re not going to happen in life. So that’s what gets, frankly, wearing.”

Freeman said he is “well aware of its importance” in his life and this he is a big “fan of the show”.

He finished: “Unfortunately, that’s the joy of being quoted out of context, and joy of newspapers needing a headline, even though the headline is not something I ever said at any point in the interview.”

Freeman was slammed by Benedict Cumberbatch, who plays the titular detective, as “pathetic”.

Speaking to The Daily Telegraph he said: “It's pretty pathetic if that's all it takes to let you not want to take a grip of your reality.

“What, because of expectations? I don't know. I don't necessarily agree with that.”