Sherlock fans follow the clues after BBC reveals series four titles The Six Thatchers and The Lying Detective
Savvy viewers suggest episodes are likely a spin on two stories by Arthur Conan Doyle
SHERLOCK fans are playing detective after the BBC revealed the titles of the first two episodes of series four: The Six Thatchers and The Lying Detective.
Some viewers of the hit show were baffled, tweeting: "Ooh sounds mysterious" and "What does it mean?" in response to the announcement.
Others were quick to suggest that The Six Thatchers is likely a play on Arthur Conan Doyle's short story The Adventure of the Six Napoleons, while The Lying Detective could be a spin on The Adventure of the Dying Detective.
The Adventure of the Six Napoleons sees Sherlock investigate a murder connected to the breaking, one by one, of a batch of six busts of the French military leader.
Presumably the Thatcher in question is one former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, so perhaps the episode will see a murder linked to the vandalism of six Maggie tributes.
In The Adventure of the Dying Detective, Sherlock pretends he's contracted a fatal disease in order to entrap villain Culverton Smith into confessing to his nephew's murder.
It's already been confirmed that Toby Jones will be playing Culverton in the new series.
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It wouldn't be the first time an episode was inspired by the original canon; for example, the first episode of series one, A Study in Pink, was loosely based on the 1887 novel A Study in Scarlet, while the first episode of series two, A Scandal in Belgravia, was based on the short story A Scandal in Bohemia.
Sherlock series four is expected to hit screens in early 2017.