It looks like the age old bugbear of writers stretching themselves too thin has raised its head again. Den of Geek reports the shocking news that the BBC is pushing back Series 2 of Sherlock until 2012, reviving fears that budget cuts may even restrict them to a half-length series of one and a half episodes.

What is it with Steven Moffat? For years he lost no opportunity to tell the world how he was a childhood Sherlock Holmes fan and how he’d like nothing more than to write for the nation’s favourite sleuth. Then when the BBC finally gives him the chance, he seems more interested in moonlighting, writing for some kids’ sci-fi show. He’s even had that famous photo of him as a child reading The Hound of the Baskervilles on the beach photoshopped to make it appear that he was reading Doctor Who and the Daleks. How can he betray the trust of so many Holmesians who put their faith in him?

I confess that I was one of those who thought that, towards the end, ACD was stretching himself too thin in combining writing Sherlock Holmes with his popular spin-off books about fairies at the bottom of the garden and keeping goal for his local football team. I was calling for him to be replaced by Moffat. Are we now going to suffer again from an overambitious showrunner having his fingers in too many pies?

Mr Claypole Hickman, former editor of The Strand Magazine, commented: “Holmesians everywhere will be wild with excitement at this fantastic news that they won’t see any of their favourite show this year. Depriving us of our annual Sherlock series is quite simply a masterstroke by Moffat. This can only be good news for the build-up to the 125^th anniversary special in 2012 which we hope will be a multi-Holmes story.”

Miss Dolores Hormowen, president of the We Hate Benedict Cumberbatch Society commented: “We at the WHBCS all saw this coming. Benedict Cumberbatch will be the death of Sherlock Holmes. He’s nowhere near as pretty as Basil Rathbone who had much nicer hair. I curled up in my bed and cried when I heard that Basil was being replaced by this Emo Holmes and shan’t ever watch the show again.”

Tom Baker, the longest running actor in the role of Doctor Who, asked for his comments on the news, replied: “I’m afraid I don’t remember but perhaps I could have a parrot on my shoulder in this scene. I could play The Master, you know.”