BBC is furious over a Russian Online Leak of the Season 4 Finale of the TV Series "Sherlock". The finale titled "The Final Problem" hit an all-time series low with 5.9M views at a 27.2 share on BBC One. The episode fell down a notch from last week's 6M viewers overnight at a 27.4 share for "The Lying Detective".
A spokesperson is said to have told Deadline that, "BBC Worldwide takes breaches of our stringent content security protocols very seriously and we have initiated a full investigation into how this leak has occurred."
When delayed viewing figures are included, the ratings for "The Final Problem" are estimated to rise. The debut episode of Season 4 named "The Six Thatchers" took the title for most-watch program in the festive period in UK across all channels. The figures hiked up from 8.1M to 11.3M viewers and 33.6 shares.
The BBC says that part of the reason behind the drop in the overnight viewer ratings was due to increasing time-shifting despite the fact that the Season 4 finale has seen mixed reactions. The episode displayed Sherlock Holmes, the lead character, as the high-functioning sociopath that he is but with an added touch of sentimentality.
The Telegraph rated the episode a full five stars and said it was "an exhilarating thrill-ride". However, other outlets did not feel the same and they hinted towards a confusing tug between action and emotion.
Other Sherlock season finales have shown similar low ratings, too. In 2014, the Season 3 finale "His Last Vow" also shared the title of the "lowest rating" of the run. "The Final Problem" aired on Sunday night in 300 UK cinemas and shall subsequently be aired in the US tonight and on Wednesday.
Although it is too early to decide whether Sherlock will return with a new season in the future, there is hope that it might just. One of Sherlock's writers, Mark Gatiss, said that, "we'd love to come back" while in an interview with Metro.
At a London screening, Steven Moffat also told fans and press that there were no plans for "The Final Problem" to be the last episode.
