Hmm, how do we put this delicately? Sherlock star Martin Freeman had a little bit of an outburst last month, saying in an interview that he's kind of over the fandom that comes with starring in a hit TV show. He was particularly fed up with fans suggesting that Dr. Watson (Freeman) and Sherlock Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch) should get together romantically.

We sort of shrugged it off, like, maybe he was having a bad day? Daniel Craig had a similar moment, and... he later explained he was tired from coming off filming an installment of 007 (and then he bounced back and it was like it never happened).

Now, in an on-camera interview with Radio Times, Cumberbatch was asked point blank about Freeman's choice of words and fans' expectations in general.

He wasn't bothered by fans' notions of Sherlock and Watson coupling up, telling Radio Times, "No, I wasn't really aware of that. No. No."

The interviewer quickly followed up with: "Do you think there is a point that fan expectations can make the thing [filming] a little less fun and there's a bit more pressure?"

Cumberbatch answered the question confidently and without pause: "It's the responsibilities of the storytellers to manage that, really."

He goes on to say, "I think it's pretty weak to blame it on the fans, y'know. You're either along for the ride or not."

Oh man, we really don't want to see these two great actors ruffle each other's feathers. But actually, it seems like Cumberbatch is speaking in general, and not directing his comments at Freeman. Still, perhaps he needs to have a little pep talk with his on-screen second-in-command behind closed doors. We're sure they can hug out any differences!

You can check out the entire interview below, with the Freeman mention at the 2:40 mark:

Earlier in the interview, Cumberbatch heaps praise on his fans, and it's not the first time we've seen him do this. Here he is having a heart-to-heart with Graham Norton on his chat show:

[bbca_video_embed media_id="537790019699" video_id="zzELF5wtUAzQ"]

Oh, Martin! We're sure you just misspoke, and we don't like to  hold grudges.... We're looking forward to seeing your new film Cargo on Netflix later this month (May 25), and Ghost Stories, which premieres tomorrow (April 20).

Are you happy Benedict Cumberbatch defended his fans?