A few things. The BBC controller (can;t remember his name) is openly gay and wants more queer representation. What the Conan Doyle Estate thinks is irrelevant as Sherlock Holmes is public domain in the UK. Also international handling for BBC Sherlock is done by BBC Worldwide and does not influence local/domestic product such as BBC One. So what other countries think has no affect on what the writers actually do.

I don’t think I knew that about the BBC controller, but that is badass.

The Conan Doyle Estate doesn’t have legal power in the UK, but they can still raise a stink.  I’m not sure whether they would, but I wouldn’t put it past them.

I thought I recalled reading something about some convoluted stuff going on with the international arm of the BBC and international partnerships.  I can’t find it now, though, and again: it doesn’t actually matter what I think I know.

If it turns out the creative team has zero pressures weighing against them, and several weighing in favor, and they’re all in agreement that our trusty duo should be gay, then hell yeah.  Bring it on.

Again, it’s not about what any of us think, or what we want.  Guessing whether the johnlock conspiracy is true is akin to predicting the outcome of a horse race, or the rise and fall of a stock on the market.  Some people may have more information and experience, and their prediction may be more accurate.  But it still has no influence over the actual performance of the horse or stock in question.