He is the big draw behind the London theatre event of the year, but it appears Benedict Cumberbatch's star turn in Hamlet has not been universally popular with diehard fans of Shakespeare.
Regular theatregoers have complained they have been unable to secure tickets to the production because of unprecedented interest from young fans of the Sherlock television series who are desperate to see their idol on stage.
The entire run sold out in record time thanks largely to Cumberbatch's popularity. The only option left for people who missed out is the 30 "day tickets" the Barbican is releasing at 10.30am on a daily basis for that night's performance, at the bargain price of £10 ($24). This compares with normal prices of between £30 and more than £100.
There were queues on Tuesday night for the day tickets to the opening show.
Alice Sayre, 21, who camped overnight for seats, was part of a vocal backlash, saying: "The reason I'm here is because all the tickets sold out immediately, after all the Cumberbatch fans bought them all."
