SOCIAL media has been going barking mad – thanks to dogs that think they are the Great Detective.

A wide variety of different dogs have been popping up on Twitter sporting deerstalker hats of the type so beloved by Sherlock Holmes.

Pooches of every shape and size have been snapped in a Baker Street guise and posted on line for the world to see.

Even Sedgefield-born Mark Gatiss, the writer, comedian and actor behind the BBC’s acclaimed Sherlock series has been getting in on the act, sharing a photo of his Labrador Bunsen taking on the role of Sherlock Bones.

The pictures are all the result of the team at York Theatre Royal dreaming up ways to promote their new summer show Sherlock Holmes: The Hound of the Baskervilles.

To set metaphorical tales wagging they came up with the idea of creating #DogsinDeerstalkers

The idea was to ask members of the public to post photos of their beloved pets wearing the iconic headgear, tagging the theatre’s @YorkTheatre Twitter account of @YorkTheatreRoyal Instagram account.

And what began as a bit of a joke soon spread like wildfire online, with Mark Gatiss’ shot proving to be one of the most popular ever posted by the theatre.

Showbiz and entertainment news website Digital Spy gave the idea their support, tweeting: “Isn't the Sherlock-inspired #DogsInDeerstalkers the best Twitter trend EVER?!”

And other comments have included “#DogsInDeerstalkers is making this day so much more bearable” and “#DogsInDeerstalkers this is the hashtag I need in my life.”

And so far tweets using the hashtag have brought awareness of the show to over 100,000 Twitter users.

*Sherlock Holmes: The Hound of the Baskervilles will run from July 29 to August 27.