BBC Sherlock Fan Forum - Serving Sherlockians since February 2012 » Since I've yet to become 'canonized', how do S&J get their $$$?

Maren · June 14, 2012 10:44 pm

Nice threads, high speed Internet access, lots of toys. I like the fact that they don't seem to worry about it and it doesn't get in the way of their sleuthing, but did ACD ever address this?

Thanking the Wise Ones in advance.

Wholocked · June 15, 2012 12:43 am

I haven't read all the canon but from what I've read it implies that Sherlock comes from a wealthy family but also some of his clients do pay him. John works as a Doctor and has his own surgery in the books.

Tantalus · June 15, 2012 4:07 am

In the original stories, neither man has significant resources when they first meet (both are looking for someone to share lodgings with, so that they can better afford the rent). Watson eventually adds to his meager army pension by going back into medical practice and, we assume, through the publication of stories of his and Holmes' adventures in The Strand magazine. Holmes is paid by clients for his work, though as time passes and he becomes well-known, he often does not collect a fee, having had sufficient fee income from previous clients (like the Duke of Holdernesse) to make financial remuneration for his efforts unnecessary.

In the show, Sherlock does mention getting paid by clients, I believe, and John at one point takes a job for extra cash.

Davina · June 15, 2012 5:51 am

In The Blind Banker Sherlock stroppily refuses a cheque when it is proffered ('Idon't need an incentive Sebastian.')but John quickly takes it, explaining that Sherlock is 'joking'.

SusiGo · June 15, 2012 6:55 am

I suppose Sherlock must have accepted one or the other cheque, just look at his clothing .

Davina · June 15, 2012 7:30 am

I think he's supposed to come from a wealthy background. That's his back story for Moftiss. You know big house in the country type of family.

hypergreenfrog · June 15, 2012 9:19 am

I was wondering about this too, in the beginning.
In ACD's time, simply belonging to a certain class of people (or, as wholocked says, from a wealthy family) meant that you could do hardly any real work and still live comfortably.
Today's situation is very different, you cannot just "assume" that two people who are practically out of work have the money to buy all those gadgets, let alone pay for the flat on Baker Street.
And, let's face it, many - if not most - TV shows never bother explaining their characters' financial situation at all, even though the usually live in big fancy houses, wear expensive clothes and eat out all the time.

But luckily this show has such amazing writers, that they managed to include all those little bits of dialogue explaining how they do it, thus making it completely reasonable :
In first episode, Sherlock tells John that Mrs. Hudson owes him a favor, and therefore they don't have to pay the full rent. We also see the waiter at the restaurant being quite generous for similar reasons.
In the Blind Banker, Sherlock receives a "five-figure-sum" in payment for finding the burglar. Such an amount would probably be sufficient to pay for his expenses for several months.
We also see that John is concerned about paying bills and is the one who buys all their food, so we can assume he makes sure they don't overspend.

Davina · June 15, 2012 11:04 am

I think it is safe to assume that bills are some of the unopened correspondence Sherlock pins with a knife to the mantelpiece In the flat. It is easy to imagine his reaction towards bills isn't it.

Sentimental Pulse · June 15, 2012 11:11 am

If I were John I would certainly accept the monthly stipend Mycroft is offering to have John watch over Sherlock. My goodness one needs hazard pay in this business

Sherlock Holmes · June 15, 2012 11:19 pm

I've always assumed that Sherlock comes from a wealthy background too, although he does still run short on cash...that was why he was looking for a flatmate in the first place "together we should be able to afford it..." Even though Mrs Hudson was giving them a good deal, he still wouldn't have been able to afford it on his own.

Sherlock works for free for Lestrade and Scotland Yard. His paid cases come from private clients and they can be quite lucrative (yes 5 figure sums etc), that would keep him going for a considerable length of time, although it seems that he does enjoy spending his money when he gets it - he always has the latest model of phone and laptop - notice it's upgraded to a newer model each series...his clothes are always spot on. I can't imagine him going out to the shops though so he probably does most of his shopping online ordering packages etc sent to Baker Street.

And if he didn't get a private case coming through for months or months then he might start to run a bit low on funds. John is obviously struggling to pay the bills in The Blind Banker, as bills are something Sherlock probably just ignores, which is why he ends up getting the job at the surgery. So John helps to keep it together until Sherlock gets his next paid case.

Sherli Bakerst · June 16, 2012 1:01 am

Just out of curiosity, can anyone familiar with London estimate how much the monthly rent of their flat/apartment would be?

Sammy · June 16, 2012 1:39 am

Sherli Bakerst wrote:
Just out of curiosity, can anyone familiar with London estimate how much the monthly rent of their flat/apartment would be?

Oh, I would also love to know that!

sherlockskitty · June 16, 2012 4:05 am

read this whole thread-- very insightful. I too would like to know how much flats go for in london. I like the fact that Mrs Hudson is giving those two a special deal because sherlock helped her. (She must own the flat they are living in, cos she lives there too) I love how familiar she is with them. Yes, in the stories AND in the televised series, (Jeremy Brett, RDJ, BR, etc) Holmes was always getting paid by private clients. I believe he gave some money to Watson, for helping him. Watson didn't really go back into private practice until after Holmes 'died' in the Final Problem. He just took odd jobs here and there, and the hospital there sometimes did call upon him for help. That's what I read in the canon.

kazza474 · June 16, 2012 4:50 am

Sherli Bakerst wrote:
Just out of curiosity, can anyone familiar with London estimate how much the monthly rent of their flat/apartment would be?

It was up for rent ion January this year : 330 pounds. Story here:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/propertynews/9011051/Rent-a-little-piece-of-Sherlock-flat-above-Speedys-Cafe-up-for-rent.html

The millions of fans of the BBC's new 'Sherlock' now have a chance to rent a little piece of the programme for themselves. The flat above the Speedy's cafe, which serves as the exterior shot for Holmes and Watson's 'Baker Street' lodgings, is on the market for £330 per week.

sherlockskitty · June 16, 2012 5:33 am

how much would that be in USA dollars?

kazza474 · June 16, 2012 5:45 am

$471 USD at present.
$467 AUD at present
372 EUROS
2113.8 Argentinian Pesos

http://www.ozforex.com.au/currency-converter

However, you'd really have to look at comparisons of costs in either country to get an idea.
What the average wage is; what percentage of wage that would be ; etc etc.

sherlockskitty · June 16, 2012 6:32 am

a WEEK? that's too much for me. and I live across the pond!! oh, dear me.

Davina · June 16, 2012 7:55 am

The flat above Speedy's cafe would be $2,226.276 per month. London, at least many, many parts of it, is a very expensive city to live in.

Sherlock Holmes · June 16, 2012 9:06 am

London is indeed an expensive place to live, although the average wage is slightly higher as a result of that...Not sure how much John would make as a GP although according to a brief internet search anywhere between £53,249 to £80,354 a year.

hypergreenfrog · June 16, 2012 12:48 pm

kazza474 wrote:
However, you'd really have to look at comparisons of costs in either country to get an idea.
What the average wage is; what percentage of wage that would be ; etc etc.

Yes, you definitely need to consider the context. I lived in Dublin right before the credit crunch (2006-2009), and prices for flats (even rent) were just ridiculous, so everybody lived in shared flats. Nonetheless, with an average professional income and a "normal" lifestyle, you could live quite comfortably, definitely better than you can these days.

Also, Sherlock would seem to me like the kind of man who can live on rice and soy sauce for two weeks, but cannot go a day with an outdated mobile phone model. I've met quite a few people like that, it is not that uncommon.