BBC Sherlock Fan Forum - Serving Sherlockians since February 2012 / Irene's measurements

**Posted by purpleshirt** October 8, 2017 6:43 pm

I watch the show in the U.S. I noticed that Irene's measurements are given in inches {32 24 34}. The UK uses the metric system right? So were they in centimeters in the UK? If so are there other differences between the US version of the episodes and the UK version?

**Posted by Rache** October 8, 2017 8:04 pm

No, in the UK (and the German) version they are these exact numbers as well (34-24-32). It wouldn't work with what you see on screen otherwise. We see Sherlock typing it into the safe.

They don't use metric in the UK I suppose? They use inches and miles per hour and so on from what I know.

**Posted by Yitzock** October 9, 2017 12:13 am

It's probably a combination of metric and imperial. They might use inches for those sorts of measurements that Irene is using as the code, but as far as I'm aware I think they use centimetres for height. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, though.

**Posted by Liberty** October 9, 2017 6:16 am

We tend to use metric "officially", but most people think in imperial. Men's clothes still use inches (32" waist, for instance, 16" collar). I think most people would know their height in feet and inches, and possibly their weight in stone and pounds, but wouldn't necessarily know the metric equivalent.

I think we're getting used to buying food in metric, though, although you can still ask for it in pounds at a butcher's, for instance!

**Posted by Kittyhawk** October 9, 2017 5:04 pm

From what I see, clothing measurements are switching over very slowly (but it looks like they are - last time I looked at a shop's web site the measurements were only in inches, now both are indicated.) The imperial system will only disappear with the people who grew up with it, I suppose.

OT: I wonder about the plans for distances and speed limits - does anybody know them? I mean, if they are to change, there would have to be a start sometime, somewhere, and confusion would be potentially deadly - 50 km/h is not at all the same thing as 50 mph...

**Posted by Yitzock** October 9, 2017 6:51 pm

I don't know about cars in the UK, but in Canada the spedometre of in your car will have km/h in bigger numbers on the outside of the dial (since that's how all our road signs indicate distances and speed limits) and miles per hour inside that in smaller numbers. Once, though, we rented a car and it happened to be an American car and it only had mph so my dad had to be careful! But if both are in the car to begin with it shouldn't be too difficult to switch over as long as you know what to look at.

Last edited by Yitzock (October 9, 2017 6:52 pm)

**Posted by Kittyhawk** October 11, 2017 11:39 am

Yeah, but the problem I see are the speed limit signs! As it's impossible to change all the signs in all of the UK at the same time - how would people know which unit is the correct one? (Well, apart from common sense - 50 in a built-up area where it used to be 30 must obviously be 50 km/h - but who wants to bet people's lives on all drivers possessing and using common sense?)

And for distances the problem is similar, even if less dangerous.

But I suppose Canada must have switched over at some point, or has it always been metric? Do you know how you did it?