Sherlock: 20 Easter Eggs, In-Jokes And References
19. Mycroft's Diet
Its a well-known fact amongst Sherlockians that, despite Sherlocks casting of the lean Mark Gatiss, the Mycroft from the Canon is actually a much larger gentleman. A defining facet of the character is that he has all the smarts of Sherlock but none of the get-up-and-go. Weve recently seen a closer adaptation of Mycroft in Guy Ritchies A Game Of Shadows, in which Stephen Fry looked more like the original (though for some reason he also liked to walk around in the nude).
Sherlock has referenced this disparity on a few occasions. In his first appearance in A Study In Pink, Sherlock cheekily asks Mycroft if hes putting on weight again to which Mycroft grimaces losing it, actually. Later in The Sign Of Three, we see Mycroft checking his stomach and running on a treadmill.
This joke was paid off fully in The Abominable Bride, where 1800s Mycroft is in a deadly eating contest.