Anthea
| Character | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Anthea |
| Occupation: | Personal assistant |
| Relationships: | Mycroft Holmes (employer) |
| Fandom: | Sherlock (BBC) |
| Other: | played by Lisa McAllister |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Anthea (also referred to as Not!Anthea or "Anthea") is the personal assistant of Mycroft Holmes. She appears in the first episode of BBC Sherlock.
Canon and Fanon
There is limited canon on Anthea; the few observable facts have been expanded upon in many elaborate fanon theories.
Her Name
Her name might not actually be Anthea; she tells John Watson that it is, but when he says "Really?" she says "...No." One fanon theory based on this exchange is that Anthea changes her name according to her mood, or for security reasons related to her work. Another theory is that Anthea is secretly some other character, such as Mary Morstan or Irene Adler, or even a missing Holmes sibling.
- Would Rose Smell Sweeter by mari4212
- Whatever Love Means by EmmyAngua
- Name Game by DrinkTeaMDear
- This Town We're Painting by Fahye (futurefic in which "Anthea" is the pseudonym of a graduate of St. Trinian's.)
- Fanart: Sherlock BBC Anthea by dauntingfire. Fanartist's note: SO, part of me hopes desperately that Anthea's real name is Mary. John totally deserves a hot sassy ass-kicking chick in his life and one that doesn't mind his running off with Sherlock.
Face-Blindness
When Anthea encounters John for the second time, he again attempts to engage her in conversation. She stares at him blankly until he is forced to remind her of his name and that they met a few hours ago. Since no woman could possibly be so immune to John Watson's charms, the fanon theory arose that Anthea has prosopagnosia, or the inability to recognize faces.
- Say My Name by etothepii
- Anthea and the Faceless World by Catslyn
BAMF!Anthea
Fanon generally paints Anthea as a massively intimidating BAMF whose job duties include espionage, personally overseeing anti-terrorist black ops, and being Mycroft's personal security and bodyguard.
- Semper Fidelis by blind-author (WIP)
The Blackberry
Anthea is constantly typing on her Blackberry phone while in the car with John. In fanon she has an epic Blackberry addiction and is glued to it 24/7. While appearing to be absorbed in her Blackberry, depending on what kind of fanfic you are reading, she is either doing something vitally important to national security, something silly like playing Angry Birds or trolling Sherlock's blog, or else compulsively sexting her lover.
- Fanart: Anthea by Day and Night by mush-room. Fanartist's note: not!Anthea: in my headcanon, she uses her blackberry to check her livejournal/ fanfic updates.
Other
Anthea is occasionally a yenta in Mycroft/Lestrade stories, working to get her boss together with his secret crush. Sometimes she and Mycroft plot together in order to hook up John and Sherlock.
Fanworks
- Yes by thistle_kisses (Anthea meets Mycroft and comes to work for him)
- Semper Semper Anthea by Roo (Another "Anthea meets Mycroft and comes to work for him" fic)
- Fanart: Exo-Politics by ViaEstelar
Pairings
Anthea/Mycroft
Anthea is usually paired with Mycroft.
- Equivalence by introductory
- The Art of Scheduling, or, How Mycroft Came to Realize He was Well and Truly Fucked by grabi_hands
- Fanart: Supper? by ViaEstelar
- Fanart: I draw Girls now by queenstardust
Femslash
She is also something of a femslash Little Black Dress, and has been paired with almost every other female character who has appeared so far.
- Sleeping Beauty by fengirl88 (Anthea/Ella Thompson)
- Artifice by saathi1013 (Anthea/Molly Hooper)
- Working Practices by Mary Sutherland (Anthea/Clara)
- The Short Skirts and Car Rides series by lbmisscharlie, which currently includesAnthea paired with Molly Hooper, Sally Donovan, Sarah Sawyer and Soo Lin Yao.
- Shopping list - June by aslipperysloth (John decides to write femslash about Sarah and Anthea. Sherlock finds it.)
- Fanart: Did anyone say lesbian? by MarieLikesToDraw (Anthea/Molly)
Anthea/John
Anthea is occasionally paired with John.
- Layer at a Time by Tellytubby101 (Anthea/John)
- Textual by anonymous (Anthea/John)
- Fanart I drew some John/Anthea ‘windows’, as I believe porny stuff is called around here. by y0do
Resources
- Entries tagged Mycroft's assistant on the BBC Sherlock kink meme
- Entries tagged character: Anthea on furtherinterest, a community devoted to the female characters of BBC Sherlock
- Entries tagged Anthea on brother_mine, a Mycroft-centric community
- Works tagged Anthea (Sherlock) on the AO3
- Stories in category Anthea on fanfiction.net