Mrs. Hudson

Character
Name:	Mrs. Hudson
Occupation:	Landlady
Relationships:	Sherlock Holmes (tenant), John Watson (tenant)
Fandom:	Sherlock Holmes
Other:
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Mrs. Hudson is a recurring secondary character in the Sherlock Holmes stories, and often features in many adaptations.

Canon

Mrs. Hudson is the landlady of Holmes and Watson, and also often serves the purpose of their housekeeper, making Holmes and Watson meals and cleaning their rooms.

First Name

Mrs. Hudson is never specifically given a first name in book canon. Although, many speculate that her first name is Martha, because in the story The Last Bow Holmes gets assistance from an elderly woman named Martha who goes undercover, spying on a man while she works in his household. Many speculate that this was Mrs. Hudson, but that is never made clear. In BBC's Sherlock she is given the first name of Martha, thus making it canon in that universe.

Notable Versions

Granada TV series

Mrs Hudson is a recurring character in the Granada studios TV series. Although shown to be sometimes despairing about Holmes's behaviour, she appeared to care about him a great deal and showed concern for him when he appeared ill or depressed. Possibly the most influential of the screen portrayals of Mrs Hudson especially as in some previous adaptations Mrs Hudson made little more than a cameo appearance. She was played by Rosalie Williams.

Sherlock Holmes (2009)

Mrs Hudson appears in both this film and its sequel, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011). Her relationship with Holmes often seems to be one of tolerance more than affection for him, although she does appear to have concern about Holmes's wellbeing particularly in A Game of Shadows after Watson has moved out. She is played by Geraldine James.

Sherlock (BBC TV series)

Mrs Hudson is a recurring character in the BBC Sherlock TV series. She was played by Una Stubbs.

Sherlock & Co.

In this fictional 'true crime' podcast, one of the three main characters and member of the Sherlock & Co. detective agency, Mariana Ametxazurra, is repeatedly called 'Mrs Hudson' by Holmes due to him being unable to remember her actual name and mistakenly remembering her surname as Hudson since she introduced herself as "from Hudsons", initially appearing in the first episode as the agent who shows Holmes and Watson round the Baker Street flat they are looking to rent. However after they become work colleagues and friends he eventually does start calling her Mariana. Mariana is often a key part of their investigations and has been especially useful at times with her ability to understand and speak multiple languages. She is played by Marta da Silva.

Pastiches

Mrs Hudson appears as a main character in two novels by Michelle Birkby, The House at Baker Street (2016) and The Women of Baker Street (2017) in which she herself investigates mysteries along with Mary Watson.

Fandom

Mrs. Hudson is rarely the focus of fanworks on her own. However she will often appear as a secondary or background character in fanworks focused on Holmes and Watson.

Example Fanworks

Fanfiction

• Who Cares for the Carers? by Linguini (2010)
• The Inspection by wordybirdy (2011)
• Lost Boys by methylviolet10b (2013)
• Lodged in the Memory by SCFrankles (2016)
• Mrs Hudson's Day by Small_Hobbit (2024)
• From the Flowers by Nuthatch_in_a_Nutshell (2024)
• Taking a Toll by EdosianOrchids901 (2024)
• And Another Thing by EdosianOrchids901 (2025)

Examples Wanted: Editors are encouraged to add more examples or a wider variety of examples.

Archives and Links

• Mrs. Hudson (Sherlock Holmes) tag at Archive of Our Own
• #Mrs. Hudson tag on Tumblr

Resources

• Mrs. Hudson at Wikipedia