"Not quite right, no," he says, very dry. "Irene is a dear friend, though I'm not surprised Sherlock chose to leave out that little detail. Doesn't really give the right impression of evil, does it, Irene and me giggling over cosmos at three in the morning. Wouldn't want to give Johnny the idea we've got layers."

That still underplays their friendship a little, but Jim doesn't need news of the depth of his connection to Irene travelling to the wrong ears.