While we’ve had a few Sherlock Holmes adaptations in recent years, new Netflix series The Irregulars takes a slightly sideways look at the Victorian sleuth, choosing to focus on the gang of street youths (aka The Baker Street Irregulars) Sherlock and Watson employ to investigate certain mysteries.

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In this story, the Irregulars are older, tougher and set to work solving supernatural crimes while Holmes and Watson take all the credit – but what exactly is infecting London with dark magic? And why is Watson so interested in a gang of street children anyway?

Check out everything we know about The Irregulars below.

The Irregulars release date on Netflix

Netflix has confirmed that all eight episodes of The Irregulars will be available to stream on Friday 26th March.

The series is written and created by My Mad Fat Diary's Tom Bidwell.

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The Irregulars Netflix trailer

A first-look teaser trailer for The Irregulars was exclusively revealed by RadioTimes.com in February 2021.

In the 60-second trailer, we watch as a blue light burns across a map of Victorian-era London while shots of gruesome, paranormal crime scenes flash up on screen. “Something moves through the streets like the shadow of a nightmare. It eviscerates all who stand against it,” a mysterious narrator says.

“Now all hope rests with these unlikely few. If they fail there will be more terror, there will be more death,” he continues, as we meet the Irregulars – a crew of teenage crime-solvers. “You think you’ve seen horror, you know nothing of what it is to be afraid.”

The Irregulars Netflix cast

The Irregulars cast stars Thaddea Graham (Letter For the King) as team leader Bea, Darci Shaw (Judy, The Bay) as her sister Jessie, Jojo Macari (Sex Education) as Billy, Mckell David (Snatch) as Spike and Harrison Osterfield (Catch-22) as Leopold.

The Irregulars
The cast of The Irregulars (Netflix)

Alongside The Irregulars key cast, Royce Pierreson (Line of Duty, The Witcher) plays the menacing Dr Watson alongside the elusive Sherlock Holmes, brought to life by The Inbetweeners and Killing Eve’s Henry Lloyd-Hughes. Clarke Peters plays the mysterious Linen Man, while guest cast include Game of Thrones’ Rory McCann and Two Doors Down’s Kieran Hodgson.

The Irregulars plot and storyline

An official synopsis for the series reads:

Set in Victorian London, the series follows a gang of troubled street teens who are manipulated into solving crimes for the sinister Doctor Watson and his mysterious business partner, the elusive Sherlock Holmes.

As the crimes take on a horrifying supernatural edge and a dark power emerges, it'll be up to the Irregulars to come together to save not only London but the entire world.

Who are the Baker Street Irregulars?

The Baker Street Irregulars appear in a handful of Arthur Conan Doyle’s original Sherlock Holmes stories (including the first, A Study in Scarlet) as an organised gang of street youths that Holmes and Watson employ to gather information they can’t find themselves.

Little is known about the members beyond their leader Wiggins (who sadly does not appear in The Irregulars), but this paucity of information has not prevented various creatives from imagining further adventures for the gang, with previous adaptations including 1983 BBC TV series The Baker Street Boys and a TV film in 2007 called Sherlock Holmes and the Baker Street Irregulars.

In the BBC’s modernised Holmes adaptation Sherlock the group was reimagined as the “homeless network” utilised by Benedict Cumberbatch’s sleuth (as opposed to homeless children specifically), while US drama Elementary makes the “irregulars” a loosely-grouped team of adult experts that Sherlock turns to in times of need.

The Irregulars season 2: Will it return?

The Irregulars
Netflix

It’s currently unknown whether more seasons of The Irregulars are planned by Netflix, though viewers may expect more news on that front following the series’ debut.

Want more show content? Take a look at The Irregulars review , our breakdown of The Irregulars ending, or find out how The Irregulars made some changes to the books.

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Want more Sci-Fi and Fantasy chat? Check out our dedicated Sci-Fi page. Alternatively, visit our TV Guide for more recommendations.

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