Did you miss me? No, not me. I mean Sherlock. Not Moriarty. Actually, this isn’t exactly Sherlock either. Well, it sort of is…

Let’s start again. If you’ve been missing some Sherlockian love in your life, Netflix has a brand new series on the way. It’s called The Irregulars, and not only has it got some dark and supernatural flavours, but it’s also brought to you from the people who made My Mad Fat Diary. (FYI: that only means good things.)

If you’re familiar with the famous tales of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, you might recall a group of street kids who Sherlock Holmes occasionally calls on for information. Well, thanks to Netflix, they’re now getting their very own show – with Holmes and Watson playing second fiddle, if you will.

What is Netflix’s The Irregulars about?

According to Netflix, the eight-episode series follows our gang of troubled street teens around Victorian London as they 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.”

Hang on a minute… sinister? Watson?

Well, as creator Tom Bidwell explained to the BBC, “Our series is what if Sherlock was a drug addict and a delinquent and the kids solve the whole case whilst he takes credit.”

So if you were half-hoping to spend eight solid hours getting all gooey over the great detective, you’d better have a thing for the cast of Trainspotting, because our boy is not looking well.

But back to our real heroes (ouch!), Bidwell has both reimagined and expanded the world of the street teens, who were a group of five boys in Conan Doyle’s original text. Now, two of the characters are female and they all come with fully fleshed-out back stories (horray!)

So who’s who?

The lead cast is a great roll call of young and upcoming talent. Heading up the underground gang is Bea, played by Us’s Thaddea Graham, and there’s Jessie (Judy’s Darci Shaw), Spike (Snatch’s McKell David) and Billy (Sex Education’s Jojo Macari).

Who’s playing Sherlock? Is it…?

No, it’s not Benedict Cumberbatch. Or Robert Downey Jr. Or Jonny Lee Miller. Or Henry Cavill. Henry Lloyd-Hughes of The Inbetweeners and Killing Eve fame will be donning the deer stalker (or will he, really?), and Murdered By My Boyfriend’s Royce Pierreson will be playing Dr Watson. 

Is there a trailer for Netflix’s The Irregulars?

There sure is. Watch it below: 

When can I watch it?

Watch The Irregulars on Netflix from Friday 26 March 2021.

Images: Netflix