The Irregulars
Teenage Irregulars solve supernatural crimes for Dr. Watson.
The Irregulars is a British mystery adventure crime drama television series created by Tom Bidwell for Netflix. It is loosely based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s works, focusing on the Baker Street Irregulars as they help Dr. Watson protect London from supernatural threats. The eight-episode series debuted on 26 March 2021, but Netflix cancelled it after one season in May 2021.
The story follows a group of teenagers living on the streets of Victorian London. Known as the Irregulars, they work for John Watson to solve increasingly supernatural crimes while also searching for Sherlock Holmes. The young cast includes Thaddea Graham as Bea, the headstrong 17-year-old leader; McKell David as Spike, a 16-year-old fast-talking charmer; Jojo Macari as Billy, the 16-year-old muscle with a short temper; Harrison Osterfield as Leopold, a 17-year-old prince with haemophilia based on Queen Victoria’s youngest son; and Darci Shaw as Jessie, Bea’s 15-year-old sister who can see and share memories through touch.
Recurring characters include Clarke Peters as the Linen Man, a mysterious figure who communicates with the Irregulars in their dreams; Royce Pierreson as John Watson; Edward Hogg as Leopold's footman Daimler; Ian Whyte as the Plague Doctor; Alex Ferns as the abusive workhouse master Vic Collins; Nell Hudson as Leopold's sister Louise; Henry Lloyd-Hughes as a diminished Sherlock Holmes; and Eileen O’Higgins as Bea and Jessie’s deceased mother Alice. Guest stars include Rory McCann as the Bird Master, Lisa Dwyer Hogg as Sister Anna, Charles Armstrong as Mr. Bannister, Jonjo O’Neill as Mycroft Holmes, Sheila Atim as the Tooth Fairy, Olivia Grant as Patricia Coleman Jones, Aidan McArdle as Inspector Lestrade, Tim Key as Inspector Gregson, and Anna Maxwell Martin as Edith Dubois.
The series was announced on 20 December 2018, with Tom Bidwell calling it his dream project. He explained that while Sherlock Holmes used street kids to gather clues, this version imagines Holmes as a drug-addicted delinquent while the kids solve the cases. Bidwell executive produced alongside Jude Liknaitzky and Greg Brenman. Directors included Johnny Allan, Joss Agnew, and Weronika Tofilska. Casting was announced in December 2019, with additions in September and December 2020. Filming took place in the UK, including locations in Nantwich, Liverpool, the Wirral, Stoke-on-Trent, Chester, North
- creator
- Tom Bidwell
- network
- Netflix
- premiere_date
- 26 March 2021
- number_of_episodes
- 8
- status
- Canceled after one series
- genre
- Mystery adventure crime drama
- production_company
- Drama Republic
- nielsen_ranking
- Appeared in the top 10 for original series in its debut week, but did not reach #1 on the overall Nielsen Original Streaming Shows chart.
Lore & Background
The series follows a group of teenagers living on the streets of Victorian London, known as the Irregulars, who work for John Watson to solve increasingly supernatural crimes while searching for Sherlock Holmes. The Irregulars include Bea, the headstrong 17-year-old leader; Spike, a 16-year-old fast-talking charmer; Billy, the 16-year-old muscle; Leopold, a 17-year-old prince with haemophilia; and Jessie, Bea's 15-year-old sister who can view and show memories through touch. Recurring characters include the Linen Man, who interacts with the Irregulars through dreams, and Sherlock Holmes, portrayed as a shadow of his former self.
Reader's Guide
The Irregulars represents a notable reimagining of the Sherlock Holmes universe, centering on the street children rather than the detective himself. The series received an 80% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 40 critic reviews, with the consensus noting that when it focuses on its young cast, it hints at something special. It ranked second on the Top 'Shows on the Rise' list and topped Nielsen's Original Streaming Shows Charts, beating Disney+'s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Despite this success, Netflix canceled the series in May 2021 for undisclosed reasons, ending it after one series. The show's legacy lies in its attempt to give voice to marginalized characters in a classic literary setting.
Did You Know?
- The series was created by Tom Bidwell, who described it as 'my dream project and my oldest idea'.
- Filming took place in locations including Nantwich, Liverpool, the Wirral, Stoke-on-Trent, Chester, and North Wales.
- The character Leopold is based on Queen Victoria's youngest son, Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany.
- The series was canceled by Netflix in May 2021, despite topping Nielsen's Original Streaming Shows Charts.
More in British adventure television series 1-24
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record