Baker Street Irregulars facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Baker Street Irregulars |
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| Sherlock Holmes character | |
The Irregulars as pictured in Sherlock Holmes Versus Jack the Ripper.
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| First appearance | A Study in Scarlet (1887) |
| Last appearance | "The Adventure of the Crooked Man" (1893) |
| Created by | Arthur Conan Doyle |
| Information | |
| Nationality | British |
The Baker Street Irregulars are a group of fictional young characters who help the famous detective Sherlock Holmes in some of his exciting adventures. They appear in three stories written by Arthur Conan Doyle: two longer novels and one shorter story. These street-smart kids work for Holmes as his secret agents, helping him find clues and solve mysteries.
The name "Baker Street Irregulars" has also been used by other groups, like a well-known literary society in the United States, started by Christopher Morley in 1934.
Contents
Who Are the Baker Street Irregulars?
The original Baker Street Irregulars are characters from the Sherlock Holmes stories by Arthur Conan Doyle. This group of street kids is led by a boy named Wiggins. They run errands and find information for Holmes.
Holmes says they can "go everywhere and hear everything." He also mentions they "are as sharp as needles, too; all they want is organisation." In one story, The Sign of the Four, which takes place in 1888, Holmes pays them a shilling each day (which was about £0.05 back then). He also offers a guinea prize (about £1.05) if they find something important he is looking for.
Their First Appearance
The group first appears in the very first Sherlock Holmes story, the novel A Study in Scarlet (1887). This story is set in 1881. When Holmes's friend, Dr. Watson, meets the group, he describes them as "half a dozen of the dirtiest and most ragged street Arabs" he had ever seen.
Holmes introduces them as "the Baker Street division of the detective police force." The group comes into Holmes's home at 221B Baker Street together. However, they upset Holmes's landlady, so Holmes tells them that from then on, only their leader Wiggins should report to him. He pays them a shilling each to find a certain cab driver. They successfully find the cab driver, Jefferson Hope. Wiggins brings him to 221B Baker Street, where Holmes catches him.
Helping Holmes Again
They also appear in the next novel, The Sign of the Four (1890), which is set in 1888. One chapter in this book is even called "The Baker Street Irregulars." In this story, Holmes calls them "the unofficial force — the Baker Street irregulars."
Just like in A Study in Scarlet, the group enters 221B Baker Street together. Holmes again tells them that only Wiggins should report to him in the future. Wiggins gets three shillings and sixpence (which he calls "Three bob and a tanner") from Holmes for their costs, plus his regular pay. Holmes tells the Baker Street Irregulars to search for a steam boat called the Aurora. They do not succeed, and Holmes eventually joins the search himself by dressing up as a sailor. Even though about seven years have passed since A Study in Scarlet, Wiggins is still the leader of the Baker Street Irregulars. He is described as being taller and older than the others, and he has a "lounging superiority" about him.
A Single Irregular
One member of the group appears in the short story "The Adventure of the Crooked Man" (1893). In this story, Holmes has a boy named Simpson watch a man named Henry Wood. Holmes says, "I have one of my Baker Street boys mounting guard over him who would stick to him like a burr, go where he might." Simpson, whom Watson describes as "a small street Arab," briefly appears to give Holmes a report.
Other Young Helpers
While not part of the Baker Street Irregulars, other similar young characters help Holmes.
- A boy named Cartwright appears in The Hound of the Baskervilles (1902). He works in a messenger office and secretly runs errands for Holmes while disguised as a country boy. Watson describes him as "a small urchin" and a "ragged uncouth figure." Cartwright is said to be "a lad of fourteen."
- Another similar character, a pageboy named Billy, helps Holmes in "The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone".
According to Daniel Smith's book The Sherlock Holmes Companion, Holmes was very good at building a network of people who could help him. This network included "outsider" figures like the Baker Street Irregulars, Cartwright, and Billy. Smith wrote that this shows Holmes "realised the value of reliable assistants and was humble enough to look for them in places where others of his status might have never deigned to tread."
The Baker Street Irregulars in Other Stories and Shows
The Baker Street Irregulars have appeared in many different forms of entertainment, from TV shows to video games.
On Television and Film
- A BBC television series about the Irregulars, called The Baker Street Boys, was shown in 1983.
- The Baker Street Irregulars appear in the 1988 film Without a Clue. In this movie, they work for Dr. Watson (Ben Kingsley).
- The animated sci-fi TV series Sherlock Holmes in the 22nd Century (1999–2001) features a group of children who help Holmes as the new Baker Street Irregulars. They are even led by a boy named Wiggins.
- A BBC television film about the group, titled Sherlock Holmes and the Baker Street Irregulars, aired in 2007.
- In the modern TV series Sherlock, the Irregulars are re-imagined as a "Homeless Network" of people living on the streets of London. One of Sherlock's helpers is named Billy.
- In the modern TV show Elementary (set in New York), the "Irregulars" are experienced adults in different fields. Holmes asks them for help when he needs special knowledge for a case. These Irregulars include a weather expert, a math expert, and a man with a very good sense of smell.
On Radio and Audio Dramas
- In "The Adventure of the Innocent Murderess," a 1947 radio show of The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, a character named "Charlie" is a Baker Street Irregular who gets paid for tips.
- Four actors played the Baker Street Irregulars in a 1963 BBC radio version of The Sign of the Four. Another actor, Glyn Dearman, played Wiggins.
- In "The Adventure of the Irregular Client," a 2013 episode of the American radio series The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Holmes's client is a former member of the Baker Street Irregulars.
- A member of the Baker Street Irregulars appears in the Audible audio drama Sherlock Holmes: The Voice of Treason (2020).
On Stage
- Wiggins and the Irregulars appeared in the 1965 musical Baker Street. In the musical, they sing songs like "Leave It To Us, Guv" and "Roof Space."
- The Irregulars sing the song "Anything You Want To Know" in the 1989 musical Sherlock Holmes: The Musical. They also sing in three other songs with other characters.
In Video Games
- In the video game Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective and its two sequels (1991–1993), players can tell the Irregulars to visit people and places.
- Wiggins and the Irregulars help Holmes in the 1992 video game The Lost Files of Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Serrated Scalpel and its sequel The Lost Files of Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Rose Tattoo.
- Wiggins and other Baker Street Irregulars assist Holmes in some games from the Sherlock Holmes video game series by Frogwares, such as the 2004 game Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Silver Earring.
In Board Games
- The Baker Street Irregulars are very important in the cooperative board game series Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective, first released in 1981. A fourth game in the series, titled 'The Baker Street Irregulars', was released in 2020.
In Books and Comics
- Terrance Dicks wrote a series of children's novels called The Baker Street Irregulars. Ten books in this series were published between 1978 and 1987.
- A series of four graphic novels (comic books) released in 2011, titled Sherlock Holmes: The Baker Street Irregulars, features the group. The series was written by Tony Lee and drawn by Dan Boultwood. It was also made into a play.
- The Baker Street Irregulars appear in Anthony Horowitz's 2011 novel The House of Silk.
- The Case of the Baker Street Irregular by Robert Newman is a Young Adult novel published in 1978.
- The Baker Street Four is a series of French graphic novels from 2017. They are about the adventures of three young street kids and their cat who get involved in the cases of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson.
