Sexton Blake facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sexton Blake
First appearance	The Missing Millionaire (20 December 1893)
Created by	Harry Blyth (as Hal Meredeth)
Portrayed by	Langhorn Burton George Curzon David Farrar Geoffrey Toone William Franklyn Laurence Payne Jeremy Clyde Simon Jones
Information
Gender	Male
Occupation	Detective
Family	Henry Blake (brother) Nigel Blake (brother)
Nationality	British

Sexton Blake is a famous fictional detective from Britain. He has appeared in many stories, comic strips, and TV shows since 1893. Over 4,000 stories about Sexton Blake were written by about 200 different authors. These stories were published in many languages around the world until 1978. Blake was also the hero in silent films, sound films, radio shows, and a TV series in the 1960s.

How Sexton Blake Stories Began

The cover of the very first Sexton Blake story

The first Sexton Blake story was called "The Missing Millionaire". Harry Blyth wrote it using the name Hal Meredeth. It came out on December 20, 1893, in a paper called The Halfpenny Marvel. This paper was owned by Amalgamated Press. Harry Blyth wrote six more Blake stories after that.

Amalgamated Press bought the rights to Blake's character. From 1895, many different writers started creating Blake's adventures. In August 1905, Blake became the main character in The Union Jack magazine. He appeared in every issue until 1933. He continued to be the main hero in Detective Weekly until it ended in 1940.

Blake became very popular during the Edwardian era (early 1900s). His stories appeared in many different magazines. These included Boys' Friend, Penny Pictorial, and Answers.

In the 1910s, new writers joined the team. They created clever master criminals for Blake to fight. Some of these writers were Andrew Murray and Edwy Searles Brooks.

Blake Gets His Own Magazine

Longer stories, about 60,000 words each, appeared in The Boys' Friend Library. Because these were so popular, The Sexton Blake Library started in 1915. This magazine focused on longer stories. At its most popular, it came out five times a month! It ran for almost 50 years.

Most of the covers for The Sexton Blake Library were painted by Eric Parker. He was a master at drawing Sexton Blake.

Many writers worked on Sexton Blake stories during this time. These included John Creasey and Michael Moorcock.

In 1959, Fleetway Publications took over the rights to Sexton Blake. They published The Sexton Blake Library until it ended in 1963. The last story was called "The Last Tiger".

Later, in 1965, the editor William Howard Baker licensed the rights to Blake. He published a fifth series of The Sexton Blake Library on his own. This ran until 1968. He then released four more Sexton Blake novels in 1969.

From 1968 to 1971, Valiant comic published new Blake comic strips. Blake's last new story was Sexton Blake and the Demon God in 1978. This was a thriller with old curses and exciting endings.

Comic Strips: 1939–1979

Blake's comic strips were in The Knock-Out Comic from 1939 to 1960. Artists like Jos Walker and Alfred Taylor drew these strips. A highlight was a 14-part strip in 1949 called The Secret of Monte Cristo. Eric Parker drew this one.

There was also a comic strip called Sexton Blake's Diamond Hunt in Super Detective Library in 1955.

A final Sexton Blake comic strip appeared in Valiant from 1968 to 1970. This was to go along with the TV show.

A seven-part Blake comic strip was in Tornado comic in 1979. For a short time, Blake was called "Victor Drago" in this strip.

Other Publications

Sexton Blake annual books, with old and new stories, were published from 1938 to 1941.

Four hardcover books for younger readers came out in 1968. One of these, Raffles' Crime in Gibraltar, showed Blake dealing with another famous character, A. J. Raffles.

In 2009, two collections of Blake's stories were published: The Casebook of Sexton Blake and Sexton Blake, Detective.

In 2013, Obverse Books published The Silent Thunder Caper by Mark Hodder. This was meant to be the first book in a new series of The Sexton Blake Library.

More Sexton Blake reprints started in 2018 from Stillwoods Publishing. In 2020, ROH Press began publishing Blake tales with Sexton Blake The Early Years.

Also in 2020, Rebellion Developments released a Sexton Blake special comic. They also produced four story collections in 2020-21.

How Blake Changed Over Time

Sexton Blake's character changed a lot over the years. At first, he was like other detectives from the 1800s. But by the late 1890s, writers made him more like Sherlock Holmes.

In 1919, Blake got his own unique personality. He became more focused on action and fought many memorable enemies.

In the early years, Blake sometimes used medical knowledge to solve cases. In one story from 1908, he said he was a qualified doctor but never practiced medicine.

Many of Blake's writers were adventurers who had traveled the world. When World War II started, they joined the army. This meant fewer writers were left, and the quality of Blake's stories sometimes suffered.

In 1955, William Howard Baker became the editor of The Sexton Blake Library. In 1956, he successfully updated Blake's stories. They became faster-paced and more modern, like American pulp fiction.

Blake's home was moved to fancy offices in Berkeley Square. He also got a secretary named Paula Dane, who was almost a love interest for him. Tinker was given a real name, Edward Carter. Blake's office also got a receptionist, Marion Lang.

The covers of the magazines became much more exciting. A new group of authors was hired to write the stories.

Baker stayed as editor until 1963. He continued to oversee Blake's print adventures until 1969.

Blake's Friends and Helpers

Blake had many loyal friends and helpers throughout his adventures.

Blake's first helper was a Frenchman named Jules Gervaise. They started an investigative company together in the second story.

Blake's Team

In 1904, Blake met a clever street orphan who became his assistant, known only as Tinker. Tinker helped Blake with cases and kept his crime files updated. He also helped in Blake's fully equipped crime laboratory. Tinker grew from a boy into a strong young man.

In 1905, Blake's busy housekeeper, Mrs Bardell, was introduced. She was a great cook and always ready to offer food or tea to clients. Mrs Bardell even had her own stories, like "The Mystery Of Mrs Bardell's Xmas Pudding" in 1925.

In 1905, Blake also got his faithful and fierce bloodhound, Pedro. Pedro was a gift to Blake and helped track many villains.

Another important helper was Blake's special bullet-proof Rolls-Royce car, called The Grey Panther. For a short time, Blake even flew a Moth monoplane, also called The Grey Panther.

Blake's Enemies

Sexton Blake faced many supervillains from all over the world. Some of the most famous included:

• George Marsden Plummer (created in 1908): He was a dishonest Detective Sergeant from Scotland Yard. He became Blake's main enemy and often escaped from jail.
• Count Ivor Carlac (created in 1912): A Polish nobleman and former pilot who became a master criminal. He was very cunning and good at disguises.
• Professor Francis Kew (created in 1913): A respected surgeon who secretly became a master criminal. He often worked with Carlac.
• Dr Huxton Rymer (created in 1913): A famous surgeon who turned into a master criminal.
• Prince Wu Ling (created in 1913): A former Chinese royal who wanted to rule the world.
• Waldo the Wonderman (created in 1918): A circus strongman with amazing strength. He could bend his body and didn't feel pain. He started as a villain but later became Blake's friend. He still stole money, but only from bad guys.
• Zenith the Albino (created in 1919): A master thief who was very stylish and mysterious.
• The Criminals' Confederation (created in 1919): A huge criminal group that spread across the world. They appeared in 50 stories.

The types of villains Blake fought changed over time. After World War II, his enemies became more ordinary.

Blake's Allies

Sexton Blake also worked with many police officers, private detectives, and other crime fighters. Some of his popular allies included:

• Detective-Inspector Will Spearing (created in 1905): Blake's first friend from Scotland Yard.
• Sir Richard Losely and Lobangu (created in 1907): Sir Richard was an explorer and Blake's old school friend. Lobangu was a powerful chief of a Zulu tribe.
• Honourable John Lawless (created by Andrew Murray): An adventurer who often fought for Britain.
• Detective-Inspector Coutts (created in 1916): He fought alongside Blake against the Criminals' Confederation.
• The Bat (created in 1916): He started as a talented thief but later became a strong ally of Blake's.
• Nelson Lee (created in the 1890s): Another private investigator. He and Blake teamed up in several stories.
• Mademoiselle Yvonne Cartier (created in 1913): She was first an enemy, then a loyal friend, and finally became a detective herself.
• James "Granite" Grant and Mademoiselle Julie (created in 1920): Grant was from the British Secret Service, and Julie was from the French Secret Service. They had many adventures with Blake.

Other friends included Derek "Splash" Page, an American investigator named Ruff Hanson, and Blake's friends at Scotland Yard: Chief Detective Inspector Lennard and Superintendent Venner.

Sexton Blake on Screen and Radio

Stage Plays

Several stage plays were made about Sexton Blake.

• The Case of the Coiners (1907) was the first play.
• In 1931, Sexton Blake: A Detective Story in Four Acts was produced. Arthur Wontner played Blake. His performance led him to be cast as Sherlock Holmes in five films.

Movies

Silent Movies

Many silent films were made about Sexton Blake.

There was also a funny spoof film called Sexton Pimple (1914).

Talkies (Movies with Sound)

• Sexton Blake and the Bearded Doctor was the first of three Blake movies made in the 1930s. George Curzon played Sexton Blake.
• Sexton Blake and the Mademoiselle followed, featuring a female villain from the books.
• The third movie was Sexton Blake and the Hooded Terror.
• Two more movies, Meet Sexton Blake and The Echo Murders, were made in 1945. David Farrar played Blake in these.
• The Hammer film Murder at Site 3 (1958) starred Geoffrey Toone as Blake.

Radio Shows

• On January 26, 1939, BBC Radio broadcast a show called Enter Sexton Blake. George Curzon was Blake.
• In 1967, BBC Radio 4 aired a popular series of Sexton Blake adventures. William Franklyn played Blake, and David Gregory played Tinker. Heather Chasen was Blake's secretary, Paula Dane. This series had 17 episodes.
• In 2006, Dirk Maggs recorded a pilot show called Adventures of Sexton Blake. Simon Jones played Blake, and William Franklyn (who played Blake before) narrated as an older Blake.
• Because the pilot was a success, Maggs directed a new series for BBC Radio 2 in 2009. Jones and Forester returned, joined by June Whitfield as Mrs Bardell.

Television Shows

Sexton Blake (1967–71)

ITV broadcast a Sexton Blake TV series from 1967 to 1971. Laurence Payne played Blake, and Roger Foss played Tinker. In the show, Blake drove a white Rolls-Royce called "The Grey Panther" and had his bloodhound, Pedro.

During rehearsals in 1968, Laurence Payne was accidentally blinded in one eye.

The TV series had exciting storylines. For example, in "The Invicta Ray" (1968), a villain became invisible to commit crimes.

Out of 50 episodes, only the first episode is believed to still exist.

• Season One: The Find-The-Lady Affair (4 episodes, 1967)
• Season One: Knave of Diamonds (5 episodes, 1967)
• Season One: The Great Tong Mystery (4 episodes, 1967)
• Season One: The Vanishing Snowman (Christmas Special, 1967)
• Season One: House of Masks (4 episodes, 1968)
• Season One: The Invicta Ray (4 episodes, 1968)
• Season Two: The Case of the Gasping Goldfish (2 episodes, 1968)
• Season Two: Return of the Scorpion (2 episodes, 1968)
• Season Two: The Great Train Robbery (2 episodes, 1969)
• Season Two: The Great Soccer Mystery (3 episodes, 1969)
• Season Three: Sexton Blake and Captain Nemesis (3 episodes, 1969)
• Season Three: Sexton Blake verses The Gangsters (3 episodes, 1969)
• Season Three: Sexton Blake and the Frightened Man (2 episodes, 1969)
• Season Three: Sexton Blake and the Undertaker (3 episodes, 1969)
• Season Three: Sexton Blake and the Toy Family (2 episodes, 1969)
• Season Four: Sexton Blake and the Puff Adder (6 episodes, 1970-1971)

The main actors were:

• Laurence Payne as Sexton Blake
• Roger Foss as Edward Clark (Tinker)
• Dorothea Phillips as Mrs Bardell
• Ernest Clark as Inspector Coutts

Sexton Blake and the Demon God (1978)

This was a six-part TV series produced by the BBC in 1978. Jeremy Clyde played Blake, Philip Davis played Tinker, and Barbara Lott played Mrs Bardell.

The Sexton Blake Library (Obverse Books)

• Sexton Blake and the Silent Thunder Caper by Mark Hodder (2014)
• Zenith Lives! (2012)

Other Blake Appearances

• A short record called Murder on the Portsmouth Road featured Arthur Wontner as Blake.
• The writer Michael Moorcock used Blake as inspiration for his character Seaton Begg. Moorcock also used the character of Zenith the Albino in his stories.
• A Bengali writer named Dinendra Kumar Roy wrote 217 stories similar to Sexton Blake, but called the character Robert Blake.