Baker Street Irregulars

[Milky Tears]

Starts on BBC1 shortly and I still haven't seen any trailers for it. Did I miss them all?

BBC Press Office blurb:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/print/pressoffi...l#sun_sherlock

Sherlock Holmes
And The Baker Street Irregulars Ep 1/2
Sunday 25 March
BBC ONE

Jonathan Pryce and Bill Paterson head the cast of this new, two-part family drama.

Set amidst the sinister and foggy streets of late Victorian London, Sherlock Holmes And The Baker Street Irregulars tells a tale of murder, mystery and intrigue.

When Sherlock Holmes is called in by Scotland Yard to investigate the mysterious death of one of their detectives, he enlists the help of the Baker Street Irregulars: a rag-tag group of street kids who have learnt to fend for themselves on the harsh streets of London town....

Sherlock Holmes is played by Jonathan Pryce, Dr Watson by Bill Paterson, Sadie by Mia Fernandez, Finch by Aaron Johnson and Irene Adler by Anna Chancellor.

Press Pack:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pre...sherlock.shtml

[Dave Tudor]

I don't think this has had much promotion at all. I would have quite liked to have seen it, just out of interest, but I forgot all about it.

I want to know how many Holmes the BBC thinks it needs, though - Jonathan Pryce is the third new one in the last five or so years!!

[Jon Masters]

Having just caught some of it you've missed nothing Dave - on the strength of the evidence I think the writer got everything they needed to know from the Ladybird book of Sherlock Holmes and the Talons of Weng-Chiang

The point at which I was driven away was when Price told his irregulars they needed to carry out a fingertip search of his lab. Life on Mars reaches the 19th century perhaps

And in case anyone who did watch some of it didn't know, I suspect the surprise revelation at some point that the Chinese "boy" might be a girl is one of the worst kept surprises in the history of television drama.

[SiHart]

Aren't they based on the books by (among others) Anthony Read and Terrrance Dicks?

Si xx

[Andrew Curnow]

Didn't they do a series of these in the early 80s, with Ian Beale as one of the urchins? Gor blimey, Mary Poppins, luvaduck, etc.

[Jon Masters]

Quoted from James' BBC link

Written for BBC One and CBBC by Richard Kurti and Bev Doyle (Kidnapped, Robin Hood, Primeval), this new family drama pits Holmes and the Irregulars against one of the famous detective's greatest enemies

Is it hard to retell such a popular story?
"We're not actually retelling a story this is an original based on characters created by Conan Doyle so really it was the best of both worlds. We were given fantastic building blocks by a great writer and then allowed to take them for a walk wherever we wanted."

How did you research for the story?
"We re-read the entire Sherlock Holmes collection nice work if you can get it! We also visited industrial museums, the Toy Museum in Bethnal Green, the V&A, and read a lot of stuff about day-to-day life in Victorian London.
"We're huge fans of Conan Doyle we read Holmes and Professor Challenger as kids and became instant addicts. No matter how old you get, the characters are still magnificent."

Not exactly the most inspiring writing credentials, and since Irene Adler gets a name check in the cast list it's not really a mystery (and she's not even an enemy !) I've not read them but I suspect Mr Dicks would be a bit more reverential to the source material .

Executive producer Elaine Sperber says: "This is an exciting new mystery adventure with a fantastic cast which will be welcomed by a very wide audience. It gives the iconic figure of Holmes a slightly more modern feel, bringing him alive for a new generation of viewers as well as for his loyal fans."

So that'd be the twenty first century then

Re-reading all this makes me sound like a misery guts - I like family drama when its good, I just get p&%#ed off with lazy television. Give 'em half a chance and they'll give us a series like The Trakenites, where a group of stereotypical children help the Doctor defeat the plans of his evil Arch-Nemesis Proctor Neman.

Still perhaps one viewer will be inspired enough to read the real books and plan a comeback series of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

[Logo Polish]

Give 'em half a chance and they'll give us a series like The Trakenites, where a group of stereotypical children help the Doctor defeat the plans of his evil Arch-Nemesis Proctor Neman.

I'd prefer that to Torchwood, to be honest...

The Sherlock thing was a bit simplistic and shallow, although it was OK as light Sunday evening viewing I suppose. There have been so many different versions of Holmes, some good, some awful, that it never seems to matter when another one turns up. I'd put this above the Cook and Moore Hound of the Baskervilles film (which isn't saying much admittedly).

[Paul Monk]

Sounds terrible. Its uses all those devices that every poor Holmes "original" adventure uses, Irene Adler being the biggest one. She was only ever in one story and then she wasn't exactly a villain.
There were some awful American produced Holmes TV movies I saw back in the early nineties and they did exactly the same thing.
I do get a bit precious about my Holmes adaptations I have to say.
I'm currently listening to the BBC Clive Merrison and Michael Williams plays and they're fantastic.

[Dirk Gently]

I'd put this above the Cook and Moore Hound of the Baskervilles film (which isn't saying much admittedly).

Leave it! That film is a classic & shouldn't be put in with other pale imitations.

[Ralph]

Moore and McNee - the Sherlock Holmes dream ticket!

[Ralph]

I bought the DVD for this one the other day appropriately named "Without a Clue"



I presume I'm correct in assuming my last two posts fit the description of Baker Street irregulars?

[Pamela]

I like family drama when its good, I just get p&%#ed off with lazy television.

same here Jon, I thought BSI would be better than the Baker Street Boys-how wrong I was. Hoodies, skates, "duh", "awesome", "dream on" and the like-can't they credit children with some intelligence.

[Pamela]

Moore and McNee - the Sherlock Holmes dream ticket!

God, it's awful. (but I can't help loving it)
And then there's Macnee and Lee...

[Paul Monk]

And then there's Macnee and Lee...

Thats the one I was referring to earlier. MacNee and Lee are great but the stories.....hmmmm.

[Pamela]

Thats the one I was referring to earlier. MacNee and Lee are great but the stories.....hmmmm.

d'oh, sorry-I was too wrapped up in the pic on the cover of that book-I'd never seen it before

[Pip Madeley]

I didn't want to start a new thread and this one seemed appropriate - we heard at work the other day that Guy Ritchie's new Hollywood version of Sherlock starring Robert Downey Jr will be filming where I work, Manchester Town Hall from 27th October Jude Law will also be visiting! Excitement.

The Great Hall is doubling up for the Houses of Commons and various corridors - including the one on our floor - for the interior of Parliament. They're also using a room on our floor for several scenes. We're working as normal so I'll keep my eyes peeled for stars...

[Dave Lewis]

Is it over a year too late to saythat the theme tune to "The Baker Street Boys" - the series featuring Adam Woodyatt that was irregularly (cough) mentioned earlier in the thread - is one of the most memorable of my childhood? Not to mention the series itself; although if I saw it again now it would probably be a load of poo.

As for Guy Ritchie 'doing' Holmes... "There is something devilish in this." I fear it will be mainly rubbish. I hope I'm wrong but as a long-time Jeremy Brett devotee - not to mention an avid listener to the mostly splendid Carlton Hobbs/Norman Shelley radio versions - the details of Ritchie's film sound disturbingly crap. Having said that, it'll almost certainly be better than the Sascha Baron Cohen one...

[Alex]

I'd love to be proved wrong, but I can't imagine that the Guy Ritchie one will be any good, I can't picture it without his atypical directing style:

Holmes is in his apartment, injecting cocaine in to his arm. The film freezes and the narration begins.

East End Thug: "This is Holmes, but we call his Stabber coz he likes puncture his veins with a bit of the white stuff. He knows his stuff though, whenever you need a problem solving he's the geezer you turn too."

The film begins again as Watson enters the room.

Watson: ****ing hell Holmes, not on the coke again are you?

The film freezes.

East End Thug: "Watson's a ****ing plonker, but you gotta love him..."

[Dave Lewis]

Watson: "What is it today, Holmes?"

Holmes: "It is cocaine - a seven percent solution."

Watson: "Faaaaaaaarkin' 'ell! Get on the crack, mate - quicker and cheaper, you silly posh caaaaaant."

Brad Pitt: "Doyawannafightmeforafivah?"

Angelina Jolie: "Not in front of the children, darling."

Jennifer Aniston: "I'll take you on, you egocentric, cheating prick."

Gwyneth Paltrow: "Leave some for me."

Guy Ritchie: "Keep fightin' it aaaart, girls; that's where the farkin' moolah is - birds kickin' off, innit?"

Madonna: "This is the power of goodbye - 'goodbye'."

Guy Ritchie: "But daaaaaaaaaaahlin'....?"

Jason Statham: "Why the faaaaark do I owe my career to you?"

Guy Ritchie: "I was about to ask you the same question."

Fade awaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay.