Move Over Enola Holmes, There's a New Sherlock Craze In Town

I love Sherlock Holmes. Not just the Benedict Cumberbatch incarnation, though let's be honest it is amazing, but everything about the character, the stories, his relationship with Dr Watson, everything.

It all began for me when my Mum, who is also a devoted Sherlockian, told me the story of 'The Hound of The Baskervilles' from memory when I was ten years old. Shortly after that I was gifted 'The Complete Works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle' who for those of you who don't know is the original creator of Mr Sherlock Holmes and all the associated characters and shenanigans. It was a massive big book, with a red velvet hardback cover that I took everywhere with me for a while like a comfort blanket. Even though at the time it was roughly around the same size as my head.

Forwarding on from the book fanaticism, I moved on to the screen. I devoured everything from the 1939 black and white version, 'The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes,' starring Basil Rathbone as the man himself and Nigel Bruce as the ever faithful Watson, to of course the now infamous, 'Sherlock,' with the deliciously talented Benedict Cumberbatch (Dr Strange) and Martin Freeman (The Hobbit).

Now usually I am a notorious scroller when it comes to my favourite streaming sites like Netflix. This can be horrifically annoying for my Partner who has to sit there while I run through everything on the television for way too long in order to find something I'm happy to watch. To ease his suffering, I tend to use sites like decider.com (link below) which allows me to choose something I might like to watch based on criteria such as my mood, which streaming platforms I have access to and what genre I'm feeling myself swing for on that particular occasion to cut out the time my Partner has to spend witnessing the endless searching, because I can do it on my phone or laptop throughout the day and or evening so that I have a show or film in mind for our downtime later.

The only other thing that is guaranteed to put an end to my bad scrolling habits as well as decider.com does, is when I see an advertisement for something Sherlock related, because I mean I'm going to watch that. There's no ifs, ands or buts I am watching it and my Partner knows it as well as I do.

When Netflix released 'Enola Holmes,' like every other Sherlock fan I rushed to watch it. Now, I'll admit, it was really not my personal favourite take on the Sherlock world. It was, okay. I liked the fact that it featured a female lead, with Millie Bobby Brown (Stranger Things) as Enola and I enjoyed Henry Cavill's (The Witcher) slightly more laid back approach to Mr Holmes. Unlike other Sherlock fans however, I wasn't totally crazy about it and I really came away from it wanting more and for all the wrong reasons.

Then, 'The Irregulars' moved in to Netflix City and my Dear Readers it is running a stunning campaign for Mayor. If you love any and all things Sherlock Holmes, including Enola Holmes, I promise, you will adore 'The Irregulars.'

Don't worry, I don't believe in giving away key plot points so there are no spoilers ahead. I want you to watch it just the way I did, in the best state of confusion I've ever felt because what I can tell you, is that this is nothing like any Sherlock experience that you have ever encountered before.

It's got everything; investigations and deduction, magic, murder and mystery, a truly original and diverse cast, a strong female lead that doesn't feel forced at all because the girls run that show and as viewer you are more than happy to be taken along for the ride. Quite honestly, more than anything else, I found it to be the best use of artistic license I have ever witnessed. It's a story about family, about finding your place when it feels like you don't fit in anywhere at all and discovering an inner strength that you never knew you had. Most of all, it's about love. Love in all of its truest, passionate and sometimes saddest and twisted forms, and you feel that love emanating from the screen. It was nothing like I expected and yet everything I never knew I needed when it came to Sherlock Holmes.

The extremely talented cast includes Thaddea Graham (The Letter For The King) as Bea, a clever and sharp witted young woman leading a group of irregular orphans including her sister Jessie, played by Darci Shaw (The Bay), who possesses psychic abilities and Royce Pierreson (The Witcher), who gives a completely unique and complex performance as Dr Watson.

It took my Partner and I two nights to binge 'The Irregulars' and even though it kept me up past my, I'm a Mother now so I get up at 6am if I want to get anything done bedtime, it was more than worth it and that's really saying something because I was never a morning person. When the final end credits rolled on the last episode I turned to my Partner and I said, 'That was genuinely amazing.' This is a show that left us starving for more and for all the right reasons, and while there's no official line yet from show runner Tim Bidwell, I can tell you now if there isn't a season two I am going to be deeply disappointed because I definitely need more of 'The Irregulars' in my life.