The Stage

Pryce to star in BBC1 Sherlock spin-off

Published Thursday 19 October 2006 at 17:05 by Liz Thomas

Jonathan Pryce and Bill Paterson will lead the cast of new two-part family drama Baker Street Irregulars, scheduled for Sunday afternoons on BBC1.

The show, which is being made by RDF Television - the producer behind Wife Swap - is based on an original Sherlock Holmes mystery and has been adapted by Robin Hood co-writers Richard Kurti and Bev Doyle.

The rag-tag group of street kids known as the Irregulars first appeared in the Sherlock Holmes novel, A Study in Scarlet, in 1887 and the idea has been expanded to fit a television drama. This time, the Irregulars find themselves having to solve the mysterious disappearance of two of their own gang, while Holmes himself is accused of murder and put under house arrest.

Pryce will star as Holmes while Paterson will play Dr Watson in the production, which is the first drama from RDF Television. Anna Chancellor and Monarch of the Glen’s Michael Maloney also star.

The Irregulars will be played by a host of upcoming actors and filming begins later this month in Dublin. It has been commissioned by CBBC, with transmission expected in 2007. The Corporation has long been promising a renaissance of its Sunday tea-time children’s and family drama slot.

Executive producer Elaine Sperber said: “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 to a new generation of viewers as well as his loyal fans.”