Sharp as Needles

St. Paul’s Juniors/Written by Paul Birch inspired by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle/Directed by Jonathan Boutead/2019

Sharp as Needles is a comedically affectionate homage to the magnificent world of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes.  In particular it focuses on London’s ‘unoffical [police] force’ The Baker Street Irregulars. This gang of street children work for Sherlock Holmes in a number of classic stories including, A Study in Scarlet, The Adventure of The Crooked Man and most notably in The Sign of Four. The story below mixes real history with victorian obsessions and delusions to tell a fantastical tale not so far from the the truth. Can you figure out fact from fiction? Each story also exploits the genres enjoyed by Conan Doyle himself - The Mystery, the Thriller and the Ghost story. And within this tall tale are stories within stories to be enjoyed by audiences of all ages. These plucky young detectives are able to move almost unnoticed through the mysterious and crime-ridden streets of Victorian London…

Who knows what secrets they will uncover?