Why is there such a buzz about..?

Sometimes Netflix lets new shows slip out quietly; sometimes it makes a big song and dance about them. The Irregulars arrived with plenty of fanfare. The streaming giant has spent a lot of money on it and clearly believes it has a hit on its hands. Judging from the first series, it’s right.

The Irregulars is a fast-moving, supernatural Sherlock Holmes spin-off in which the whole set-up has had a radical rethink.

In the original Arthur Conan Doyle stories, the ‘Baker Street Irregulars’ are minor characters

– a bunch of street kids who help out the detective once or twice. Here, they take centre stage.

Their leader, Beatrice, is played by the charismatic rising

Northern Ireland star Thaddea Graham, whom viewers will recognise from BBC1’s Us. Bea is tough and fiercely protective of her younger sister, Jessie (Darci Shaw), who is psychic and plagued by terrifying nightmares.

The gang are recruited by a dodgy Dr Watson into helping investigate a rising tide of strange paranormal crimes (Cassie Clare, right, plays ‘Linda Langtree’). It’s like a mix of Penny Dreadful, Doctor Who and Buffy, with a smart, quotable script, proper scares and moments of comedy. Sherlock Holmes is nowhere to be seen for the first half of the series, and when he finally does make an appearance, he’s a bit rubbish at deduction.

However, you don’t have to be a great detective to deduce that

The Irregulars seems certain to become a Netflix regular.