The Baker Street Irregulars, London street urchins who provided reconnaissance for Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's famous detective, Sherlock Holmes, have long been ripe for an adventure of their own. British television movie Sherlock Holmes and the Baker Street Irregulars fills the bill pretty well, with an original story that finds an old enemy of Holmes masterminding the destruction of the sleuth as well as his young allies. When the disappearance of one Irregular happens to coincide with a bizarre plot to murder Scotland Yard inspectors, not even Holmes (Jonathan Pryce) sees a connection until it's too late. By then, two kids are missing and suspicion falls on Holmes himself for the cop killings, forcing him to entrust his fate--and that of the others--to the children who work tirelessly for him. The mystery and drama are satisfying, though Doyle purists will balk at the film's liberties with Holmes' personal and professional history. The story, however, really has more to do with redefining the Irregulars as a kind of family unto themselves, poor kids who have no one without one another, and no purpose without their occasional marching orders from a man they very much admire. This is a family movie that can be enjoyed even by those who've never heard of Sherlock Holmes, though a passing familiarity helps. With Bill Paterson as Dr. Watson and Michael Maloney as a typically obtuse inspector. --Tom Keogh