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Baker Street
GenreAction-adventure
Comedy
Drama
Directed byMatthew Karabache
StarringBrooke Karabache
Kieran Bailey
Matthew Karabache
Nathan Chester
Simon Woolnough
Steven Tranter
Yolanda Kjaersgaard
Opening theme"Victorian Vigilante"
by Abney Park
Country of originAustralia
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes18

Baker Street is an Australian action-adventure/comedy/drama television series directed and produced by Matthew Karabache.

Baker Street has obtained an exceptionally broad and active international fan base. It received widespread acclaim by critics, although its use of nudity and violence has caused controversy. The series has won numerous awards and nominations, including a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Drama Series, a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Television Series – Drama and a Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation in Long Form.

Plot summary[edit]

Set in an alternate Victorian London in which characters from literature and other media are real, Baker Street follows the misadventures of a disparate group of characters based out of Baker Street, Westminster.

At the series outset, Father David Collins (Nathan Chester) has been assigned to administer to the parish of Saint Cyprian's, a relatively new church built on the eponymous street. Having recently let out the basement of the church to an eccentric inventor and time-traveller, Robert Stark (Steven Tranter) and been made the parole officer of Grace Campbell (Brooke Karabache), a notorious cat burglar, Father Collins is swiftly drawn into the supernatural underground of London. A small group of unlikely allies forms with the priest at their centre, including former circus strongman and scientific guinea pig Brick (Simon Woolnough), disgraced ex-military officer Patrick Watson (Kieran Bailey) and a mysterious shapeshifting orphan girl (Yolanda Kjaersgaard).

Together, the group battles a series of threats to their own safety, facing foes both supernatural and scientific as they confront their own inner demons as well as external enemies. The menaces rapidly escalate until stopping a vampiric takeover of Buckingham Palace and a nuclear threat to the city brings them sharply to the attention of Mycroft Holmes, who runs much of the British government on Queen Victoria's behalf. At the end of the first season, the group manages to foil a plot by Professor James Moriarty to steal Sherlock Holmes' intellect through a supernatural ritual and add it to his own. However, in doing so they inadvertently allow the magician Aleister Crowley to steal Moriarty's intelligence and escape with a time machine. Upon their return to London, the Earth is invaded by the Martians of H.G. Well's War of the Worlds.

The second season picks up one year later, in a period of rebuilding in the wake of the defeated Martian invaders. The British Empire is in a state of cold war with the Red Planet, but there are many invisible threats still lurking in plain sight in London. The group, fragmented in the wake of the first season finale, is reunited by Patrick Watson, now re-instated as a captain in the British army, at the behest of Mycroft. They are inducted the group as a secret branch of the British special intelligence service, and tasks them with dealing with threats to the Crown of supernatural or extra-terrestrial origin.

In between opposing supernatural menaces in and beyond London, the taskforce assists in preparations for a retaliatory strike against the Martians...

Cast and characters[edit]

Main characters[edit]

  • David Collins (Nathan Chester) – A young priest of the Church of England, it is likely that Father Collins received the St. Cyprian's parish as a result of the notoriety he earned through the successful exorcism of the young daughter of a noblewoman. Firm but fair, Collins shepherded his flock as best his could even as it seemed that outside forces conspired against him. In the final episode of the first season, Collins is defrocked and excommunicated from the church for his perceived truck with the supernatural and untoward. The start of the second season finds him a broken man, obsessed with reclaiming his priesthood and willing to do almost anything to achieve his goals, up to and including making a metaphorical deal with the Devil with the current Prince-Consort, Vlad Drakul.
  • Brick (Simon Woolnough) – A freakishly strong giant of a man, Brick has endured years of abuse and ill treatment. As a young man, he resorted to becoming a paid volunteer guinea pig for Dr Henry Jekyll's less-than-glamorous experiments, resulting in his current unnatural abilities. In the wake of this Brick disavowed his real name, choosing only to go by a pseudonym after leaving London to join a travelling circus, where he befriended Grace Campbell. After a falling out with the Ringmaster, Brick returned to London and took up residence in an old building at the seedier end of Baker Street. Brick's genetic alterations are unstable, and as a result his body is slowly killing itself. Bereft of Dr Jekyll's ongoing treatment after Mr Hyde's disappearance at the end of the first season, the second season sees Brick working as an enforcer for Dr Fu Manchu in exchange for the Chinese Doctor's elixir vitae, a miraculous drug that is keeping him alive.
    The Baker Street crew.
    From left to right: Patrick Watson (Kieran Bailey), Grace Campbell (Brooke Karabache), Brick (Simon Woolnough), Dorian Gray (Matthew Karabache), Missy (Yolanda Kjaersgaard), Fr David Collins (Nathan Chester), Robert Stark (Steven Tranter).
  • Patrick Watson (Kieran Bailey) – The estranged brother of Dr John Watson, Patrick was dishonourably discharged from the British Army for recklessly endangering the soldiers under his command. His life burnt to ashes around, him Watson turned to alcoholism to dull the world around him. Given new purpose by the unlikely (and sometimes trying) friendship he struck up with the rest of the group, he is still a risk taker and general man of action. During the Martian invasion, Watson was recruited back into the military at his former rank due to his experiences during the first season in dealing with extra-terrestrial threats, and at the start of the second season he is tasked with creating the special operations taskforce by Mycroft Holmes.
  • Missy (Yolanda Kjaersgaard) – A test subject of Dr Jekyll's, Missy's past and abilities were largely unknown at the start of the series. A slightly creepy young orphan capable of shapeshifting into whatever form she so desired, it was eventually discovered that Missy was, in fact, a Great Old One existing in a stable time loop as a result of the actions of Professor Moriarty and The Doctor. Missy herself has forgotten much of herself--suffering from permanent amnesia asfrom injuries inflicted on her by Brick when the group encountered her true form. After being dealt significant damage, it turned into what it perceived as the most harmless thing present at the battlefield. The Doctor spirited the younger Missy away back in time, to foster her with Dr Jekyll. Missy was presumed dead during the Martian invasion, but returned in a more mature form soon after the special operations taskforce was formed.
  • Robert Stark (Steven Tranter) – An exceedingly eccentric and erratic time traveller from the Golden Age of the Renaissance, Stark is a mechanical genius and inventor, capable of creating an array of powerful and useful devices. Stranded in Victorian-era London when his time machine crashed into Brick's house on Baker Street, he paid Father Collins to hire the basement of St. Cyprian's out as a workshop and laboratory. He has brought the group into conflict with his long-time rival and fellow time traveller, Dr Nathaniel Gervais, on several occasions. At the end of the first season, he left with the Doctor to explore all of space and time. It only took several weeks before his insistence on stealing and studying new technology and his disregard for human life forced the Doctor to abandon him back in London, post-Martian invasion.
  • Grace Campbell (Brooke Karabache) – Trained by Harry Houndini at a young age in escape artistry, Grace spent much of her early years in a travelling circus as an acrobat and escape artist. After a disastrous falling-out with the ringmaster, she ended up in London and turned to a life of crime. Her training allowed her to quickly become an accomplished thief, to the point where Sherlock Holmes was engaged by Scotland Yard to assist in bringing her down. Holmes took pity on her, though, and saw uses for her skills. He argued in court for her to be granted early parole and she was released into the care of Father Collins. Grace is absent for the second season, aside from a few cameos, with Mycroft having put her skills to use as a secret operative in Continental Europe.

Recurring characters[edit]

All non-main characters have, so far, been portrayed by Matthew Karabache. The below is not a comprehensive list of minor characters that have appeared in the series, only those who have featured in three or more episodes.

  • Dorian Gray – An immortal, fabulously wealthy aristocrat and socialite, Dorian has been know to the group since the first episode, but only truly became friends with them after they assisted his close friend, Charles Dodgeson. Dorian is used to being able to get what he wants, and is known for throwing wild, debaucherous parties. He rebuilt his mansion in the wake of the Martian invasion and it is there that the taskforce is nominally based.
  • Dr Henry Jekyll/Mr Hyde – A highly intelligent scientist and alchemist, the group has kept Dr Jekyll at arm's reach due to his past use of Missy and Brick as test subjects. Jekyll has an alternate personality, manifested as the ultimate conclusion of his research, named Mr Hyde. Hyde is a sociopath with prodigious strength, speed and endurance. Though responsible for much death and destruction, at times both Jekyll and Hyde have proven to be unlikely but useful allies to the group. The two of them worked out a troubled peace between them thanks to the efforts of Father Collins and Adam.
  • Mycroft Holmes – An unassuming but highly intelligent man, Mycroft seems to practically run the government on the Queen's behalf. It is uncertain how much power he holds, but no one has been seen to be above him. After seeing the group in action, he ordered the reinstatement of Patrick Watson and, in the wake of the Martian invasion, formed their taskforce as a branch of the government's special operations.
  • Dr Nathaniel Gervais – A time traveller, Gervais came to this time with Robert Stark. Despair at this, to him, dystopian future led him to attempt to destroy London in a mad bid to take over and rebuild the British Empire into the utopia promised by the Renaissance of his birth. Barely escaping with his life after the group foiled this plot, he was recruited by Mycroft to build nuclear weapons for the impending invasion of Mars. He is now the head of the Royal Society.
  • Sherlock Holmes – A consulting detective known best for his work with Scotland Yard, Holmes has enlisted the aid of the group on several occasions. He had originally refused to become deeper involved with the supernatural underground of London, but after Moriarty's attempt on his life took to studying what he could find. However, he still refuses to become a more permanent part of the group, citing his brother's control of the taskforce as the reason.
  • Dr John Watson – Sherlock Holmes' friend and partner, John is the brother of Patrick Watson. Long used to being disappointed in his brother, he has taken news of his brother's reinstatement as a positive sign and has been working to bridge the void that has grown between them.
  • Bishop Tomas de Gaulle – The Bishop of London, de Gaulle is a quiet, intelligent man with a great deal of influence. He is Father Collins' immediate superior in the church hierarchy.
  • The Cheshire Cat – A powerful entity from another world, the Cat originally followed the group back to London out of an idle curiosity once it had met Missy and discovered her situation. It appears as though the Cat is fond of her and has elected to remain nearby, but little is known about its true intentions or desires.
  • The Doctor – A time travelling alien that assisted the group during Professor Moriarty's attempt on Sherlock Holmes' life. He has taken it upon himself to ban Robert Stark from building any further time travelling devices. Stark travelled with him for a short period as a Companion, but the Doctor grew frustrated with Stark's brute force solutions and larcenous ways and brought him back to London.
  • Adam – The creation of one Dr Victor Frankenstein, Adam travelled to London in search of Mr Hyde. He knew of Dr Jekyll's creation as Jekyll and Frankenstein had corresponded repeatedly over the years, and was seeking him out as a kindred soul. He helped Father Collins' negotiate a truce between Jekyll and Hyde.
  • Inspector Greg Lestrade – The current chief inspector at Scotland Yard, Lestrade has worked with the group on numerous occasions.
  • Fu Manchu – A criminal mastermind and head of the Si Fan Chinese Tong, Dr Fu Manchu returned from China to find his gang in shambles thanks to the group. Seizing an opportunity, he ensnared Brick by treating him with doses of elixir vitae to keep him alive. While he has had Brick do some unsavoury things for him in exchange for the vitae, his plans remain inscrutable and it is uncertain how much of a threat he poses to the Empire.
  • Count Dracula – Current Prince-Consort to Queen Victoria, Count Vlad Drakul was instrumental in foiling a plot by several vampiric members of the European nobility and received much gratitude from the Crown for personally saving the Queen's life. However, he is a vampire himself and there are suspicions that he orchestrated the entire affair himself. No proof has yet arisen and the Queen Herself has shown him her favour--she does not appear to be enthralled or the recipient of his curse yet, and so he remains untouchable. He made a deal with Father Collins to use his influence as Prince-Consort to put pressure on the Church to reinstate him as a man of the cloth.
  • Aleister Crowley – Former head of the Golden Dawn, a fashionable occult society, the true extent of Crowley's ambitions were unknown to all until it was too late. Working for Professor Moriarty, he used his knowledge of sorcery to capture Sherlock Holmes. When he was captured by the group with no sign of his dark master, he offered to help them stop Moriarty in exchange for his life. In a sudden yet inevitable betrayal, he ended Moriarty's life himself upon the alter of Stonehenge, adding Moriarty's massive intellect to his own and escaping in Robert Stark's time machine. His whereabouts are unknown.

Other media[edit]

Soundtracks[edit]

A soundtrack for the first season of Baker Street was released on 22 July 2012 to coincide with the airing of the season finale. A second soundtrack has been announced and its release will likely coincide with the airing of the series final episode. Note that the below track listing for the second soundtrack is incomplete.

Baker Street Season 1: Streets of London
No.TitleLength
1."Baker Street Title Theme" (Abney Park - Victorian Vigilante)4:12
2."A Meeting in the Church [St. Cyprian's Theme]" (Chobits Original Soundtrack - Better)2:18
3."Ominous Investigation" (Code Geass Original Soundtrack 2 - Invisible Sound)1:32
4."Madman, Inventor, Time-Traveller [Gervais Theme]" (Code Geass Original Soundtrack - All Hail Britannia!!!)2:32
5."The Hounds of Tindalos" (Bleach Original Soundtrack 2 - Enemy Unseen)2:04
6."The Good Doctor [Dr Jekyll Theme]" (Code Geass Original Soundtrack 2 - Pessimistic Time)2:13
7."Lustful Socialite [Dorian Gray Theme]" (Code Geass Original Soundtrack - Cold Nobility)1:16
8."In the Lair of the Dragon [Limehouse Theme]" (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Original Soundtrack - Night Fight)3:10
9."Party at the Gray Mansion" (The Vitamin String Quartet - Poker Face)3:16
10."The Portal Opens" (Bleach Original Soundtrack 2 - Shadow's Masquerade)2:29
11."The Count Beckons" (Dracula Original Soundtrack - Dracula)1:15
12."Vampires in Buckingham Palace" (Angel Original Soundtrack - Start The Apocalypse)3:35
13."Crawling Darkness [Missy Theme]" (Bleach Original Soundtrack 1 - Creeping Shadows)2:21
14."Bandersnatched" (Bleach OST 2 - Emergence Of The Haunted)2:23
15."Through the Looking Glass" (Alice: Madness Returns Original Soundtrack - Theme)1:23
16."Masked Spaniard [Zorro Theme]" (Bleach Original Soundtrack 3 - The Distance to a Duel)2:57
17."Brought a Fist to a Minigun Fight" (Final Fantasy VII Advent Children Original Soundtrack - Saranai Tatakau Mono Tachi)4:24
18."The Chase of Hovercraft" (Final Fantasy VII Advent Children Complete Original Soundtrack - The Chase of Highway)6:40
19."Time is Running Out!" (Immediate Music - Mercutio)1:40
20."Master of Space and Time [Doctor Who Theme]" (Doctor Who - Eighth Doctor Theme)1:13
21."Sinister Intellect [Moriarty Theme]" (Final Fantasy VII Advent Children Complete Original Soundtrack - Sign)5:09
22."The Invasion Begins" (The War of the Worlds Original Soundtrack - The Eve of the War)8:29
Baker Street Season 2: Mars and Beyond
No.TitleLength
1."Woeful Madness [Collins' Theme]" (Elfen Lied OST - Lilium)1:32
2."The Survivors Flee" (Bleach OST 2 - A Requiem)2:27
3."Weight of the World [Mycroft's Theme]" (Bioshock Infinite OST - Elizabeth)2:02
4."The Plan Progresses [Dracula's Theme]" (Dracula OST - Excellent, Mr Renfield)2:32
5."The Chinese Doctor [Fu Manchu's Theme]" (Total War Eras OST - The Shoto)1:29
6."Party at the Gray Mansion 2" (The Vitamin String Quartet - Just Dance)3:14
7."Friends? More Like Family" (Bleach OST 2 - Here To Stay)3:00
8."Clash of the Titans" (Nightwish - Song of Myself Instrumental Mix)7:05
9."Compassion [Adam's Theme]" (Bleach OST 2 - Compassion)2:46
10."Eccentric Psychopath [Hyde's Theme]" (Bioshock Infinite OST - Lutece)2:45
11."Investigating Technology [Stark's Theme]" (Mass Effect OST - The Secret Labs)2:38
12."Journey to the Centre of the Earth" (Code Geass OST - Outside Road)2:06
13."Underground Jungle" (Machinarium OST - The Bottom)5:30
14."Attacked in the Jungle" (Chronicles of Riddick OST - Critters Action Track)2:00
15."Madness [Cheshire Cat's Theme]" (Alice Madness Returns OST - Madness)1:23
16."Just Run!" (The Binding of Isaac OST - Divine Combat)2:27
17."The Space Between's Corruption" (The Vitamin String Quartet - A Song For The Deaf)4:26
18."Battle with Crowley" (Bleach OST 3 - HOLLOWED)1:43
19."Placeholder text" (Placeholder text)000
20."Placeholder text" (Placeholder text)000
21."Placeholder text" (Placeholder text)000
22."Placeholder text" (Placeholder text)000
23."Placeholder text" (Placeholder text)000
24."Placeholder text" (Placeholder text)000
25."Placeholder text" (Placeholder text)000
26."Placeholder text" (Placeholder text)000

Short story anthology[edit]

An anthology of short stories based on the series was rumoured in late 2012 but no release date was ever announced. The series creator, Matthew Karabache, has declined to comment on the existence of the anthology. It is speculated that the publication has been delayed due to the numerous copyright violations that a retelling of the television series would entail. It is uncertain as to whether this anthology will ever see general release.

List of episodes[edit]

Season 1[edit]

Number in series Title Original air date
1"An Odd Collection of Thieves"22 January 2012
Dr Jekyll approaches Brick for assistance after his laboratory is broken into by a long-limbed man the papers are calling Sping-Heeled Jack, Missy hides from him but agrees to help Brick find out about Jack as Jekyll's research getting out endangers her as well. Sherlock Holmes approaches Grace Campbell for help, enlisting them to help him break into the Museum of London in order to catch an art-thief mid-heist. Holmes has also enlisted Patrick Watson and Father Collins decides to go as well to keep an eye on Grace. Interested, Stark accompanies them and is surprised to find his rival Gervais is the culprit. Unfortunately, the teleportation technology Gervais is using has attracted the attention of a Hound of Tindalos, which attacks them. Gervais escapes, but--as a hunter of time travellers--the Hound also has Stark's scent now as well. Brick approaches Grace to help him find Spring-Heeled Jack. Through research, they learn that Dorian Gray's mansion was broken into as well and they get Father Collins to approach him. It proves to be a dead-end, but Grace eventually leads them to an apothecary in Limehouse, Dr Peng Kong. Realising he was caught, Kong quaffs the elixir that transforms him into Jack and escapes. Later, he breaks into the church to retrieve an idol that Grace had stolen from a shrine in his back room and, in a scuffle with her, the church catches on fire but the flames as extinguished by one of Stark's inventions. Brick throws the stone church sign at Jack as he escapes, but accidentally demolishes the orphanage next door. Jack is killed by Grace. Meanwhile, Stark is attacked again by the Hound as he rushes to create something to throw it off the scent. Instead, he creates a device to lure the beast in and, with the help of Father Collins, recruits the rest of the group to set up an ambush in Hyde Park for the Hound. They successfully catch it off-guard and, through concentrated attacks, are able to bring it down.
2"The Eyes of a Stranger"5 February 2012
Brick is arrested and put on trial for the destruction of the orphanage, but Gabriel Utterson, Dr Jekyll's lawyer, manages to get his sentenced reduced to community service rebuilding the orphanage. Dr Jekyll asks Brick to do what needs to be done should Hyde ever take permanent control of him. Father Collins approaches Dorian Gray to help fund the new orphanage. Dorian agrees, thanking them for dealing with Jack, and invites them to his next social event as curiosities. The circus that Grace and Brick used to belong to is in town. Finally managing to get to speak to Missy, Dr Jekyll tells her that she is not the result of one of his experiments, she was brought to him one night by a man in a coat. At Dorian Gray's party, they meet Aleister Crowley, Charles Dodgeson and several others, including John Bidwell. Bidwell invites them to a séance after the party, but the séance fails. The next day, Father Collins is approached by Inspector Lestrade, who questions him about the previous evening. Bidwell was found dead that morning, as was Judge Turpin, the judge that had sentenced Brick. Watson and Grace break into Bidwell's house to investigate and find his journal. Collins and the others visit Albrooke Asylum, where Bidwell was kept for a period after returning from his travels. They encounter Jekyll, who warns them off investigating Bidwell. Later it is found that Bidwell and Jekyll are both Stonemasons, and the Masons suspect Bidwell of being Jack the Ripper. The dates of entries in his personal journal refute this, however. A confrontation between Brick, Grace and Ringmaster Leon at the circus in Hyde Park is interrupted when the circusgoers are attacked by Sweeny Todd, currently possessed by Pazuzu. Father Collins exorcises the demon and they kill Todd. They track Bidwell's butler to a warehouse in Limehouse, but find him already dead. They discover the Crystal Cube referenced in Bidwell's journal, and discover the murderer is a body-hopping creature from a planet called Yekub. That evening, the group receives a message from Lestrade summoning them to Limehouse to the site of another murder, but it is a trap laid by the creature. They are ambushed by a dozen thugs from a Chinese Tong gang and upon their return, find that the church has been ransacked and the Crystal Cube stolen.
3"Anno Dracula"4 March 2012
SUMMARY.
4"Through the Looking Glass, Part I"18 March 2012
SUMMARY.
5"Through the Looking Glass, Part II"15 April 2012
SUMMARY.
6"The Mask of Zorro, Part I"13 May 2012
SUMMARY.
7"The Mask of Zorro, Part II"10 June 2012
SUMMARY.
8"The LARP Special"23 June 2012
SUMMARY.
9"A Golden Dawn"22 July 2012
SUMMARY.

Season 2[edit]

Number in series Title Original air date
1"One Year Later"7 July 2013
Episode summary.
2"Adam"21 July 2013
SUMMARY.
3"Journey to the Centre of the Earth, Part I"18 August 2013
SUMMARY.
4"Journey to the Centre of the Earth, Part II"1 September 2013
SUMMARY.
5"The Hounds of the Baskervilles"15 September 2013
Not yet aired.
6"Of Boys Both Lost and Found"TBA
Not yet aired.
7"The Theft of Dorian Grey"TBA
Not yet aired.
8"Patrick Watson of Mars"TBA
Not yet aired.
9"The Babalon Working"TBA
Not yet aired.

Photo gallery[edit]