Sexton Blake is a fictional character, a detective who has been featured in many British comic strips, novels and dramatic productions since 1893. Sexton Blake adventures were featured in a wide variety of British and international publications (in many languages) from 1893 to 1978, comprising more than 4,000 stories by some 200 different authors. Blake was also the hero of numerous silent and sound films, radio serials, and a 1960s ITV television series.

Publication history

The first decades

The first Sexton Blake story was "The Missing Millionaire". Written by

Harry Blyth Henry Thomas (Harry) Blyth (1852–1898) was a British writer who also wrote under the pen-name Hal Meredith. Blyth was born in Greenwich, London. He wrote for many of Alfred Harmsworth's papers of the 1890s, and is mostly remembered for cre ...

(using the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

Hal Meredeth), it was published in the story paper ''The

Halfpenny Marvel ''The Halfpenny Marvel'' was a British story paper for children of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, published by Amalgamated Press. Overview ''The Halfpenny Marvel'' was the first of Alfred Harmsworth's story papers aimed at putting the ...

'' number 6, on 20 December 1893. He featured thereafter also in a few more stories by Meredeth. His adventures were published subsequently in a variety of publications, primarily the magazine ''

Union Jack The Union Jack, or Union Flag, is the ''de facto'' national flag of the United Kingdom. Although no law has been passed making the Union Flag the official national flag of the United Kingdom, it has effectively become such through precedent. ...

'', published first in April 1894. Blake featured in Issue 2 of ''Union Jack'' (with the title "Sexton Blake, Detective"), and from 1904, the character was featured regularly until ''Union Jack'' became ''

Detective Weekly ''Detective Weekly'' was a weekly United Kingdom, British story paper that ran for 379 issues, from February 25, 1933 to May 25, 1940. Overview ''Detective Weekly'' was a continuation of the ''Union Jack (magazine), Union Jack'', the storypap ...

'' in 1933. Blake continued as the main feature until ''Detective Weekly'' ended in 1940. Blake also featured in a number of serials in the magazine ''

The Boys' Friend ''The Boys' Friend'' was a British story paper of the early 20th century, published by Amalgamated Press from 1895 to 1927. Overview ''The Boys' Friend'' was a large, tabloid-sized story paper priced one penny (later 2d)."The Boys' Friend," ''Col ...

'' beginning 1905 and in the magazine '' Penny Pictorial'' from 1907 to 1913 (when that magazine ended). ''The Boys' Friend'' introduced the first truly lengthy stories (of as many as 60,000 words), allowing for greater plot and character development. In 1907, a story entitled "Sexton Blake's Honour" dealt with Blake's pursuit of a criminal who turned out to be his brother, Henry Blake. Another bad brother, Nigel, was revealed in 1933 in the first issue of ''Detective Weekly'', in a story titled "Sexton Blake's Secret".

''The Sexton Blake Library'': 1915–1968

Perhaps most famously, Blake featured in his own long-running magazine, ''

The Sexton Blake Library ''The Sexton Blake Library'' was a story paper of the first two-thirds of the 20th century, published by Amalgamated Press. It featured the adventures of private detective Sexton Blake, his boy assistant Tinker and their dog Pedro. Overview By t ...

'', from 1915 to 1968 which was published in five "series". The first issue of ''The Sexton Blake Library'' was published on 20 September 1915, entitled "The Yellow Tiger" and written by George Hamilton Teed. This issue introduced villains Wu Ling and Baron de Beauremon in an eleven chapter story, costing 3d (1.25p). The story is 107 pages; a second story, "The Great Cup-Tie!" (not featuring Blake) completes the remainder of the issue's 120 pages. The second issue, "Ill Gotten Gains (The Secret of Salcoth Island)", had Blake fight Count Carlac and Professor Kew. Issue three was entitled "The Shadow of his Crime" and issue four "The Rajah's Revenge". Publication was constant at 2–4 issues per month until the end of series 4 in 1964. Series 5, starting 1965, was a sporadic series of paperbacks. The last edition, "Down Among The Ad Men" written by W. A Ballinger ( Wilfred McNeilly), was published in October 1968. Some additional Sexton Blake books were published during 1968 and 1969 that were not labelled explicitly as part of the ''Sexton Blake Library''. The majority of ''Sexton Blake Library'' covers (prior to editor William Howard Baker's 1956 revamp of the character) were painted by master Sexton Blake illustrator Eric Parker. Writers who worked on Sexton Blake stories throughout this 53-year span included Charles Henry St. John Cooper,

John Creasey John Creasey (17 September 1908 – 9 June 1973) was an English crime writer, also writing science fiction, romance and western novels, who wrote more than six hundred novels using twenty-eight different pseudonyms. He created several charac ...

Jack Trevor Story Jack Trevor Story (30 March 1917 – 5 December 1991) was a British novelist, publishing prolifically from the 1940s to the 1970s. His best-known works are the 1949 comic mystery ''The Trouble with Harry'' (which was adapted for Alfred Hit ...

, John G. Brandon

Michael Moorcock Michael John Moorcock (born 18 December 1939) is an English writer, best-known for science fiction and fantasy, who has published a number of well-received literary novels as well as comic thrillers, graphic novels and non-fiction. He has work ...

, and (allegedly)

Brian O'Nolan Brian O'Nolan ( ga, Brian Ó Nualláin; 5 October 1911 – 1 April 1966), better known by his pen name Flann O'Brien, was an Irish civil service official, novelist, playwright and satirist, who is now considered a major figure in twentieth ce ...

(aka Flann O'Brien and Myles Coppaleen.) After Fleetway ceased publishing the ''Sexton Blake Library'' series at the end of its fourth volume, in 1963, Blake editor William Howard Baker licensed the character from IPC company and published a fifth volume independently, via Mayflower-Dell Books, that ran until 1968. He then published a final series of four Sexton Blake novels, using his Howard Baker Books imprint, in 1969.

Comic strips: 1939–1979

Blake comic strips featured in ''The Knock-Out Comic'' (later ''Knock-Out Comic & Magnet'' and, finally, simply ''

Knockout A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, muay thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, a ...

'') from 1939 to 1960. The Blake strip was illustrated originally by artist

Jos Walker Jos is a city in the north central region of Nigeria. The city has a population of about 900,000 residents based on the 2006 census. Popularly called "J-Town", it is the administrative capital and largest city of Plateau State. During British ...

and then by Alfred Taylor, who illustrated Blake's adventures for ten years. The undoubted highlight of Blake's 21-year run in ''Knockout'' was a 14-part 1949 strip drawn by Blake's greatest illustrator Eric Parker, entitled ''The Secret of Monte Cristo''. This was Parker's only contribution to Blake's comic strip adventures. There was one '' Super Detective Library'' story about Blake: issue 68 (published November 1955), featuring a comic strip entitled ''Sexton Blake's Diamond Hunt''. A final Sexton Blake comic strip (initiated to tie in with the 1967–1971 television show) featured in IPC's weekly boys' anthology ''Valiant'', from January 1968 to May 1970. A seven-part Blake comic strip featured in IPC's comic ''

Tornado A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, altho ...

'' from March 1979 to May 1979. A contract dispute (subsequently resolved in IPC's favour) caused the ''Tornado'' editorial team to rename Blake "Victor Drago" (and Tinker & Pedro "Spencer & Brutus") for the duration of this strip.

Other publications

A series of 160-page Sexton Blake annuals, featuring old stories and new material, began in 1938 and lasted till 1941. Four hardbacks designed for the younger market were published by Dean & Son Ltd during 1968. The third of these, ''Raffles' Crime in Gibraltar'', portrayed Blake contending with

A. J. Raffles Arthur J. Raffles (usually called A. J. Raffles) is a fictional character created in 1898 by E. W. Hornung, brother-in-law of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes. Raffles is, in many ways, an inversion of Holmeshe is a "gentle ...

, E.W. Hornung's amateur cracksman. In 2009, IPC's information manager, David Abbott, signed licenses to publish two Blake omnibus archive editions: ''The Casebook of Sexton Blake'', published by Wordsworth Editions, and ''Sexton Blake, Detective'' published by Snowbooks. In 2013,

Obverse Books Obverse Books is a British publisher initially known for publishing books relating to the character Iris Wildthyme, and currently for the ''The Black Archive, Black Archive'' series of critical books on ''Doctor Who,'' and two sister series - t ...

licensed the character and published ''The Silent Thunder Caper'' by Mark Hodder, the first book in a proposed sixth series of the Sexton Blake Library, The imprint had previously published a collection of short stories featuring Blake villain

Zenith the Albino Monsieur Zenith the Albino is an ambiguous villain created by writer Anthony Skene for the "Sexton Blake" series of detective pulp fiction. Zenith is an albino, world-weary gentleman thief, originally Romanian nobility but in exile for undetermine ...

. In 2020

Rebellion Developments Rebellion Developments Limited is a British video game developer based in Oxford, England. Founded by Jason and Chris Kingsley in December 1992, the company is best known for its ''Sniper Elite'' series and multiple games in the ''Alien vs. Pre ...

released a Sexton Blake special under its Treasury of British Comics imprint.

Blake's evolution

As the years passed, Blake's character experienced various permutations. He was originally created to be similar to earlier 19th-century detectives, but during the late 1890s, Blake's authors consciously modelled him on

Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a " consulting detective" in the stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with observation, deduction, forensic science and ...

. It was not until 1919 that Blake was given a more distinctive personality. Blake became much more action-oriented than Holmes and duelled with a variety of memorable enemies. Blake used medical knowledge to solve some cases in the very early years. In "The Tattooed Eye" (21 November 1908) he says he is a duly qualified medical man but has never practised medicine. Many of Blake's writers had been men of adventure who had travelled the world. When World War II started, they enlisted, leaving just a small group of writers behind (with the addition of the occasional guest writer). Consequently, the standard of Blake's stories suffered. In November 1955, William Howard Baker became editor of the ''Sexton Blake Library'' and, during 1956, introduced a successful update of the Blake formula. The ''Sexton Blake Library'' found new popularity with faster-moving, more contemporary stories (often influenced by American

pulp fiction ''Pulp Fiction'' is a 1994 American crime film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, who conceived it with Roger Avary.See, e.g., King (2002), pp. 185–7; ; Starring John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis, Tim Roth, Ving Rhame ...

). Blake, who had been relocated a number of times over the years, was relocated to a suite of plush offices in

Berkeley Square Berkeley Square is a garden square in the West End of London. It is one of the best known of the many squares in London, located in Mayfair in the City of Westminster. It was laid out in the mid 18th century by the architect William Ke ...

(while retaining lodgings at Baker Street) and acquired a secretary, Paula Dane, who became a not-quite-

love interest ''Gli Innamorati'' (, meaning "The Lovers") were stock characters within the theatre style known as commedia dell'arte, who appeared in 16th century Italy. In the plays, everything revolved around the Lovers in some regard. These dramatic and pos ...

for Blake. Tinker was given a real name, Edward Carter, and Blake's office receptionist, Marion Lang, was introduced as his female counterpart. Covers, which had become rather staid during the early 1950s, became much more dynamic and a new group of authors was commissioned. Baker remained as editor until 1963 (his last story was "The Last Tiger") before becoming Blake's licensor/publisher and continuing to oversee Blake's print adventures until 1969.

Blake's associates

Blake's first associate from ''The Halfpenny Marvel'' No. 6 ("The Missing Millionaire") is the Frenchman Jules Gervaise, who gives him the first recorded case. By issue No. 7 ("A Christmas Crime"), they initiate an investigative company together. In the third story of issue No. 11 ("A Golden Ghost"), Gervaise is not mentioned. In ''Union Jack'' number 53, in a story titled "Cunning Against Skill", Blake picked up a wiry street-wise orphan as an assistant who was known only as "Tinker" until the 1950s. With the popularity of

school stories The school story is a fiction genre centring on older pre-adolescent and adolescent school life, at its most popular in the first half of the twentieth century. While examples do exist in other countries, it is most commonly set in English board ...

during the early 1900s, Tinker's schooldays were chronicled in issues 229 and 232. Over the years, Tinker changed from a boy and good fighter to a rugged and capable young man. As well as assisting the "guv'nor", as he called Blake, Tinker kept Blake's crime files up to date with clippings from the daily newspapers, in addition to assisting Blake in his fully equipped crime laboratory. The Edwardian British private detective Herbert Marshall was a friend of one of the Blake authors', Charles Henry St John Cooper (1869–1926), and stated that Cooper had based the character of Tinker on Marshall's own teenaged assistant Henry Drummond. Drummond sold newspapers in Northumberland Avenue in order to support his widowed mother until, aged just 14, he was offered a job by Marshall. Drummond died in around 1905 from tuberculosis, aged 19. Other associates included Derek "Splash" Page of the ''Daily Radio''; Ruff Hanson, a tough American investigator (both created by Gwyn Evans), and Blake's friends at Scotland Yard: Chief Detective Inspector Lennard, Detective Inspector Coutts, and Superintendent Venner. In 1905, Blake's bustling housekeeper Mrs Bardell (created by William Murray Graydon, who also created Pedro the bloodhound), was introduced and remained until the end. Her misuse of the English language was legendary in stories – she was a gifted cook and would always be on hand if a client needed food or a cup of tea. Mrs Bardell even featured as the main character in stories such as: "The Mystery Of Mrs Bardell's Xmas Pudding" in 1925 and "Mrs Bardell's Xmas Eve" in 1926. In ''Union Jack'' number 100 (9 September 1905), a story entitled "The Dog Detective" introduced Blake's faithful, wise and ferocious

bloodhound The bloodhound is a large scent hound, originally bred for hunting deer, wild boar and, since the Middle Ages, for tracking people. Believed to be descended from hounds once kept at the Abbey of Saint-Hubert, Belgium, in French it is called, ''l ...

, Pedro. Pedro was originally owned by Rafael Calderon, ex-president of a South American state, but after performing various services for Calderon, Blake was given Pedro by Calderon, using the guise of "Mr. Nemo". Pedro tracked many villains to their lairs in subsequent stories. Another notable non-human associate (and almost a character in itself) was Blake's bullet-proof Rolls-Royce, named ''The Grey Panther'' (introduced at a time when most other sleuths were still taking cabs). For a short while, Blake also flew a

Moth Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of w ...

monoplane (also called ''The Grey Panther'' and designed by Blake himself). One of Blake's friends and professional rivals was detective

Nelson Lee Nelson Lee (born October 16, 1975) is a Taiwanese-Canadian actor. He is best known for portraying Shen in '' Blade: The Series'' and Dragon King in '' Stargirl''. Life and career Lee was born in Taipei, Taiwan on October 16, 1975. He starred in ...

. The two first appeared together in ''Christmas Clues'' in the 1895 Christmas issue of ''Pluck''. The two would then team up again in 1909's ''The Winged Terror'' and then in several issues of the ''Union Jack''.

Blake's enemies

Sexton Blake had a large rogues gallery of supervillains from around the globe. Some of the most famous included: * George Marsden Plummer (created by Ernest Semphill), a dishonest Detective Sergeant at

Scotland Yard Scotland Yard (officially New Scotland Yard) is the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police, the territorial police force responsible for policing Greater London's 32 boroughs, but not the City of London, the square mile that forms London's ...

, opposed Blake, but like many others, Plummer ended in a police cell. Unlike many before him, he repeatedly escaped and became Blake's arch-enemy. * Waldo the Wonderman (created by

Edwy Searles Brooks Edwy Searles Brooks (11 November 1889 – 2 December 1965) was a British novelist who also wrote under the pen-names Berkeley Gray, Victor Gunn, Rex Madison, and Carlton Ross. Brooks was born in Hackney, London. He is believed to have written ...

), a circus strongman who had tremendous strength, could contort his body like a rubber man, and was insensitive to pain. He first appeared as a villain and ended in later stories as a friend of Blake's, helping him with a number of cases. But despite his reformation, he continued to steal money (but his victims were now blackmailers, swindlers, and other no-good members of the underworld). *

(created by Anthony Skene) the Byronic master thief * Dr Huxton Rymer (created by George Hamilton Teed) a world renowned surgeon turned master criminal * Prince Wu Ling (created by George Hamilton Teed) a former Chinese royal bent on world domination * The Criminals' Confederation (created by Robert Murray Graydon) was an insidious criminal organisation that spanned the globe The type of villain Blake opposed changed with the times (as did Blake himself). After World War II, his opponents became more ordinary, their personalities and motives less fantastic. Veteran writers John Hunter and Walter Tyrer excelled at this type of writing, but others failed to maintain their standards.

Bibliography

Stories

* Sexton Blake And The Demon God (1978) John Garforth * Sexton Blake And The White Fairy (2000) John Hall * Sexton Blake And The Curse Of Ozymandias (2000) John Hall * The Seance At Stillwater Mansion (2006) Mark Hodder * The Return Of The Yellow Beetle (2006) Mark Hodder * Special Dispensation 5 And 6 (Plus 5, Appendix 1) (2006) Mark Hodder * The Case Of The Left Hand Of Thoth (2006) Mark Hodder * The Shades Of Pemberley (2007) Win Scott Eckert * The Case Of The Flying Submarine (2009) Mark Hodder * Pedro Pulls Through! (2009) Mark Hodder * The Day Of The Dragon (2009) Mark Hodder * The Mystery Of Devil's Forest (2009) Mark Hodder * Sexton Blake Versus Doctor Fu Manchu (2009) Mark Hodder * The Silent Thunder Caper (2014) Mark Hodder * Sexton Blake And The Ghost Of Otis Maunder (2018) by David Friend

Manuscripts

* Regan's Rum Racket by Edwy Searles Brooks * The Doomed Valley by Rex Dolphin * The Case Of The Missing Diplomat by Dail Ambler * Riviera Racket by W. Howard Baker (?) as Peter Saxon * A Pinch Of Sniff by W. Howard Baker (?) as Peter Saxon * The Odd Affair Of Diane Starr by W. Howard Baker (?) as Peter Saxon * The Branded Blonde by W. Howard Baker (?) as Peter Saxon

Collections

* Sexton Blake: Star Of Union Jack And Detective Weekly (1972) * Crime At Christmas (1974) * Sexton Blake's Early Cases (1976) * Sexton Blake Wins (1986) * The Sexton Blake Casebook (1987) * The Sexton Blake Detective Library (1989) * The Casebook of Sexton Blake (2009) * Sexton Blake, Detective (2009) * Sexton Blake And The Great War (2020) * Sexton Blake versus the Master Crooks (2020) * Sexton Blake's Allies (2020) * Sexton Blake on the Home Front (2021) * Sexton Blake's New Order (2021) * Sexton Blake: The Early Years (2020) * Sexton Blake: The Answers Casebook (2020) * Sexton Blake: Friends and Allies (2020) * Sexton Blake: The First Super Villains (2020) * Sexton Blake: The Master Criminals (2020) * Sexton Blake: Yvonne's Vengeance (2020) * Sexton Blake: Rymer and Wu Ling (2020) * Sexton Blake: Wu Ling Strikes Again (2020) * Sexton Blake: Cunning Schemes (2020) * Sexton Blake: The Storm Files (2021) * Sexton Blake: The Plummer Files (2021) * Sexton Blake: The Kew Files (2021) * Sexton Blake & Nelson Lee (2021) * Sexton Blake: The Claire Delisle Files (2022) * Sexton Blake: The Clique of Death (2022)

The Criminals’ Confederation Series

* Sexton Blake: The Bat Files (2021) * Sexton Blake: The Bat Files #2 (2021) * Sexton Blake: The Bat Files #3 (2021) * Sexton Blake: The Bat Files #4 (2021) * Sexton Blake: Confederation Rising (2021) * Sexton Blake: The Sinister Island Saga (2021) * Sexton Blake: Yvonne Joins the Fight (2022) * Sexton Blake: Beware the Shadow (2022) * Sexton Blake: Plots and Intrigues (2022) * Sexton Blake: Reversals of Fortune (2022) * Sexton Blake: The Rival Presidents (2022) * Sexton Blake: Reece's Republic (2022) * Sexton Blake: Twists in the Trail (2022) * Sexton Blake: Final Curtain (2022)

Adaptations

Stage

There were several Sexton Blake stage plays: * ''The Case of the Coiners'' (1907), was the earliest produced * Percy Holmshaw produced ''Sexton Blake – a detective story in four acts'' in 1931. Blake was played by

Arthur Wontner Arthur Wontner (21 January 1875 – 10 July 1960) was a British actor best known for playing Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's master detective Sherlock Holmes in five films from 1931 to 1937. Career Wontner's acting career began on the stage where h ...

, whose performance then led to him being cast as Sherlock Holmes in five films.

Movies

Silent movies

There was also a spoof film titled ''Sexton Pimple'' (1914), starring the comedian Fred Evans.

Talkies

* ''

Sexton Blake and the Bearded Doctor ''Sexton Blake and the Bearded Doctor'' is a 1935 British mystery film directed by George A. Cooper and starring George Curzon, Henry Oscar and Tony Sympson. It is based on the novel ''The Blazing Launch Murder'' by Rex Hardinge, and was one ...

'' was the first of three Blake talkies produced during the 1930s. Based on a novel by Rex Hardinge, this movie featured George Curzon as Sexton Blake and

Tony Sympson Tony Sympson (10 July 1906 – 30 March 1983) was a British actor. Selected filmography * ''The Indiscretions of Eve'' (1932) - Pip * ''Sexton Blake and the Mademoiselle'' (1935) - Tinker * '' Sexton Blake and the Bearded Doctor'' (1935) - ...

as Tinker. *''

Sexton Blake and the Mademoiselle ''Sexton Blake and the Mademoiselle'' is a 1935 British crime film directed by Alex Bryce and starring George Curzon as Sexton Blake. Premise Blake must discover who has stolen from a wealthy financier – and discovers a mysterious woman be ...

'' (featuring Mlle. Roxanne as the female villain from the books), from a story by G H Teed, followed soon afterwards. * The third production was ''

Sexton Blake and the Hooded Terror ''Sexton Blake and the Hooded Terror'' is a 1938 British crime film directed by George King and starring George Curzon, Tod Slaughter and Greta Gynt. It was George Curzon's third and final outing as the fictional detective Sexton Blake. Plot ...

'' with

Tod Slaughter Norman Carter Slaughter (19 March 1885 – 19 February 1956), also known as Tod Slaughter, was an English actor, best known for playing over-the-top maniacs in macabre film adaptations of Victorian melodramas. Early life Slaughter was born o ...

playing the villain. * Two movies ''

Meet Sexton Blake ''Meet Sexton Blake!'' is a 1945 British supporting feature drama film directed by John Harlow and starring David Farrar, Manning Whiley, Dennis Arundell, and John Varley. It was one of two films in which David Farrar played Sexton Blake, th ...

'' and ''

The Echo Murders ''The Echo Murders'' is a 1945 British thriller film directed by John Harlow and starring David Farrar and Dennis Price. It was one of two films directed by John Harlow in which David Farrar played Sexton Blake, the other being '' Meet Sexton ...

'' were made in 1945. They were directed by John Harlow, and featured David Farrar as Blake. (Farrar had played a small role in ''Sexton Blake and the Hooded Terror''.) * The

Hammer A hammer is a tool, most often a hand tool, consisting of a weighted "head" fixed to a long handle that is swung to deliver an impact to a small area of an object. This can be, for example, to drive nails into wood, to shape metal (as w ...

film ''

Murder at Site 3 ''Murder at Site 3'' is a Hammer movie from 1958, featuring the character of Sexton Blake. It stars Barbara Shelley, Geoffrey Toone and John Warwick. Plot Sexton Blake tracks down a gang who have stolen secrets from a rocket site. Cast * Ge ...

'' (1958) featuring

Geoffrey Toone Geoffrey Toone (15 November 1910 – 1 June 2005) was an English character actor and former matinee idol, born in Ireland. Most of his film roles after the 1930s were in supporting parts, usually as authority figures, though he did play the lead ...

did not launch a series.

Radio

* On 26 January 1939,

BBC Radio BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927). The service provides national radio stations covering th ...

broadcast a serial named ''Enter Sexton Blake'', featuring George Curzon as Blake and

Brian Lawrence Brian Michael Lawrence (born May 14, 1976) is an American former professional baseball starting pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres and New York Mets. He is currently the pitching coach of the South Bend Cu ...

as Tinker. * 30 March 1940, BBC broadcast ''A Case for Sexton Blake'', adapted by

Francis Durbridge Francis Henry Durbridge (; 25 November 1912 – 11 April 1998) was an English dramatist and author, best known for the creation of the character Paul Temple, the gentlemanly detective who appeared in 16 BBC multi-part radio serials from 1 ...

. * During 1967,

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...

broadcast a popular series of Sexton Blake radio adventures starring

William Franklyn William Leo Franklyn (22 September 1925 – 31 October 2006) was a British actor, perhaps best known for voicing the "Schhh... You Know Who" adverts for Schweppes from 1965 to 1973. He also performed on stage, film, television and radio, t ...

as Blake, David Gregory as Tinker, and

Heather Chasen Heather Jean Chasen (20 July 1927 – 22 May 2020) was an English actress, known for her roles in soap operas; playing Valerie Pollard in the ITV soap opera, '' Crossroads'', from 1982 to 1986 and guest roles in '' Doctors'', '' Holby ...

as Blake's secretary, Paula Dane. Broadcast on Thursday nights at 7.00pm, this series of 17 programmes (which ran weekly from 24 August to 14 December) was scripted by Donald Stuart, devised for radio by Philip Ridgeway, and produced by veteran BBC radio producer Alastair Scott-Johnston. * On 6 March 2006, after discussions between noted British radio producer

Dirk Maggs David George Dirk Maggs (born St. Helier, Jersey, February 1955) is a British freelance writer and director. During his career as a Senior Producer in BBC Radio he made radio drama adopting a cinematic-sounding approach, combining filmic story c ...

and IPC publishing director Andrew Sumner, Maggs recorded a half-hour ''Adventures of Sexton Blake'' pilot show for his newly formed

Perfectly Normal Productions David George Dirk Maggs (born St. Helier, Jersey, February 1955) is a British freelance writer and director. During his career as a Senior Producer in BBC Radio he made radio drama adopting a cinematic-sounding approach, combining filmic story c ...

. This humorous satire of Blake's adventures featured Simon Jones as Blake, Wayne Forester as Tinker, and a returning

, in one of his final performances, as the elderly Blake (who narrates the adventure). As a result of the success of this pilot, Maggs directed a new series of Blake adventures for

BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 15 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the station broadcasts a wide range of content. ...

. ''The Adventures of Sexton Blake'' again featured Jones and Forester, joined by

June Whitfield Dame June Rosemary Whitfield (11 November 1925 – 29 December 2018) was an English radio, television, and film actress. Her big break was a lead in the radio comedy '' Take It from Here'', which aired on the BBC Light Programme in 1953. ...

as Mrs Bardell, and Graham Hoadly as Professor Kew. The series was written by Jonathan Nash and Mil Millington and broadcast, in six weekly 15 minute instalments, during late summer 2009. An extended version of the complete series was released on CD by BBC Audiobooks on 10 September 2009.

David Quantick David Quantick (born 14 May 1961) is an English novelist, comedy writer and critic, who has worked as a journalist and screenwriter. A former freelance writer for the music magazine ''NME'', his writing credits have included '' On the Hour'', '' ...

's accompanying Blake documentary, ''The Hunt For Sexton Blake'' (also produced by Perfectly Normal Productions) was broadcast on

before the series started.

Television

Sexton Blake (1967–71)

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...

broadcast Rediffusion/Thames Television's ''Sexton Blake'' featuring

Laurence Payne Laurence Stanley Payne (5 June 1919 – 23 February 2009) was an English actor and novelist. Early life Payne was born in London. His father died when he was three years old, and he and his elder brother and sister were brought up by their ...

as Blake and

Roger Foss Roger is a given name, usually masculine, and a surname. The given name is derived from the Old French personal names ' and '. These names are of Germanic origin, derived from the elements ', ''χrōþi'' ("fame", "renown", "honour") and ', ' ( ...

as Tinker from Monday 25 September 1967 to Wednesday 13 January 1971. In keeping with Sexton Blake's classic print adventures, Payne's Blake drove a white

Rolls-Royce Rolls-Royce (always hyphenated) may refer to: * Rolls-Royce Limited, a British manufacturer of cars and later aero engines, founded in 1906, now defunct Automobiles * Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, the current car manufacturing company incorporated in ...

named "The Grey Panther" and owned a bloodhound named Pedro. The show was produced originally by Ronald Marriott for Associated Rediffusion, with Thames Television assuming production in 1968. Pedro was played by one or more bloodhounds (bitches), which doubled as 'Henry', for Chunky dog food advertisements with

Clement Freud Sir Clement Raphael Freud (24 April 1924 – 15 April 2009) was a German-born British broadcaster, writer, politician and chef. The son of Ernst L. Freud and grandson of Sigmund Freud, Clement moved to the United Kingdom from Nazi Germany as ...

, and were owned by the then secretary of the Bloodhound Club, Mrs Bobbie Edwards. During rehearsals for the show in 1968, Laurence Payne was blinded in his left eye by a rapier. Typical of the TV series's sometimes-fantastic storylines (all of which lasted 2–6 episodes) was 1968's "The Invicta Ray" in which a villain dressed in a costume and hood of sackcloth-like material and, under the rays of The Invicta Ray, became invisible so that he could commit crimes without being seen. Of 50 episodes, only the first episode is thought to exist still. * Season One: The Find-The-Lady Affair. 4 episodes. Monday 25 September 1967 to Monday 16 October 1967. * Season One: Knave of Diamonds. 5 episodes. Monday 23 October 1967 to Monday 20 November. * Season One: The Great Tong Mystery. 4 episodes. Monday 27 November 1967 to Monday 18 December 1967. * Season One: The Vanishing Snowman. Christmas Special. Monday 25 December 1967. * Season One: House of Masks. 4 episodes. Monday 1 January 1968 to Monday 22 January 1968. * Season One: The Invicta Ray. 4 episodes. Monday 29 January 1968 to Monday 19 February 1968. * Season Two: The Case of the Gasping Goldfish. 2 episodes. Thursday 14 November 1968 to Thursday 21 November 1968. * Season Two: Return of the Scorpion. 2 episodes. Thursday 28 November 1968 to Thursday 5 December 1968. * Season Two: The Great Train Robbery. 2 episodes. Thurs 16 January 1969 to Thurs 23 January 1969. * Season Two: The Great Soccer Mystery. 3 episodes. Thurs 30 January 1969 to Thurs 13 Feb 1969. * Season Three: Sexton Blake and Captain Nemesis. 3 episodes. Wed 8 Oct 1969 to Wed 22 Oct 1969. * Season Three: Sexton Blake verses The Gangsters. 3 episodes. Wed 29 Oct 1969 to Wed 12 Nov 1969. * Season Three: Sexton Blake and the Frightened Man. 2 eps. Wed 19 Nov 1969 to Wed 26 Nov 1969. * Season Three: Sexton Blake and the Undertaker. 3 episodes. Wed 3 Dec 1969 to Wed 17 Dec 1969. * Season Three: Sexton Blake and the Toy Family. 2 episodes. Wed 23 Dec 1969 to Wed 30 Dec 1969. * Season Four: Sexton Blake and the Puff Adder. 6 episodes. Wed 9 Dec 1970 to Wed 13 January 1971. The cast: *

as Sexton Blake *

as Edward Clark (Tinker) * Dorothea Phillips as Mrs Bardell *

Ernest Clark Ernest Clark (12 February 1912 – 11 November 1994) was a British actor of stage, television and film. Early life Clark was the son of a master builder in Maida Vale, and was educated nearby at St Marylebone Grammar School. After leaving sc ...

as Inspector Coutts *

Leonard Sachs Leonard Meyer Sachs (26 September 1909 – 15 June 1990) was a South African-born British actor. Life and career Sachs was born in the town of Roodepoort, in the then Transvaal Colony, present day South Africa. He was Jewish. He emigrated to ...

as Inspector Van Steen * Meredith Edwards as Inspector (Taff) Evans * Eric Lander as Inspector Cardish * Charles Morgan as Inspector Davies

Sexton Blake and the Demon God (1978)

Simon Raven Simon Arthur Noël Raven (28 December 1927 – 12 May 2001) was an English author, playwright, essayist, television writer, and screenwriter. He is known for his louche lifestyle as much as for his literary output. Expelled from Charterhouse Sc ...

's '' Sexton Blake and the Demon God'' was a six-part television serial produced by

Barry Letts Barry Leopold Letts (26 March 1925 – 9 October 2009) was an English actor, television director, writer and producer, best known for being the producer of '' Doctor Who'' from 1969 to 1974. Born in Leicester, he worked as an actor in theatre ...

for the BBC in 1978. The serial was broadcast by

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, p ...

at tea-time from Sunday 10 September 1978 until Sunday 15 October 1978 and was directed by

Roger Tucker Roger Tucker (born 13 May 1945) is a British television and film director. Since 1972 he has directed over 40 television series, miniseries, and television films, including many dramas, thrillers, and action series. Career Roger Tucker was born ...

. Jeremy Clyde played Blake, with Philip Davis appearing as Tinker and Barbara Lott playing Mrs Bardell.

The Sexton Blake Library (Obverse Books) )

* Sexton Blake and the Silent Thunder Caper by Mark Hodder (2014) * Zenith Lives! (2012)

Other Blake appearances

* A seven-minute 78 rpm record, titled ''Murder on the Portsmouth Road'', had a script written by Donald Stuart and featured Arthur Wontner (who also featured as

in early British

talkies A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades passed before ...

) as Blake. *

used Blake as the basis for '' The Metatemporal Detective'', Seaton Begg. Moorcock also borrowed the character of Zenith the Albino, both as partial inspiration for

Elric of Melniboné Elric of Melniboné is a fictional character created by English writer Michael Moorcock and the protagonist of a series of sword and sorcery stories taking place on an alternative Earth. The proper name and title of the character is Elric VII ...

and as an actual character (who was implied to be an avatar of Elric's). Both Begg and Zenith featured in

' collection '' Zenith Lives! '' (2012), which includes a new Begg/Zenith novella from Moorcock. Seaton Begg was also the lead character in The novella Immortal Seaston Begg (2019). Which was released as part of Sextet (An Obverse Celebration), a series of six interconnected novellas released in the second half of 2019 to celebrate Obverse Books' tenth anniversary * Bengali novelist Dinendra Kumar Roy wrote 217 stories in

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

, following the Sexton Blake series in the name of

Robert Blake Robert Blake may refer to: Sportspeople * Bob Blake (American football) (1885–1962), American football player * Robbie Blake (born 1976), English footballer * Bob Blake (ice hockey) (1914–2008), American ice hockey player * Rob Blake (born 19 ...

References

External links

The Sexton Blake Resource

* ttps://rebellionpublishing.com/product_series/sexton-blake/ The Sexton Blake Archive: Rebellion Publishing
Sexton Blake Anthologies: ROH Press

Issues of ''The Sexton Blake Library'' at ComicBooksPlus

Sexton Blake: The World's Greatest Detective

BBC 7 – ''The Radio Detectives'' – Sexton Blake, the other Baker Street Detective
— streaming audio
David Quantick's BBC Radio 2 Documentary – The Hunt For Sexton Blake, 28 July 2009
– BBC iPlayer streaming audio {{DEFAULTSORT:Blake, Sexton Literary characters introduced in 1893

Sexton Blake Sexton Blake is a fictional character, a detective who has been featured in many British comic strips, novels and dramatic productions since 1893. Sexton Blake adventures were featured in a wide variety of British and international publications ...

Fictional male detectives Characters in pulp fiction

Fictional gentleman detectives *