[1] The detective's adventures spanned multiple formats including comic strips, novels, radio serials, silent films, and a 1960s ITV television series, reaching audiences across Britain and internationally in various languages.

Initially conceived as a Victorian gentleman detective, Blake evolved significantly over time, acquiring now-iconic elements like his Baker Street residence, his young assistant Tinker, his bloodhound Pedro, and his housekeeper Mrs. Bardell.

While often compared to Sherlock Holmes, Blake's adventures typically featured more action-oriented plots and colorful adversaries, including memorable villains like Zenith the Albino, George Marsden Plummer, Dr. Huxton Rymer, Leon Kestrel, Waldo the Wonderman and the Criminals' Confederation.

The character reached his peak popularity during the 1920s and early 1930s, particularly through publications like The Union Jack and The Sexton Blake Library, which at its height published five times monthly.

Written by Harry Blyth (using the pseudonym Hal Meredeth), it was published in The Halfpenny Marvel number 6, on 20 December 1893, a story paper owned by the Amalgamated Press.

[2] Blyth wrote six more Sexton Blake tales, three for the Marvel and three for The Union Jack a story paper launched in April 1894.

These appearances included serials in the tabloid sized Boys' Friend (1905), complete tales in the pocket-sized Penny Pictorial (from 1907 to 1913 (when that magazine ended), and short stories in Answers, (1908–1911) one of the Amalgamated Press' most popular papers.

[3] Writers from this era include: William Murray Graydon, Maxwell Scott, Norman Goddard, Cecil Hayter, D. H. Parry, E. W. Alais, W. J Lomax, and Michael Storm.

In the second decade of the 20th century, new writers joined the ranks and created the formidable master criminals that matched wits with Blake.

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,[5] John Creasey, Jack Trevor Story, John G. Brandon[6] Michael Moorcock, and (allegedly) Brian O'Nolan (aka Flann O'Brien and Myles Coppaleen.)

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 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.

In 2013, Obverse Books 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,[8][9] The imprint had previously published a collection of short stories featuring Blake villain Zenith the Albino.

The first descriptions and illustrations of him showed him to be "a middle-aged Victorian gentleman dressed in the typical clothing of the era and carrying a heavy walking stick".

During the remainder of the Victorian era he worked with various assistants Griff (half-man and beast) and a Chinese boy named We-Wee.

When indoors at Baker Street he wore a red dressing gown, smoked a briar pipe and had a favourite chair.

[15] Throughout the Edwardian era he worked undercover at variety of jobs: reporter, cab driver, laundryman, sailor, cowboy all of which were reflected in the titles of his adventures.

In Sexton Blake KC it was disclosed that he was a fully trained lawyer, in "The Tattooed Eye" (21 November 1908) he says he is a duly qualified medical man but has never practised medicine.

The Sexton Blake Library found new popularity with faster-moving, more contemporary stories (often influenced by American pulp fiction).

[20][21] In Union Jack number 53, in a story titled "Cunning Against Skill" (1904), (written by W. J. Lomax under the pen-name of Herbert Maxwell), Blake picked up a wiry street-wise orphan as an assistant who was known only as Tinker until the 1950s.

Drummond sold newspapers in Northumberland Avenue in order to support his widowed mother until, aged just 14,[22] he was offered a job by Marshall.

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.

In Union Jack number 100 (9 September 1905), a story entitled "The Dog Detective" introduced Blake's faithful, wise and ferocious bloodhound, Pedro.

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).

Veteran writers John Hunter and Walter Tyrer excelled at this type of writing, but others failed to maintain their standards.

The cast: Simon Raven's Sexton Blake and the Demon God was a six-part television serial produced by Barry Letts for the BBC in 1978.