[1] Bidwell was born and raised in Leyland, Lancashire and attended Balshaw's Church of England High School.

He went on to write for all four of the BBC's popular continuing dramas: Doctors, EastEnders, Casualty and its spinoff, Holby City.

Bidwell described the program as "my dream project and my oldest idea"[10] and it takes a different view of Holmes and his relationship to the Irregulars, which has the band of street kids solve cases.

It features Phoenix Laroche and the voices of Alex Lawther, Helena Bonham Carter, Nicola Coughlan.

In 2018 he volunteered to help pupils at Frenchwood Community Primary School in Preston with their story-making skills, in a visit organised through teacher Jane Bidwell, his sister-in-law.