What is the name Arthur Conan Doyle gave to the street urchins who sometimes assist Sherlock Holmes?

The Baker Street Irregulars are a group of London street urchins who sometimes assist the iconic detective Sherlock Holmes, created by Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930).

Technically, they only appear in two novels, although two of the most famous ones, "A Study in Scarlet" (1887) and "The Sign of the Four" (1890), and one of their number features in the 1893 short story, "The Adventure of the Crooked Man". Their most prominent member is their leader, a boy called Wiggins, who fancies himself superior to the others. It should be added that they are generously paid for their efforts, although they do seem to have a genuine respect and affection for Holmes. A similar character called Cartwright appears in the 1902 novel "The Hound of the Baskervilles", though he is not one of the actual Baker Street Irregulars. They have features more widely in film and TV adaptations of the novels.

A 1983 BBC production calling itself "The Baker Boys" puts them centre stage, and in 2007 a film was made called "Sherlock Holmes and the Baker Street Irregulars". In the modern adaptation, "Sherlock", they are transformed into a network of the homeless, one of whom, with a nod to Wiggins, is nicknamed "The Wig".