June Whitfield returns as Miss Marple on BBC Radio 4

The 89 year-old actress is returning to play the iconic character to mark the 125th anniversary of Agatha Christie’s birth.

(c) BBC - June Whitfield as Miss Jane Marple 

June Whitfield will star as elderly amateur sleuth Miss Jane Marple in “Miss Marple’s Final Cases”, a new three part radio drama series on BBC Radio 4. The series has been adapted from Agatha Christie’s short stories by Joy Wilkinson, who has adapted many of the author’s works for BBC Radio 4 in the past, including Endless Night and Crooked House.

June has previously played the character in all twelve Miss Marple novels on radio in the 1990s and is now returning to play the character for the final time. The actress describes the characters as “an extraordinary person because she has a talent for solving mysteries”.

Joy Wilkinson wrote a blog for the BBC Writersroom website saying, “This year, to mark Christie’s 125th anniversary, I finally got the chance to do a Marple. All the Marple novels had been done on radio and TV, so people knew them inside and out. What could I add? That temptation arose to do something different.”

The first of the thirty minute radio dramas is based on the short story “Tape-Measure Murder” from the collection of stories “Miss Marple’s Final Cases”.

Here’s the BBC’s description of the episode:

“Marking the 125th anniversary of Agatha Christie's birth this month, June Whitfield reprises her role as Miss Marple on BBC Radio 4 in the first of three new dramas by Joy Wilkinson. In episode one, rumours of a murdered wife and a husband under suspicion spread through St Mary Mead, and then Miss Marple is called as an alibi.”

The episode is written by Joy Wilkinson, and produced and directed by Gemma Jenkins for the BBC. It stars June Whitfield as Miss Marple; Rosie Cavaliero as Bunch; Stephen Critchlow as Inspector Slack; Jessica Turner as Miss Hartnell; Alison Pettitt as Miss Politt; Sam Dale as Mr Spenlow; and Chris Pavlo as Ted Gerard.

It's great to see that June Whitfield is revisiting Miss Marple this year, as we've already enjoyed a fresh adaptation of Christie's married sleuths Tommy and Tuppence this year, and will also look forward to seeing a new version of And Then There Were None too. It's safe to say that the BBC is Agatha Christie's new home.

The first episode will be broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on Wednesday 16th September at 11.30 am. If you miss it, you can catch up on BBC Iplayer Radio.

Six Agatha Christie Radio Dramas Coming Soon

Six "new" BBC Radio drama adaptations of Agatha's Christie's works are to be released on CD in the coming months.

The first radio drama collection is "Agatha Christie: The Lost Plays" which is a collection of three full cast radio dramas that are believed to have been lost for half a century and recently rediscovered and remastered. Two of them were written specifically for radio by Agatha Christie and one is an adaptation of her novel "Murder in the Mews".

Here's the BBC CD's product description:

“A triple bill of archive BBC radio dramas, believed lost for over half a century and only recently rediscovered. Butter in a Lordly Dish, written specially for radio in 1948, features Richard Williams as Sir Luke Enderby KC, whose infidelities lead him into trouble when he goes to meet his latest flame. Williams also stars as Hercule Poirot in Murder in the Mews, a 1955 adaptation of a short story. A young woman is found dead in her flat, the day after Guy Fawkes night. Did she die by her own hand, or someone else's? In Personal Call, also written specially for radio by Agatha Christie, a disturbing telephone call from a woman named Fay has consequences for both Richard Brent and his wife Pam. This 1960 production stars Ivan Brandt and Barbara Lott.”

This collection is available to pre-order from the BBC Shop and Amazon.co.uk now and will be released on September 3rd 2015. It is clearly a must-have for Agatha Christie fans - a collection of classic radio dramas that have been lost and rediscovered.

Then there’s also a set of new radio dramas from the BBC to be released on CD in November. Acclaimed actress June Whitfield is returning to play Agatha Christie's renowned sleuth Miss Marple in three brand new radio plays based on the collection of short stories “Miss Marple’s Final Cases”. June Whitfield completed recording the twelve Miss Marple novels back in 2001, and is now returning again to play the character in some new adaptations of Miss Marple short stories for BBC Radio.

Here’s the CD’s product description:

“June Whitfield stars as Miss Marple in three brand new BBC Radio 4 dramatisations. The short stories on which the adaptations are based were published in a variety of magazines during Agatha Christie's lifetime, and then collected posthumously as the book Miss Marple's Final Cases. Duration: 2 hours 30”

It is possible that the three radio dramas will be broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in the coming months, but this is not confirmed. However, I must say that I am pleased that June Whitfield is returning to play Miss Marple in some new radio dramas as it’s great to see (or rather hear) the character back on radio again. Each episode will be 50 minutes long and are all full cast BBC radio adaptations starring June Whitfield as Miss Marple. The audio CD is due to be released on November 5th 2015 and is available to pre-order on Amazon.co.uk. Therefore it is likely that the radio plays will be broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in the coming months.

Are you excited about these “new” radio dramas? Leave a comment below or tweet me @AChristieWeb

Partners in Crime: Episode One Preview (26th July)

(c) Laurence Cendrowicz - Jessica Raine as Tuppence and David Walliams as Tommy 

David Walliams and Jessica Raine star in the series premiere of Partners in Crime

The first episode of the much anticipated Partners In Crime starring David Walliams and Jessica Raine as Tommy and Tuppence will be broadcast on BBC One on this Sunday. The episode is based on Agatha Christie’s novel The Secret Adversary and has been adapted by Zinnie Harris and directed by Edward Hall.

Guest stars include Clarke Peters, Alice Krige and Jonny Phillips as well as series regulars Matthew Steer and James Fleet. The original novel has been split into three parts, the first of which will be broadcast this Sunday.

Here’s the BBC’s description of the first episode:

1952. Married couple Tommy and Tuppence have a chance encounter on a Paris train with an agitated young woman, named Jane Finn, who suddenly disappears and never returns to her seat. Back in England, Tommy is focussed on their fledgling honey business, Tuppence is much more concerned about the missing girl and her investigations bring them into contact with Tommy’s uncle, and Third Floor bigwig, Major Anthony Carter. It turns out that Jane Finn was carrying a secret recording that would potentially reveal the identity of a legendary Soviet assassin, known only as Mr Brown, who they believe will strike soon in Britain. Carter believes Brown’s cronies must have kidnapped Jane – they can only hope she managed to hide the recording before they got to her. Despite Carter’s attempts to keep them out of it, Tommy and Tuppence soon find themselves compelled to infiltrate Brown’s gang in the hopes of finding Jane Finn, the recording and foiling Brown’s next hit.

Cast and Credits:

Tommy Beresford - David Walliams

Tuppence Beresford - Jessica Raine

Major Anthony Carter - James Fleet

Albert Pemberton - Matthew Steer

Julius Hersheimmer - Clarke Peters

Rita Vandemeyer - Alice Krige

Lucky - Paul Brennen

Whittington - Jonny Phillips

James Peel - Andrew Havill

Jane Finn - Marie Beeput

Watch a teaser clip from the first episode below:

Partners In Crime: The Secret Adversary begins Sunday 26th July on BBC One starring David Walliams and Jessica Raine.

Coming Soon: Agatha Christie’s Partners In Crime, Starring David Walliams and Jessica Raine

(c) Laurence Cendrowicz - Jessica Raine as Tuppence and David Walliams as Tommy 

The new six-part series based on the Tommy and Tuppence novels is coming to BBC One on Sunday 26th July.

In February 2014, it was announced that David Walliams would star in a new BBC series based on the Tommy and Tuppence novels by Agatha Christie, with Jessica Raine playing the role of Tuppence and Walliams playing Tommy. After waiting patiently since then, Partners in Crime is coming to BBC One this July.

Starring David Walliams and Jessica Raine, the series is based on two Agatha Christie novels, The Secret Adversary and N or M?, which have been split into three parts in this new series. Episodes One-Three have been written by Zinnie Harris and Episodes Four-Six have been written by Claire Wilson. All six episodes are directed by Edward Hall (Downton Abbey).

Set in 1950s England, Tommy (David Walliams) and Tuppence Beresford (Jessica Raine) have been married ten years and have been struggling to keep afloat after the austerity that struck Britain after the second world war. To try and earn some money, Tommy has been working on various business enterprises, most of which turn out to be failures. But when Tommy’s uncle, the mysterious Major Anthony Carter (James Fleet) presents the Beresfords with a delicate mission of national importance, Tommy and Tuppence soon find themselves embroiled in a world of mysterious, intrigue and murder.

Alongside David Walliams and Jessica Raine, a whole host of talented actors also appear in the series. Partners In Crime co-stars Matthew Steer (Silent Witness) and James Fleet (Four Weddings and a Funeral) as Tommy and Tuppence’s friends and allies Albert Pemberton and Anthony Carter.

The series also features notable guest stars Ed Speleers (Downton Abbey), Clarke Peters (The Wire), Christina Cole (Poirot and Marple), Roy Marsden (Inspector Dalgliesh) and Hannah Waddingham (Les Miserables).

Watch the series trailer below:

Agatha Christie’s Partners In Crime is coming to BBC One on Sunday 26th July 2015. Don't miss it!

Starring David Walliams and Jessica Raine, Matthew Steer and James Fleet

Cast Announced for BBC's And Then Were None

The cast for the BBC's new adaptation of Agatha Christie's best selling novel And Then There Were None has been announced. 

With filming for the three part drama due to commence this weekend, the cast has been announced and includes Poldark star Aidan Turner and Game of Thrones star Charles Dance.

And Then There Were None has been adapted for the BBC by Sarah Phelps (The Casual Vacancy) and stars Aidan Turner (Poldark), Charles Dance (Game of Thrones), Toby Stephens (James Bond), Miranda Richardson (Mapp and Lucia), Anna Maxwell Martin (Death Come to Pemberley), Douglas Booth (Great Expectations), Burn Gorman (The Dark Knight Rises), Noah Taylor (Peaky Blinders) and Maeve Dermody (Black Water).

Here's the BBC's description of the upcoming drama:

"The 10 strangers include a reckless playboy, a troubled Harley Street doctor, a formidable judge, an uncouth detective, an unscrupulous mercenary, a God-fearing spinster, two restless servants, a highly decorated general and an anxious secretary. One by one they are picked off. Who will survive? And who is the killer? Copies of an ominous nursery rhyme hang in each room, the murders mimicking the awful fates of its ‘Ten Little Soldier Boys’.


And Then There Were None is currently filming now and is due to be broadcast some time later this year, in order to tie in with the 125th anniversary of Agatha Christie's birth. It will be broadcast in the US in early 2016.

In other news, the BBC's other Agatha Christie drama, Partners In Crime, will be broadcast this July and will star David Walliams and Jessica Raine as Tommy and Tuppence Beresford.

Cast and characters 

Anthony Marston - Douglas Booth
Justice Lawrence Wargrave - Charles Dance
Vera Claythorne - Maeve Dermody
William Blore - Burn Gorman
Ethel Rodgers - Anna Maxwell Martin
General John McArthur - Sam Neill
Miss Emily Brent - Miranda Richardson
Dr Edward Armstrong - Toby Stephens
Thomas Rodgers - Noah Taylor
Phillip Lombard - Aidan Turner


And Then There Were None commences filming this weekend and will be broadcast on BBC One later this year. 

Agatha Christie's 125th Anniversary

(c) Agatha Christie Web 

This year, 2015, marks 125 years since Agatha Christie's birth. 

On 15th September 1890, 125 years ago this year, Agatha Christie was born. To mark this anniversary, Agatha Christie Limited are celebrating in many different ways. Here's a round up of what's going on this year and how you can be involved in the celebrations.

Geraldine McEwan 1932 - 2015

(c) ITV - Geraldine McEwan as Miss Marple 

Geraldine McEwan, best known for playing Miss Marple from 2004 - 2009, died peacefully on 30th January 2015 following a stroke in October, her family announced yesterday.

read more...  

Miss Marple actress Geraldine McEwan dies aged 82

(c) ITV

The actress, best known for playing Miss Marple in the ITV series, has died aged 82. 

Geraldine McEwan's family have announced that the actress died on 30th January 2015 following a stroke she had in October 2014. McEwan was perhaps best known for her role as Agatha Christie's much loved elderly detective Miss Jane Marple, whom she played from 2004-2009 in the ITV series Agatha Christie's Marple.

In a statement, her children Greg and Claudia said, "Following a stroke at the end of October and a period in hospital, Geraldine McEwan passed away peacefully on January 30.

Her family would like to thank the staff at Charing Cross Hospital who cared for her incredibly well."

Ms McEwan played the title role in 12 feature length TV films and was very popular in the role. Her quirky touch gave the character a new side, but Geraldine also gave Miss Marple a very keen sense of justice that was true to Agatha Christie's original character. She first played the role in The Body in the Library in 2004 and grew to be highly popular and respected in the role. Her last appearance was in 2009's Nemesis.

Geraldine McEwan had a long career in theatre, film and television and won a BAFTA for Best Actress for the film Oranges are Not the Only Fruit in 1991. She was known for playing Lucia in the original ITV series of Mapp and Lucia, which was recently revived for the BBC starring Miranda Richardson and Anna Chancellor. She also starred in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, The Magdalene Sisters, played the title character in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie in 1978 and appeared in Wallace and Grommet and the Curse of the Warerabbit.

(c) ITV 

She retired from the role of Miss Marple in 2008 after playing the role in 12 episodes. Her final film, Nemesis, was broadcast in 2009. After her retirement, Julia McKenzie took over as Miss Marple in the remaining 11 episodes. On playing Miss Marple, Geraldine McEwan said, "Of course, it is terribly disappointing to have to pass the baton on, but it has been a marvellous experience to inhabit this role for the last few years" - The Guardian, 2009 

Matthew Pritchard, Agatha Christie's grandson, told the Guardian in 2009 that, "I think she brought a humanity and playfulness to the role"

My thoughts and prayers go out to McEwan's family and friends at this sad time. 


Here's a clip of Geraldine McEwan in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1978) 



Share your memories of Geraldine McEwan on twitter. Tweet me @AChristieWeb. 

Marple: Endless Night Preview (US)

©ITV - Julia McKenzie as Miss Marple and Wendy Craig as Marjorie Phillpot 

Julia McKenzie takes on the role of Miss Jane Marple for the last time in Endless Night 

The final episode of Agatha Christie's Marple, starring Julia McKenzie as the title sleuth, will be broadcast in the US on 28th September on PBS. Endless Night, based on the novel by Agatha Christie, is the final episode of the series that has run since 2004, when Marple was played by Geraldine McEwan. Endless Night also marks the 23rd episode in the series, and is Julia McKenzie's eleventh outing as the elderly detective.

This film was written by the late Kevin Elyot, who died earlier this year. He was the man responsible for six Marple films and the writer of some classic Poirot films, including Death on the Nile and Curtain: Poirot's Last Case. Endless Night is produced and directed by David Moore, and co-stars Wendy Craig (The Royal), Tom Hughes (The Lady Vanishes, I am Soldier), Joanna Vanderham (The Paradise), Aneurin Barnard (Cilla, Moonfleet) and Tamzin Outhwaite (New Tricks, Foyle's War).

Read more:

Marple Season 7 Preview (US)

©ITV - Julia McKenzie as Miss Marple and Wendy Craig as Marjorie Philpott

Julia McKenzie returns as Miss Jane Marple for her final series of films based on the novels by Agatha Christie. 

Fans of Agatha Christie in the US will be excited to hear that Marple Season 7 will be broadcast on PBS from Sunday 21st to 28th September. Julia McKenzie returns to the role of the inquisitive Miss Marple in her final three films. The first two, A Caribbean Mystery and Greenshaw's Folly, will be broadcast on Sunday 21st and the third, Endless Night, will be shown the following week. Joined by a whole host of stars including Antony Sher, Oliver Ford Davies, Fiona Shaw, Joanna David, Tom Hughes and Tamzin Outhwaite, Julia McKenzie takes Miss Marple on a dark trip from the Caribbean beaches to the sinister villages of the seemingly quiet English countryside.

A Caribbean Mystery  

A Caribbean Mystery finds Miss Marple (Julia McKenzie) far from St Mary Mead in a lavish hotel on the tropical island of St. Honore. However, the Golden Palms resort proves itself to be far from the heavenly retreat it first seemed, when fellow guest Major Palgrave (Oliver Ford Davies) dies shortly after his arrival, following an evening of exotic food, Planter’s Punch, and a specially arranged “Voodoo show”. 

 

Miss Marple alone is unconvinced by the “official” verdict that Palgrave died from a heart attack, and recruits the curmudgeonly business tycoon, Jason Rafiel (Antony Sher), to be her reluctant sidekick. Together they unpick a web of deceit and “dark magic”.

 

Despite Miss Marple’s conviction that another murder is imminent, the local police chief, Inspector Daventry (Anele Matoti), stubbornly refuses to take this sweet-natured spinster seriously.  That is until the brutal deaths of a hotel maid and a second guest. 

 

Suddenly every one of the hotel’s intriguing guests and its owners, Tim (Robert Webb) and Molly Kendall (Charity Wakefield), becomes a suspect, and it is left to Agatha Christie's iconic detective to unravel the truth, and apprehend this paradise island’s dangerous killer.

©ITV - Julia McKenzie as Miss Marple with the cast of 'A Caribbean Mystery'

Cast list:

 

Julia McKenzie - Miss Marple

Robert Webb - Tim Kendall

Charity Wakefield - Molly 

Sir Antony Sher - Mr Rafiel 

Daniel Rigby - Canon Prescott

Warren Brown - Jackson

Montserrat Lombard - Esther Walters

Alastair Mackenzie - Colonel Edward Hillingdon 

Pippa Bennett Warner - Victoria

Charles Mesure - Greg Dyson

Kingsley Ben-Adir - Errol

Hermione Norris - Evelyn Hillingdon

Joe Vaz - Sergeant Weston

Anele Matoti - Inspector Daventry

MyAnna Buring - Lucky Dyson 

Oliver Ford Davies - Major Palgrave

Andrea Dondolo - Mama Zogbe

Jeremy Crutchley - Ian Fleming

Charlie Higson - James Bond

 

Greenshaw's Folly 

 

When Louisa Oxley (Kimberley Nixon), an old family friend, visits Miss Marple on the run one stormy night, our amateur sleuth knows she must help both Louisa and her young son Archie (Bobby Smalldridge) by finding them refuge at the nearby Greenshaw's Folly.

 

Miss Marple secures Louisa a secretarial position at the Folly, a shambolic country pile of her dear friend, the eccentric botanist, Miss Greenshaw (Fiona Shaw), the last in a long family line. However, despite Louisa quickly finding herself with two admirers in the form of gardener Alfred Pollock (Martin Compston) and actor Nat Fletcher (Sam Reid) it soon becomes clear that the labyrinthine Folly isn't quite the safe house Miss Marple had hoped for. 

 

Death soon begins to cast its dark and sinister shadow, firstly over Walter Cracken (Jim Moir), the Folly’s loyal butler, whose demise appears to be an accident after one wee dram too many.

 

But worldly-wise Miss Marple is far less convinced than the brusque Inspector Welch (John Gordon Sinclair). And then when Folly guest Horace Bindler (Rufus Jones) goes missing, a dangerous storm seems to be gathering finally bursting to dramatic effect with the gruesome murder of Miss Greenshaw herself.

 

All are suspects, but none can imagine the secrets, both past and present, which Miss Marple is about to unravel.

 

©ITV - Miss Marple enjoying her Caribbean holiday

 

Cast list:

 

Julia McKenzie - Miss Marple

Kimberley Nixon - Louisa Oxley

Julia Sawalha - Mrs Cresswell

Martin Compston - Alfred Pollock

Sam Reid - Nat Fletcher

John Gordon Sinclair - Inspector Welch

Matt Jay - Willis Cayley

Robert Glenister - Father Brophy

Judy Parfitt - Cicely Beauclerk

Fiona Shaw - Miss Greenshaw

Rufus Jones - Horace Bindler

Jim Moir - Walter Cracken

Oscar Pearce - Philip Oxley

Candida Gubbins - Minnie Tulliver

Joanna David - Grace Ritchie

Bobby Smalldridge - Archie Oxley

 

Endless Night will be broadcast in the US on Sunday 28th September 

 

Jessica Raine cast as Tuppence in new BBC series

The Woman in Black and Call the Midwife actress will play Tuppence in the 2015 BBC series Partners In Crime. 
Earlier this year, it was announced that David Walliams (Big School) would play one half of Tommy and Tuppence in a new BBC series based on Agatha Christie's novels. The six-part series, based on two of Christie's novels, will be broadcast in 2015 to co-inside with the 125th anniversary of the successful crime author's birthday. It has been revealed that actress Jessica Raine will play Tuppence Beresford alongside Walliams as Tommy.

The first three episodes, based on The Secret Adversary, have been written by Zinnie Harris (Spooks) and are directed by Edward Hall (Downton Abbey). Episodes 4-6, based on N or M?, have been adapted by Claire Wilson (Twist). The series is produced by Georgina Lowe (Mr Turner) and executive produced by Hilary Bevan Jones (Esio Trot), David Walliams, Matthew Pritchard and Matthew Read.

Partners In Crime is an adventure series with espionage and humour at its heart. Set in a 1950s Britain rising from the ashes of the Blitz into the grip of a new Cold War, our beekeeping duo stumble into a world of murder, undercover agents and cold war conspiracy.
Tuppence (Jessica Raine) is a woman who sees adventure round every corner, throwing herself head first into every mystery with passion and fervour, determined to get to the truth no matter what it takes, much to the dismay of her more cautious husband Tommy (David Walliams).

David Walliams says: “In bringing these thrilling stories to the screen, it is our ambition for Tommy and Tuppence to finally take their rightful place alongside Poirot and Marple as iconic Agatha Christie characters. I was first drawn to the delicious notion of a married couple solving crimes together, and the more I read of the Tommy and Tuppence novels and short stories, the more I realised they are among Christie’s very best work.”

Mathew Prichard, Chairman of Agatha Christie Ltd, says: “The first Tommy and Tuppence novel was published in 1922 and my grandmother, Agatha Christie, would be thrilled to see her crime-fighting team reinvigorated for the BBC over 90 years on from when she first brought them to life.”

A three-part film based on Agatha Christie's masterpiece And Then There Were None was also commissioned by the BBC in February. This is set for broadcast at Christmas 2015. 

Partners In Crime has begun filming now. The series will be broadcast in late 2015. 

What do you think of Jessica Raine's casting as Tuppence? Tweet me @AChristieWeb  

Related Posts: 

BBC is the home of Agatha Christie on TV



 

Poirot Season 13 - Curtain: Poirot's Last Case Preview (US)

©ITV - David Suchet as Hercule Poirot and Gregory Cox as the Coroner

After twenty five years and sixty nine episodes, the end is here. 

For fans of the hugely successful and long-running series in the US, Hercule Poirot's Last Case is here. David Suchet has now completed all of Agatha Christie's Poirot novels (and most of the short stories). Curtain reunites Poirot with Hastings and Style's Court, the scene of their first murder investigation together. But there is a marked difference in both friends: Hastings is widowed and Poirot is ill. Curtain was adapted by the late Kevin Elyot, produced by David Boulter and directed by Hettie Macdonald.

Poirot Season 13 - The Labours of Hercules Preview

©ITV/Patrick Redmond - Eleanor Tomlinson as Alice Cunningham

David Suchet's penultimate episode as Poirot comes to the US on Monday 18th August 
On Monday 18th August, Poirot: The Labours of Hercules will be available to watch in America on AcornTV. The penultimate episode of the long-running series sees Hercule Poirot in a different light: the great detective is depressed. After failing to save a young woman's life, he goes to the Swiss Alps to cure himself, but finds the killer amongst the hotel guests. Orla Brady stars as Countess Vera Rossakoff, Poirot's old flame, who was previously played by Kika Markham in The Double Clue. The films was adapted from a collection of short stories by Guy Andrews, produced by David Boulter and directed by Andy Wilson.

Murder at the Bloxham Hotel

It has been revealed that a 1920s hotel due to re-open in September is central to the new Poirot mystery. 

All that we know so far is that The Bloxham Hotel, a 1920s hotel due to re-open in September, will appear in Sophie Hannah's new Poirot novel The Monogram Murders. The date for the re-opening is 9th September, the same date the new Poirot novel is released worldwide. So far, the location and history of the hotel is a mystery.
 

Poirot Series 13 - Elephants Can Remember Preview

©ITV/Patrick Redmond - From left: Zoe Wanamaker as Ariadne Oliver, David Suchet as Hercule Poirot and Greta Scacchi as Mrs Burton-Cox

For one of his final cases, Poirot must delve into the past with his friend Ariadne Oliver

America fans of the little Belgian detective will be pleased to hear that episode three of the thirteenth and final series of the long-running show will be available to watch on AcornTV from August 11th. Elephants Can Remember features the recurring character of Ariadne Oliver, perfectly played by Zoe Wanamaker, and features Greta Scacchi, Danny Webb and Caroline Blakiston amongst the guest cast.  It was first broadcast in the UK on June 9th 2013, and was adapted by Nick Dear, produced by David Boulter and directed by John Strickland.

Poirot Season 13 - The Big Four Preview

©ITV - from left: Pauline Moran as Miss Lemon, Philip Jackson as Assistant Commissioner Japp, David Suchet as Hercule Poirot and Hugh Fraser as Captain Hastings

The first episode of the final season of Poirot will be broadcast in the US on Monday 28th July. 

Hugh Fraser, Philip Jackson and Pauline Moran are reunited with David Suchet for the final season of Poirot. The Big Four was broadcast in the UK on 23rd October 2013, but fans of Poirot in the US have had to wait a little longer to say "Adieu" to the famous Belgian detective. The wait is finally over, as on Monday, they can watch the season premiere. 
The thirteenth and final season starts with a bang, as Captain Hastings (Hugh Fraser), Miss Lemon (Pauline Moran) and Chief Inspector Japp (Philip Jackson) are reunited after many years apart for the funeral of their much loved friend Hercule Poirot. It has been twelve years Poirot has seen his old friends, as they last appeared alongside him in the 2002 episode Evil Under the Sun. 
The episode was adapted by Mark Gatiss and Ian Hallard, produced by David Boulter and directed by Peter Lyndon. 

The Monogram Murders: Cover Revealed!

In an exclusive video, the cover of the new Hercule Poirot mystery, written by Sophie Hannah, is revealed. 

And here is the amazing UK cover...

(c) HarperCollinsUK

And here is the US cover...

(c) HarperCollinsUS

Poirot and Marple are coming to the US

©ITV

The final seasons of Poirot and Marple are to be broadcast on PBS in the USA soon. 

A year ago, excited fans of Poirot in the UK were waiting another twenty four hours for the first episode of the thirteenth and final series of the hit ITV show. Elephants Can Remember first aired on our screens on June 9th 2013, and didn't disappoint. Then the week after, we were treated to the first of the last series of Marple, A Caribbean Mystery. This year, fans in the US can now view these amazing last episodes on their TV screens. But there's a catch. The thirteenth season (why do we Brits call them a 'series' and in America they are called 'seasons'?) will be shown in part on the American channel PBS, but the final three will be available to watch exclusively on the new streaming service Acorn TV. You can also view the first two episodes on Acorn TV the day after broadcast, but you can ONLY see the last three on Acorn TV. The Big Four and Dead Man's Folly will be broadcast on PBS but the other three are only available on the streaming service. All of the Marple episodes will be available to watch on PBS, and will be on Acorn TV the day after broadcast. As I don't live in the US or have never been, and to be honest, have no idea what this Acorn TV is, I don't know if this is good or bad. But if you have a subscription with it, you should be able to watch.

As an exclusive for fans in America, here is an episode guide for the following episodes, with broadcast dates included. (Note that the episodes are in US broadcast order)

Jason Durr takes over from Robert Powell in Black Coffee

The Heartbeat actor will take over the role of Hercule Poirot from Robert Powell in the UK tour of Black Coffee. 

Jason Durr will make his debut performance as Agatha Christie's super sleuth tonight (June 3rd) on the UK tour of the play Black Coffee from the Agatha Christie Theatre Company. His previous acting credits include roles in Heartbeat, Midsomer Murders, Lewis and Marple: The Blue Geranium on television. Jason Durr has also played another famous detective on stage recently, Sherlock Holmes.
He will follow in the patent-leather footsteps of Albert Finney, Peter Ustinov, Robert Powell, and of course David Suchet, who have all played Poirot before and brought him to life on stage and screen.
Jason Durr will star alongside Liza Goddard, Robin McCallum, Olivia Mace, Ben Nealon, Eric Carte and Felicity Houlbrooke.

(c) Bill Kenwright Productions - Jason Durr as Hercule Poirot 

(c) Bill Kenwright Productions - Robert Powell as Hercule Poirot 

Related Articles:

Robert Powell is the new face of Hercule Poirot 
Black Coffee Review 
Hercule Poirot: On Stage and Screen

Sophie Hannah's New Poirot Novel - Title Revealed!

The highly anticipated new Hercule Poirot novel, written by Sophie Hannah, is called The Monogram Murders. 

HarperCollins 

In a short video released yesterday, author of the new Poirot novel Sophie Hannah revealed that the book is called The Monogram Murders. The book will be published worldwide in September, to tie in with the Agatha Christie Festival. The Monogram Murders will be released in the UK on 8th September. This will be the first new Poirot mystery to be published since 1976. It will make up the 34th Poirot novel in the series.

Here is the official description: Hercule Poirot's quiet supper in a London coffee house is interrupted when a young woman confides to him that she is about to be murdered. She is terrified, but begs Poirot not to find and punish her killer. Once she is dead, she insists, justice will have been done.

Later that night, Poirot learns that three guests at a fashionable London hotel have been murdered, and a cufflink has been placed in each one’s mouth. Could there be a connection with the frightened woman? While Poirot struggles to put together the bizarre pieces of the puzzle, the murderer prepares another hotel bedroom for a fourth victim…

In the hands of internationally bestselling author Sophie Hannah, Poirot plunges into a mystery set in 1920s London – a diabolically clever puzzle that can only be solved by the talented Belgian detective and his ‘little grey cells’.

Here is the video of the big reveal...


What do you think of the title? Are you excited for this new novel? Leave a comment below or tweet me @AChristieWeb