| Agatha Christie's Poirot | |
|---|---|
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| Genre | Crime drama |
| Based on | Hercule Poirot stories byAgatha Christie |
| Screenplay by | Clive Exton and others |
| Starring | David Suchet |
| Composers |
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| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 13 |
| No. of episodes | 70(list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Producers | Brian Eastman and others |
| Running time |
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| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
| Network | ITV |
| Release | 8 January 1989 (1989-01-08) – 13 November 2013 (2013-11-13) |
Agatha Christie's Poirot, or simplyPoirot (UK:/pwɑːroʊ/[1]), is a British mystery drama television programme that aired onITV from 8 January 1989 to 13 November 2013. The ITV show is based on many ofAgatha Christie's famous crime fiction series, which revolves around the fictional private investigatorHercule Poirot.David Suchet stars as the title character. Initially produced byLWT, the series was later produced byITV Studios. The series also aired onVisionTV in Canada, and onPBS andA&E in the US.
The programme ran for 13 series and 70 episodes in total. Each episode was adapted from a novel or short story by Christie that featured Poirot. In each episode Poirot is both the main detective in charge of the investigation of a crime (usually murder) and the protagonist at the centre of most of the episode's action. At the programme's conclusion, which finished with "Curtain: Poirot's Last Case", based on the 1975 novel of the same name,[2] every major literary work by Christie that featured the title character had been adapted.[3]
David Suchet was cast as the eponymousHercule Poirot. He was portrayed, especially in the earlier series, alongsideHugh Fraser as the closest friend of Poirot,Captain Arthur Hastings, as well asPauline Moran playing Poirot's clever secretary,Felicity Lemon, andPhilip Jackson depicting Poirot's long-standing associate,Inspector James Japp.
Towards the later series, other characters such as Poirot's English butler, George, played byDavid Yelland, and crime novelistAriadne Oliver, played byZoë Wanamaker, feature and become prominent. Several actors played multiple parts specific to certain episodes, includingNicholas Farrell andBeatie Edney.
| Character | Series | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | |
| Hercule Poirot | David Suchet | ||||||||||||
| Captain Arthur Hastings | Hugh Fraser | Hugh Fraser | |||||||||||
| Chief Inspector James Japp | Philip Jackson | Philip Jackson | |||||||||||
| Miss Felicity Lemon | Pauline Moran | Pauline Moran | Pauline Moran | ||||||||||
| Detective Inspector Jameson | John Cording | ||||||||||||
| Countess Vera Rossakoff | Kika Markham | Orla Brady | |||||||||||
| Ariadne Oliver | Zoë Wanamaker | ||||||||||||
| George | David Yelland | ||||||||||||
| Superintendent Harold Spence | Richard Hope | ||||||||||||
| Series | Episodes | Originally released | Ave. UK viewers (millions) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | ||||
| 1 | 10 | 8 January 1989 (1989-01-08) | 19 March 1989 (1989-03-19) | TBA | |
| 2 | 9 | 7 January 1990 (1990-01-07) | 4 March 1990 (1990-03-04) | TBA | |
| 3 | 11 | 16 September 1990 (1990-09-16) | 10 March 1991 (1991-03-10) | TBA | |
| 4 | 3 | 5 January 1992 (1992-01-05) | 19 January 1992 (1992-01-19) | TBA | |
| 5 | 8 | 17 January 1993 (1993-01-17) | 7 March 1993 (1993-03-07) | TBA | |
| 6 | 4 | 1 January 1995 (1995-01-01) | 16 March 1996 (1996-03-16) | TBA | |
| 7 | 2 | 2 January 2000 (2000-01-02) | 19 February 2000 (2000-02-19) | 9.12 | |
| 8 | 2 | 20 April 2001 (2001-04-20) | 8 July 2001 (2001-07-08) | 7.21 | |
| 9 | 4 | 14 December 2003 (2003-12-14) | 26 April 2004 (2004-04-26) | 7.27 | |
| 10 | 4 | 11 December 2005 (2005-12-11) | 2 April 2006 (2006-04-02) | 6.98 | |
| 11 | 4 | 1 September 2008 (2008-09-01) | 22 September 2008 (2008-09-22) | 5.18 | |
| 12 | 4 | 30 December 2009 (2009-12-30) | 11 July 2010 (2010-07-11) | 5.12 | |
| 13 | 5 | 9 June 2013 (2013-06-09) | 13 November 2013 (2013-11-13) | 5.53 | |
Clive Exton in partnership with producerBrian Eastman adapted the pilot. Together, they wrote and produced the first eight series. Exton and Eastman leftPoirot after 2001, when they began work onRosemary & Thyme. Michele Buck andDamien Timmer, who both went on to formMammoth Screen, were behind the revamping of the series.[4]
While Christie's novels are set contemporaneously with the time of writing (between the 1920s and 1970s), 1936 was chosen as the year in which to place the majority ofPoirot episodes; references to events such as theJarrow March were included to strengthen this chronology.[5] With some exceptions, the series as a whole is set in roughly chronological order between 1935 and 1939, just prior to theSecond World War. Numerous references in early episodes place the series primarily in 1935, progressing to 1936 by series four. Most references remain in 1936, moving slowly forward to 1937 by series eleven and 1938 byMurder on the Orient Express.The Big Four is set explicitly in early 1939. The most notable exceptions to this chronology areThe Mysterious Affair at Styles, which narrates Poirot's first case in 1917, andCurtain: Poirot's Last Case, which is set primarily in 1949.The Chocolate Box shows Poirot in the early 1900s, though the framing narrative remains consistent with the series' usual timeframe.
The opening titles were designed by Pat Gavin, and featureArt Deco–Cubist–style iconography, partly inspired byCassandre, including images ofBattersea Power Station, biplanes, boats, and a train with Poirot's name formed by the wheels.[6]
The episodes aired from series 9 in 2003 featured a radical shift in tone from the previous series. The humour of the earlier series was downplayed, with each episode being presented as serious drama and saw the introduction of gritty elements not present in the Christie stories being adapted. Recurrent motifs in the additions included drug use, sex, abortion, homosexuality, and a tendency toward more visceral imagery. The visual style of later episodes was correspondingly different: particularly, an overall darker tone; austere modernist orArt Deco locations and decor that were widely used earlier in the series were largely dropped in favour of more elaborate settings (epitomised by the re-imagining of Poirot's home as a larger, more lavish apartment).[7]
The series logo was redesigned (the full opening title sequence had not been used since series 6 in 1996), and the main theme motif, though used often, was usually featured subtly and in sombre arrangements; this has been described as a consequence of the novels adapted being darker and more psychologically driven.[8] However, a more upbeat string arrangement of the theme music is used for the end credits of "Hallowe'en Party", "The Clocks" and "Dead Man's Folly". In flashback scenes, later episodes also made extensive use offisheye lens, distorted colours, and other visual effects.
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Series 9–12 lackHugh Fraser,Philip Jackson andPauline Moran, who had appeared in the previous series (excepting series 4, where Moran is absent). Series 10 (2006) introducedZoë Wanamaker as the eccentric crime novelistAriadne Oliver andDavid Yelland as Poirot's dependable valet, George — a character that had been introduced in the earlyPoirot novels but was left out of the early adaptations to develop the character of Miss Lemon. The introduction of Wanamaker and Yelland's characters and the absence of the other characters is generally consistent with the stories on which the scripts were based. Hugh Fraser and David Yelland[9] returned for two episodes of the final series (The Big Four andCurtain), with Philip Jackson and Pauline Moran[10] returning for the adaptation ofThe Big Four. Zoë Wanamaker also returned for the adaptations ofElephants Can Remember andDead Man's Folly.
Clive Exton adapted seven novels and fourteen short stories for the series, including "The ABC Murders" and "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd",[11] which received mixed reviews from critics.[8]Anthony Horowitz was another prolific writer for the series, adapting three novels and nine short stories,[12] whileNick Dear adapted six novels. Comedian and novelistMark Gatiss wrote three episodes and also guest-starred in the series,[13] as havePeter Flannery andKevin Elyot.Ian Hallard, who co-wrote the screenplay for "The Big Four" with Mark Gatiss, appears in the episode and also in "Hallowe'en Party", which was scripted by Gatiss alone.
Florin Court inCharterhouse Square,London, was used as Poirot's London residence, Whitehaven Mansions.[14] The final episode to be filmed was "Dead Man's Folly" in June 2013 on theGreenway Estate (which was Agatha Christie's home) broadcast on 30 October 2013.[15] Most of the locations and buildings where the episodes were shot were given fictional names.[16]
Suchet was recommended for the part by Christie's family, who had seen him appear as Blott in the TV adaptation of Tom Sharpe'sBlott on the Landscape.[17] Suchet, amethod actor, said that he prepared for the part by reading all thePoirot novels and every short story, and copying out every piece of description about the character.[18][19][20] Suchet toldThe Strand Magazine: "What I did was, I had my file on one side of me and a pile of stories on the other side and day after day, week after week, I ploughed through most of Agatha Christie's novels about Hercule Poirot and wrote down characteristics until I had a file full of documentation of the character. And then it was my business not only to know what he was like, but to gradually become him. I had to become him before we started shooting".[21]
During the filming of the first series, Suchet almost left the production during an argument with a director, insisting that Poirot's odd mannerisms (in this case, putting a handkerchief down before sitting on a park bench) be featured;[22] he later said "there's no question [Poirot's]obsessive-compulsive".[23] According to many critics and enthusiasts, Suchet's characterisation is considered to be the most accurate interpretation of all the actors who have played Poirot, and the closest to the character in the books.[24] In 2013, Suchet revealed that Christie's daughterRosalind Hicks had told him she was sure Christie would have approved of his performance.[25]
In 2007, Suchet spoke of his desire to film the remaining stories in the canon and hoped to achieve this before his 65th birthday in May 2011.[26] Despite speculation of cancellation early in 2011, the remaining books were ultimately adapted into a thirteenth series,[27] adapted in 2013 into 5 episodes, from which "Curtain" aired last on 13 November. A 2013 television special,Being Poirot, centred on Suchet's characterisation and his emotional final episode.
Alongside recurring characters, the early series featured actors who later achieved greater fame, includingSean Pertwee ("The King of Clubs", 1989; "Dead Man's Folly", 2013),Joely Richardson ("The Dream", 1989),Polly Walker ("Peril at End House", 1990),Samantha Bond ("The Adventure of the Cheap Flat", 1990),Christopher Eccleston ("One, Two, Buckle My Shoe", 1992),Hermione Norris ("Jewel Robbery at The Grand Metropolitan", 1993),Damian Lewis ("Hickory Dickory Dock", 1995),Jamie Bamber ("The Murder of Roger Ackroyd", 2000),Russell Tovey ("Evil Under the Sun", 2001),Kelly Reilly ("Sad Cypress", 2003),Aidan Gillen ("Five Little Pigs", 2003),Emily Blunt ("Death on the Nile", 2004),Alice Eve ("The Mystery of the Blue Train", 2005),Michael Fassbender ("After the Funeral", 2006),Ruth Gemmell ("Mrs McGinty's Dead", 2008),Toby Jones andJessica Chastain ("Murder on the Orient Express", 2010), andTom Ellis ("Dead Man's Folly", 2013).
FourAcademy Award nominees have appeared in the series:Sarah Miles,Barbara Hershey,Elizabeth McGovern andElliott Gould.Peter Capaldi, Jessica Chastain, Michael Fassbender,Lesley Manville,Vanessa Kirby andEmily Blunt went on to receive Academy Award nominations after appearing on the show (with Chastain winning the Best Actress award in 2022 forThe Eyes of Tammy Faye). Several members of British thespian families appeared in episodes throughout the course of the series.James Fox appeared as Colonel Race in "Death on the Nile", and his older brotherEdward Fox appeared as Gudgeon in "The Hollow".[28]
Three of the Cusack sisters each appeared in an episode:Niamh Cusack in "The King of Clubs",Sorcha Cusack in "Jewel Robbery at The Grand Metropolitan", andSinéad Cusack in "Dead Man's Folly".Phyllida Law and her daughterSophie Thompson appeared in "Hallowe'en Party".David Yelland appeared as Charles Laverton West in "Murder in the Mews" and as George for the remainder of the series from Series 10 onward, and his daughterHannah Yelland appeared as Geraldine Marsh in "Lord Edgware Dies".
Agatha Christie's grandson Mathew Prichard commented: "Personally, I regret very much that she [Agatha Christie] never saw David Suchet. I think that visually he is much the most convincing and perhaps he manages to convey to the viewer just enough of the irritation that we always associate with the perfectionist, to be convincing!"[32]
In 2008, the series was described by some critics as going "off piste",[33] though not negatively, from its old format. It was praised for its new writers, more lavish productions, and a greater emphasis on the darker psychology of the novels. Significantly, it was noted for "Five Little Pigs" (adapted by Kevin Elyot) bringing out a homosexual subtext of the novel.[8] Nominations for twentyBAFTAs were received between 1989 and 1991 for series 1–3.[34]
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Nominee(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| British Academy Television Awards (1990) | 1990 | Best Original Television Music | Christopher Gunning | Won |
| British Academy Television Craft Awards (1990) | 1990 | Best Costume Design | Linda Mattock(series 1, episodes 2, 4, 7–8, 10) | Won |
| Sue Thomson(series 1, episodes 1, 3, 5–6, 9) | Nominated | |||
| Best Make-up | Hilary Martin, Christine Cant and Roseann Samuel | Won | ||
| Best Design | Rob Harris(series 1, episodes 1–2, 5, 8, 10) | Nominated | ||
| Best Graphics | Pat Gavin | Won | ||
| British Academy Television Awards (1991) | 1991 | Best Actor | David Suchet | Nominated |
| Best Drama Series or Serial | Brian Eastman | Nominated | ||
| British Academy Television Craft Awards (1991) | 1991 | Best Costume Design | Linda Mattock and Sharon Lewis | Nominated |
| Best Film Sound | Ken Weston, Rupert Scrivener and Sound Team | Nominated | ||
| RTS Television Awards (1991) | 1991 | Best Tape or Film Editing – Drama | Derek Bain | Nominated |
| British Academy Television Awards (1992) | 1992 | Best Original Television Music | Christopher Gunning | Nominated |
| Best Drama Series or Serial | Brian Eastman | Nominated | ||
| British Academy Television Craft Awards (1992) | 1992 | Best Costume Design | Robin Fraser-Paye(series 3, episodes 1, 4–5, 9–10) | Nominated |
| Elizabeth Waller(series 3, episodes 2–3, 6–8) | Nominated | |||
| Best Make-up | Janis Gould(series 3, episodes 2–3, 6–8) | Nominated | ||
| Edgar Awards (1992) | 1992 | Best Episode in a TV Series | "The Lost Mine" | Won[35] |
| Satellite Award (2010) | 2010 | Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film | David Suchet | Nominated |
| PGA Awards (2010) | 2011 | Outstanding Producer of Long-Form Television | "Murder on the Orient Express" | Nominated |
| Primetime Emmy Awards (2015) | 2015 | Outstanding Television Movie | "Curtain: Poirot's Last Case" | Nominated[36] |
In the UK,ITV Studios Home Entertainment owns the home media rights.
In Region 1, Acorn Media has the rights to series 1–6 and 11–12. Series 7–10 are distributed byA&E, a co-producer on several of them. In North America, series 1–11 are available onNetflix andAmazon Prime instant streaming service. In Region 4, Acorn Media, distributed byReel DVD, has begun releasing the series on DVD in Australia in complete season sets. As of 2024 they carry the entire series in various editions.[37] Series 1–9 and 12 are available in Spain (Region 2) onBlu-ray with Spanish and English audio tracks.Dutch FilmWorks were reported to be the first company to release series 12, in 2010.
Beginning in 2011, Acorn began issuing the series on Blu-ray discs. As of November 2014, series 1 through 13 have all been issued on DVD and Blu-ray by Acorn. The A&E DVD releases of series 7 through 10 correspond to the A&E versions broadcast in America which were missing sections of the original video as originally broadcast in the United Kingdom. The Acorn releases of series 7 through 10 restore the missing video.
| Release title | Series | No. of DVDs | No. of Blu-ray discs | Release date | Episode no. | Region no. | Released by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Complete Collection[38] | 1–11 | 28 | N/A | 30 March 2009 | 1–61 | 2 | ITV Studios |
| The Complete Collection[39] | 1–12 | 32 | N/A | 15 August 2011 | 1–65 | 2 | ITV Studios |
| The Definitive Collection[40] | 1–13 | 35 | N/A | 18 November 2013 | 1–70 | 2 | ITV Studios |
| The Early Cases Collection | 1–6 | 18[41] | 13 | 23 October 2012 | 1–45 | 1 | Acorn Media |
| The Definitive Collection | 7–10 | 12[42] | N/A | 25 January 2011 | 46–57 | 1 | A&E Home Video |
| The Movie Collection – Set 4 | 11 | 3[43] | N/A | 7 July 2009 | 58–59 | 1 | Acorn Media |
| The Movie Collection – Set 5 | 11–12 | 3[44] | N/A | 27 July 2010 | 60–61, 64 | 1 | Acorn Media |
| Murder on the Orient Express | 12 | N/A | 1[45] | 26 October 2010 | 64 | 1 | Acorn Media |
| The Movie Collection – Set 6 | 12 | 3[46] | 3 | 12 July 2011 | 62–63, 65 | 1 | Acorn Media |
| The Final Cases Collection | 7–13 | 13[47] | 13 | 4 November 2014 | 46–70 | A | ITV Studios & Acorn Media |
| Complete Cases Collection | 1–13 | 33 | 28 | 4 November 2014 | 1–70 | 1 | ITV Studios & Acorn Media |
Being Poirot is a 50-minute 2013 ITV television documentary in which David Suchet attempts to unravel the mysterious appeal of Hercule Poirot and how he portrayed him.[48] It was broadcast in the United Kingdom on the same evening as the final episode, "Curtain".
Suchet visits the Greenway Estate, Agatha Christie's summer home, recollecting how he met her daughter Rosalind Hicks and her husband Anthony Hicks for their approval before he began filming. He meets Christie's grandson Mathew Prichard who recounts how his grandmother found the character amongst Belgian refugees in Torquay. There's a visit to the permanent Poirot exhibition at Torquay Museum, to which he presented the cane he used in the television series.
Suchet acknowledges the first stage and film adaptations of the books with actors such asCharles Laughton on the London stage inAlibi, an adaptation ofThe Murder of Roger Ackroyd, in 1928.Alibi was filmed in 1931 with Austin Trevor but is now lost. The oldest surviving film portrayal from 1934 wasLord Edgware Dies again with Austin Trevor portraying Poirot. Suchet notes a conscious decision was made by the film company to portray Poirot without a moustache.
Films featuringAlbert Finney andPeter Ustinov are also featured. Suchet reveals that he read the books and wrote down 93 notes about the character that he went on to use in his portrayal. The descriptions in the books helped him discover the voice he would use, and the rapid mincing gait.
Suchet also goes to Florin Court, a place that the production company chose to represent his home Whitehaven Mansions. There he meets first producer Brian Eastman, with whom he discusses the set that was built based on the flats, and Eastman's decision to fix the stories in 1936. Suchet also visits composerChristopher Gunning who had composed four themes for Eastman, the first being Gunning's favourite. Eastman chose the fourth after having Gunning darken the tone.
Suchet travels toBrussels, where he is feted by the police chief and mayor. He then goes toEllezelles, which claims to be the birthplace of Poirot, and he is shown a birth certificate as proof. It says the date was 1 April, "April Fools' Day", with no year mentioned. Finally, Suchet travels on the Orient Express and recounts filming the episode "Dead Man's Folly" last at Greenway to finish on a high note.
Suchet was proud to have completed the entire Poirot canon by the time of the broadcast of the final episode, only slightly short of the target he had set for himself in a 2007 interview of completing the entire canon before his 65th birthday.[49]
A number of Poirot short stories were not directly adapted for the series. In most cases, these stories were subsequently reworked by Christie, and adapted for the television series in their final forms. "The Plymouth Express" was adapted in both its original short story form and asThe Mystery of the Blue Train.
| Original Story Title | Adaptation Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| The Lemesurier Inheritance (1923) | None | The episode "The Labours of Hercules" uses the surname "Lemesurier" from the original story, but otherwise has nothing in common with the story. |
| The Market Basing Mystery (1923) | "Murder in the Mews" | Re-worked by Christie |
| The Submarine Plans (1923) | "The Incredible Theft" | Re-worked by Christie |
| Christmas Adventure (1923) | "The Theft of the Royal Ruby" | Re-worked by Christie (also known as "The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding") |
| The Mystery of the Baghdad Chest (1932) | "The Mystery of the Spanish Chest" | Re-worked by Christie |
| The Second Gong (1932) | "Dead Man's Mirror" | Re-worked by Christie |
| The Incident of the Dog's Ball (written c.1933, posthumously published) | "Dumb Witness" | Re-worked by Christie |
| Poirot and the Regatta Mystery (1936) | None | Re-worked by Christie as aParker Pyne story (published as part ofThe Regatta Mystery and Other Stories, 1939). Posthumously re-published inHercule Poirot: the Complete Short Stories (2008). |
| The Capture of Cerberus (written c.1939, posthumously published) | None | Unrelated to the better known final case of the same title inThe Labours of Hercules. Intended as the last ofThe Labours of Hercules, Christie re-wrote the entire story due to its political content, retaining only the title. |
| The Nemean Lion (1947) | "The Labours of Hercules" | Not directly adapted as part of the episode's combined narrative. |
| The Augean Stables (1947) | ||
| Hercule Poirot and the Greenshore Folly (written 1954, posthumously published) | "Dead Man's Folly" | Re-worked by Christie |
| Black Coffee (play) | None | In 2012, Suchet performed a rehearsed reading ofBlack Coffee, produced and presented byThe Agatha Christie Theatre Company, in aid of Chichester Festival Theatre's restoration fund.[50][51] |
Quotations related toAgatha Christie's Poirot at Wikiquote
Media related toAgatha Christie's Poirot (tv series) at Wikimedia Commons| Characters | |
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