Although the novels and short stories featuring the monumentally fastidious and arrogant detective Hercule Poirot were published between 1920 and 1975, producerBrian Eastman and principal scriptwriterClive Exton setAgatha Christie's Poirot in 1936, to capitalise on the glamorous Art Deco designs of the period. The scripts, including contributions byAnthony Horowitz,Andrew Marshall andDavid Renwick, occasionally emphasised this by introducing specific 1936 historical references, like the Jarrow March andFred Perry's win at the French Open. Mostly, though, the series projects a glossy, generic 1930s atmosphere, offering up for admiration the expensive and beautifully crafted period trappings of the era, including cars, aircraft, fashions and architecture. The décor is also crucial, with the layout of Poirot's Whitehaven Mansions flat (actually Florin Court in Charterhouse Square, near Holborn) central to the episodeThe Third Floor Flat (tx. 5/2/1989). This style is brilliantly evoked inPat Gavin's animated title sequence and byChristopher Gunning's memorable theme tune. The series' main strength, however, is its casting - aside fromSuchet's splendid, Penguin-like Poirot, Hugh Fraser's car-loving Captain Hastings (always one of the stupidest Watsons in literature) is always sympathetic, and provides a strong comedic foil for the pompous detective. The other recurring characters are Felicity Lemon (Pauline Moran), Poirot's indefatigable secretary, and Chief Inspector Japp (Philip Jackson); both roles have been greatly expanded from the original tales. After exhausting the short stories, the series turned to the novels, with mixed fortunes.Murder on the Links (tx. 11/02/1996) works extremely well, combining a love story for Hastings and a splendid duel of wits between Poirot and a French police inspector clearly patterned afterGeorges Simenon's Maigret. Equally good isThe Mysterious Affair at Styles (tx. 16/9/1990), which went back to the First World War to show Poirot and Hastings' first case.Hickory, Dickory, Dock (tx. 12/02/1995), however, feels padded, whileExton's brave attempt to preserveChristie's celebrated surprise ending toThe Murder of Roger Ackroyd (tx. 02/01/2000) sadly doesn't work. Recent episodes have turned toChristie's darker, more psychologically penetrating Poirot novels.David Pirie's script forSad Cypress (tx. 26/12/2003) was effectively sombre, whileKevin Elyot's adaptation ofFive Little Pigs (tx. 14/12/2003) successfully brought out the story's homosexual subtext, while deftly handling its awkward flashback structure. These have also served to underline the strength and surprising depth with whichSuchet, in his multifaceted interpretation, has imbued the role. Sergio Angelini  |
1. The party gathers (2:27)
