All language subtitles for Travels.With.Agatha.Christie.and.Sir.David.Suchet.S01E01.1080p.WEB.H264-JAVLAR

♪♪

David Suchet: In 1924,

Agatha Christie published
a rather different

detective novel,
set not in England,

but in South Africa,
a place she had visited herself.

♪♪

She writes gloriously in
her books about what she sees.

♪♪

Listen to this.
"It made me catch my breath,

and have that curious
hungry pain inside

that seizes one sometimes
when one comes across something

that's extra beautiful."

And you know, I'm convinced

that this is Agatha speaking
through her heroine.

And she goes on,
"South Africa, South Africa.

You're seeing the world.
This is the world.

You're seeing it."

♪♪

In 1922, before
Agatha Christie was famous,

she travelled the world
as part of a mission

to champion an upcoming
British Empire exhibition.

Held in London,

it was to be
a resplendent celebration

of empire and industry,

designed to strengthen bonds
and boost trade.

Over a hundred years later,
I'm following in her footsteps.

I really feel that I'm back
in time with her now.

I'm David Suchet,

and I played Agatha Christie's
Hercule Poirot for 25 years.

Now, with my trusty camera,

I'm retracing her travels
through southern Africa.

I've never seen anything
like this, ever.

-Australia, New Zealand...
-Welcome.

Suchet: ...and Canada.

Oh, wow.
That is extraordinary.

And I'm even following her
on holiday to Hawaii.

Woman: She found this magical
place in surfing,

and it captured her heart.

Suchet: I want to find out
how different life was

in these places in the 1920s...

There were 94,099 sheep shorn
the year that Agatha was here.

What?!

...and explore the impact
of colonialism a century on.

We are still Black,
dispossessed,

displaced and landless.

You can't understand
why things are the way

they are with
indigenous people in Canada

if you don't look at
what the history is.

Suchet: I'll see the world
through the eyes of a writer...

Goodness me.
I mustn't be tempted.

...who has been so pivotal
in my own life.

She embraced life for all
it was worth.

Wow, what a discovery.

♪♪

♪♪

My great adventure is starting
with a pilgrimage to Torquay,

Agatha's hometown
on the English Riviera.

♪♪

It's the site of an annual
international festival,

where fans come to celebrate the
world's bestselling novelist.

Someone who's very close
to my heart.

I can't separate Agatha
or Poirot from each other.

Both changed my life,
changed my career.

He became my very best friend.

As soon
as the moustache was placed,

from that moment,

I would then be him, and
be him for the rest of the day,

except at lunch,
when the moustache came off.

When she was 31,

Agatha Christie,
and her husband Archie,

were asked to help promote

the upcoming
British Empire Exhibition.

It was Archie's
old schoolmaster,

Major Ernest Belcher, who came
with the most incredible offer.

Would Archie like a job
travelling through various parts

of the British Empire,

to promote
and prepare for the exhibition?

And would his wife like
to join him?

Of course, Agatha said yes.

It's very exciting for me.

I've only known
the mature Agatha Christie,

who's rather shy and reclusive.

In 1922, what was she like?

What was she like
before she became famous?

I'm looking forward
to meeting a lady

that I've not known
in any way before.

I can't wait.

♪♪

First, I'm meeting Christie
expert, Dr. Mark Aldridge...

Aldridge: I'm very excited about
this adventure you're going on.

Suchet: I know!

...at the Grand Hotel,
where the newly married

Christies spent their honeymoon.

I'm keen to know
where Agatha was in her life,

as she embarked
on this incredible journey.

She has a young daughter, her
and Archie are happily together,

and frankly, she's not
Agatha Christie the writer yet.

-She has published.
-No.

She's Mrs Christie.

She doesn't go
as a famous writer at all.

-One novel.
-Yes, yes.

Albeit the Poirot novel.

-Quite a good novel, yes.
-A pretty good novel.

Pretty good start.

But I've actually got
a really nice article.

-Have you?
-This is the Pall Mall Gazette.

It is an interview
with Agatha Christie,

just before she sets off
on her tour.

She says, "Once you adopt crime,
it's difficult to give it up.

-I know I could never do so."
-Oh, fascinating.

How right she was.

And it's her voice, isn't it?

-Yes.
-You can hear her speaking.

-Yes, yes.
-What does she say here?

"I'm not sure that the people
in the overseas dominions

are going to like me.

they may find my love
of crime objectionable."

"It cannot be helped."
Isn't that lovely?

And of course the empire,
at this time,

still geographically very large,
but structurally it's very weak.

There's a lot of change
happening here.

Interesting, that, yes.

Agatha's
empire journey also interests me

because it came before
a great crisis in her life.

In 1926,
her mother died,

and her husband Archie
asked for a divorce.

Deeply upset, she famously went
missing for 11 days.

I think it destabilised
her hugely.

She very much withdrew
from interviews and the press.

She certainly changed.

But at this stage in her life,

I think
that she is much more confident.

Suchet: Yes.

Aldridge: She really loved
to meet different people,

and that is always the core
of her storytelling.

She says,
"The tools of my trade

are going round
the world with me.

Typewriter, notebooks,
and heaps and heaps of paper."

-Yes.
-She's not stopping here.

I'm really looking
forward to this.

Been marvellous talking to you.

I'm so envious!

So, if you've got room in your
suitcase, I'll come with you.

-Thank you so much.
-Thank you, David.

Suchet: In January 1922,

the RMS Kildonan Castle set sail
from England,

with Agatha and Archie Christie
on board.

Ahead of Agatha
lay adventures to some

of the furthest reaches
of the world.

After a two-and-a-half-week
voyage,

the ship docked at their
first destination: Cape Town.

♪♪

A lively, bustling city.

Framed by the magnificent
Table Mountain.

It's iconic, isn't it?

It's as though someone's come
along with a big knife

and just taken the top
right off.

♪♪

Agatha's
two-month-long visit here came

after four British colonies
had combined,

to form the Union
of South Africa,

a self-governing dominion
of the British Empire.

And whilst in Cape Town,

Agatha stayed at the
colonial-era Mount Nelson Hotel.

♪♪

Wow, an avenue of trees.
Very elegant.

Oh, my goodness.
There's the hotel.

I don't think I've
ever seen a pink hotel before.

It's huge.

♪♪

♪♪

-Sir David.
-Hello.

Welcome to Mount Nelson Hotel.

-I'm so happy!
-Thank you. Thank you.

-Please do come through.
-Thank you.

Suchet: Gabby Palmer has worked
for the hotel for 10 years.

Let's go outside
into the beautiful gardens.

♪♪

Oh, it's beautiful, isn't it?

Palmer: And what a beautiful day
it is, too.

Tell me about the hotel.

Palmer: The first thing you
might've noticed is the pink.

Suchet: Yes.

The pink is a celebration
of the end of World War I,

and pink is the colour of peace,
hope, joy, love, passion.

-Oh, how lovely!
-All the positive emotions.

And it's been the same pink ever
since 1918.

It looks lovely, doesn't it?

Yes, it really does.

-Shall we go?
-Yes.

Suchet: The hotel
opened in 1899,

and belonged to the owner of
the Union-Castle shipping line,

which took mail and passengers
from Britain to South Africa.

♪♪

And in the dining room,

the chairs come from
the same Union-Castle ships

that brought visitors
to Cape Town.

Agatha Christie would've sat
in something like that?

-She would have.
-Oh, that's fascinating.

Do you wanna sit down
and see what it feels like?

Yes, I do. Thank you.

-That is very comfortable.
-Exceedingly so.

It was only
for the first class passengers.

-Yes.
-Certainly wasn't for

any other of the classes.

No.
Lucky Agatha.

[ Both laugh ]

♪♪

My Agatha adventures are off
to a great start,

and this trip means so much
to me in a number of ways.

This book was her
very first book,

"Mysterious Affair at Styles,"
first Poirot book.

This was published in 1920,

that led her writing
Poirot books

for the best part of 50 years.

Thankfully, because I was
able to be in every one of them.

My family, in a sense,
comes from South Africa,

and I brought a picture
of my late grandfather

on my father's side.

If you were to put
a little moustache on that man,

I wonder who he'd look like.
Hercule Poirot.

He was known as the
best-dressed man in Cape Town.

He moved here from Lithuania,
and my father was born here.

I always carry my camera
wherever I go.

My late maternal grandfather, he
was a Fleet Street photographer.

This camera is based
on the first Leica, the M3,

that my grandfather gave me.

He taught me on that camera.

So, yeah, very personal,
very emotional,

and I'm looking forward to it
very much.

♪♪

♪♪

To start my journey,

I'm following Agatha Christie
to Cape Town's

renowned wine region.

♪♪

Dutch colonists planted
the first vines here

in the mid-17th century,
using slaves to work the farms.

Agatha toured the area
with the empire mission,

who were interested in
its wine and fruit industries.

Craig is giving me a tour
of Klein Constantia...

-Harris: Hello, Craig.
-Sir David, welcome.

Suchet:
...one of the oldest winemaking
estates in South Africa.

-Harris: Terrible weather.
-Suchet: Yes.

♪♪

Just stop for two seconds,

I just want to catch --
Can you switch the wipers

off just for a minute?

There we go.
Thank you.

Shall I wipe quickly,
get it clear,

and then you can get a shot?

-No, yeah.
-Ready? Wipe. Off.

-Thank you.
-Teamwork.

[ Laughs ]

Craig, tell me,
why this particular area?

It's a bit more sheltered
from the wind,

we're in a bit of a valley,

it's a little bit richer,
a little bit deeper,

there's an abundance of water,

we have over a thousand mils
of rain on average in the year.

-Suchet: Yes.
-Harris: There was a time

when the dessert wine
from Constantia

was the most famous wine
in the world.

Suchet: Constantia wine was
highly prized,

but at the end
of the 19th century,

vineyards across the world

were decimated by a
deadly insect pest: phylloxera.

It could put this vineyard
out of business.

Harris: Absolutely.

Fruit trees are resistant
to phylloxera,

which is why fruit trees
were planted.

-Suchet: Yes.
-Harris: So, apples, pears,

plums, peaches,
in this specific area.

Suchet: Yes.

By 1922, when the mission came
to this area,

they would've found
a flourishing fruit industry,

alongside recovering vineyards.

And both offered potential
for inter-empire trade.

I'm meeting wine historian
Joanne...

Buh-bye.

...to learn more
about the mission's visit here,

and perhaps, like Agatha,
taste some wine.

Hello, Joanne.

-Hello, Sir David.
-Hello.

-Hi. Come in.
-Thank you.

♪♪

I don't know
if you've seen this.

No, I haven't.

This is a British Empire
Exhibition 1924 Official Guide.

I want to read something inside,

because this was
on display in the actual

South African Pavillion,
in the Great Exhibition,

and it almost sounds
as though it's where we are now.

"In a little Dutch house,

looking out on
a vineyard scene of Constantia,

are displayed South
African wines, which equal,

and are said by many to surpass,

European vintages
of a similar nature."

-Amazing. [ Laughs ]
-Isn't it?

Constantia wine was world famous
during the 18th century.

Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette

had more Constantia
in their cellar

-at Versailles than Burgundy.
-My goodness!

-Would you like a taste of...
-Well, yes, I certainly would.

You've made me very thirsty
for it.

So, this is Vin de Constance,

which is Klein Constantia's
recreation

of the famous legendary
sweet wine of Constantia.

Oh, my goodness.

It's very perfumed, isn't it?

Yes, it is.

And it is very sweet.

It's usually drunk
as a dessert wine.

I know what
I'm going to order next time.

Gibson: This one is Clara,

which is named after the woman
who owned Klein Constantia

when Agatha Christie visited,
in the 1920s.

-Oh.
-It's a dry wine.

I'll give you a taste.

I haven't drunk this much
in one go for a long time.

Gibson: [ Laughs ]

Oh, it's very different.
That is different, isn't it?

Gibson: It's a different grape
variety, sauvignon blanc.

Oh, it's lovely.

I've learned such a lot.

♪♪

During their stay in Cape Town,

the mission visited the house
of a controversial man,

who in 1922 still cast a long
shadow 20 years after his death.

Cecil John Rhodes was
an imperialist, businessman,

and Cape Colony prime minister,

who forever changed
the face of South Africa.

Dr. Rayda Becker is
the curator at his former home.

-Sir David.
-Hello.

How nice to see you,
and welcome to Groote Schuur.

-Thank you.
-Would you like to come inside?

Yes, I'd love to.

Rhodes came from England
to South Africa in 1870,

as a sickly boy.

But in ten years
became one of richest

and most powerful
men in the world,

intent on empire building.

So, David,
this is the president's office.

Oh.

And I would like you
to sit at the desk,

if you don't mind,
because Rhodes sat at this desk.

All the premiers throughout
the 20th century of South Africa

sat at this desk.

Suchet: And I'm now
sitting at the desk.

You're sitting at the desk.

Suchet: I'm fascinated by all
those books in that bookcase.

Come and have a look.

Rhodes was a classical scholar.

His two favourite books were
Marcus Aurelius' Meditations,

and Gibbons' Decline and Fall
of the Roman Empire.

Oh, wonderful.

These are translations
into English,

covered in Moroccan leather.

Clearly he was passionate
for the ancient classical world.

Yes.

And for Marcus Aurelius,

who was a philosopher
imperialist, if you like.

Suchet: Rhodes' fervour
for emperors

continued
in a Roman-style bathroom.

Look at that bath!
That is one piece?

-Of solid granite.
-Wow. Magnificent.

Even the bath has
imperial echoes.

However,
how much hot water are you gonna

have to get this to be warm?

It was fine for Rhodes,

'cause he didn't mind
a cold bath.

But tough luck on the visitors.

Suchet: My goodness.

Rhodes' dream was to connect
the British Empire in the cape

to its territories
further north, in Egypt.

So, David, this was
and always was Rhodes' bedroom.

And importantly, the map
has got some red marks on it,

which indicate the ambition
of building a railway

from Cape Town to Cairo.

One of the reasons
was to claim the centre

of Africa for the British.

He added a million square miles
to the British Empire.

He was an arch imperialist.

He was dreaming of this
in his bed.

In pursuit of his ambitions,

Rhodes carved out huge swathes
of African territory,

exploiting the indigenous
Black population,

and laying the foundations
of racial segregation.

He leaves behind a complex
and contested legacy.

Cecil Rhodes owned
the whole of this land.

Yes, he did.

But he leaves
this whole estate to the nation,

and it's been
state property ever since then.

So, what does the nation feel
about Rhodes now?

Negatively, because
he is seen as an imperialist.

He did not really see
Black people as equals.

He starts the Grey Act, which is
a forerunner to apartheid.

I think he does
amazing things for this country,

but he does do damage
to the society as a whole.

♪♪

Suchet: After the tour
of his house,

members of the mission were
taken to the Rhodes Memorial,

a huge monument
overlooking Cape Town.

It's totally symmetrical,
which I love.

But it's also bizarre.

I mean, those doric columns,
almost too high,

I don't know, like an emperor,
or Caesar.

♪♪

Today, sites like these
are contested spaces.

Aza, Lindo, and Chumani
are founders

of the Rhodes Must Fall
movement,

which confronts the impact
of colonialism.

It started in 2015,

when Chumani, then a student
of the University of Cape Town,

threw human excrement
at a Rhodes statue

on the university grounds.

It was a potent symbol
of impoverished Black life

in South African townships
and prevailing inequality.

Chumani's act led
to the removal of Rhodes' statue

at the university,

and to protests
at Oxford University in the UK.

-Hey, David.
-Hey, David.

Chumani, Lindo, and Aza.

Nice to meet you.

Suchet: Let's sit down over
on these steps.

Lindo, can I come to you first?

Would you tell me
how this all began,

the Rhodes Must Fall movement?

It began with Chumani's
heroic act, I always say.

Rhodes as a symbol,

this was an opportune moment

to discuss the serious
legacies of colonialism

that are still not only
lingering in the country,

but are continuing
to reproduce themselves.

Suchet: At UCT,
the University of Cape Town,

inequality in education
is a focus of the campaign.

You've got a university
in Africa

that majority is of a lot
of white people,

and white students,
and white lecturers, and so on,

claiming that UCT was a land
that was donated by Rhodes.

And of course,
this sort of discussion

was almost insulting to us
as Black students.

Rhodes, out of anything else,

is the centre of
our problems in southern Africa,

from imperialism
to colonialism and apartheid.

So, in a sense,

what you're saying is
all roads lead to Rhodes.

-Yes.
-Okay.

Asa, where do you see
the future for your movement,

which, to be honest,
is going global?

The statue has fallen, and the
questions are still lingering.

We need to really interrogate
the effects of the empire,

because education in South
Africa is still a privilege.

If you have money,
you can study.

If you don't have money,
you cannot study.

We are still Black,
dispossessed,

displaced, and landless.

Change must be seen,
not just heard,

but it must be seen happening.

We want to tell our own stories.

We want that which belongs to
Africa to return back to Africa.

Thank you very much, all of you.

You've helped me understand
a lot.

Cecil Rhodes knew
in his lifetime

that his record was contentious,
and it's remained so ever since.

He continued to feature
on the empire mission's

travel itinerary,

but today I've met
a generation determined

to be the impetus
for lasting change.

♪♪

♪♪

Agatha Christie's
adventures soon took her away

from Cape Town, and nearly a
thousand kilometres north-east,

to Kimberley,

where Cecil Rhodes made
his vast fortune

and founded De Beers Diamonds.

♪♪

I've come to a mine
called the Big Hole.

It's now a museum

and draws tourists from all over
the world to the northern cape.

Historian Steve can tell me
more.

-Hello, Steve.
-Sir David.

So lovely to see
and to meet you.

Well, it's lovely to meet
you too in this iconic location.

Tell me about it.

Lunderstedt: The famous Big Hole
of Kimberley.

It's one of the largest
man-made pick

and shovel-dug holes
in the world.

The discovery of Kimberley Mine
in July of 1871,

it brought some 40,000 people
within a 48-hour period.

-40,000 in 48 hours.
-In 48 hours.

So, the diamonds saw
this instant town.

You can imagine, with 40,000
people, you've gotta feed them.

They've gotta get water.

The nearest water is 13,
14 miles away.

Suchet: Soon, Kimberley Town
was up and running,

with rail links and utilities

for those trying their luck
at the mines.

Some 14 1/2 million
carats worth of diamonds

-came out of this hole.
-Suchet: My goodness.

Lunderstedt:
And that's quite something.

Suchet: Cecil Rhodes made vast
sums of money

from the Kimberley
diamond mines.

But it was dangerous work for
the predominantly Black miners,

and countless lives were lost
on his watch.

Before long,
Rhodes came to control 90%

of the world's diamond
production.

Rhodes was fortunate to get
some good financial advisers,

and had the backing
of the Rothschilds,

so I think once you've got
that in your back pocket,

I think you're going to do
alright.

He's not well liked these days.

And do you think

when Agatha came she
would've revered Rhodes?

I don't think so.

She would have certainly
known about the controversy

surrounding many of his deeds.

Yes.

Suchet: By the time Agatha
Christie visited Kimberley,

the diamond industry was
in the midst of a recession

after World War I.

Lunderstedt:
When Agatha came here,

the diamond mines were
not operating.

De Beers still existed,
and all the mines were kept.

They still had
the sorting houses,

sorting out the diamonds.

So, she would have gone into
the sorting houses.

Steve, this has been
so interesting.

Thank you so very much indeed.

Absolute pleasure, Sir David.

-I have one other question.
-Yes, sir.

May I take your photograph?

Goodness.
I can sign it for you too.

Thank you.
So, if you would stand here.

The Big Hole has remained shut
since its closure in 1921.

Thank you.

[ Camera shutter clicks ]

But diamond mining
and processing

is still prevalent in Kimberley.

I'm visiting a cutting
and polishing facility owned

and run by Black South Africans,

using ethically sourced
natural diamonds.

-Hello, Desmond.
-Hey, Sir David. How are you?

-I'm very well.
-I'm good, thank you.

It's very nice to meet you.
Thank you.

Welcome, welcome, welcome.
Come in.

Suchet: Thank you.

After studying diamonds
from the age of 18,

Desmond developed a passion
for Kimberley gems.

Wow.

So, is this the whole process
that goes on?

Ratsoma: Yes. What the two
ladies are doing right there,

they are doing cutting
and polishing.

They're also giving it that
sparkle and fine brilliance.

How would a miner,
you know, with all the dirt

and the rocks
and everything like that,

how would they identify that,
"Oh, there's a diamond"?

The miners would know
because if they don't know

the difference
and they throw it away...

-Yes.
-...then it won't be

-good for the business.
-No, quite.

Ratsoma: Okay, this is how
a rough diamond would look like.

-You can have a look at it.
-You put it in there?

Yes, yes.

Suchet: Wow. Do you know what
strikes me immediately?

This is far brighter.
I'm surprised that it's shiny.

Yes, yes.
They are graded from D

all the way to Z,
D being a top colour.

And this colour,
I would say it's about M.

So it's your average
to low quality.

-It looks pretty good to me.
-It is a pretty diamond.

You cannot take away
the prettiness from a diamond.

Suchet: No.

Kedibone and Adrisha
are qualified polishers.

They use powdered diamonds,
and a lot of skill,

to achieve a brilliant sparkle
on each unique gem.

So, we've got two lovely ladies

that are doing a wonderful job
of transforming...

-Hello. Hello.
-Hello.

...the diamonds from raw
to embellished.

Suchet:
Could you show me that one?

-Yes.
-Wow. So...

are you saying that
that becomes that?

Sekonyela: Yes, that's right.

Suchet:
And would it start this size?

Sekonyela: Yes, it would start
at that size.

I can only use about
less than 40% of the stone.

-40%?
-Yes, when polishing it.

I can't lose more than that
or else

we're not gonna make any profit.

No. [ Laughs ]

So, how long would it take
to get

from this diamond
to the finished?

Sekonyela: A day and a half.

Suchet: Once finished, the cut
diamonds get certification

before being sold
or set in jewellery.

My goodness.
Wow, that's beautiful.

That's about a 2.7-carat round,
brilliant, beautiful stone.

Suchet:
And is this one in the box?

-Ratsoma: Yes.
-Suchet: Wow.

Goodness me.
I mustn't be tempted.

[ Laughter ]

[ Camera shutter clicks ]

♪♪

What a backdrop.

Can you imagine what
this was like

when diamonds were
first discovered,

and 40,000 people came here
in 48 hours?

And we know that Agatha included
diamonds in some of her books.

You've got "Death on the Nile,"

the famous fancy yellow
Tiffany diamond dug up

at the Kimberley mine,

and then
"The Man in the Brown Suit"

has a whole plotline
about stolen raw diamonds

that were hidden
in a Kodak film cannister.

So, with all the diamonds
and the jewels in her stories,

it all probably began here.

♪♪

♪♪

A new dawn has broken, and
I'm ready for more adventures.

After Kimberley,
Agatha travelled

over a thousand kilometres
north,

by train, from Pretoria,
to her final destination,

in Zimbabwe -- Victoria Falls.

♪♪

Agatha wrote this
very same journey

into her South African-set
novel,

where heroine Anne is on
the trail of the mysterious man

in the brown suit.

♪♪

The more I read this book,
"Man in the Brown Suit,"

the more I'm becoming aware of

how many of Agatha's
own experiences

make their way into the plot.

For example, Anne is travelling
with the very grumpy,

tempestuous, foot-stamping
Sir Eustace Pedler.

Well, he's annoying
to everyone around him,

and it's very clear that Agatha
is basing that character

on the empire mission's leader,
Major Ernest Belcher,

who was very annoying
to everyone around him as well.

And I believe
that Belcher even asked Agatha

if he could be cast
as the murderer.

Well, I'm not gonna
spoil the plot by telling you

whether Agatha granted
that request or not.

♪♪

[ Metal creaking ]

Now I'm doing the same trip that
heroine Anne and Agatha did,

on a beautifully restored
vintage train,

for a flavour
of that bygone era.

Well, I suppose the last time
I got on board

a train similar to this
would've been

when I actually filmed
"Murder on the Orient Express,"

so yeah, it'll be very
interesting to compare the two.

♪♪

[ Children shouting ]

It's all very luxurious

and even requires me
to dress for dinner.

Feed it, pull it, shape it.

Voilà.

Poirot never,
ever wore a straight tie,

so he would've had it like that.

♪♪

♪♪

Well, I think I'm sitting
here in the dining car,

in the most perfect location
for the character

I played for nearly a quarter
of a century, Hercule Poirot.

♪♪

I read every single story
that she wrote

and made notes,
and I came up with a list,

which I've got here, of
93 details about the character.

Belgian, not French.

Drinks tisane, hardly ever tea,

which he calls
"the English poison."

He believes he's
the best detective in the world

and expects everyone
to know him

and then thinks
he's very modest.

So, he's a wonderful little man.

Being on this train
and doing this journey...

...in a way I feel Poirot's
on my shoulder.

I really do.

♪♪

♪♪

Of course, it's not Poirot's
footsteps I'm following in now,

but those of Agatha
and her heroine, Anne.

And my next stop is Zimbabwe's
stunning Matobo National Park.

It has massive granite
rock formations, river valleys,

and incredible wildlife.

♪♪

But it's also home
to a controversial site.

Accompanying me
is park guide Ian.

His family have lived
in the area since the 1800s

and the era of Cecil Rhodes.

Ian, what's the significance
of this extraordinary place?

Well, David,
it's the grave of Mr. Rhodes,

and a spot we know
as the Malindidzimu,

the dwelling place
of the benevolent spirits.

All the great kings and warriors
that died would rest here.

Rhodes had to gain
permission for his burial

at the grave site,

which of course
was given by the African people.

Suchet:
When Rhodes died aged 48,

thousands of people attended his
funeral procession in Cape Town,

before he was taken
by ceremonial train

to be buried at his chosen spot.

It is said that people lined
the streets and the railway,

all the way from Cape Town
to Bulawayo.

I have family photos
taken at the funeral.

3,000 people surrounded
this grave.

♪♪

♪♪

Suchet: Rhodes called this spot
the view of the world,

a name that reflects
his imperialist vision,

the costs of which
are still being counted.

Many see his burial
on this sacred site

as a final display of power,
and a debate continues over

whether his grave
should remain here.

Southern Africa is grappling
with the legacy

of a man
whose presence has loomed large

on both Agatha's journey
and mine.

♪♪

♪♪

My rail trip through Zimbabwe
is heading for Victoria Falls,

a place of spectacular
natural beauty

that Agatha Christie visited
with her husband, Archie.

And en route, I have another
chance to do just as Agatha did:

some souvenir shopping.

My God,
you have some beautiful things.

I'm looking for a giraffe.

Okay.

-This one is $8.
-$8?

He's very nice.

I really feel that I'm stepping
right into the footsteps

of Agatha Christie because I
know that she bought giraffes

from exactly this sort of place.

Eight. Thank you.

Next, the train crosses

Zimbabwe's Hwange
National Park...

...before reaching
Victoria Falls...

...where travellers are welcomed
by traditional dancing and song

rooted in Zulu culture.

[ Singing in foreign language ]

Good morning,
and welcome to Victoria Falls.

[ Man singing in
foreign language ]

Suchet: Agatha must've been full
of excitement

at the prospect
of seeing the falls, as am I.

The Victoria Falls Hotel is
where Agatha stayed with Archie.

It was a little
romantic interlude for them

in this location.

I don't think it's changed
much at all.

♪♪

From the hotel,
there's an increasingly

tropical walk to the falls,

which only serves
to build the anticipation.

It's very tantalising
because I know

the falls are just over there.

But I must wait until
I see them in all their glory,

so I mustn't look.

♪♪

I'm getting very excited.

[ Laughs ]

♪♪

And they do not disappoint.

♪♪

♪♪

Never seen anything like this,
ever.

♪♪

I find it really
quite emotional.

♪♪

It's just the size of it,
the power of nature.

It's just wonderful.
Absolutely wonderful.

♪♪

Agatha had hoped to come back
and make another visit,

but she never did.

She wrote something wonderful
in her autobiography.

There was something
about her first memory,

which she kept like a treasure
for the rest of her life.

It's not what I expected
to hear her say,

but it was so poetic
and magical.

'I'm glad I've never been back

so that my first memory
of them remains unaffected.

Great trees, soft mists of rain,
its rainbow colouring,

wandering through the forest
with Archie,

and every now and then
the rainbow mist parting

to show you
for one tantalising second

the falls in all their glory,
pouring down."

♪♪

Amazing, isn't it?

What an impression they made
on her.

As they made on me.

Quite extraordinary.

Ooh!

Sorry. I can't help it!

♪♪

Victoria Falls were given
their English name in 1855

after the British monarch
and empress.

But the people living nearby
have a relationship

to this natural wonder

that long predates
the first European visitors.

Felistus is from Mukuni Village,

on the Zambian side
of the falls.

Mwaanga:
The falls represent the vision
of beauty to the local people.

That is the place
where the holy water is drawn.

-Holy water?
-Yes, for praying for the rain.

It is a very spiritual place.

What do you know it as,
apart from Victoria Falls?

We call it Shungu Namutitima.

-And what does that mean?
-"The smoke that thunders."

-The smoke that thunders.
-Yes.

The falls has different names
depending on its mood.

When it is dry,
it is called Shungu Morfu,

or "silent falls."

-Silent Falls.
-Yes.

Suchet: With their colossal
power and beauty,

it's little wonder the falls had
such an impact on Agatha.

♪♪

♪♪

Today has been very special
for me, really,

because of coming to the falls,

knowing how she felt about them,

made an indelible impression
on her emotional life.

Well, I felt the same
when I saw them.

How would I feel now
if I never come back?

I can never beat
this first time.

It was very emotional.

I'd never seen anything
on the scale of these falls,

and I feel very grateful
to have been given the chance.

So, I have to say thank you
to Agatha.

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪