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There's nothing more British
than Agatha Christie.
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Official YIFY movies site:
YTS.MX
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Since the publication
of her first book 100 years ago,
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she's been delighting us with
fiendishly clever murder mysteries
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set in the charming villages
and grand homes of our nation.
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Yet it took someone quite un-British
to solve the crimes in her stories.
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Hercule Poirot, a Belgian detective
with a brain like no other.
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'Agatha launched him
into the world a century ago,
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'and they've been
partners in crime ever since.
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'Like millions of others,
I adore them both,
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'but Agatha Christie,
just like Poirot,
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'didn't give much away.'
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And both seem to be,
well, mysterious cases.
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So now I want to turn
the investigation back onto them.
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'Agatha Christie
is the Queen of crime.'
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This master of storytelling.
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She is on it every time,
every page, every book.
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'And Hercule Poirot
was always by her side,
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'on page and on screen.'
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Hercule Poirot
is a private detective.
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Hercule Poirot is irresistible,
he has star quality.
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He has this extraordinary brain.
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Always I am right, it is
so invariable it startles me.
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'But how do they conquer
the world together?
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'With the help
of some famous faces...'
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Loosen your belts...
LAUGHTER
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..it's gonna get messy.
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'A host of experts...'
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She describes cleaning them
with a bit of dental equipment
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and her face cream.
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Weapons, wounds, trace evidence,
it's all there.
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'..access to her family
and their private archives...'
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I think she will always be here
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and while she's always here,
Poirot will be here.
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'..and the locations
that shaped Agatha's work.'
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This was nicknamed
"the best hotel west of The Ritz."
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'This is the story
of the greatest crime duo ever.'
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I think I Agatha Christie
and Poirot will be forever.
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No-one else has come close.
They just haven't.
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Agatha Christie was a Devon girl,
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she drew upon the county
of her childhood
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for so many of her stories.
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Creaky country houses,
the vicars on their bicycles,
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and the chocolate box villages
with a secret behind every door.
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It's not the obvious home
for a Belgian detective
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with a fondness for order
and cleanliness.
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But it's in Devon
that Agatha found Poirot.
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'Agatha Christie
was born in 1890 in Torquay,
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'a popular holiday spot
for wealthy Victorians.'
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Devon was a massive part
of her life,
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a part of her being, I think.
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She certainly felt happier
here than anywhere else.
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'Her family
lived in a large villa
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'with spacious grounds
on the edge of town.'
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That genteel, upper-middle-class
childhood that she had,
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it's there through the books.
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'Agatha's father died
when she was 11.
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'From this point on, she became
incredibly close with her mother.'
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Agatha Christie's home life
was a matriarchy
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that the women
were in positions of power
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and that the women
held a lot of importance.
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They're right there
and they have big personalities
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and they have the same desires
and needs as the men
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and I really,
I love that about her writing.
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'Agatha had a brother and sister,
10 and 11 years older than her,
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'meaning she grew up
largely in her own company.'
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She was like an only child, because
she spent so much time on her own
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and in her own world,
playing her own games.
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I'm an only child
and I know that, growing up,
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I didn't have anybody else
to play with.
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And making up stories
and acting out different scenarios
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and coming up
with different characters.
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'Although Agatha's mother
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'decided against
giving her a formal education,
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'she still found her own sources
of knowledge.'
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Agatha Christie
taught herself a lot.
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She was obviously
incredibly motivated,
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she was obviously incredibly clever,
incredibly imaginative.
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'By her late teens, Agatha
had started writing as a hobby.
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'Before long,
she had short stories and poems
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'published in local magazines,
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'but for her talent
to become a career,
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'it took a challenge
from her older sister.'
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I gather that she'd been reading
a lot of murder mysteries
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and saying, you know,
"I could do this,"
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and her sister said,
"Well, why don't you?"
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To get the best out of someone,
you need to be challenged,
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you need to be pushed
to become the best
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and I think it was interesting
seeing Agatha Christie
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being pushed by her older sister
to write a novel.
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'Even much later in life,
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'Agatha would describe
the origin of her career
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'as an accident.'
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Why are you so fascinated by crime?
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I don't know
that I'm really fascinated by it,
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I just began writing about it,
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then one continues,
doesn't one, usually?
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I always liked detective stories.
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'Agatha's debut novel,
The Mysterious Affair At Styles,
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'was published in the UK in 1921.'
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An immediate success,
it introduced the world to someone
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who would go on to be Agatha's
longest life companion,
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Hercule Poirot.
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A retired police officer
from Belgium,
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Poirot was like no other detective
seen before in fiction.
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He does drop in to Styles
perfectly formed.
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Poirot is incredibly methodical,
he's incredibly, obviously, clever.
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He's also meticulous,
he's also vain,
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but at the end of the day,
he has a twinkle
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and you respect him.
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Hercule Poirot is one
of the greatest creations
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in all literary fiction.
There's no question of it.
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'Agatha Christie
would write 33 novels,
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'three plays and 69 short stories
featuring Poirot.'
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She's sold on all four corners
of the earth,
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she's sold more books
than any other novelist.
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She's, you know,
been published in more languages
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pretty much than anyone,
it's a pretty extraordinary story.
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I imagine there is
a generation of crime writers
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that would hold Agatha Christie up
as their leading light.
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I'm the author of the Murder
Most Unladylike mystery series.
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My detective Hazel
has a lot to do with Poirot,
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and the logic puzzles they solve,
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the kind of very tight, enclosed
murder mysteries they solve
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are really, completely based
on Agatha Christie's mysteries.
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So I'm an author
who is really inspired by her.
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I am the author of four continuation
novels starring Hercule Poirot.
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I first discovered Poirot when I
read Murder On The Orient Express.
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It felt like
a sort of Eureka moment.
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I have loved him ever since.
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'Poirot is also the star
of a major Hollywood movie franchise
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'starring Sir Kenneth Branagh.'
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My name is Hercule Poirot,
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and I am probably the greatest
detective in the world.
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'Yet it's through the television
that most of us know Poirot.
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'From 1989 to 2013,
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'the iconic detective was beamed
into our living rooms every week
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'with David Suchet
taking the lead role.'
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The original series
was a huge Sunday night treat.
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Beautifully produced,
wonderful production values,
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a fantastic lead actor.
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It seems as if you have thought
of everything, Monsieur Doyle,
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except for one thing...
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Hercule Poirot.
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They've allowed us,
the televisual sort of generation,
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to enter into Agatha's world
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in a way that no-one
would ever have dreamt of.
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Me and Monsieur Poirot
have met before.
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There's no man's judgement
I'd sooner take than his.
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If I'm not greatly mistaken,
he's got something up his sleeve.
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Well, I will tell you this.
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If you arrest
Monsieur Alfred Inglethorp,
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it will bring you no kudos.
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The case against him
will be dismissed comme ca.
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It is about nostalgia,
it's about old England.
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It gives the audience
a sense of pleasure
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to see pretty countryside
and lovely costumes.
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I love the fact
that you can sort of smell
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the cigarette smoke in the air,
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you know when those women
walk into the room
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there will be a rustle of silk.
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I think we can agree
I'm not short on motive.
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Or opportunity.
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By your own admission,
you enter the compartment
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of Madame Ruth Kettering
and rifle through her possessions.
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Oh, you had the desire, Senora,
and the passion necessaire,
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to commit a crime of such atrocity.
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Est ca c'est la verite?
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'Through the long-running ITV
series, Poirot reached an audience
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'far beyond anything Agatha
could have imagined
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'when she introduced him
to the British public in 1921.
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'Like Agatha,
Poirot was formed in Torquay,
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'where locals are immensely proud
of their connection to both of them.
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'At the town's museum,
manager Carl Smith
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'has been given access to some of
Agatha's private notebooks
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'that reveal secrets of how she
created her stories and characters.'
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In front of me, I have
a copy of a handwritten article
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that was written
by Agatha Christie in 1938.
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"How did the character
of Hercule Poirot come into being?
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"It was the early autumn of 1914,
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"Belgian refugees
were in most country places.
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"Why not have a Belgian refugee,
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"a former shining light
of the Belgian police force."
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'During World War I, 250,000
Belgian refugees entered Britain,
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'many settling
in Agatha's county of Devon.'
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Her work always seemed to be organic
and coming out of a real scenario.
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And then she would sort of secrete
those people that she watched...
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in the characters that she wrote.
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Belgium had a very special meaning
to the British.
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Poor little Belgium was a phrase
that was used all the time.
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British middle-class families
knitted socks for Belgian children.
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It was a thing, you know,
that everyone would have recognised.
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They had a victimhood,
so there was a dignity about Poirot.
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He wants to know why we have
to speak English all of the time.
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He finds it tiring.
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Hmm.
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Because, Monsieur Van der Stadt,
in this country, we are the guests.
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If we are to gain
the confidence of the natives,
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we must learn their ways.
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'Poirot was quite unlike
anyone else he met
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'on his adventures through Britain.'
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I see you have joined the cavalry?
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Poirot is not
a pint-and-pork-scratchings man.
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Let's face it.
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I say, do you fancy a pint of beer
if there's any left?
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Non, merci.
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I cannot yet bring myself
to enjoy the English public house.
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'Poirot was not only different to
the other characters in her stories,
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'he was also quite unlike
Agatha herself.'
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"He should be very neat,
very orderly.
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"Is that because I'm such
a wildly untidy person myself?"
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I think were seeing something
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of a mirror-image of Agatha Christie
in Poirot.
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That were seeing lots of things
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that perhaps are not important
to her or not strengths of hers
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seem to manifest themselves
in Poirot.
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She is incredibly messy,
he is incredibly precise.
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So she probably created him that way
to be completely outside of her.
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Hastings, you dressed in haste,
your tie is to one side.
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'Agatha also created
Captain Hastings,
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'Poirot's
long-suffering side kick,
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'who struggled to keep up
with the meticulous investigations.'
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Did it not strike you as peculiar...
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He's not the sharpest tool
in the box,
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but, I mean, compared to Poirot,
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anyone would be lacking
in a few grey cells, I think.
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I'm pleased of you, Hastings.
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You have a good memory and have
given to me, faithfully, the facts.
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But of the order in which
you present them, I say nothing.
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Truly it is deplorable.
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Hastings tolerates Poirot's
idiosyncrasies, too,
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which can become
a little tedious, sometimes.
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00:12:05,960 --> 00:12:09,960
'Poirot's biggest idiosyncrasy
was his obsession with tidiness.
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'Although tedious to some, it made
him an extraordinary detective.'
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He's a character that you kind of
you're slightly frustrated by
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because you just think,
238
00:12:20,960 --> 00:12:23,800
"Just let it go, just let go,
just let go and stop being so held,"
239
00:12:23,800 --> 00:12:26,960
but at the same time the way
he gets to his point
240
00:12:26,960 --> 00:12:28,960
and the way he gets
to the conclusion
241
00:12:28,960 --> 00:12:29,960
is just very, very entertaining.
242
00:12:29,960 --> 00:12:31,960
'In his debut outing,
243
00:12:31,960 --> 00:12:35,960
'he makes a key breakthrough by
rearranging items on a mantelpiece.'
244
00:12:35,960 --> 00:12:37,960
I remember that
when you and I were together
245
00:12:37,960 --> 00:12:39,800
in the room of Madame Inglethorp,
246
00:12:39,800 --> 00:12:42,960
'that I already
straightened the ornaments.
247
00:12:44,960 --> 00:12:46,800
'Now, if they were
already straightened,
248
00:12:46,800 --> 00:12:48,960
'there would be no reason for me
to have to straighten them again.'
249
00:12:48,960 --> 00:12:51,960
Something that would have connected
to the murderer with the crime.
250
00:12:51,960 --> 00:12:56,960
Unless someone in the meantime
had touched them.
251
00:12:56,960 --> 00:13:00,320
He's a man that watches things very
closely, he's like a great chef.
252
00:13:00,320 --> 00:13:02,960
Because it is all about
looking into the detail
253
00:13:02,960 --> 00:13:04,960
and seeing things
that other people can't see.
254
00:13:04,960 --> 00:13:08,960
Agatha Christie sums up
one of the greatest characters
255
00:13:08,960 --> 00:13:11,960
of all fiction in three words,
256
00:13:11,960 --> 00:13:13,960
"little grey cells."
257
00:13:13,960 --> 00:13:17,960
A great detective
needs a great brain.
258
00:13:17,960 --> 00:13:19,960
And that's what Poirot has.
259
00:13:20,960 --> 00:13:21,960
Oh, yes.
260
00:13:23,320 --> 00:13:25,960
The little grey cells
have done well today.
261
00:13:31,960 --> 00:13:35,960
For 100 years, audiences and readers
have been thrilled by Poirot's
262
00:13:35,960 --> 00:13:39,320
quirky yet meticulous
approach to crime solving.
263
00:13:39,320 --> 00:13:43,160
We always know Poirot will catch the
murderer, explain how they did it,
264
00:13:43,160 --> 00:13:46,320
and perhaps tidy a few mantelpieces
along the way.
265
00:13:46,320 --> 00:13:50,960
But in his first outing,
Agatha didn't give him an easy ride.
266
00:13:50,960 --> 00:13:52,960
She drew on
her own experiences in war
267
00:13:52,960 --> 00:13:54,960
to devise a method of killing
268
00:13:54,960 --> 00:13:57,960
that could deceive
even the keenest of eyes.
269
00:14:07,800 --> 00:14:12,000
In Poirot, Agatha Christie
had created the perfect detective.
270
00:14:12,000 --> 00:14:14,320
A Belgian refugee living in Britain,
271
00:14:14,320 --> 00:14:18,640
he studied every case
with a detached gaze of an outsider.
272
00:14:18,640 --> 00:14:20,960
And she gifted him
with a great brain.
273
00:14:20,960 --> 00:14:23,960
The little grey cells
of which he is so proud.
274
00:14:23,960 --> 00:14:28,960
But in her debut novel, Agatha
tested that brain to the limit.
275
00:14:29,960 --> 00:14:32,960
'In her first book,
The Mysterious Affair At Styles,
276
00:14:32,960 --> 00:14:35,320
Poirot was confronted
with a murder victim
277
00:14:35,320 --> 00:14:37,960
who appeared to have been poisoned.
278
00:14:39,960 --> 00:14:42,480
Why did you want to know if
Mrs Inglethorp ate well last night?
279
00:14:44,960 --> 00:14:45,960
The contention of the present
280
00:14:45,960 --> 00:14:49,960
is that Madame Inglethorp died
of the strychnine poisoning. No?
281
00:14:49,960 --> 00:14:52,960
Agatha Christie likes a poisoner.
282
00:14:52,960 --> 00:14:55,640
She loves a bit of poisoning.
283
00:14:55,640 --> 00:14:57,960
Poison is a wonderful weapon for her
284
00:14:57,960 --> 00:15:01,000
because it is, to all intents
and purposes, bloodless.
285
00:15:01,000 --> 00:15:04,960
It is a clean death, it is something
that anybody, as well, can use.
286
00:15:04,960 --> 00:15:07,960
'Agatha picked up
her unique knowledge of poisons
287
00:15:07,960 --> 00:15:10,960
'while working as a nurse
in Torquay's military hospital
288
00:15:10,960 --> 00:15:12,960
'during World War I.
289
00:15:12,960 --> 00:15:16,960
'Forensic scientists and murder
mystery obsessive Carla Valentine
290
00:15:16,960 --> 00:15:19,960
'has researched Agatha Christie's
medical background.
291
00:15:19,960 --> 00:15:21,960
Agatha would have had
a baptism of fire.
292
00:15:21,960 --> 00:15:24,960
She would have seen things
that she had never seen before.
293
00:15:24,960 --> 00:15:30,640
Blood and gore, stitching,
amputations, bloody floors.
294
00:15:30,640 --> 00:15:34,640
It really was a huge
new experience for her
295
00:15:34,640 --> 00:15:37,960
and, you know, one that shaped
her character for years to come.
296
00:15:38,960 --> 00:15:41,960
'Before long,
Agatha was keen to move away
297
00:15:41,960 --> 00:15:44,960
'from the gruesome
front line of nursing.
298
00:15:44,960 --> 00:15:47,960
'So she specialised
as a dispensary nurse,
299
00:15:47,960 --> 00:15:49,960
'preparing medication for patients.'
300
00:15:49,960 --> 00:15:52,960
So what she had to do
was she would mix powders,
301
00:15:52,960 --> 00:15:55,960
and she would mix solutions,
and she would make pills, pessaries,
302
00:15:55,960 --> 00:15:59,960
ointments,
even, you know, medications.
303
00:15:59,960 --> 00:16:02,960
And it really was
a very specialist job.
304
00:16:05,160 --> 00:16:07,960
'In her debut Poirot story,
305
00:16:07,960 --> 00:16:10,960
'Agatha's poison of choice
was strychnine.'
306
00:16:10,960 --> 00:16:13,960
I would like your consent
to a postmortem, then.
307
00:16:13,960 --> 00:16:16,160
That's not necessary,
surely it was a heart attack?
308
00:16:16,160 --> 00:16:17,960
Oh, no, I'm sorry.
309
00:16:18,960 --> 00:16:23,960
Mrs Inglethorp showed classic
symptoms of strychnine poisoning.
310
00:16:23,960 --> 00:16:24,960
Can't be!
311
00:16:24,960 --> 00:16:27,960
'Although steadily
in large quantities,
312
00:16:27,960 --> 00:16:30,960
'it was an everyday medicine
if used safely.'
313
00:16:30,960 --> 00:16:33,960
The effect of it on the nervous
system, in small doses,
314
00:16:33,960 --> 00:16:36,960
wouldn't kill you, but it would
sort of pep you up a little bit.
315
00:16:36,960 --> 00:16:40,640
A lot of the time,
it would be even used by old ladies.
316
00:16:41,960 --> 00:16:45,000
Everything in her life
seems to have been organic,
317
00:16:45,000 --> 00:16:48,960
and she sees it, grabs it
and utilises it.
318
00:16:48,960 --> 00:16:54,960
She was so meticulous about writing
about poisoning and poisons,
319
00:16:54,960 --> 00:16:58,160
that the poison society
320
00:16:58,160 --> 00:17:01,960
commended her writing
about poisoning.
321
00:17:01,960 --> 00:17:03,960
There, you see.
322
00:17:03,960 --> 00:17:06,480
Already the strychnine
is beginning to precipitate
323
00:17:06,480 --> 00:17:08,320
and fall to the bottom.
324
00:17:08,320 --> 00:17:10,960
In a few hours,
it will form colourless crystals.
325
00:17:10,960 --> 00:17:12,960
Which remain at the bottom
of the liquid?
326
00:17:13,960 --> 00:17:16,960
Which remain at the bottom
of the liquid.
327
00:17:16,960 --> 00:17:18,480
'Poison would go on to be
328
00:17:18,480 --> 00:17:20,960
'one of Agatha's
favourite methods of murder.
329
00:17:20,960 --> 00:17:22,960
'She killed five characters
with strychnine,
330
00:17:22,960 --> 00:17:26,960
'eight with arsenic,
and 18 with cyanide.'
331
00:17:26,960 --> 00:17:28,960
She clearly learnt as much
332
00:17:28,960 --> 00:17:31,480
as she could possibly learn
about poison
333
00:17:31,480 --> 00:17:34,960
and then dripped those
poisonous moments
334
00:17:34,960 --> 00:17:38,960
into her novels and
her short stories forever after.
335
00:17:38,960 --> 00:17:41,160
In the laboratory
on the previous afternoon,
336
00:17:41,160 --> 00:17:44,960
you would have seen Caroline Crale
steal the poison.
337
00:17:44,960 --> 00:17:47,960
Monsieur Blake had his back to the
room while he was talking to you,
338
00:17:47,960 --> 00:17:50,960
so it was perfectly possible
for you to see her.
339
00:17:50,960 --> 00:17:53,960
The only person who could do so.
340
00:17:53,960 --> 00:17:56,160
'A few years
into her writing career,
341
00:17:56,160 --> 00:17:59,960
'Agatha and her husband Archie
moved out of London
342
00:17:59,960 --> 00:18:02,960
'to the nearby commuter town
of Sunningdale.
343
00:18:02,960 --> 00:18:04,960
'Archie was a fan of golf
344
00:18:04,960 --> 00:18:07,960
'and enjoyed the towns courses
a little too much.'
345
00:18:07,960 --> 00:18:10,960
I suppose that's
when things started to go wrong.
346
00:18:10,960 --> 00:18:15,960
The golf became a symbol, if you
like, of their diverging ways.
347
00:18:15,960 --> 00:18:18,960
She described herself
as a "golf widow."
348
00:18:19,960 --> 00:18:21,960
'As Agatha's marriage
started to suffer,
349
00:18:21,960 --> 00:18:25,960
'she found comfort in
the clear logic of Hercule Poirot.
350
00:18:26,960 --> 00:18:30,960
'In 1926, she published
her most celebrated story yet,
351
00:18:30,960 --> 00:18:33,960
'The Murder Of Roger Ackroyd.'
352
00:18:33,960 --> 00:18:36,960
Everything changed, really,
with The Murder Of Roger Ackroyd.
353
00:18:36,960 --> 00:18:38,960
It still obsesses people
354
00:18:38,960 --> 00:18:41,960
because it is probably
the perfect detective story.
355
00:18:41,960 --> 00:18:45,960
'In this rarely heard interview
from her family archives,
356
00:18:45,960 --> 00:18:48,320
'Agatha reveals
how her perfect detective story
357
00:18:48,320 --> 00:18:49,960
'was one of the hardest to write.'
358
00:18:49,960 --> 00:18:52,960
CHRISTIE: These are the little
plots that tease at one,
359
00:18:52,960 --> 00:18:55,800
one likes to think of,
one knows one is going to write.
360
00:18:56,960 --> 00:18:58,320
That was much like Roger Ackroyd...
361
00:18:59,640 --> 00:19:01,960
which played about in my mind
for a long time
362
00:19:01,960 --> 00:19:04,320
before I could get the details
fixed.
363
00:19:04,320 --> 00:19:07,960
I think we all agree
that The Murder Of Roger Ackroyd
364
00:19:07,960 --> 00:19:10,960
is the ultimate detective story.
365
00:19:10,960 --> 00:19:13,960
The best ever
piece of fiction of its kind.
366
00:19:13,960 --> 00:19:17,960
POIROT: "My little book is about
the murder of Roger Ackroyd,
367
00:19:17,960 --> 00:19:19,160
"the events leading up to it,
368
00:19:19,160 --> 00:19:21,960
"the subsequenct
numbskull investigation
369
00:19:21,960 --> 00:19:25,160
"and the final revelation,
to you alone, dear reader,
370
00:19:25,160 --> 00:19:26,960
"of the guilty party."
371
00:19:28,800 --> 00:19:32,960
'This game-changing book challenged
the rules of crime fiction.
372
00:19:32,960 --> 00:19:35,960
'The murderer's identity
is so unexpected,
373
00:19:35,960 --> 00:19:38,320
'that it draws into question
every page,
374
00:19:38,320 --> 00:19:40,960
'every word that has gone before.'
375
00:19:40,960 --> 00:19:43,960
As we move towards
the end of the novel,
376
00:19:43,960 --> 00:19:47,960
she performs a fantastic trick,
but she does it so well
377
00:19:47,960 --> 00:19:50,960
that she absolutely misdirects
the reader
378
00:19:50,960 --> 00:19:54,960
in a way that really very few people
would be able to anticipate.
379
00:19:54,960 --> 00:20:00,320
That was the story that put Agatha
way up on that plinth.
380
00:20:00,320 --> 00:20:03,000
And no-one will ever get her down
because of that book.
381
00:20:03,000 --> 00:20:06,320
POIROT: "The true stories
of these murders most dreadful
382
00:20:06,320 --> 00:20:08,960
"must, for the moment,
remain a secret.
383
00:20:12,640 --> 00:20:13,960
"The last favour, if you will,
384
00:20:13,960 --> 00:20:16,960
"to a man that I once looked on
as a friend."
385
00:20:18,320 --> 00:20:21,960
The shock of who the murderer is
386
00:20:21,960 --> 00:20:24,960
resounds to this day
through the whole genre.
387
00:20:24,960 --> 00:20:28,000
Once she did that, other detective
writers just bowed down and said,
388
00:20:28,000 --> 00:20:32,960
"She is the Queen, there is...
none of us can touch her."
389
00:20:32,960 --> 00:20:35,800
And if you haven't read it,
I'd urge you to read it.
390
00:20:35,800 --> 00:20:36,960
It's wonderful.
391
00:20:36,960 --> 00:20:39,160
And see if you think
you can tell who did it,
392
00:20:39,160 --> 00:20:41,480
and the chances are you won't.
LAUGHTER
393
00:20:43,160 --> 00:20:45,960
'As Agatha's career
reached a new peak,
394
00:20:45,960 --> 00:20:47,960
'her private world was crumbling.
395
00:20:47,960 --> 00:20:49,960
'Husband Archie revealed
396
00:20:49,960 --> 00:20:52,960
'he had started a relationship
with a younger woman.
397
00:20:52,960 --> 00:20:56,640
'And, around the same time,
Agatha's mother died.'
398
00:20:56,640 --> 00:20:58,800
In the winter of 1926,
399
00:20:58,800 --> 00:21:00,960
Agatha Christie
was at her lowest ebb.
400
00:21:00,960 --> 00:21:02,960
But then her life took a turn
401
00:21:02,960 --> 00:21:04,960
as dramatic as anything
in her stories,
402
00:21:04,960 --> 00:21:07,960
and her private turmoil
became public.
403
00:21:07,960 --> 00:21:11,960
'On December 4th,
her car was found abandoned
404
00:21:11,960 --> 00:21:14,960
'at a beauty spot in Surrey
on the edge of the North Downs.
405
00:21:14,960 --> 00:21:17,960
'Before long, police
were investigating the incident
406
00:21:17,960 --> 00:21:21,480
'as a missing persons case,
and it was front-page news.'
407
00:21:21,480 --> 00:21:23,960
The tabloids must have just
not been able to believe it
408
00:21:23,960 --> 00:21:26,960
because it's just like,
it could have been one of her books.
409
00:21:26,960 --> 00:21:28,960
You've got a woman missing,
410
00:21:28,960 --> 00:21:31,960
a car parked on the North Downs
in the middle of nowhere,
411
00:21:31,960 --> 00:21:34,160
you've got a husband
who's run off with a younger woman.
412
00:21:34,160 --> 00:21:37,960
She's on the front page
of every newspaper for gossip.
413
00:21:38,960 --> 00:21:41,960
You know,
she's basically being trashed
414
00:21:41,960 --> 00:21:43,960
by the poor behaviour
of her husband.
415
00:21:43,960 --> 00:21:46,960
'Agatha Christie biographer
Laura Thompson
416
00:21:46,960 --> 00:21:48,960
has returned
to the Surrey countryside
417
00:21:48,960 --> 00:21:51,320
where police and public
searched furiously for Agatha.
418
00:21:52,480 --> 00:21:55,960
These are the police files
from the case.
419
00:21:55,960 --> 00:21:57,960
"She might have fallen down
420
00:21:57,960 --> 00:22:01,000
"one of the numerous gravel pits
that abound there.
421
00:22:01,000 --> 00:22:04,960
"Or she might have been, as was
strongly suggested to the police,
422
00:22:04,960 --> 00:22:07,960
"the victim of a serious crime."
423
00:22:07,960 --> 00:22:12,960
The police wondered whether Archie
Christie might have been involved.
424
00:22:12,960 --> 00:22:14,960
Could he have made her disappear?
425
00:22:14,960 --> 00:22:17,960
I mean, after all,
when it comes to murder,
426
00:22:17,960 --> 00:22:19,960
the domestic murder
is the most common murder.
427
00:22:19,960 --> 00:22:23,160
'But the grim headline everyone
had been braced for never came.
428
00:22:24,320 --> 00:22:27,960
'Because, on the morning
Agatha's car was found abandoned,
429
00:22:27,960 --> 00:22:30,960
'she had in fact made her way
to London and, from there,
430
00:22:30,960 --> 00:22:32,960
'she caught a train home
to Harrogate in Yorkshire.'
431
00:22:34,000 --> 00:22:38,000
We sort of gathered
that she had lost confidence
432
00:22:38,000 --> 00:22:40,960
in herself and her marriage,
and was despairing,
433
00:22:40,960 --> 00:22:43,960
and thought "To hell, I don't want
to be anywhere near him and home,"
434
00:22:43,960 --> 00:22:46,960
and goodness knows,
I know exactly how that feels.
435
00:22:46,960 --> 00:22:51,160
'She took a room in a spa hotel
then known as the Harrogate Hydro.'
436
00:22:51,160 --> 00:22:53,320
I think her heart was broken.
437
00:22:53,320 --> 00:22:55,960
So the crisis that she was in
at that time,
438
00:22:55,960 --> 00:23:00,960
I think, absolutely makes
perfect sense of her running away.
439
00:23:00,960 --> 00:23:05,960
'During her stay, Agatha appeared
to be a normal hotel guest.'
440
00:23:05,960 --> 00:23:08,320
She seemed fine
to the people around her,
441
00:23:08,320 --> 00:23:10,320
but I'm pretty sure
that was a front.
442
00:23:10,320 --> 00:23:12,000
The thing you do
when you've just had a break-up
443
00:23:12,000 --> 00:23:14,160
and you're trying to show your ex
how fine you are,
444
00:23:14,160 --> 00:23:15,960
that you're great,
you're having a lovely time
445
00:23:15,960 --> 00:23:17,960
and you don't even remember them.
446
00:23:17,960 --> 00:23:19,960
'After nine days, on December 10th,
447
00:23:19,960 --> 00:23:22,960
'two staff members
informed the police
448
00:23:22,960 --> 00:23:25,480
'that they believed Agatha Christie
was staying at the hotel.
449
00:23:25,480 --> 00:23:28,480
'And the next day,
her disappearance ended.'
450
00:23:28,480 --> 00:23:31,960
There, sitting by the fire,
was her husband Archie...
451
00:23:31,960 --> 00:23:33,960
who had come up with a policeman.
452
00:23:33,960 --> 00:23:36,960
I mean,
it must have been extraordinary.
453
00:23:36,960 --> 00:23:39,960
'With the press gathering
at the hotel front entrance,
454
00:23:39,960 --> 00:23:42,960
'they attempted to escape
via another route.
455
00:23:42,960 --> 00:23:45,960
'They had to be bright idea
of going out to the side entrance,
456
00:23:45,960 --> 00:23:49,960
'but The Daily Mail was onto that,
and they were waiting for her there
457
00:23:49,960 --> 00:23:52,960
'and got this amazing
shot of this blank face.'
458
00:23:52,960 --> 00:23:54,480
SHUTTER SNAPS
459
00:23:54,480 --> 00:23:56,960
I suspect it felt alarming
and overwhelming, you know,
460
00:23:56,960 --> 00:23:58,960
the fame wasn't earned,
it wasn't from her books,
461
00:23:58,960 --> 00:24:00,960
it was from something
she did in her private life
462
00:24:00,960 --> 00:24:01,960
that became public.
463
00:24:01,960 --> 00:24:04,960
The truth is,
Agatha Christie wrote fiction,
464
00:24:04,960 --> 00:24:06,960
she didn't want to be
a character in a fiction.
465
00:24:06,960 --> 00:24:10,960
'Archie told reporters
that Agatha's disappearance
466
00:24:10,960 --> 00:24:12,640
'had been caused
by a loss of memory.'
467
00:24:13,640 --> 00:24:14,960
I think most people would accept
468
00:24:14,960 --> 00:24:18,640
that she was going through
an incredibly stressful time.
469
00:24:18,640 --> 00:24:20,960
She obviously had
some breakdown of some sort.
470
00:24:20,960 --> 00:24:24,960
Even now, we still don't
really know what happened.
471
00:24:24,960 --> 00:24:26,960
I mean,
we know she was in Harrogate,
472
00:24:26,960 --> 00:24:29,320
but we don't really know
why for that long
473
00:24:29,320 --> 00:24:31,960
and why she just went
for radio silence
474
00:24:31,960 --> 00:24:32,960
and didn't come out of hiding.
475
00:24:33,960 --> 00:24:35,480
I suppose you could say
476
00:24:35,480 --> 00:24:37,960
it was, like, just a typical
Agatha Christie thing to do.
477
00:24:37,960 --> 00:24:41,480
'Agatha and Archie divorced
after the disappearance.
478
00:24:41,480 --> 00:24:43,960
'And some would say
there was a marked change
479
00:24:43,960 --> 00:24:46,960
'in her depiction of Poirot
in the following years.'
480
00:24:46,960 --> 00:24:49,960
I think an experience like that
does alter you and,
481
00:24:49,960 --> 00:24:52,640
if you're altered,
your books are altered.
482
00:24:52,640 --> 00:24:55,960
Poirot becomes, I think, slightly
softer, slightly more mature.
483
00:24:55,960 --> 00:24:57,960
You must look to the future.
484
00:24:57,960 --> 00:24:59,960
SHE SCOFFS
Oh, she'd love that.
485
00:24:59,960 --> 00:25:00,960
I am thinking of you.
486
00:25:01,960 --> 00:25:04,480
You have before you your whole life.
487
00:25:04,480 --> 00:25:07,960
We get a glimpse
at Hercule Poirot's heart.
488
00:25:07,960 --> 00:25:12,960
You can see that there has been
a possibility of love in his eye.
489
00:25:12,960 --> 00:25:16,960
After the media frenzy
surrounding her disappearance,
490
00:25:16,960 --> 00:25:19,960
Agatha Christie was front-page news
for all the wrong reasons.
491
00:25:19,960 --> 00:25:22,960
With heavy scrutiny
from press and public alike,
492
00:25:22,960 --> 00:25:25,480
Britain was starting to feel
like a prison.
493
00:25:25,480 --> 00:25:28,960
But Agatha would discover
a new freedom through foreign travel
494
00:25:28,960 --> 00:25:31,960
that would liberate her imagination
like never before.
495
00:25:38,960 --> 00:25:41,000
Agatha Christie
had always been curious
496
00:25:41,000 --> 00:25:42,960
about the world beyond Britain.
497
00:25:42,960 --> 00:25:46,960
After her divorce from Archie,
she indulged her curiosity
498
00:25:46,960 --> 00:25:48,480
by travelling abroad alone,
499
00:25:48,480 --> 00:25:51,320
picking up new stories
for Poirot along the way.
500
00:25:51,320 --> 00:25:56,960
But it wasn't until she boarded
a luxury train bound for Istanbul
501
00:25:56,960 --> 00:26:00,960
that she would discover Poirot's
greatest adventure yet.
502
00:26:00,960 --> 00:26:06,000
'In 1928, Agatha took her
first journey on the Orient express.
503
00:26:07,960 --> 00:26:10,960
She uses her independent spirit
to go travelling...
504
00:26:10,960 --> 00:26:12,320
on her own.
505
00:26:12,320 --> 00:26:14,960
This is 100 years ago,
this is unusual.
506
00:26:14,960 --> 00:26:17,960
You have to remember
how rare it was
507
00:26:17,960 --> 00:26:21,960
for the British reading public
to travel outside Britain.
508
00:26:21,960 --> 00:26:25,960
But, early on, she made enough
money to afford to travel en luxe,
509
00:26:25,960 --> 00:26:28,960
go on these grand trains
like The Orient Express.
510
00:26:28,960 --> 00:26:31,960
What a woman.
I mean, what a woman!
511
00:26:31,960 --> 00:26:34,960
She was a trailblazer
in so many different ways.
512
00:26:34,960 --> 00:26:37,960
'Agatha would have started
her train journey
513
00:26:37,960 --> 00:26:39,960
'at Victoria Station in London,
514
00:26:39,960 --> 00:26:43,960
'which she described as "the gateway
to the world beyond England."
515
00:26:43,960 --> 00:26:46,960
'Today, the luxury train provider
Belmond
516
00:26:46,960 --> 00:26:49,960
'runs services that recreate
the comfort and elegance
517
00:26:49,960 --> 00:26:51,960
'that she would have enjoyed.'
518
00:26:53,640 --> 00:26:56,000
'Agatha Christie fan and actress
Joanna Page
519
00:26:56,000 --> 00:26:59,000
'has come to discover
why this opulent mode of transport
520
00:26:59,000 --> 00:27:01,960
'had so much appeal.'
521
00:27:01,960 --> 00:27:03,960
The first time I started reading
Agatha's novels
522
00:27:03,960 --> 00:27:06,160
was when I was quite young.
523
00:27:06,160 --> 00:27:09,960
I think I leapt from Enid Blyton
to Agatha Christie.
524
00:27:10,960 --> 00:27:15,960
Trains are just such a lovely place
to let your imagination just wander.
525
00:27:15,960 --> 00:27:18,960
I mean, you're sitting on there
for such a long time,
526
00:27:18,960 --> 00:27:20,960
meeting lots of different people.
527
00:27:20,960 --> 00:27:24,960
It's just the perfect place for
stories just to unfold in your mind.
528
00:27:24,960 --> 00:27:29,800
She just must have been lapping up
all of these different countries,
529
00:27:29,800 --> 00:27:30,960
and all of the different locations,
530
00:27:30,960 --> 00:27:33,480
and just putting it
into each of her books.
531
00:27:33,480 --> 00:27:35,960
I just think that's just wonderful.
532
00:27:36,960 --> 00:27:38,960
Good morning, madam,
and welcome on board
533
00:27:38,960 --> 00:27:39,960
the Belmond British Pullman.
534
00:27:41,800 --> 00:27:45,960
I can imagine why Agatha Christie
would love train travel like this.
535
00:27:45,960 --> 00:27:49,960
Because it's just so indulgent,
and you just feel so special.
536
00:27:51,000 --> 00:27:54,800
'Agatha Christie became a regular
traveller on The Orient Express
537
00:27:54,800 --> 00:27:57,960
'and referred to it
as "a familiar old friend."
538
00:27:57,960 --> 00:28:01,960
'The long meandering journey
from west to east
539
00:28:01,960 --> 00:28:04,960
'would prove to be a gift
for a prolific writer like Agatha.'
540
00:28:05,960 --> 00:28:09,960
There's something incredibly
glamorous about that period.
541
00:28:09,960 --> 00:28:12,960
And the idea of sitting down
for dinner
542
00:28:12,960 --> 00:28:15,960
with the most beautiful,
white linen tablecloth
543
00:28:15,960 --> 00:28:16,960
and silver service
544
00:28:16,960 --> 00:28:21,320
and people coming in long, slinky
gowns and cigarette holders.
545
00:28:21,320 --> 00:28:26,960
There is something about that period
that is just captivating.
546
00:28:26,960 --> 00:28:30,960
To have a train travelling
across Europe around the world,
547
00:28:30,960 --> 00:28:33,960
seeing all the different countries
with that level of food and service
548
00:28:33,960 --> 00:28:37,960
and hospitality and luxury,
I always found that quite special.
549
00:28:37,960 --> 00:28:40,160
'Agatha's love of luxury train
travel
550
00:28:40,160 --> 00:28:43,960
'would provide her with a backdrop
for Murder On the Orient Express.'
551
00:28:48,960 --> 00:28:50,960
'Inspired by her early experience
552
00:28:50,960 --> 00:28:53,000
'of being trapped on
the Orient Express after flooding,
553
00:28:53,000 --> 00:28:56,960
'the story pivots around
12 characters brought together
554
00:28:56,960 --> 00:28:59,960
'after a snow drift
blocks the train's path.'
555
00:28:59,960 --> 00:29:02,960
Murder on the Orient Express has
lots of things going for it.
556
00:29:02,960 --> 00:29:06,800
The train is obviously,
almost an extra character in it.
557
00:29:06,800 --> 00:29:08,960
It is the ultimate in luxury.
558
00:29:08,960 --> 00:29:10,960
Agatha Christie is at her best
559
00:29:10,960 --> 00:29:13,960
writing what one might think of
as locked room mysteries.
560
00:29:13,960 --> 00:29:17,960
Where there is a small number
of people in a contained space.
561
00:29:17,960 --> 00:29:22,960
You do feel airless and trapped,
and unable to get away.
562
00:29:22,960 --> 00:29:24,000
That is frightening.
563
00:29:24,000 --> 00:29:26,960
Everyone's in danger and everyone's
looking over their shoulder.
564
00:29:26,960 --> 00:29:28,320
Everyone's, you know,
565
00:29:28,320 --> 00:29:30,960
checking everyone and everything
all the time,
566
00:29:30,960 --> 00:29:32,960
and it's a genius device.
567
00:29:32,960 --> 00:29:36,960
To put mystique and betrayal
in that confined space,
568
00:29:36,960 --> 00:29:41,480
again with these very well-to-do
characters, you know,
569
00:29:41,480 --> 00:29:43,960
the last thing
you'd expect is a murder.
570
00:29:54,960 --> 00:29:57,960
There is a murderer among us.
571
00:29:58,960 --> 00:30:03,960
It's the deep, dark, psychological
stuff that really floats my boat,
572
00:30:03,960 --> 00:30:06,800
why people do dark and bad things.
573
00:30:06,800 --> 00:30:09,960
Everybody's scared. Or are they?
574
00:30:09,960 --> 00:30:11,960
Everybody could have done it,
or could they?
575
00:30:11,960 --> 00:30:14,960
Everybody could be a victim,
everybody is a victim.
576
00:30:14,960 --> 00:30:17,000
Who's going to be bumped off next?
577
00:30:17,000 --> 00:30:20,960
And you've got Poirot there
to solve it, or not to solve it.
578
00:30:20,960 --> 00:30:24,960
'It's not only the intriguing plot,
mysterious characters
579
00:30:24,960 --> 00:30:27,000
'and stunning location that has
captured the imagination,
580
00:30:27,000 --> 00:30:30,960
'it is also Agatha's
devilishly clever finale.'
581
00:30:32,160 --> 00:30:36,960
The end of Murder On The Orient
Express leaves Poirot
582
00:30:36,960 --> 00:30:40,960
with a moral dilemma.
What is he to do?
583
00:30:40,960 --> 00:30:43,800
Because justice must be done.
584
00:30:43,800 --> 00:30:48,000
Poirot is in real trouble,
and it's good to see him squirm.
585
00:30:48,000 --> 00:30:49,960
Ladies and gentlemen...
586
00:30:51,640 --> 00:30:52,960
..I have understood, in this case,
587
00:30:52,960 --> 00:30:57,960
the scales of justice
cannot always be evenly weighed.
588
00:30:58,960 --> 00:31:01,960
And I must learn, for once...
589
00:31:01,960 --> 00:31:04,960
..To live with the imbalance.
590
00:31:04,960 --> 00:31:09,320
I think it genuinely does
have the most ingenious
591
00:31:09,320 --> 00:31:13,160
solution to a mystery in the whole
of detective fiction.
592
00:31:13,160 --> 00:31:15,960
I've never come across
a cleverer solution.
593
00:31:15,960 --> 00:31:19,960
'Today, anyone travelling
on the Orient Express
594
00:31:19,960 --> 00:31:23,960
'is transported back
to the romance and intrigue
595
00:31:23,960 --> 00:31:25,960
'of Agatha's iconic story.
596
00:31:25,960 --> 00:31:28,960
'It seems author and train
will be forever linked.'
597
00:31:28,960 --> 00:31:32,960
If I said to anybody, 'What's the
most romantic train in the world?'
598
00:31:32,960 --> 00:31:35,960
They would say,
'The Orient Express.'
599
00:31:35,960 --> 00:31:37,160
Everybody knows the Orient Express.
600
00:31:37,160 --> 00:31:39,960
Pleasingly, I haven't been
on a train journey
601
00:31:39,960 --> 00:31:42,960
where a murder has occurred.
That's a nice thing.
602
00:31:42,960 --> 00:31:44,960
But I have, been, indeed,
on this train.
603
00:31:44,960 --> 00:31:49,960
There is a sense of excitement,
event about it.
604
00:31:49,960 --> 00:31:52,960
By the 1930s, Agatha Christie
was on her way
605
00:31:52,960 --> 00:31:55,960
to being a national treasure.
606
00:31:55,960 --> 00:31:57,960
Her ingenious plots
had secured her place
607
00:31:57,960 --> 00:32:00,960
as the most popular crime writer
in the country.
608
00:32:00,960 --> 00:32:04,320
But she was forever curious
about worlds beyond our shores.
609
00:32:04,320 --> 00:32:05,960
When the Middle East beckoned,
610
00:32:05,960 --> 00:32:09,000
she would discover one of her
most celebrated mysteries ever.
611
00:32:10,960 --> 00:32:14,960
'Agatha Christie had a lifelong
passion for archaeology.
612
00:32:14,960 --> 00:32:18,960
'Historian Bettany Hughes, has come
to the British Museum to explore
613
00:32:18,960 --> 00:32:21,000
'the role the past played
in her writing.'
614
00:32:21,000 --> 00:32:24,320
I think archaeology really
appeals to Agatha for two reasons.
615
00:32:24,320 --> 00:32:26,160
First, because she is
actually very precise,
616
00:32:26,160 --> 00:32:29,960
and she likes to arrange
evidence in a particular way.
617
00:32:29,960 --> 00:32:33,960
But she is also a storyteller and
someone who loves solving mysteries,
618
00:32:33,960 --> 00:32:38,800
so the fact that archaeology is
a science where you have to find
619
00:32:38,800 --> 00:32:40,960
the answers by jigsaw puzzling
together the clues,
620
00:32:40,960 --> 00:32:42,960
I'm sure would have appealed to her.
621
00:32:42,960 --> 00:32:44,960
I think she was really
a frustrated archaeologist
622
00:32:44,960 --> 00:32:46,960
through most of her life.
623
00:32:46,960 --> 00:32:49,960
'In 1930, aged nearly 40,
624
00:32:49,960 --> 00:32:53,000
'Agatha travelled to Iraq
to attend an excavation.'
625
00:32:53,000 --> 00:32:58,960
How brilliant that someone who liked
to dig around in people's lives
626
00:32:58,960 --> 00:33:03,000
and their behaviours went to dig
around in people's past lives
627
00:33:03,000 --> 00:33:04,960
and their past behaviours.
628
00:33:04,960 --> 00:33:09,640
'It's here that she met
archaeologist, Max Mallowan.
629
00:33:09,640 --> 00:33:13,160
'Within six months of meeting,
they were married.'
630
00:33:14,960 --> 00:33:19,960
So, these are ivories that were
found by Max Mallowan in Iraq.
631
00:33:19,960 --> 00:33:24,640
We know that she adored
helping Max find and restore them.
632
00:33:25,960 --> 00:33:28,960
So, she worked
kind of as an archaeologist by day,
633
00:33:28,960 --> 00:33:32,960
and then by night,
she would sit and write her books.
634
00:33:33,960 --> 00:33:35,960
'Before long, The desert
lands of the Middle East
635
00:33:35,960 --> 00:33:37,960
'became the settings
for Agatha's stories.
636
00:33:37,960 --> 00:33:39,960
'Murder In Mesopotamia
637
00:33:39,960 --> 00:33:43,640
'brought Poirot to an archaeological
dig in Iraq.'
638
00:33:50,960 --> 00:33:52,960
You'd have been a good
archaeologist, Mr Poirot.
639
00:33:54,960 --> 00:33:55,960
You have the gift...
640
00:33:56,960 --> 00:33:59,320
..Of recreating the past.
641
00:33:59,320 --> 00:34:03,000
He actually describes his work
as being like archaeology.
642
00:34:03,000 --> 00:34:06,640
Burrowing around, trying to find
the truth and trying to find clues
643
00:34:06,640 --> 00:34:08,960
and piece them together.
644
00:34:08,960 --> 00:34:11,960
Agatha herself talks about putting
aside debris
645
00:34:11,960 --> 00:34:13,960
to find the shining truth.
646
00:34:13,960 --> 00:34:18,960
That is what both
authors and archaeologists do.
647
00:34:18,960 --> 00:34:21,960
Facts, Hastings. Facts.
648
00:34:21,960 --> 00:34:25,960
Those are the cobbles that make
up the road along which we travel.
649
00:34:28,960 --> 00:34:31,960
'It wasn't all work for Agatha
and Max when they travelled.
650
00:34:31,960 --> 00:34:35,160
'During a holiday to Egypt,
they boarded a steamboat
651
00:34:35,160 --> 00:34:36,960
'and travelled down the Nile.'
652
00:34:38,640 --> 00:34:40,960
I have done a trip down the Nile
on a boat.
653
00:34:40,960 --> 00:34:43,640
I have done one of those trips.
654
00:34:43,640 --> 00:34:46,960
And it is one of the
most interesting,
655
00:34:46,960 --> 00:34:49,960
romantic things you can do.
656
00:34:49,960 --> 00:34:51,960
I've been on that boat
down the Nile.
657
00:34:51,960 --> 00:34:56,160
I've done it,
and it's exhilarating. You know?
658
00:34:56,160 --> 00:34:58,960
You're down the Nile,
you pass the Valley Of The Kings,
659
00:34:58,960 --> 00:34:59,960
you get a shiver over you.
660
00:34:59,960 --> 00:35:03,960
'Agatha's slow boat through Egypt
became the inspiration
661
00:35:03,960 --> 00:35:06,000
'for one of her most enduring
mysteries.
662
00:35:06,000 --> 00:35:07,960
Death on the Nile.'
663
00:35:09,960 --> 00:35:12,960
There's something about this place.
Don't you think?
664
00:35:14,320 --> 00:35:17,960
Something unsettling
one can't quite resist. Oui.
665
00:35:17,960 --> 00:35:22,960
For Agatha Christie and her husband,
Max, to go down the Nile...
666
00:35:22,960 --> 00:35:24,960
..Must have been absolutely
fascinating.
667
00:35:24,960 --> 00:35:26,960
She will have looked
at those characters,
668
00:35:26,960 --> 00:35:29,960
like on The Orient Express,
who were on that boat and thought,
669
00:35:29,960 --> 00:35:33,960
'Oh, my goodness.
There's a murder mystery here.'
670
00:35:33,960 --> 00:35:36,960
You refuse to help, Monsieur Poirot,
and look what happens.
671
00:35:36,960 --> 00:35:38,960
But this is not of my making,
Madame.
672
00:35:38,960 --> 00:35:40,960
But how could she have
known that we would be on the boat?
673
00:35:40,960 --> 00:35:42,960
But if you are suggesting...
674
00:35:42,960 --> 00:35:45,320
I'm suggesting nothing, Monsieur,
but I will tell you this.
675
00:35:45,320 --> 00:35:48,960
Everybody hates me.
OK? I'm surrounded by enemies.
676
00:35:52,960 --> 00:35:55,000
The reason Agatha Christie
is such a genius
677
00:35:55,000 --> 00:35:57,960
is she gets
the three essentials right.
678
00:35:57,960 --> 00:36:00,960
Plot, character, location.
679
00:36:00,960 --> 00:36:04,320
She's clear about all of them.
And the locations are wonderful.
680
00:36:06,960 --> 00:36:09,960
'Death On The Nile and
Murder On The Orient Express
681
00:36:09,960 --> 00:36:12,160
'secured Agatha Christie's
reputation as a writer
682
00:36:12,160 --> 00:36:14,960
'who could take Poirot and fans
683
00:36:14,960 --> 00:36:17,960
'on captivating journeys
into unknown lands.'
684
00:36:18,960 --> 00:36:21,960
'But which was her
favourite Poirot story?'
685
00:36:21,960 --> 00:36:25,960
A lady wouldn't say easily.
Oh, I should think...
686
00:36:25,960 --> 00:36:28,960
..I think it's very good for fans...
687
00:36:28,960 --> 00:36:31,960
Perhaps
the Murder On The Orient Express.
688
00:36:31,960 --> 00:36:33,960
'As Agatha's success
reached new heights,
689
00:36:33,960 --> 00:36:38,320
'she turned more and more to the
familiar settings of Devon and home,
690
00:36:38,320 --> 00:36:40,160
'where both she and Poirot
would uncover
691
00:36:40,160 --> 00:36:43,960
'some of the most shocking murders
of their careers.'
692
00:36:43,960 --> 00:36:45,960
QUIETLY: Is that what you have
feared has happened, Madame?
693
00:36:45,960 --> 00:36:47,960
Le mort?
694
00:36:48,960 --> 00:36:53,960
Well, you don't mean...
You don't mean... Oh, Marlene.
695
00:37:07,160 --> 00:37:10,960
Agatha Christie found inspiration
wherever she went,
696
00:37:10,960 --> 00:37:14,960
be it on a train journey through
Europe or a holiday on the Nile.
697
00:37:14,960 --> 00:37:16,000
But nothing provided more material
698
00:37:16,000 --> 00:37:20,960
for her extraordinary imagination
than the familiar places of home.
699
00:37:20,960 --> 00:37:23,960
It was here, in Britain,
that she was able to bring Poirot
700
00:37:23,960 --> 00:37:24,960
directly into her life.
701
00:37:26,960 --> 00:37:30,960
'In 1938,
Agatha Christie bought Greenway.
702
00:37:30,960 --> 00:37:33,480
'A gorgeous house on the banks
of the River Dart In Devon.'
703
00:37:36,000 --> 00:37:38,960
She had the money to look
for a house, and famously,
704
00:37:38,960 --> 00:37:43,960
she came down here one day
and virtually bought it on sight.
705
00:37:43,960 --> 00:37:44,960
It is the most amazing place.
706
00:37:44,960 --> 00:37:47,960
It is also an incredibly private
place.
707
00:37:47,960 --> 00:37:50,960
And it was her
happy place for a very long time.
708
00:37:50,960 --> 00:37:54,960
A great, Georgian house,
about 1780 or 90.
709
00:37:54,960 --> 00:37:59,960
Woods sweeping down to
the Dart below. The perfect house.
710
00:37:59,960 --> 00:38:02,960
My wonderful
and most beautiful possession.
711
00:38:02,960 --> 00:38:05,320
'Agatha's great-grandson,
James Pritchard,
712
00:38:05,320 --> 00:38:09,960
'remembers Agatha and husband Max
spending cherished time with family
713
00:38:09,960 --> 00:38:11,960
and close friends at Greenway.'
714
00:38:11,960 --> 00:38:14,960
They used to come down here
during the holidays in the summer,
715
00:38:14,960 --> 00:38:16,960
and they would entertain
quite widely.
716
00:38:16,960 --> 00:38:19,960
There's a tennis court,
a putting green on the top,
717
00:38:19,960 --> 00:38:23,960
and probably boating on the river,
and a lot of eating and drinking.
718
00:38:23,960 --> 00:38:24,960
It was a big part of my childhood.
719
00:38:24,960 --> 00:38:27,960
We used to come down here
for weeks at a time in the summer.
720
00:38:28,960 --> 00:38:30,960
I mean, in some ways,
we kind of never left,
721
00:38:30,960 --> 00:38:31,960
because there was so much to do.
722
00:38:33,960 --> 00:38:35,960
'Agatha took Poirot along with her
to Greenway,
723
00:38:35,960 --> 00:38:38,960
'setting some of his
most memorable adventures
724
00:38:38,960 --> 00:38:40,960
'in the grounds of her idyllic home.
725
00:38:40,960 --> 00:38:43,960
'And the book which was most
clearly influenced by it
726
00:38:43,960 --> 00:38:44,960
'was Dead Man's Folly.'
727
00:38:44,960 --> 00:38:48,960
I have been admiring the house.
I thank you.
728
00:38:48,960 --> 00:38:51,960
It was built by my husband's
great-grandfather.
729
00:38:51,960 --> 00:38:55,960
'When the ITV Poirot series
came to make the screen version,
730
00:38:55,960 --> 00:38:57,960
the obvious place to film it
was here.'
731
00:38:57,960 --> 00:38:59,960
To have Agatha Christie's home,
Greenway,
732
00:38:59,960 --> 00:39:04,960
featuring in an episode of Poirot
was the ultimate coming together
733
00:39:04,960 --> 00:39:07,800
of the creator and the creation.
734
00:39:08,960 --> 00:39:11,960
'Not only did Agatha bring
Poirot into her real life,
735
00:39:11,960 --> 00:39:14,960
'but she also found a way of putting
herself directly into his stories
736
00:39:14,960 --> 00:39:18,960
'when she created the character
of crime writer, Ariadne Oliver.'
737
00:39:18,960 --> 00:39:23,960
ARIADNE: 'Come at once. Nasse
House, Devon. Need help. Urgent.
738
00:39:23,960 --> 00:39:25,960
'Ariadne Oliver.'
739
00:39:25,960 --> 00:39:28,320
As far as I can tell...
740
00:39:28,320 --> 00:39:32,960
..She sort of wrote Ariadne
as a sendup of herself.
741
00:39:32,960 --> 00:39:34,960
This is also a wonderful antithesis
to Poirot,
742
00:39:34,960 --> 00:39:37,960
that he's so anal and she's not.
743
00:39:37,960 --> 00:39:38,960
Hello, Poirot.
744
00:39:38,960 --> 00:39:42,960
What is wrong, Madame?
Nothing's wrong.
745
00:39:42,960 --> 00:39:44,960
I just wanted to see
if someone would come.
746
00:39:44,960 --> 00:39:46,960
Ariadne is very messy.
747
00:39:46,960 --> 00:39:48,960
She's always sitting there,
crunching apples
748
00:39:48,960 --> 00:39:50,320
and having feminine intuition.
749
00:39:51,960 --> 00:39:53,960
She's a very funny character.
750
00:39:54,960 --> 00:39:58,960
That toing and froing between them
was just such fun.
751
00:39:58,960 --> 00:40:01,000
She was so rude to him,
which was great.
752
00:40:01,000 --> 00:40:02,960
POIROT WINCES
753
00:40:02,960 --> 00:40:06,640
What's the matter?
SIGHS
754
00:40:06,640 --> 00:40:09,160
It is my feet.
They cause me the pain.
755
00:40:09,160 --> 00:40:12,960
It's those silly
patent leather shoes of yours.
756
00:40:12,960 --> 00:40:14,960
Ludicrous for the country.
757
00:40:14,960 --> 00:40:17,960
It's the yin and the yang together,
and that's why they get on.
758
00:40:17,960 --> 00:40:20,800
That's why they tolerate each other.
759
00:40:20,800 --> 00:40:23,960
Now, why don't you get yourself
a nice pair of those buckskin ones
760
00:40:23,960 --> 00:40:24,960
with the rubber soles?
761
00:40:24,960 --> 00:40:29,160
Madame, cher Madame, I do not know
that I agree with you.
762
00:40:30,480 --> 00:40:33,960
Her sparring with Poirot always
makes me think that actually,
763
00:40:33,960 --> 00:40:35,960
it's Agatha Christie
talking to her main character
764
00:40:35,960 --> 00:40:37,960
and it's a dialogue
between the two of them.
765
00:40:37,960 --> 00:40:40,960
'At the outbreak
of World War Two,
766
00:40:40,960 --> 00:40:43,960
Agatha was forced to give up
Greenway to the US Admiralty.
767
00:40:43,960 --> 00:40:47,960
While husband, Max,
joined the war effort in Africa,
768
00:40:47,960 --> 00:40:50,800
Agatha moved out of the countryside
and into London,
769
00:40:50,800 --> 00:40:51,960
where new fashions and new styles
770
00:40:51,960 --> 00:40:54,320
had transformed
the face of the capital.'
771
00:40:55,960 --> 00:40:59,800
'She lived in this cutting-edge
building in the north of the city,
772
00:40:59,800 --> 00:41:01,960
'known as the Isokon.'
773
00:41:01,960 --> 00:41:04,000
'Cultural historian,
Gus Caseley-Hayford,
774
00:41:04,000 --> 00:41:06,960
'has come to take a look around.'
775
00:41:07,960 --> 00:41:11,960
Agatha grows up
in gorgeous country houses.
776
00:41:11,960 --> 00:41:16,960
Traditional sort of architecture.
But this? This was a departure.
777
00:41:16,960 --> 00:41:19,960
This was her
stepping into another world.
778
00:41:19,960 --> 00:41:22,960
'One of the flats in the Isokon
has been restored
779
00:41:22,960 --> 00:41:25,960
'to the style and layout
that Agatha would have known.'
780
00:41:25,960 --> 00:41:29,960
Just look at this. Isn't it...
781
00:41:29,960 --> 00:41:30,960
..Exquisite?
782
00:41:30,960 --> 00:41:35,960
And for a writer and someone
like Agatha, somewhere like this,
783
00:41:35,960 --> 00:41:36,960
quiet...
784
00:41:36,960 --> 00:41:39,960
..Contemplative, beautiful,
785
00:41:39,960 --> 00:41:43,960
it would be the perfect place
to retreat in the centre of London.
786
00:41:43,960 --> 00:41:48,800
'Britain in the 1930s
had undergone a style revolution,
787
00:41:48,800 --> 00:41:50,960
'and Art Deco was all the rage.'
788
00:41:50,960 --> 00:41:55,960
It's a gorgeous period
of architecture and design.
789
00:41:55,960 --> 00:41:59,320
It's cool, it's sleek.
790
00:41:59,320 --> 00:42:01,960
Beautiful buildings
with elegant silhouettes.
791
00:42:01,960 --> 00:42:06,960
It's a style that absolutely,
we would associate with luxury.
792
00:42:06,960 --> 00:42:08,960
With sophistication.
793
00:42:10,960 --> 00:42:14,960
'In Agatha's stories, Poirot's
London flat, Whitehaven Mansions,
794
00:42:14,960 --> 00:42:16,960
'perfectly embodies
the Art Deco style.'
795
00:42:18,960 --> 00:42:21,960
There's a quality,
there's a style about Art Deco,
796
00:42:21,960 --> 00:42:25,960
that runs through all
of Agatha Christie's adaptations.
797
00:42:25,960 --> 00:42:29,960
And that's one of the things
I really do love about that look,
798
00:42:29,960 --> 00:42:31,160
that style of that design.
799
00:42:31,160 --> 00:42:33,800
It catches that era,
the 20s and 30s.
800
00:42:33,800 --> 00:42:35,960
I just think
it's absolutely stunning.
801
00:42:36,960 --> 00:42:39,960
'Florin Court, an iconic 1930s
building in central London,
802
00:42:39,960 --> 00:42:42,000
'doubled up as Whitehaven Mansions
803
00:42:42,000 --> 00:42:45,000
'when the stories
were brought to television.'
804
00:42:45,000 --> 00:42:50,320
Interestingly, we went to
quite a lot of Art Deco houses,
805
00:42:50,320 --> 00:42:52,960
usually in and around London...
806
00:42:53,960 --> 00:42:57,960
..Where the owners who were
passionate about Art Deco
807
00:42:57,960 --> 00:43:01,960
had them perfectly preserved
in the period.
808
00:43:01,960 --> 00:43:02,960
It was a joy to be in those places.
809
00:43:02,960 --> 00:43:07,960
What Agatha Christie allowed
to flourish in her pieces was style.
810
00:43:07,960 --> 00:43:12,000
We were constantly reminded
of the time and the era
811
00:43:12,000 --> 00:43:17,960
that she was writing about,
because of the visuals, what we saw.
812
00:43:17,960 --> 00:43:19,960
Art Deco was everywhere.
813
00:43:19,960 --> 00:43:23,960
Because of television design and the
beauty of some of those costumes
814
00:43:23,960 --> 00:43:28,960
and set designs, I think he'll
always inhabit that period for us.
815
00:43:28,960 --> 00:43:35,960
I think that speaks to Poirot
and his character.
816
00:43:35,960 --> 00:43:40,160
We naturally feel like he would have
inhabited
817
00:43:40,160 --> 00:43:42,960
a kind of Art Deco environment.
818
00:43:42,960 --> 00:43:48,960
And those clean lines, these
gorgeous shapes. That clarity.
819
00:43:48,960 --> 00:43:54,960
That represented who Hercule Poirot
was and his way of thinking.
820
00:43:54,960 --> 00:43:57,960
There is, with Poirot,
precision that makes him
821
00:43:57,960 --> 00:44:01,960
look almost like an Art Deco
work of art.
822
00:44:01,960 --> 00:44:03,000
What do you make of that?
823
00:44:05,960 --> 00:44:08,960
I do not know what to make of it,
Madame.
824
00:44:08,960 --> 00:44:09,960
Not symmetrical enough for you?
825
00:44:12,960 --> 00:44:15,960
'This new style was not only
confined to the capital.
826
00:44:15,960 --> 00:44:17,960
'In Devon, Agatha's home county,
827
00:44:17,960 --> 00:44:21,960
'Burgh Island Hotel is
a beacon of this new aesthetic.'
828
00:44:22,960 --> 00:44:27,640
It is very, very beautiful island,
and a beautiful Art Deco hotel,
829
00:44:27,640 --> 00:44:29,960
all in its original form.
830
00:44:29,960 --> 00:44:33,960
It's an iconic Devon landmark.
Famously, it's cut off by the tide.
831
00:44:33,960 --> 00:44:34,960
It's actually completely isolated.
832
00:44:34,960 --> 00:44:37,960
And that, I think, just has
a certain mystique about it.
833
00:44:38,960 --> 00:44:42,160
'Agatha Christie was a regular
visitor to Burgh Island
834
00:44:42,160 --> 00:44:46,320
'in the 1930s. Current owner,
Giles Fuchs,
835
00:44:46,320 --> 00:44:47,960
'has restored
the glamour and opulence
836
00:44:47,960 --> 00:44:49,960
'that she would
have been familiar with.'
837
00:44:49,960 --> 00:44:52,960
Burgh Island Hotel is
famous for being Art Deco,
838
00:44:52,960 --> 00:44:54,960
and has now one of the largest
collections
839
00:44:54,960 --> 00:44:56,960
of Art Deco furniture
in the country.
840
00:44:56,960 --> 00:44:59,960
Agatha Christie would have
recognised this room.
841
00:44:59,960 --> 00:45:02,960
She would have walked in and seen
the magnificent Peacock Dome,
842
00:45:02,960 --> 00:45:04,960
which is the centrepiece
of the Palm Court.
843
00:45:05,960 --> 00:45:09,960
'For Agatha, the island was more
than just a luxurious indulgence.
844
00:45:09,960 --> 00:45:11,960
'It was also a writing retreat.'
845
00:45:11,960 --> 00:45:13,960
This is the beach house,
846
00:45:13,960 --> 00:45:16,960
where Agatha Christie wrote
some of her novels.
847
00:45:16,960 --> 00:45:21,960
The island changes, as we know, from
the summer and the Riviera feel,
848
00:45:21,960 --> 00:45:24,960
to the winter and the ominous,
sinister feel that it has.
849
00:45:24,960 --> 00:45:27,960
I imagine her imagination
would run wild
850
00:45:27,960 --> 00:45:30,960
with the views
that she was looking at.
851
00:45:30,960 --> 00:45:34,960
I like to imagine her sitting,
looking out of the window
852
00:45:34,960 --> 00:45:40,160
and just letting it all come to her.
As the tide came in,
853
00:45:40,160 --> 00:45:41,960
the story came in.
854
00:45:41,960 --> 00:45:43,960
I can see her thinking...
855
00:45:43,960 --> 00:45:45,960
..'Page one.'
856
00:45:46,960 --> 00:45:50,960
'It was here that Agatha
wrote Evil Under The Sun.
857
00:45:50,960 --> 00:45:54,960
'A murder mystery set on an island,
cut off from the mainland.
858
00:45:54,960 --> 00:45:57,960
'And when it came to adapting
the book for the ITV series,
859
00:45:57,960 --> 00:46:00,960
'there was no better location.
860
00:46:00,960 --> 00:46:04,960
Burgh Island is one of the most
extraordinary, romantic,
861
00:46:04,960 --> 00:46:07,960
amazing places to set
a detective story.
862
00:46:10,960 --> 00:46:12,960
This is the hotel.
It is on an island.
863
00:46:12,960 --> 00:46:15,960
Oh, don't worry, Poirot,
you won't have to go on a boat.
864
00:46:15,960 --> 00:46:17,960
There's that to carry
you over the causeway.
865
00:46:17,960 --> 00:46:20,960
All aboard, please,
we leave in a minute.
866
00:46:20,960 --> 00:46:23,960
You have these different people
coming from different places
867
00:46:23,960 --> 00:46:25,960
with different motivations
and different secrets,
868
00:46:25,960 --> 00:46:26,960
and they all come together.
869
00:46:26,960 --> 00:46:28,800
Hercule Poirot.
870
00:46:29,960 --> 00:46:32,480
This is my associate,
Captain Hastings. How do you do?
871
00:46:32,480 --> 00:46:33,960
Hercule Poirot,
the famous detective.
872
00:46:34,960 --> 00:46:37,960
Ah, that'll certainly
liven things up.
873
00:46:37,960 --> 00:46:41,960
When I first read the book,
I knew where Poirot was sitting,
874
00:46:41,960 --> 00:46:45,800
looking at the swimmers in the pool,
in the mermaid pool.
875
00:46:45,800 --> 00:46:49,960
And where the coves were, of course,
where the murder took place.
876
00:46:49,960 --> 00:46:52,640
She's very good at maximising
all the features
877
00:46:52,640 --> 00:46:54,960
of whatever setting she has chosen.
878
00:46:54,960 --> 00:46:56,960
It's the fact that there are caves
879
00:46:56,960 --> 00:46:59,960
where people can hide
near the beach.
880
00:46:59,960 --> 00:47:04,960
She just uses all the assets of
the island and beach-side setting.
881
00:47:04,960 --> 00:47:08,960
And you've got built in, this idea
that at certain times of the day,
882
00:47:08,960 --> 00:47:13,960
a lock is closed and the island
becomes almost a prison.
883
00:47:13,960 --> 00:47:15,960
You can't get off it,
because the tide has come up.
884
00:47:15,960 --> 00:47:18,960
That is wonderful
for a murder mystery story.
885
00:47:18,960 --> 00:47:22,960
But surely, no one could think
of murder in such a beautiful place?
886
00:47:22,960 --> 00:47:24,960
No, no, no, Hastings.
887
00:47:27,960 --> 00:47:29,960
It is romantic, yes?
888
00:47:33,960 --> 00:47:34,960
It is peaceful.
889
00:47:34,960 --> 00:47:37,960
The sun shines, the sea,
it is blue.
890
00:47:39,800 --> 00:47:42,960
But you forget, mon ami, there
is evil everywhere under the sun.
891
00:47:42,960 --> 00:47:46,000
Throughout her career,
Agatha Christie had taken the people
892
00:47:46,000 --> 00:47:49,960
and places of her life
and recreated them on the page.
893
00:47:49,960 --> 00:47:53,960
But as the 1950s got underway,
new forms of storytelling arose,
894
00:47:53,960 --> 00:47:57,960
and Agatha would soon see Poirot
go from script to screen.
895
00:48:04,320 --> 00:48:07,960
Agatha Christie was a voracious
reader with a deep love
896
00:48:07,960 --> 00:48:09,800
for the written word.
897
00:48:09,800 --> 00:48:12,960
When her Poirot stories
were first taken from a page
898
00:48:12,960 --> 00:48:16,960
and adapted into movies,
she wasn't too impressed.
899
00:48:16,960 --> 00:48:18,960
But her fans thought differently.
900
00:48:18,960 --> 00:48:22,960
Because Poirot, with his dashing
moustache and crisp suits,
901
00:48:22,960 --> 00:48:24,960
worked like a dream
on the silver screen.
902
00:48:29,320 --> 00:48:32,960
'Over the years, a number
of leading actors have interpreted
903
00:48:32,960 --> 00:48:35,960
'the iconic detective
for the stage and screen.'
904
00:48:37,960 --> 00:48:40,960
It's always nice to see Agatha come
to life in a different way,
905
00:48:40,960 --> 00:48:43,960
in a different director, in a
different script, different actors.
906
00:48:43,960 --> 00:48:46,960
For me, Poirot is iconic. He's
one of the most iconic detectives.
907
00:48:46,960 --> 00:48:49,960
I think when you hear
the name and you see his look,
908
00:48:49,960 --> 00:48:52,960
it's established all over the world.
We recognise him for that.
909
00:48:54,960 --> 00:48:57,960
'Screen depictions of the Belgian
detective go back nearly a century.
910
00:48:57,960 --> 00:49:01,800
'Stephen Fry is going to take a look
through the archives
911
00:49:01,800 --> 00:49:03,960
with film historian, Mark Aldridge.'
912
00:49:03,960 --> 00:49:07,960
I'm looking forward to lots
of different cuts of moustache.
913
00:49:07,960 --> 00:49:09,960
'And some of them took surprising
liberties
914
00:49:09,960 --> 00:49:11,960
'with Agatha's iconic character,
915
00:49:11,960 --> 00:49:15,960
'like this 1934 version
of Lord Edgware Dies.
916
00:49:15,960 --> 00:49:17,960
Regarding that letter
Lady Edgware never received,
917
00:49:17,960 --> 00:49:19,960
there are four solutions
to their problem.
918
00:49:19,960 --> 00:49:23,960
The first, that it was lost in
the post.
919
00:49:24,960 --> 00:49:28,480
The second,
that Lady Edgware was lying
920
00:49:28,480 --> 00:49:30,960
when she said she never received it.
921
00:49:30,960 --> 00:49:31,960
CHUCKLING
922
00:49:31,960 --> 00:49:35,960
Wow. Well, a naked, a bald
upper lip, which is a huge shock.
923
00:49:35,960 --> 00:49:37,960
Clearly, you can imagine
Agatha Christie,
924
00:49:37,960 --> 00:49:40,960
who wasn't always very pleased
with adaptations of her work,
925
00:49:40,960 --> 00:49:43,800
would have found that
rather surprising.
926
00:49:45,960 --> 00:49:48,800
'In 1974 came
the first truly great
927
00:49:48,800 --> 00:49:50,960
cinematic adaptation
of a Poirot story,
928
00:49:50,960 --> 00:49:53,960
with Albert Finney
playing the lead role
929
00:49:53,960 --> 00:49:55,960
in Murder On The Orient Express.'
930
00:49:55,960 --> 00:49:57,960
Oh, I love this scene.
931
00:50:04,960 --> 00:50:07,960
Observe, memorise your mind
with what it says.
932
00:50:07,960 --> 00:50:11,960
A-I-S-Y A-R-M-S.
What does that mean?
933
00:50:11,960 --> 00:50:13,000
WHISPERS: Daisy Armstrong!
934
00:50:13,000 --> 00:50:18,960
It means... We know the true
identity of Mr Ratchett.
935
00:50:20,320 --> 00:50:22,960
It's a masterpiece.
It's a very great film.
936
00:50:22,960 --> 00:50:24,960
It has a huge cast of massive stars,
937
00:50:24,960 --> 00:50:29,960
and Albert Finney is a magnificent
Poirot. His fury, his passion!
938
00:50:29,960 --> 00:50:32,000
It's just wonderful to behold.
939
00:50:32,000 --> 00:50:34,160
'Four years later,
940
00:50:34,160 --> 00:50:37,960
Poirot would be played by
Peter Ustinov in Death On The Nile.'
941
00:50:37,960 --> 00:50:39,960
Do forgive me for butting in,
942
00:50:39,960 --> 00:50:43,960
but I've had a bet with my daughter
here that you're Hercules Porridge,
943
00:50:43,960 --> 00:50:45,960
the famous French sleuth.
Not quite.
944
00:50:45,960 --> 00:50:48,960
I'm Hercule Poirot,
the famous Belgian sleuth.
945
00:50:48,960 --> 00:50:50,960
I told you, Rosalie.
946
00:50:51,960 --> 00:50:55,960
There's only one Monsieur Poirot
in the world. He's unmistakable.
947
00:50:55,960 --> 00:50:59,960
Everybody has got their specific
Poirot that they love.
948
00:50:59,960 --> 00:51:04,000
But Peter Ustinov, to me,
he will always be my one,
949
00:51:04,000 --> 00:51:07,960
cos he sort of like
a grandfather figure.
950
00:51:07,960 --> 00:51:10,960
He's just, like,
this lovely, fat man.
951
00:51:10,960 --> 00:51:13,960
He's kind,
and he's wise and he's knowing.
952
00:51:14,960 --> 00:51:17,800
I'm very sorry to see you here,
Madamoiselle.
953
00:51:18,960 --> 00:51:19,960
Forgive me for saying,
954
00:51:19,960 --> 00:51:23,960
but you are embarking on a hazardous
journey in troubled waters.
955
00:51:23,960 --> 00:51:27,480
To face who knows what
currents of misfortune.
956
00:51:27,480 --> 00:51:29,960
So, for some people
involved in this film,
957
00:51:29,960 --> 00:51:31,960
when they saw Peter Ustinov,
958
00:51:31,960 --> 00:51:35,000
the reaction was that didn't
seem to be Poirot,
959
00:51:35,000 --> 00:51:37,960
to which Ustinov replied,
'Well, it is now.'
960
00:51:37,960 --> 00:51:40,960
LAUGHS
I don't think that, er...
961
00:51:40,960 --> 00:51:44,960
..Agatha Christie really had
a very detailed view of Poirot,
962
00:51:44,960 --> 00:51:47,960
except that he was bald, which
of course, I am, too, and small,
963
00:51:47,960 --> 00:51:49,960
which goes without saying.
964
00:51:49,960 --> 00:51:53,960
People always talk about whether
X version of Poirot is right,
965
00:51:53,960 --> 00:51:56,960
or Y is right, and my answer
to that is that there isn't a right,
966
00:51:56,960 --> 00:51:58,960
because she never drew him.
967
00:52:00,960 --> 00:52:03,960
'Peter Ustinov would prove a popular
Poirot with cinema audiences,
968
00:52:03,960 --> 00:52:08,320
'taking up the role again
for Evil Under The Sun in 1982.'
969
00:52:09,960 --> 00:52:13,960
'Nearly 40 years later, Sir Kenneth
Branagh has played Poirot
970
00:52:13,960 --> 00:52:17,960
'on remakes of Murder On The Orient
Express and Death On The Nile.'
971
00:52:17,960 --> 00:52:21,000
I can only see the world
as it should be.
972
00:52:21,000 --> 00:52:22,960
And when it is not,
973
00:52:22,960 --> 00:52:27,640
the imperfection stands out like
the nose in the middle of a face.
974
00:52:27,640 --> 00:52:30,800
'Agatha's Great-grandson,
James Prichard,
975
00:52:30,800 --> 00:52:32,960
was involved in bringing
this latest adaptation to life.'
976
00:52:32,960 --> 00:52:36,960
I remember when I first talked
to Ken Branagh about playing Poirot,
977
00:52:36,960 --> 00:52:38,160
and he very firmly said,
978
00:52:38,160 --> 00:52:40,960
'I think there are certainly
two things that Poirot has.
979
00:52:40,960 --> 00:52:43,320
He has the moustache
and he has the Belgian accent.'
980
00:52:43,320 --> 00:52:45,960
Poirot hides behind this moustache.
981
00:52:45,960 --> 00:52:47,320
He provokes with this moustache,
982
00:52:47,320 --> 00:52:49,960
he is dismissed
because of this moustache.
983
00:52:49,960 --> 00:52:52,960
And he, as a result of being
dismissed in this way,
984
00:52:52,960 --> 00:52:54,960
puts people off their guard
985
00:52:54,960 --> 00:52:56,960
and he has a chance
to be a better detective.
986
00:52:58,960 --> 00:53:00,960
When we started
talking about putting together
987
00:53:00,960 --> 00:53:02,960
the cast for
Murder On The Orient Express, again,
988
00:53:02,960 --> 00:53:05,960
you are kind of like
the kid in the sweetie shop,
989
00:53:05,960 --> 00:53:08,960
with all these amazing actors
coming in.
990
00:53:08,960 --> 00:53:11,000
You had your Judi Denches,
you obviously had Ken,
991
00:53:11,000 --> 00:53:13,960
and then you had Daisy Ridley.
992
00:53:14,960 --> 00:53:17,960
'And the most recent
Agatha Christie adaptation
993
00:53:17,960 --> 00:53:20,960
is just as thrilling as those
that have gone before it.'
994
00:53:20,960 --> 00:53:25,960
I have investigated many crimes.
But this...
995
00:53:28,960 --> 00:53:31,480
..Has altered the shape of my soul.
996
00:53:34,960 --> 00:53:38,960
'Outside of the cinema,
Poirot's also a familiar face on TV.
997
00:53:38,960 --> 00:53:41,960
'But few people know
that the Belgian detective
998
00:53:41,960 --> 00:53:44,960
'made his TV debut
in an American one-off pilot,
999
00:53:44,960 --> 00:53:48,960
seen here for the first
time in almost 60 years.'
1000
00:53:48,960 --> 00:53:51,960
Today, however, Mrs Davenheim called
in Hercule Poirot,
1001
00:53:51,960 --> 00:53:54,960
the internationally famous
private investigator.
1002
00:53:54,960 --> 00:53:57,960
'Poirot didn't make it
to a full series in America.
1003
00:53:57,960 --> 00:54:00,800
'But in Britain, he certainly did,
1004
00:54:00,800 --> 00:54:03,960
'when David Suchet became the only
actor to portray Poirot
1005
00:54:03,960 --> 00:54:06,960
'in every story written
by Agatha Christie
1006
00:54:06,960 --> 00:54:08,960
'in the long-running TV series.
1007
00:54:10,960 --> 00:54:11,960
PHONE RINGS
1008
00:54:12,960 --> 00:54:14,960
Hercule Poirot.
1009
00:54:14,960 --> 00:54:18,960
Hercule Poirot is, for me, much more
than the character
1010
00:54:18,960 --> 00:54:25,960
on the written page. Hercule Poirot,
for me, almost is a real person.
1011
00:54:25,960 --> 00:54:28,960
The first time I saw him on the set,
1012
00:54:28,960 --> 00:54:31,960
I really was quite surprised
at the transformation.
1013
00:54:31,960 --> 00:54:34,960
Because, as is well known,
David plays the character,
1014
00:54:34,960 --> 00:54:37,960
or maintains the character,
even when the camera isn't turning.
1015
00:54:37,960 --> 00:54:40,640
AS POIROT: Make sure this does not
droop a little bit.
1016
00:54:40,640 --> 00:54:42,960
Yes.
Yes, that is better.
1017
00:54:42,960 --> 00:54:48,960
My Poirot is David Suchet, because
he was so beautiful and elegant,
1018
00:54:48,960 --> 00:54:49,960
and fey, and just wonderful.
1019
00:54:49,960 --> 00:54:52,960
And I got to do a story
of Agatha Christie's with him,
1020
00:54:52,960 --> 00:54:54,960
which was glorious.
1021
00:54:54,960 --> 00:54:56,960
Also, your skill. It gave you away.
1022
00:54:57,960 --> 00:55:00,960
Such artistry, lavished
upon an object of such hate?
1023
00:55:00,960 --> 00:55:02,960
No, I did hate her.
1024
00:55:02,960 --> 00:55:04,960
My God, I let off a lot of steam
stabbing that thing,
1025
00:55:04,960 --> 00:55:07,160
I can tell you, thinking of her.
1026
00:55:07,160 --> 00:55:10,960
When I was adapting the series,
his pomposity, his self value,
1027
00:55:10,960 --> 00:55:16,960
his opinion of himself was always
done with tongue in cheek.
1028
00:55:16,960 --> 00:55:18,960
And again, David Suchet did it
so brilliantly.
1029
00:55:18,960 --> 00:55:20,960
That sense of, 'I am the best
detective in the world.'
1030
00:55:20,960 --> 00:55:22,960
The murder that took place here
1031
00:55:22,960 --> 00:55:25,960
was the work of the mind
that was brilliant.
1032
00:55:26,960 --> 00:55:28,960
But there was one thing that the
killer did not expect...
1033
00:55:29,960 --> 00:55:32,960
..The mind of Hercule Poirot.
1034
00:55:32,960 --> 00:55:37,960
After it started going out,
it gained a very large audience.
1035
00:55:37,960 --> 00:55:39,160
We were well aware of that.
1036
00:55:39,160 --> 00:55:41,960
What we weren't aware of was
the longevity of it.
1037
00:55:41,960 --> 00:55:44,960
The fact that it's playing
all over the world,
1038
00:55:44,960 --> 00:55:45,960
as we speak.
1039
00:55:46,960 --> 00:55:49,960
'As new forms of media have arisen,
1040
00:55:49,960 --> 00:55:52,960
'Poirot has been made accessible
to each new generation.
1041
00:55:54,480 --> 00:55:56,160
'Star of graphic novels,
a computer game...
1042
00:55:56,160 --> 00:55:58,960
This case is far from being solved.
1043
00:55:58,960 --> 00:56:01,960
'..And even a Japanese animation.
1044
00:56:01,960 --> 00:56:05,800
'With so many Poirots across
the decades, across the globe,
1045
00:56:05,800 --> 00:56:09,320
the question remains,
what makes Poirot, Poirot?
1046
00:56:09,320 --> 00:56:12,960
The physicality.
So, everything is very held in.
1047
00:56:12,960 --> 00:56:16,960
The way he walks is very small,
very little steps.
1048
00:56:16,960 --> 00:56:20,960
I think Poirot, for me, is not the
moustache. I think it's his size.
1049
00:56:20,960 --> 00:56:22,960
Just the weight and the space that
he takes up.
1050
00:56:22,960 --> 00:56:27,960
It's the monocle and it's the hair,
it's the rotundness.
1051
00:56:27,960 --> 00:56:30,960
As soon as you see an image
of Poirot, you know who that is.
1052
00:56:30,960 --> 00:56:33,960
That's a testament to
Agatha Christie's characterisation.
1053
00:56:33,960 --> 00:56:38,960
The name, the look, the vice.
He's all there.
1054
00:56:40,320 --> 00:56:44,160
Big Poirots, small Poirots,
thin Poirots, fat Poirots.
1055
00:56:44,160 --> 00:56:46,960
We've seen them all.
But one thing is certain.
1056
00:56:46,960 --> 00:56:50,960
He needs a Belgian accent,
and a finely groomed moustache.
1057
00:56:52,960 --> 00:56:53,960
AS POIROT: Not bad.
1058
00:56:53,960 --> 00:56:55,960
And I'm working on the Belgian
accent.
1059
00:57:04,960 --> 00:57:07,960
By the 1950s, Agatha Christie had
achieved more success
1060
00:57:07,960 --> 00:57:10,960
than she could ever have dreamt of.
1061
00:57:10,960 --> 00:57:12,160
But as she entered
her twilight years,
1062
00:57:12,160 --> 00:57:16,960
it was the simple pleasures of home
she returned to again and again.
1063
00:57:16,960 --> 00:57:20,960
Family, friends and food.
A lot of food!
1064
00:57:22,960 --> 00:57:27,960
'In her Devon home of Greenway, on
the banks of the River Dart,
1065
00:57:27,960 --> 00:57:30,960
Agatha would regularly host long,
indulgent meals.
1066
00:57:32,960 --> 00:57:35,960
'It is now owned by the National
Trust, and for James Pritchard,
1067
00:57:35,960 --> 00:57:41,960
'returning to the old family home
evokes fond childhood memories.'
1068
00:57:42,960 --> 00:57:46,960
Over there, there is this snake
that props open the door,
1069
00:57:46,960 --> 00:57:48,960
and I remember that
vividly as a child.
1070
00:57:49,960 --> 00:57:51,000
I seem to remember being here,
1071
00:57:51,000 --> 00:57:54,960
and we definitely had
five or six courses in here.
1072
00:57:54,960 --> 00:57:58,960
To be honest with you, it feels like
I should be sitting down to lunch!
1073
00:57:58,960 --> 00:57:59,960
LAUGHS
1074
00:57:59,960 --> 00:58:02,320
'James' wish is about to be granted.
1075
00:58:02,320 --> 00:58:05,320
'Agatha Christie fan and Michelin
starred chef Marcus Wareing
1076
00:58:05,320 --> 00:58:08,000
'wants to learn more
about the author's love of food,
1077
00:58:08,000 --> 00:58:10,960
'so he's invited James
and actress, Amanda Abbington,
1078
00:58:10,960 --> 00:58:12,960
'to his restaurant
in Knightsbridge.'
1079
00:58:14,480 --> 00:58:15,960
I find the food element
quite fascinating.
1080
00:58:15,960 --> 00:58:18,960
It seemed like it does play
a massive part in her life.
1081
00:58:18,960 --> 00:58:21,960
What sort of food did Agatha like?
What was her favourite?
1082
00:58:21,960 --> 00:58:23,960
There was quite a lot of rich food,
1083
00:58:23,960 --> 00:58:26,960
and there was certainly quite a lot
of cream involved, Both on scones.
1084
00:58:26,960 --> 00:58:29,960
But she also famously drank cream...
LAUGHS
1085
00:58:29,960 --> 00:58:31,960
..And she had this enormous mug.
1086
00:58:31,960 --> 00:58:34,960
And I'm telling you,
it's nearly a litre.
1087
00:58:34,960 --> 00:58:36,960
She used to drink cream from it.
What?! Yeah.
1088
00:58:36,960 --> 00:58:40,960
It's got in gold letters
around the side, 'Don't be greedy.'
1089
00:58:40,960 --> 00:58:43,000
LAUGHTER
It's pretty good.
1090
00:58:43,000 --> 00:58:45,480
That's brilliant.
1091
00:58:45,480 --> 00:58:47,160
'One Of the biggest events
at Greenway
1092
00:58:47,160 --> 00:58:49,960
'was Agatha's 80th birthday party.
1093
00:58:49,960 --> 00:58:51,960
'And Marcus wants to recreate
the main course.'
1094
00:58:51,960 --> 00:58:53,960
Well, there is a dish here
that I'm intrigued by,
1095
00:58:53,960 --> 00:58:55,960
and that is the lobster a la creme.
1096
00:58:55,960 --> 00:58:57,960
This is a classic French dish.
1097
00:58:57,960 --> 00:59:00,960
But it is incredibly rich
and luxurious.
1098
00:59:00,960 --> 00:59:02,960
An Agatha had the cream, clearly.
1099
00:59:03,960 --> 00:59:07,480
'Marcus has devised his own
version of Agatha's birthday dish
1100
00:59:07,480 --> 00:59:09,960
with an ocean of cream
for the lobster.'
1101
00:59:09,960 --> 00:59:13,320
Dig in. What would Poirot
think of a dish like this?
1102
00:59:13,320 --> 00:59:16,960
I wonder. He'd quite like
the symmetry of the split lobster.
1103
00:59:16,960 --> 00:59:18,960
I think that
would have been all right.
1104
00:59:18,960 --> 00:59:20,960
I think he might have found it
a bit messy.
1105
00:59:20,960 --> 00:59:22,960
It reminded me, he always
put the napkin...
1106
00:59:22,960 --> 00:59:24,800
LAUGHS
1107
00:59:24,800 --> 00:59:25,960
..It was always up there, wasn't it?
1108
00:59:25,960 --> 00:59:27,960
Sort of spread out
as far as he could get it.
1109
00:59:27,960 --> 00:59:30,960
So any splashes,
they weren't gonna land on him.
1110
00:59:30,960 --> 00:59:33,960
If Hercule Poirot is gonna
be at dinner, don't go!
1111
00:59:33,960 --> 00:59:35,960
Do not go there.
1112
00:59:35,960 --> 00:59:40,960
Chances are, he'd be so irritating
to sit next to anyway, wouldn't he?
1113
00:59:40,960 --> 00:59:42,960
Dabbing his mouth,
checking the size of his eggs.
1114
00:59:42,960 --> 00:59:44,960
Seeing if the carrots
are the same length.
1115
00:59:44,960 --> 00:59:48,160
'Food in Agatha Christie's
stories could be deadly
1116
00:59:48,160 --> 00:59:50,960
'as well as delicious.'
1117
00:59:50,960 --> 00:59:52,000
Ooh!
1118
00:59:54,960 --> 00:59:55,960
Ow.
1119
00:59:55,960 --> 00:59:58,960
Madame, you will forgive me,
but I do not think that tonight,
1120
00:59:58,960 --> 01:00:01,640
I will require the dinner.
1121
01:00:01,640 --> 01:00:05,160
It would be quite scary to actually
sit down and eat a meal
1122
01:00:05,160 --> 01:00:06,960
with any of Agatha Christie's
characters,
1123
01:00:06,960 --> 01:00:08,960
whether you're the murderer or not.
1124
01:00:08,960 --> 01:00:11,320
'Marcus Wareing wants to explore
this darker side
1125
01:00:11,320 --> 01:00:12,960
to Agatha's culinary world.'
1126
01:00:12,960 --> 01:00:16,960
So, in this particular book,
A Murder Is Announced,
1127
01:00:16,960 --> 01:00:18,960
there is a description
of a chocolate cake
1128
01:00:18,960 --> 01:00:20,960
called delicious death cake.
1129
01:00:20,960 --> 01:00:25,960
It's basically described as, 'Rich,
rich, and probably even more rich.'
1130
01:00:25,960 --> 01:00:27,960
'And it probably will kill you.'
1131
01:00:27,960 --> 01:00:29,960
'Marcus has created his own
interpretation
1132
01:00:29,960 --> 01:00:31,800
'of Agatha's death cake,
1133
01:00:31,800 --> 01:00:33,960
'with an appropriately
fatal quantity of chocolate.'
1134
01:00:33,960 --> 01:00:37,000
That's gorgeous.
Loosen your belts!
1135
01:00:37,000 --> 01:00:39,960
LAUGHTER
It's gonna get messy...
1136
01:00:39,960 --> 01:00:41,960
LAUGHTER
..From here on in.
1137
01:00:45,960 --> 01:00:50,960
Oh, that's incredible!
That is so good!
1138
01:00:51,960 --> 01:00:55,960
That is like the most chocolate
I have ever had, all at once,
1139
01:00:55,960 --> 01:00:56,960
at the same time!
1140
01:00:56,960 --> 01:01:00,960
Agatha Christie, the Queen of crime
and the Queen of puddings.
1141
01:01:02,960 --> 01:01:06,960
'Food, for Agatha Christie, was
a way connecting with family.'
1142
01:01:06,960 --> 01:01:09,480
ALL: Cheers.
To Agatha.
1143
01:01:09,480 --> 01:01:12,960
'In the final years
of Agatha Christie's life,
1144
01:01:12,960 --> 01:01:15,960
'much of her time spent
at her Devon home, Greenway,
1145
01:01:15,960 --> 01:01:19,000
'with her husband,
her daughter and grandson.
1146
01:01:19,000 --> 01:01:23,960
'She continued to produce Poirot
stories in her final decade.
1147
01:01:23,960 --> 01:01:28,960
'But in 1975, she said goodbye to
him when his swansong, Curtain,
1148
01:01:28,960 --> 01:01:30,960
'was published.
1149
01:01:30,960 --> 01:01:33,960
'It would go on to be the
final episode of the ITV series,
1150
01:01:33,960 --> 01:01:35,960
'starring David Suchet.'
1151
01:01:39,960 --> 01:01:41,640
Hastings?
1152
01:01:41,640 --> 01:01:44,960
It was very moving
to be doing the last one after,
1153
01:01:44,960 --> 01:01:46,960
I think it was 25 years.
1154
01:01:46,960 --> 01:01:48,960
POIROT BREATHES HEAVILY
1155
01:01:48,960 --> 01:01:51,960
Poirot? You're looking pretty awful.
1156
01:01:51,960 --> 01:01:55,960
Don't you think
I should call a doctor?
1157
01:01:55,960 --> 01:01:56,960
What good would that do?
1158
01:01:57,960 --> 01:01:59,960
What will be, will be.
1159
01:02:00,960 --> 01:02:03,960
There was a very marked change
in atmosphere on the set
1160
01:02:03,960 --> 01:02:05,960
during that one,
particularly towards the end,
1161
01:02:05,960 --> 01:02:07,960
where he was doing the scenes
where he's bedridden.
1162
01:02:07,960 --> 01:02:11,960
It's devastating for Hastings,
but it's devastating for us,
1163
01:02:11,960 --> 01:02:13,960
because we were all saying goodbye
1164
01:02:13,960 --> 01:02:16,960
to somebody that we've
known and loved.
1165
01:02:16,960 --> 01:02:19,960
My heart bleeds for you.
1166
01:02:20,960 --> 01:02:24,000
My poor, lonely Hastings.
1167
01:02:26,960 --> 01:02:28,960
Poirot.
Go now, cher ami.
1168
01:02:29,960 --> 01:02:31,960
Let me rest.
1169
01:02:35,960 --> 01:02:38,320
BREATHES HEAVILY
1170
01:02:41,480 --> 01:02:43,800
'In an extraordinary
real-life epilogue,
1171
01:02:43,800 --> 01:02:46,960
'Poirot received an obituary
in the New York Times.
1172
01:02:46,960 --> 01:02:48,960
'He is the only fictional character
1173
01:02:48,960 --> 01:02:51,000
'to have been given
this incredible accolade.'
1174
01:02:51,000 --> 01:02:53,960
Mr Poirot achieved fame
as a private investigator
1175
01:02:53,960 --> 01:02:58,960
after he retired as a member
of the Belgian police force in 1904.
1176
01:02:58,960 --> 01:03:01,960
His career, as chronicled in the
novels of Dame Agatha Christie,
1177
01:03:01,960 --> 01:03:04,960
was one of the most
illustrious in fiction.
1178
01:03:04,960 --> 01:03:07,960
At the end of his life, he was
arthritic and had a bad heart.
1179
01:03:07,960 --> 01:03:11,160
He was in a wheelchair often
and was carried from his bedroom
1180
01:03:11,160 --> 01:03:13,960
to the public lounge
at Styles Court,
1181
01:03:13,960 --> 01:03:17,480
a Nursing Home in Essex,
wearing a wig and false moustaches
1182
01:03:17,480 --> 01:03:21,480
to mask the signs of age
that offended his vanity.
1183
01:03:21,480 --> 01:03:23,960
We wanted to believe he was real.
1184
01:03:23,960 --> 01:03:26,960
We thought we knew him.
We do know him.
1185
01:03:26,960 --> 01:03:30,960
And the joy is, we can
we can go on knowing him forever.
1186
01:03:31,960 --> 01:03:36,960
'In 1976, one year after Poirot's
final story was published,
1187
01:03:36,960 --> 01:03:40,160
'Agatha Christie passed away.'
1188
01:03:40,160 --> 01:03:43,960
I think we should remember
Agatha Christie as a genius.
1189
01:03:43,960 --> 01:03:47,320
As a unique figure
in popular culture and literature.
1190
01:03:48,960 --> 01:03:53,320
I don't think we'll ever
tire of meeting... Her characters.
1191
01:03:53,320 --> 01:03:56,960
And therefore, spending time
with Agatha Christie
1192
01:03:56,960 --> 01:03:58,320
will always be a pleasure.
1193
01:03:58,320 --> 01:04:01,960
My children will be reading them,
their children will be reading them.
1194
01:04:01,960 --> 01:04:02,960
She's going to go on and on.
1195
01:04:02,960 --> 01:04:04,960
I don't think
she will ever be surpassed
1196
01:04:04,960 --> 01:04:07,000
as the world's greatest novelist.
1197
01:04:10,960 --> 01:04:13,640
Agatha Christie achieved a level
of success
1198
01:04:13,640 --> 01:04:16,960
that possibly no other writer
has ever known.
1199
01:04:16,960 --> 01:04:19,960
And she couldn't have done it
without the most enduring creation,
1200
01:04:19,960 --> 01:04:20,960
Hercule Poirot.
1201
01:04:20,960 --> 01:04:24,960
For 100 years, through twisting
tales of murder and intrigue,
1202
01:04:24,960 --> 01:04:28,960
they've been thrilling readers
and audiences across the globe.
1203
01:04:34,960 --> 01:04:37,960
With Agatha Christie,
you never know the ending.
1204
01:04:37,960 --> 01:04:43,960
So, where does this story end? Well,
that's the twist. There is no end.
1205
01:04:43,960 --> 01:04:48,000
Because I think the mysterious
case of Agatha Christie and Poirot
1206
01:04:48,000 --> 01:04:51,960
will remain open for many,
many generations to come.
1207
01:04:51,960 --> 01:04:54,960
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