The Agatha Christie Hour: Collection DVD, 1982

A box set of all ten hour-long plays from the 1982 ITV series, packed with sterling British character actors and based on characters from the pen of the Queen of Crime. Fans should not hesitate, says Barry Forshaw.

It seems that our appetite for Agatha Christie on TV is undiminished, as each generation feels obliged to take its shot at the iconic characters. However, new adaptations shouldn’t erase the achievements of earlier efforts, and the ten episodes of The Agatha Christie Hour from the 1980s are a particularly piquant excavation from the past, as this lesser-known series eschews the customary Marple/Poirot/Tommy & Tuppence tales in favour of some of the British Queen of Crime’s lesser-known protagonists, largely drawn from her 1933-34 collections Parker Pyne Investigates, The Hound of Death and The Listerdale Mystery, and which include supernatural themes and adventures.

Among the standouts, Maurice Denham turns in a wonderfully eccentric performance as the unflappable elderly statistician Parker Pyne, whose investigations involve sorting out the problems of warring couples and lovelorn characters. The adaptations are packed with sterling British character actors too. Fans need not hesitate.

Barry Forshaw on 23rd March 2010
View all 513 of Barry Forshaw's reviews