29. The Affair at the Victory Ball

Air date: 03/03/1991
Published: First story in "Poirot's Early Cases" (1974)

The penultimate episode of the third series of Agatha Christie's Poirot was a workman-like tale that delivered most of the customary ingredients we had become used to.

There is the gentle humour, generally related to Poirot's view of his own abilities, the occasional bewilderment of Japp, and the faithful enthusiasm of Hastings. What's more, we have, once again, an adaptation that takes a murder recounted to Poirot (in the original) transformed into something that happens after Poirot is, in some way, already on the scene.

The story concerns the murder of one Lord Cronshaw at a fashionable 'Victory Ball'. Cronshaw and his immediate circle of friends were all dressed as characters from 'The Italian Comedy'. Earlier in the evening the Lord had had an argument with actress 'Coco' Courtenay, who died at home the same evening, presumably from a cocaine overdose. She was taken home by the actor Chris Davidson, which seemed to rule him out of the list of suspects.

Poirot eventually deduces that Davidson had, in fact, murdered Cronshaw earlier in the evening and had hidden his body behind a curtain on the balcony of the hall. Having taken Miss Courtenay home, he had returned, now dressed as Cronshaw's character, to appear on the balcony - in order to give the impression that the murder must have taken place much later than it did. The motive? Cronshaw's argument with the actress had been over her use of cocaine - which Cronshaw was opposed to. Davidson was her supplier.

Apart from the common stylistic feature of the murder now occurring after Poirot has turned up, this episode is, again, remarkably faithful to the original story. Poirot and Hastings attend the ball. Hastings goes as the Scarlet Pimpernel. Poirot dresses in his customary evening dinner jacket and black tie. When Hastings complains that he supposed to go as someone famous Poirot gestures that he has - he has gone as himself!

One notable embellishment is the world of BBC radio drama. Miss Courtenay is seen to be involved in a radio play at the beginning, and Poirot utilises the medium to play out his dramatic exposing of the murderer at the end.