Interlude: "Poirot and Me"

David Suchet played Agatha Christie's famous Belgian detective over an incredible 25 year period. But from the outset nobody planned for that to happen.

One of the things that emerges strongly from Suchet's book "Poirot and Me" is the uncertainty that the end of filming for each series brought. Would another series be commissioned?

This comes out very strongly in chapter eight. "Another Christmas, and that niggling anxiety remained: would I be reunited with the idiosyncratic detective?" he writes.

Audience and critical reaction to series two quickly proved positive, but with no immediate news about another series, Suchet accepted an offer to appear on the stage in a production of Shakespeare's Timon of Athens.

Then, as the second series was coming to the end of its broadcast run, London Weekend made the offer for a third series. Scarcely had the theatre run ended and Suchet was back at the Twickenham studios for pre-production work on series three.

He points out in this chapter that some of Agatha Christie's short stories were 'slight' and needed expanding to bring them to television. This is something I have already referred to on more than one occasion in my reviews thus far.

There is one particularly interesting anecdote in this chapter. Suchet recalls being invited to a private lunch at Buckingham Palace shortly before filming began on series three. At this event he learned - from Prince Philip, no less - how to peel and prepare a mango!

Suchet had this written into the script for The Theft of the Royal Ruby, with Poirot recounting how "A certain duke taught me"!

30. The Mystery of the Hunter's Lodge

Air date: 10/03/1991
Published: Fourth story in "Poirot Investigates" (1924)

Series three of Agatha Christie's Poirot ended with a story that was considerably embellished to bring it  to the small screen.

It concerns the murder of one Harrington Pace, at the remote hunter's lodge of the title. Additional characters, red herrings and plot details have been added to Agatha Christie's original.

Poirot is in bed with 'flu when his flat is visited by Roger Havering, seeking the detective's help following the murder of his uncle. Hastings goes off to rural Derbyshire to do the leg-work, and is met at the scene by Japp; Poirot - in the original - never actually leaves home!

It transpires that a man had arrived at the lodge the previous night to see Pace. He is described as having a beard, overcoat and having spoken with an American accent. Havering had left earlier in the evening to catch the train to London, where he had spent the night.

Havering's wife, having heard the gunshot, had sent the recently recruited housekeeper, Mrs Middleton, to fetch the police. Mrs Middleton subsequently disappears. The gun that was used to kill Pace is found, rather randomly, by a "city gentleman" in Ealing.

Hastings does some investigating and updates Poirot who deduces that Mrs Havering and Mrs Middleton were one and the same! Mrs Havering had shot Pace, and reported the killing disguised as Mrs Middleton. The gun found in Ealing - planted by Havering - was not the one used to kill Pace, but the second in a matching pair that had been kept at the lodge. The motive was to inherit Pace's fortune. Curiously, Havering and his wife are not arrested; the story ending rather tamely with Hastings (narrating) recounting how they were both killed shortly after in a plane crash.

In the adaptation Hastings and Poirot arrive, along with a number of other guests, at the shooting party. It is cold, and there are traces of snow on the moors. Two significant 'red herring' characters are added: Stoddard the gamekeeper (who we later discover is Pace's half-brother) and Archie, the schoolteacher brother of Havering, who looks after the lodge for most of the year.

As we have had frequent occasion to point out with the short story adaptations, a murder originally reported as having happened at the start actually takes place after Poirot arrives. With additional guests at the lodge two other cooks are on the scene, allowing the clue of Mrs Havering and Mrs Middleton never being in the room at the same time, to be played out rather more obviously.

Mrs Middleton is seen to catch a lift with Havering to the train station. It is later revealed that she then got off at the next station (now disguised as the man with the beard), and stole the stationmaster's bike in order to return to the lodge and commit the foul deed.

The discovery of the bike and the beard, buried in a field, provides both the means of unveiling the culprits (with the aid of Stoddard's sniffer dog) and some customary humour at the end when Poirot, Hastings and Japp return the bike to the stationmaster.

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.

28. The Theft of the Royal Ruby

Air date: 24/02/1991
Published: First story in "The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding" (1960)

The Theft of the Royal Ruby is one of two Poirot stories set over Christmas - the other being the full novel-length "Hercule Poirot's Christmas" (of which more, later).

Originally written as the short story "Christmas Adventure", in 1923, it was developed by Agatha Christie into one of the longer novellas in the 1960 collection, "The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding".

Poirot is approached by a Mr Jesmond (who holds some unidentified governmental role) to discreetly investigate the theft of a precious ruby, foolishly given by a foreign prince to a woman - who promptly disappeared with it.

For reasons that are not made clear in the original, Poirot is persuaded to spend Christmas with a family at their country home in an attempt to track it down. The guests include the rather unpleasant Desmond Lee-Wortley and his sister. Lee-Wortley is in a romantic liaison with Sarah, granddaughter of Mr and Mrs Lacey, who delight in keeping a very traditional Christmas.

When the jewel turns up in the Christmas pudding Poirot hangs on to it. He subsequently uses a faked stabbing (a game played on him by youngsters in the house) to smoke out Lee-Wortley, who makes off with what is, in reality, a paste copy of the jewel. It transpires that Lee-Wortley and the other woman (pretending to be his sister) had hurriedly hidden the jewel in a Christmas pudding made for New Year's Day when Poirot had turned up. However, when the Christmas day pudding is dropped on the floor the cook unfortunately uses the former for Christmas Day - ruining their hiding place.

There are some nice touches in the original, including Mrs Lacey's description of a traditional Christmas, which mirrors the description Agatha Christie gives of her own childhood Christmases in the book's Foreword.

The TV adaptation, by contrast, appears rather a rushed attempt to shoehorn in the essentials of what is a rather strained plot. It opens with a restaurant scene in which the prince (now identified explicitly as being from Egypt) allows an unidentified woman to wear the ruby. She disappears.

The central part of the plot is followed more or less faithfully, if in rather cut down form. In the original's finale we discover Poirot has allowed Lee-Wortley to make off with a paste. The TV version sees the return of that old favourite: the car chase. Lee-Wortley is apprehended at a local airport.

One curiosity. The original story features a white Christmas, whereas the TV adaptation doesn't. With "Hercule Poirot's Christmas" (four years later) it would be the other way round!

27. The Mystery of the Spanish Chest

Air date: 17/02/1991
Published: Second story in "The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding" (1960)

This lively story is another example of what has become a familiar feature: a story in which a murder originally told to Poirot in the past tense is adapted for television to occur after Poirot has become involved.

On this occasion Poirot and Miss Lemon are discussing the newspaper report of the murder of Arnold Clayton at a party hosted by one Major Rich. Clayton's body was found the following morning (by Rich's butler) in a large Spanish chest. Although originally due to attend the party, he had absented himself for an alleged urgent business trip to Edinburgh. Rich has been arrested for the crime. Several pages are devoted to Poirot and Miss Lemon discussing this (somewhat ironically, Miss Lemon does not appear in the TV adaptation: usually it is the other way round!). There is greater emphasis in the original on Poirot's incredulity that Rich should have left the body in the chest, rather than disposing of it during the night.

Poirot is approached by a friend, Lady Chatterton, on behalf of Mrs Clayton, who does not believe Rich could have done it. There is clearly a mutual attraction between Rich and Mrs Clayton.

Poirot interviews the people who were at the party, Commander McLaren, Mr and Mrs Spence, Rich (in custody) and Burgess the butler.

Although it seems that only Rich or the butler were in a position to have killed him before the party, Poirot deduces - from a hole drilled in the chest - that Clayton was, in fact, hiding in the chest during the party and was stabbed in the neck later than originally assumed.

It turns out that McLaren had also been carrying a torch for Mrs Clayton, and had fuelled the fires of jealousy in Clayton, encouraging him to hide in the trunk to observe if anything was going on between his wife and Rich. He had, in fact, drugged Clayton, and, while other guests were enjoying dance music, had opened the trunk and stabbed Clayton in the neck.

The adaptation opens with a flashback to a duel (which we later discover was over Mrs Clayton). One man (who turns out to be McLaren - or Curtiss, as he now is) is cut on the cheek. As the character displays a scar throughout it doesn't take much to work out that he was one of the protagonists. Interestingly, in the original there is reference to a past duel over Mrs Clayton, although there is no suggestion that McLaren was one of those involved.

Mrs Chatteron approaches Poirot before the party, worried that her friend might be in danger. Poirot attends the party, and so finds himself questioned by Japp (not in the original) the following day after the body has been found. There are a great deal more people at the party than in the original, although the Spences don't appear. Hastings (also not in the original) goes with Poirot to interview the butler (now called Burgoyne, for some reason) and they also arrive at Mrs Clayton's just as she attempts to commit suicide (wracked with a sense of guilt that she is to blame for her friend Rich killing her husband).

The freshly drilled hole in the trunk is, once again, the vital clue for Poirot. For a rather more dramatic TV finale, Poirot has Japp arrest Mrs Clayton, in order to flush out Curtiss, who confronts our Belgian sleuth at the mens' club gymnasium - only to be saved by Rich.

Rather gruesomely, we discover in the adaptation that Clayton was not drugged and then stabbed in the neck. He was stabbed through the eye as he observed the party through the drill hole!

26. The Double Clue

Air date: 10/02/1991

Published: Fifth story in "Poirot's Early Cases" (1974)

The Double Clue, the next episode to be screened, has never been one of my favourites, if I'm honest.

It introduces the character of the Countess Vera Rossakoff, a Russian-born, high-society jewel thief, who, in the adaptation, Poirot becomes seriously smitten with. Large sections of the episode see Poirot, seemingly drunk in admiration, in the Countess' presence, with rather dreamy piano music accompanying every scene they have together.

This all amounts to considerable embellishment on the original story. Poirot and Hastings are called in to solve the theft of some emeralds from one Marcus Hardman. The crime took place, it seems, while Hardman was hosting a musical evening. Four people saw the jewels and so appear to be in the frame: the Countess, a Mr Johnson from South Africa, one Lady Runcorn, and Bernard Parker, a young man who secures private purchases of jewels on behalf of Hardman.

When a man's glove and a cigarette case, bearing the initials 'BP', are found at the scene (the "double clue" of the title), it appears Parker is the likely culprit. Poirot, however, works out that 'BP' in the Russian alphabet equals 'VR'. When he confronts the Countess she hands over the jewels before departing. Although he declares, "Quelle femme! A remarkable woman!" the attraction is much more subtle and subdued in the original.

In the adaptation the theft appears as one of a series of recent high society jewel robberies. Japp (not in the original) is worried that his job is on the line if he doesn't solve the case, and turns to Poirot for help.

When Poirot first meets the Countess he is immediately overcome. There are some rather strange scenes over the next couple of days where shots of Poirot and the Countess together alternate with Hastings and Miss Lemon (also not in the original, of course) perplexed by Poirot's behaviour, and wandering what the future holds. They decide to try and solve the case (without success, of course), in order to help Japp.

The Countess hands over the jewels while on a picnic, and Poirot, in his customary summing up, spins a tale about a tramp stealing them. Earlier, a tramp had been seen in the gardens by a policeman. A second appearance later (when he shoots at Hastings) turns out to be a private detective hired by Poirot, presumably to set up his false denouement and to allow the Countess to go free. In a parting scene, we learn that she is heading for America. Poirot declares they must both continue their respective work ... but not in the same country.

25. The Tragedy at Marsdon Manor

Air date: 03/02/1991
Published: Second story in "Poirot Investigates" (1924)

Several significant sub-plots were added to bring the next story, The Tragedy at Marsdon Manor, to the small screen.

The original begins with Poirot being called in by the Northern Union Insurance Company to investigate the recent death of one Mr Maltravers, at his country home in Essex.

Poirot is told by the local GP, Dr Bernard, that Maltravers almost certainly died of an internal haemorrhage, probably as a result of a gastric ulcer. He had not treated Mr Maltravers as the latter was a member of the Christian Science sect. He was found in his grounds, a rook rifle by his side.

Poirot and Hastings visit the grieving Mrs Maltravers and later meet a Captain Black, a traveller from East Africa. Through a word-association game Poirot discovers that at a recent dinner party Captain Black had recounted the amazing story of how a man in Africa had committed suicide by shooting himself in the mouth with a rook rifle, and how it had initially confounded medics (as the lightweight bullet had lodged in the brain).

In the end Poirot deduces Mrs Maltravers had persuaded her husband to show her how a person would hold a rook rifle to shoot themselves - and had then pulled the trigger herself! Maltravers, who was in financial difficulties, had recently insured his life for a large sum. For reasons we are not told, Poirot, at the denouement, declares Mrs Maltravers to be "mediumistic" and plays on her emotions by having an actor friend suddenly appear in the hallway dressed as her dead husband, to force a confession out of her.

Once again, as we have noted before, flashback accounts of death don't work so well on television, so the adaptation opens with Poirot arriving in Marsdon Leigh on what he believes is a murder enquiry - only to find that the landlord who hired him, Samuel Naughton, actually wants his help in writing the conclusion to a murder mystery novel! Maltravers' death occurs as part of the story, with Poirot already in the locality.

The detail of the Christian Science link (which, of course, Mrs Maltravers had made up) is omitted. Perhaps it was considered too obscure for modern TV audiences to understand! Instead, Maltravers is recovering from an operation and is under the care of Dr Bernard.

A whole new sub-plot revolves around Mrs Maltravers' claim to see a ghost in the trees (some years ago, we are told, a young woman committed suicide by jumping from a tree in the garden). It transpires that she was trying to frighten her husband, hoping - in his fragile, post-op state - that it would "drive him to his grave".

Captain Black appears rather more shady and is, we are told, madly in love with Mrs Maltravers. The rook rifle suicide story is not told by Black; rather, it appears on a newspaper he has used to wrap an African wooden statue he has brought with him as a present for Mrs Maltravers (presumably she read it while unwrapping the present and conceived the idea at that point).

At one point Mrs Maltravers fakes an attempt on her own life at a civil defence meeting (presumably to deflect attention). It is Japp who turns up with the insurance policy.

At the denouement Poirot uses Mr Naughton to do the 'ghostly' Mr Maltravers walk. In a further example of the way the one-hour episodes often open and close on the same light note, Naughton was wearing a wax cast of Maltravers' face: and early in the episode Poirot and Hastings had visited a local wax museum! Predictably there is a Hercule Poirot character there - which the ever-proud Poirot is keen for Hasting and Japp to see at the end!