2015 is the year of Agatha
Christie's 125th birthday. The Christie estate is gearing up for two new TV
adaptations on BBC1: Partners in Crime this July (miniseries starring
Tommy and Tuppence, aka David Walliams and Jessica Raine), and And Then There Were None (TV film with
an "all star cast"). We could also add the upcoming adaptation of Murder on the Orient Express (apparently
without David Suchet!), possibly to be directed by Kenneth Branagh, and the release of
Sophie Hannah's The Monogram Murders
last year, to that list.
To coincide with the anniversary,
Oldcastle Books are rereleasing a new and updated edition of Mark Campbell's Agatha Christie, a 'Pocket Essential' book which examines Christie's entire body of work, as well as every English
language adaptation on television, radio, stage and film (not including the
not-yet-released BBC1 adaptations and the new MOTOE). Mark Campbell has written
for The Independent, Midweek, Crime Time
and The Dark Side. He was also one of
the main contributors to the two-volume British
Crime Writing: An Encyclopedia, and the last theatre critic for The Kentish Times.
Campbell's book is a comprehensive and
fascinating guide to Christie. For some die-hard Christie fans, most of the
information should be well-known. We get thorough introductions to each Christie character, including Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple, Tommy and
Tuppence, Parker Pyne, Harley Quin. We also get a complete checklist of
Christie's work, and each character chapter offers a guide to the individual
stories, with a case overview, context, and a review by Campbell. But even for
die-hard fans, there should be something to get their teeth into. I enjoyed the
character descriptions, as they are possibly the most concise and accurate
descriptions I've seen, apart from Anne Hart's excellent character studies of
Poirot and Miss Marple in the early 1990s. And it's always intriguing to read
other reviews of the stories you know, to see whether you agree with them or
not. Also, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Campbell includes
Christie's Mary Westmacott novels as well as her poetry, children's stories and
memoirs. I shouldn't be surprised, since this claims to be a complete guide,
but more often than not, books on Christie tend to focus on her crime writing
career exclusively.
Since this blog focuses mainly on
the Christie adaptations, particularly ITV's Agatha Christie's Poirot, I'm happy to say that Campbell is just as
thorough when, later in the book, he turns his attention to every single
adaptation of a Christie story. We get the same, handy guide to the individual
adaptations, with cast, crew, premiere dates and Campbell's observations. The
guide seems to be up to date as of 2015, including the final series of Poirot, Sophie Hannah's novel, and a new
stage adaptation of The Secret Adversary.
However, as a Poirot fan, I must
admit I was somewhat disappointed Campbell didn't offer his thoughts on every single Poirot episode. Instead, we
get an overall review. Still, with 70 different adaptations, that would almost
amount to a separate 'Pocket Essential' in itself!
All in all, then, Mark Campbell's Agatha Christie is an impressively
complete guide to Agatha Christie's work; an essential Christie encyclopedia. The book is a perfect birthday or Christmas
present for anyone who has an above average interest in all things Christie. Or those who
don't know her range - from crime to thriller, adventure, poetry, romance and
children's stories. I'll certainly have my copy available whenever an
'uninitiated' Christie fan stops by!