As many of you will know, this week marked the end of the shoot for the final episode of the final series of Agatha Christie's Poirot. If we include the rehearsed reading of Black Coffee, and assume that all the short stories of Labours of Hercules will be referenced in some way, we can conclude that David Suchet has now starred in adaptations of every single Poirot short story, novel and play ever published by Agatha Christie. That is quite an achievement. His last day on set must have been such an emotional moment, just like the end credits of the final episode, Curtain, will certainly be an emotional moment for all us fans out there. I'll offer some more thoughts on the subject once that episode has aired, but until then, suffice to say a big T H A N K Y O U to David Suchet for dedicating such a large part of his career to this funny little Belgian. This has been 25 years of excellence, 25 years of pure perfection.
P.S. The photo I've chosen is from the Facebook page of Greenway Ferry. It was apparently taken shortly after they finished shooting the final scene of Dead Man's Folly. Notice how Zoë Wanamaker is holding David Suchet's hand. It must have been such a poignant day.
There has been a lot of behind-the-scenes material on the series over the years, but sadly, most of it is difficult (if not impossible) to get hold of. I will try to go through the complete behind-the-scenes features (or, at least, as complete a list as I have been able to make). In addition to the documentaries, interviews and Agatha Christie features listed below, there are some rumours circulating that a behind-the-scenes feature was made in the early 90s, though I somehow find this quite unlikely, as they didn't have the DVD/BluRay market we have these days, so why should they make "extras", unless it was to be used for a television broadcast? The interviews/programmes I've tracked down from the early 90s are all television broadcasts, not DVD extras.
1) Agatha Christie: Crime Does Pay (1990)
This seems to be the earliest documentary in which David Suchet comments on his character. It also features a detailed discussion of Christie's literature and her two main detectives. It seems to have been made in conjunction with the 100th jubilee (centenary) of Christie's birth. The documentary also features the only "meeting" between Miss Marple and Poirot (a.k.a. Hickson and Suchet). As of now (December 2012), most of it seems to be availale on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvKPXEOIWNI).
2) Agatha Christie: Een Mysterie (
A documentary on Agatha Christie's life, including an interview with David Suchet on the set of The Mysterious Affair at Styles. Narrated by Joan Hickson! Currently available on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqnrNSxJ2QM).
3) The Trouble With Agatha Christie (1991)
An oh-so-typical 90s show on Christie's characters, featuring interviews with a lot of experts as well as actors such as Angela Lansbury, Peter Ustinov - and of course David Suchet. Also available (2012) on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMh2tyjhHII).
4) The Great Detectives: Hercule Poirot and the disappearing novelist (1999)
This seems to have been lost. At least, I've never managed to track it down anywhere online. I've found to captions: 'Nigel Williams investigates the 10-day disappearance of Agatha Christie, an incident which remains a mystery to this day. With the help of David Suchet and a hotel murder weekend team, he hopes to unlock the secrets of Christie's enigmatic life.' AND 'Nigel Williams profiles Agatha Christie's famous detective Hercule Poirot, explains the enduring appeal of the eccentric Belgian and examines the author's sensational ten-day disappearance'. Judging from these, the documentary seems to centre on Agatha Christie's life more generally rather than the TV series specifically.
5) Behind the Scenes Featurettes from Series Nine (2003-2004)
Probably intended for DVD release, I think these are included in the "complete collections" regularly released by ITV, as well as some separate DVD releases of Series Nine, but I have never managed to lay my hands on them. Apparently they include an interview with producer Margaret Mitchell (Five Little Pigs), an interview with Mitchell and David Suchet (Sad Cypress) and an on-location featurette (The Hollow). The final featurette, from Death on the Nile, I have managed to get hold of. This was available on YouTube for a while, but I can't seem to find it anymore.
5) The Agatha Christie Code (2005)
This documentary apparently features an interview with David Suchet, supposedly on Poirot, but I haven't been able to find it online. I saw some clips from it a few years back, and it didn't seem to feature the series to a very great extent...
6) Behind the Scenes on Series Ten (2006)
This documentary follows the production of the entire tenth series, from The Mystery of the Blue Train, via After the Funeral and Cards on the Table to Taken at the Flood. It includes interviews with several of the main actors and actresses. I don't think it's available online at the moment (apart from in a version dubbed into Russian), but it will probably be included in the final box set, and it is frequently aired on ITV3.
7) Poirot & Me (mini-documentary series, 2006)
This is the brilliant mini-documentary series, which consists of five minute interviews with David Suchet. All are currently available on YouTube, thanks to the wonderful Sanna from the David Suchet Fansite (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKz8-jwj50U).
They are titled:
- Part One: How It All Began
- Part Two: My Most Intriguing Mystery
- Part Three: My Most Humorous Episode
- Part Four: My Favourite Male Star
- Part Five: My All-Time Favourite
- Part Six: My Loneliness as Poirot
- Part Seven: My Favourite Leading Lady
- Part Eight: Poirot Almost Gets It Wrong
- Part Nine: My Most Challenging Location
An episode called "Poirot's Closest Call" was apparently also supposed to have aired, but I have never managed to track that one down. Judging by the TV guides for that particular weekend, it seems to have featured 'The Mystery of the Spanish Chest' (in which Poirot is almost stabbed by a duelling sword).
8) Super Sleuths: Agatha Christie's Poirot (2007)
2006 was certainly a wonderful year for behind-the-scenes material! This documentary is probably the best and features interviews with everyone from the first producers, script writers, main cast (including Suchet, Fraser, Moran AND Jackson!) and experts. It is part of a major series profiling the most famous ITV detective series. Available on YouTube (2012), again thanks to Sanna (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHRiXmYg9yY), and I think it's also available on some US DVD releases.
9) Top of the Cops (2009)
I haven't been able to locate this online. But judging from information on various websites, the premise seems to have been for the viewers to choose their favourite detective (aka cop). What Poirot is doing in a COP competition, I have no idea... Anyway, it only seems to have featured some clips from the show and some archive footage from an interview with Suchet.
9) David Suchet on the Orient Express (2009)
An absolutely delightful documentary, with David Suchet taking on the journey of the Orient Express. He details the history of the train, as well as some stuff on Christie's book and his portrayal of her character. An extra on the US/UK DVD releases of Series Twelve. Currently available online thanks to Sanna (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0KhaKurWQA). Also available in a 'Masterpiece Special' version, I think.
10) The Making of Murder on the Orient Express (2010)
A rather nice featurette behind-the-scenes of the production. Interviews with main cast members, director and production crew. Currently available on YouTube.
11) The People's Detective: Poirot/Holmes (2010)
This is a rather interesting 'documentary' which was part of a series outlining the main crime dramas on ITV and encouraging the audience to vote for their favourite detective. The episode features interviews with Agatha Christie's grandson, Pauline Moran, Anthony Horowitz and David Suchet, among others. Not available online at the moment.
12) The A to Z of Crime: M to P (2011)
A series outlining words from crime drama series (e.g. murder, hanging, Marple, Poirot). Yes, I know. They seem to be running out of ideas! I watched this myself when it was aired, and from what I can remember Suchet only features in a tiny archive interview. Not available online.
13) Crime Connections (2012)
A series outlining the connections between crime dramas (e.g. Shaun Evans appears in 'Whitechapel' and stars in 'Endeavour' (yup, I told you, they're running out of clever ideas)). The series apparently profiles Agatha Christie's Poirot. Not available online- or at least I haven't been able to find it.
14) Perspectives: The Mystery of Agatha Christie (2013)
UPDATE MAY 2013: "Longish", a commenter, reminded me that the Agatha Christie documentary I mention below has now aired and is available on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgP_UfPhOVs). There's a brief clip from Suchet's trailer on the set of Curtain, but apart from that this fascinating documentary focuses on Agatha Christie. For most fans, this is an absolute must-see, and Suchet is excellent.
UPDATE NOVEMBER 2013:
15) Interview with David Suchet (2013)
There's a short interview included on the complete DVD box set that was released by ITV. He details the process of becoming Poirot. A decent interview.
16) Being Poirot (2013)
This documentary was broadcast by ITV directly after Curtain. It is a brilliant account of Suchet's commitment to the character. Available on YouTube.
In addition to these, there's the behind-the-scenes book by Peter Haining, Agatha Christie's Poirot: A Celebration of the Great Detective (1995) which should be available through Amazon or Ebay. As of late 2013, there's also David Suchet's absolutely brilliant autobiography, Poirot and Me (2013), which I suggest is an absolute must-have for any Poirot fan.
In previous posts, I have explored the portrayal of Hercule Poirot himself, as well as his three associates Hastings, Japp and Miss Lemon. This time, I turn my attention to his most recent companions – crime writer Ariadne Oliver, valet George and Superintendent Spence, all of which add depth to Poirot’s semi-retirement.
Mrs Ariadne Oliver
Apart from Hercule Poirot himself, Ariadne Oliver is possibly my favourite of the recurring characters of Agatha Christie’s Poirot. This is in no small part due to the brilliance of Zoë Wanamaker. The crime writer was introduced by Christie in Cards on the Table, and she was to tag along on Poirot’s cases for no less than four decades (1937-1972). Known for frequently changing her hair styles, she was large, had ‘an agreeable bass voice’, ‘fine eyes’ and was ‘handsome in a rather untidy fashion’ (Hart p. 241). She used to drive a small two-seater car, hated to give speeches, but was a starch supporter of having a woman in charge of Scotland Yard. Her flat had an exotically wallpapered living room, giving the visitor a feeling of ‘being in a cherry orchard’ (p. 242). She was a force of nature in herself and had the honour of being the only woman (apart from servants) that Poirot ever regularly addressed by her Christian name: 'It is my friend, Ariadne'.
The list of characteristics above is supposed to exemplify the accuracy of the portrayal of Ariadne Oliver in the series. All the details above are included. An interesting insight into the character development, however, is given by Wanamaker in a 2006 interview. ‘Scanning through all the Christie books Ariadne appears in, I picked up that the character is completely unlike me. She's a big woman, like a battleship. David wears lots of padding as Poirot, but I decided I was not going to go down that route because it's restricting and hot (…). Instead I decided I'd wear something small that gives you a feeling of being substantial, so the costume designer found this transvestite shop which sold fake breasts. They were called ''medium beauties'', and they were really good. We could have had ''super beauties'', but I think I would have looked like Margaret Rutherford in them’.
Wanamaker describes her character as follows: ‘I think Ariadne is a wonderful character – I’m deeply fond of her. I think Agatha Christie wrote Ariadne Oliver as a send up of herself. Ariadne is a crime fiction writer and is pressured by her publishers to constantly produce her Sven Hjerson books: it was the same with Agatha and her publisher constantly getting her to do more Poirot stories! Ariadne is the complete antithesis of Poirot himself, who’s anal and self regarding and egotistical. She has less of an ego but has this fantastic imagination and is slightly mocking. What’s great about Ariadne is her relationship with Poirot. They respect each other but they’re slightly rude to each other, which is wonderful. I think Poirot needs to be sent up a lot and Ariadne does that. I enjoy their relationship very much. It works because they enjoy each other’s eccentricities and respect each other’s minds. Ariadne would make a wonderful detective – she has a great instinct and Poirot constantly mentions that it’s her instinct which often points him in the right direction’ (Halloween Party Press Pack, 2010).
David Suchet agrees that Mrs Oliver adds a lot to the feel of the series. In the same interview, he explains that ‘Poirot and Ariadne Oliver are really good friends and, if you had a compendium of Poirot, Ariadne Oliver would be one of the women in his life. He strikes a deep friendship with Ariadne, although not in any way from the heart. It’s from the head! I think the reason Poirot likes Ariadne is because she is a crime writer and she provides for him another mind that he can tap. She will come forward with her crime writer’s solutions to the situations they find themselves in. Poirot does have a very soft spot for her. I know that because she is the only woman that Poirot ever, in the whole collection of films, calls by her Christian name without a pre-fix. It’s also great fun with Ariadne Oliver because Poirot gets kindly irritated with her, and she gets kindly irritated with him. I think everybody likes to see Poirot with a woman. I think Zoë and I, having known each other for years and having worked in the theatre together, we bring our own knowledge of each other to that relationship’ (Halloween Party Press Pack, 2010).
In my opinion, Zoe Wanamaker has created the perfect Ariadne Oliver, and I very much look forward to her final two outings in series thirteen (Dead Man’s Folly and Elephants Can Remember).
George (Poirot’s valet)
George (or Georges, as Poirot often calls him), is a very minor character in both Christie’s stories and the series. In fact, the part is probably as small as Miss Lemon’s would have been in the series had not the first producers decided to ignore George and expand her character (see previous post). Christie describes the character as ‘intensely English’. He was, if needed, a useful source of information: ‘Master and servant looked at each other. Communication was sometimes fraught with difficulties for them. By inflexion or innuendo or a certain choice of words, George would signify that there was something that might be elicited if the right question was asked’ (Hart p. 177). This had often something to do with social status; ‘ There is a – gentleman to see you sir. (…) Poirot was aware of that very slight pause before the word gentleman. As a social snob, George was an expert’ (p. 177). Interestingly, it was also ‘the habit of Hercule Poirot to discuss his cases with his capable valet’ (p. 177).
Actor David Yelland has had to make as much as possible out of these tiny references. In my opinion, he has certainly succeeded. Due to the exclusion of his character early on in the series, George wasn’t introduced until Taken at the Flood (2006), but the character has since been included in four episodes (as of 2012). Third Girl is probably the best example of Yelland’s portrayal, since George both contributes with observations on visitors, the case at hand, and breakfast. It is a great challenge to make a fully fleshed-out character of George, but Yelland has done it, and I look forward to an emotional finale in Series Thirteen.
Superintendent Albert (Harold) Spence
The character of Superintendent Spence is not a significant one in the Christie canon. He does, however, assist Poirot in three of his later cases: Taken at the Flood, Mrs. McGinty’s Dead, and Halloween Party. In the series, the character has been portrayed by Richard Hope, but the character was deleted from the adaptation of Halloween Party. Spence was never really properly fleshed out in Christie’s stories, and the few references there are to his personality were never included in the series. Interestingly, they also changed his Chrstian name from Albert to Harold. Nevertheless, I think Spence somewhat works in Hope’s interpretation. He is certainly less of a one-dimensional character than some of the other policemen Poirot has tackled in recent adaptations (especially Inspector Morton in After the Funeral, Inspector Kelsey in Cat Among the Pigeons, Inspector Nelson in Third Girl).
P.S. I will hopefully examine a character who really can’t be described as ‘new’ but is likely to make a comeback in Series Thirteen, i.e. Vera Rossakoff, at a later stage. If she is brought back for both The Big Four and The Labours of Hercules, I feel certain that there will be lots to comment on!
