Hi there folks! Happy 2013!
As we wait, ever so impatiently, for updates on the airing of the new series of Agatha Christie’s Marple and Agatha Christie’s Poirot, here is some of the latest information for you wonderful fans the world over:
Filming is underway on the final series of Poirot. Star David Suchet has wrapped on Elephants Can Remember and Curtain, the former featuring the return of Zoë Wanamaker as Mrs. Oliver and a cast including Iain Glen and Greta Scacchi (who previously played Tuppence Beresford in an instalment of Marple). The latter, bringing recurring cast David Yelland as George and Hugh Fraser as Hastings, also features Helen Baxendale, Shaun Dingwall, and Anne Reid.
Suchet has suggested that the episodes won’t air until much, much later in the year – and possibly some running over to 2014. Filming will continue over the next few months on Dead Man’s Folly, The Labours of Hercules, and The Big Four, which – Suchet has confirmed – will feature the return of Philip Jackson as Japp and Pauline Moran as Miss Lemon. Reports suggest that “The Lemesurier Inheritance”, the only short story not filmed during the early years of the series, will be incorporated into the plot of Hercules. Given that short story collection is being transformed into one 2-hour film, some elements will obviously be missing, but it’s nice to know that Suchet will have filmed the entire canon – in spirit at least! (Last year, he participated in a reading of the original Poirot play, Black Coffee.)
Meanwhile, filming has wrapped on two of the three Marple stories. Greenshaw’s Folly – an amalgamation of two short stories – will feature a stellar cast including Julia Sawalha and Fiona Shaw. A Caribbean Mystery – the last of the Marple novels to be adapted in this series – stars Anthony Sher, Oliver Ford Davies, and Hermione Norris.
Marple star Julia McKenzie will return to the role in March, filming Endless Night, an adaptation of a non-Marple novel. Since this is the end of McKenzie’s original contract, any future series would need to be renegotiated. However, given that Poirot is about to end, and that the series has now completed all the Marple novels, it’s reasonable to speculate that the series might come to a graceful end at this point too.
So, we have a few months to go until we get to watch any of these gems. All I can recommend is — head back and watch the older ones! See my list of her books, and list of her adaptations, and get caught up on anything you haven’t seen. Go on, don’t just stand there – read the Dame!
February 2, 2013 at 10:18 am
Well,I don’t think that Acorn could buy Agatha’s rights with a considerable investment only for ending everything and be happy.Julia Mckenzie has always spoken about her hopes of many years of marples,and certainly the contract will be renegotiated.Now,with the sad end of Poirot,ITV and PBS will have only Marple to financing,and it’s a fair assumption that they will continue to do it.If you has noticed, they had made a press release for both the two new Marples (CARIBBEAN and GREENSHAW) while they had passed under silence the new POIROTS that they are shooting,a clear sign of their interest to promote the only series that will have “future”.As you currently said last year,they have a large batch of short tales and Non-Marple novels to adapt,and I don’t think that they will throw away so soon the golden eggs of Agatha!
March 14, 2013 at 2:54 pm
Hello everybody!
Suchet said via Twitter that the first films of 13th season will air this summer. I suppose that these films will be Elephants can remember and The Big Four. He also mentioned that Curtain wont’ be shown till 2014. Perhaps they will air The Labours of Hercules and Dead man’s Folly in late 2013 or early 2014.
April 16, 2013 at 2:58 am
Very sad that Poirot is coming to an end after all these years.
Regardless, I cant wait for the final episodes. I am a big Poirot fan since i was a little boy. I have all the episodes. One set of the episodes are still in plastic and unopened as a collection with all my Poirot novels and i have my regular DVD episodes to watch. I must have watched them over 100 times each and i still cant get enough. Every time im stressed out from work or life in general I pop in an episode and all my worries go away. I also have several autographs of Poirot from Mr. Suchet including 1 original personally made to me when i met him a few years back.
April 16, 2013 at 3:40 pm
Oh happy day! Just to know there a bit more Poroit in my future makes me smile. As the saying goes; Do not cry because it’s over, be thankful that it ever happend. So it goes with this “masterpiece”, all things in perspective for my grey cells…life is good.
May 18, 2013 at 6:13 pm
Marple: A Caribbean Mystery is due to come out in June 2013.