Episode guides
Published:
Monday, 18 June 2007, 9:31AM
Here are 10 of the most famous ITV episodes of Agatha Christie’s Poirot. The most recent are placed first.
Mystery of the Blue Train, 2005
Poirot travels on the renowned Blue Train to the French Riviera, alongside a fascinating mixture of characters, including the beautiful daughter of American oil magnate Rufus Van Aldin, and the charming Katherine, newly wealthy thanks to an unexpected inheritance. The body of a brutally murdered woman is discovered just as the train reaches its destination, and Poirot must investigate the past to reveal the killer.
Death on the Nile, 2004
Lavish murder mystery adapted from Christie's most famous crime thriller. Shot in stunning locations, Death On The Nile is set on board a Nile cruise where, against Poirot's advice, a heartbroken Jacqueline De Bellefort has joined the trip to stalk her former fiance and his new heiress wife. When the unfortunate heiress is found shot in the head, Jackie has the perfect alibi after being locked in her cabin for attacking her ex-love. Poirot suspects that one of the other passengers may have had a grudge against the victim, and the tension rises as more bodies are found.
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, 2000
One of Agatha Christie's best-known mysteries, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd finds Poirot, newly retired from the work which he describes as "the most perversely fascinating that there is in the world - the study of human nature". He is living in the village of Kings Abbott when the murder of his friend and neighbour, the wealthy captain of industry Roger Ackroyd, reactivates his legendary "little grey cells".
Murder on the Links, 1995
While on holiday in the French seaside resort of Deauville, Poirot and Hastings are called upon by Deauville resident Paul Renauld who claims he's being defrauded by Chileans. The situation turns sinister when Renauld is abducted and his wife is left bound and gagged in their bedroom. With Renauld's body found buried in a new golf bunker and the challenge from a leading French detective, Giraud, to see who will catch the killer first, Poirot finds that his time is running out.
The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb, 1993
Against the advice of his companions, when archaeologist Sir John Willard discovers King Men-her-Ra's tomb in the Valley of the Kings, he smashes it open to reveal the treasures within. Seconds later he suffers a fatal heart attack. Lady Willard appoints Poirot to investigate but, alarmingly, almost everyone connected with the discovery begins to drop dead. Could it be that the tomb of King Men-her-Ra's is cursed?
The Mysterious Affair at Styles, 1990
The Mysterious Affair at Styles was Agatha Christie's first published book and introduced Poirot. Set in a stately home in the war-torn England of 1917, Hastings, recovering from his war injuries, accepts an invitation to visit his old friends the Cavendish family, including, much to his surprise, his old acquaintance from the Belgian police, celebrated detective Poirot. On arrival, there appears to be a great deal of tension. Emily Inglethorp has taken control of the family fortune after her husband's death, much to the dismay of her spendthrift sons. However, it's not long before Poirot is launched into his first investigation after Mrs Inglethorp dies of strychnine poisoning and her sons become the key suspects.
The Kidnapped Prime Minister, 1990
Poirot is called in at the highest level when the British prime minister is kidnapped in France en route to a disarmament conference. The kidnap has been preceded by a gun attack on the PM as he travelled down on the boat train after seeing the king at Windsor. With only 32 hours to go before the conference is due to start, Poirot confounds the government by refusing to cross the channel and instead pursues his investigation in England.
Triangle at Rhodes, 1989
Poirot is staying at the Palace Hotel in Rhodes. He and his fellow guests are interested in the arrival of famous and beautiful divorcee Valentine, accompanied by her fifth husband. They can't help but notice how Valentine immediately starts flirting with a man who arrives the same day - much to the public displeasure of his wife. Poirot's holiday is over, but just as he prepares to leave he is called back to the hotel. After drinking a pink gin with the other guests, Valentine is dead.
Murder in the Mews, 1989
Chief Inspector Japp turns to Poirot for assistance with his investigation into the apparent suicide of a beautiful young woman. The gun was found in her left hand, but the deceased is generally believed to have been right-handed. Was she in fact murdered by a sinister blackmailer? To the despair of keen golfer Hastings, complete novice Poirot insists that they play a round together. But Poirot has an ulterior motive - he is watching someone on the golf course.
The Adventure of the Clapham Cook, 1989
Poirot is unenthusiastic when a Mrs Todd asks him to find her a cook. He is positively insulted when she proceeds to dismiss him from the case with a one guinea fee for his services. There's no mystery too small for Poirot, and once he agrees to take on a case he sees it through to a conclusion. Poirot has also realised that there is a great deal more to the cook's disappearance than meets the eye.
