FactualNew
“I am on a journey of a lifetime. I’m travelling across Europe, in the footsteps of Agatha Christie’s Poirot, on the Orient-Express. But this is not just a train ride – I’m on a journey through time. And the Orient Express is not just a train – it’s a legend.”
David Suchet
David Suchet boards the world's most iconic train to unravel the mystery of the Orient Express, for a brand new ITV1 documentary. ‘David Suchet on the Orient Express’ features the actor immersing himself in the romance and escapism of a train immortalised in the Agatha Christie novel, Murder On the Orient Express, whose protagonist, detective Hercule Poirot, he has so memorably portrayed on screen. David resolves to uncover why the Orient Express has been the world’s most talked about train for over a century and why Agatha Christie, the world’s most celebrated crime author chose the train for her most ingenious murder mystery. On a journey that takes him from London Victoria, through Venice and Austria and onto Prague, David experiences the glamour, history and luxury of the train, while making new friends along the way. ‘David Suchet on the Orient Express’ is brand new and exclusive to ITV1 in Week 51/52, 2010
David initially sets off on an original vintage Pullman train from London Victoria, where thousands of excited travellers began their first trips to Europe over a century ago. He then boards the Orient Express in Calais before embarking on a trip taking in several countries across the continent, as the train travels through stunning scenery and alluring locations, including Venice and Prague. Along the way he discovers some of the extraordinary real life dramas the train has witnessed and realises a schoolboy dream when he is allowed to drive the train.
David meets the train's staff to discover how they keep the train on track and mingles with his fellow passengers to experience the ups and downs of 1920’s style luxury as 21st century travellers sacrifice speed and space for charm and elegance.
The film draws on archive material to conjure up the rich history surrounding the Orient Express, from its inaugural 'Express d'Orient' journey across Europe on October 4th 1883, its glamorous heyday in the early 20th century when it was a magnet for royalty as well as spies including Mata Hari and Robert Baden Powell, to its fascinating role in both World Wars. David also traces its post-war decline, describing how competition from cheap air travel led to its closure in the late 1970’s before its current revival.
The documentary also touches on the incident in 1929 that inspired Agatha Christie to write her classic whodunit, Murder On the Orient Express, when the train was stuck in a snow drift for 10 days carrying a full complement of passengers who survived only with the assistance of nearby Turkish villagers. The story made front page news, captivating the public across Europe, including the author. Finally, David reflects on how his own family's journey from their origins in Eastern Europe is intertwined with the rail route across the continent that carried the Orient Express.
Last edited: Tuesday, 30 November 2010
