Settling down with a good Agatha Christie adaptation “always feels rather delicious”, said Vicky Jessop in The Standard. “The 1920s costumes! The murder! The twistiest of plot twists!”
“Seven Dials” is the latest novel in the Queen of Crime’s collection to be given the Netflix treatment. A champagne-soaked party at a country estate ends in tragedy when diplomat Gerry Wade (Corey Mylchreest) is found dead, leaving it up to the witty young aristocrat Bundle (Mia McKenna-Bruce) to figure out what happened to the man she planned to marry. Absurd, silly and camp, the “deliciously twisty” show is “pure escapism” and “tremendous fun”.
Whether “Seven Dials” has put you in the mood for another glossy show with a star-studded cast, or you’re more of a purist longing for the classics, these are the very best Agatha Christie screen adaptations of all time.
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Witness for the Prosecution, 1957
This cinematic retelling of Christie’s “captivating” 1925 novel is one of the “earliest big-screen outings” of her work, said Marie-Claire Chappet in Harper’s Bazaar. Billy Wilder’s courtroom classic follows the veteran British barrister Sir Wilfrid Robarts (Charles Laughton) as he defends his client Leonard Vole (Tyrone Power), a financially unstable young man accused of murdering a wealthy widow to inherit her fortune. Filled with stand-out performances from “screen legends” including Marlene Dietrich who plays Vole’s seemingly cold-hearted wife, the “stellar” adaptation “deservedly” scooped several Academy Award nominations.
Murder on the Orient Express, 1974
“Easily the best adaptation of probably the most famous Christie book”, Sidney Lumet’s film stars Albert Finney as Hercule Poirot, said Ben Dowell in The Times. The “fastidious sleuth” is investigating the murder of an American tycoon on board a luxury train stranded in a snowdrift in Yugoslavia. Released 14 months before Christie’s death, the “masterpiece” received her seal of approval. “But she reportedly had reservations about what she regarded as Finney’s unimpressively small moustache.”
Death on the Nile, 1978
“Death on the Nile” is “undoubtedly one of the superior appearances of the globetrotting Poirot”, said Nick Hilton in The i Paper. The “fiendishly intricate” mystery of a glamorous heiress murdered on an Egyptian cruise combines “sweeping romantic backdrops” with a “starry” cast including Mia Farrow, Bette Davis and Maggie Smith, with Peter Ustinov as the Belgian detective. “That’s star wattage enough to power the SS Karnak, the paddle steamer cruising from Alexandria to Wadi Halfa.” Kenneth Branagh also adapted the novel in the second instalment of his Hercule Poirot film series in 2022 with more mixed reviews, taking on the leading role alongside a big-name ensemble cast.
Miss Marple, 1984-1992
The small screen has been home to many a Miss Marple over the years, but “most Christie fans agree” that Joan Hickson’s take on the “underestimated old lady of crime” is the winner, said Harper’s Bazaar. Hickson brings a “cunning, quiet confidence” to the beloved sleuth, steering this “brilliant series” which ran for eight years, adapting all 12 books in the original “Miss Marple” series. It’s a must-watch.
Poirot, 1989-2013
“To many, David Suchet’s Poirot is the only Poirot,” said Michael Hogan in Radio Times. The series, which ran for 25 years on ITV, saw the super-sleuth solve 70 “puzzling murders” in a variety of art deco locations. “Respectful” to Christie’s books, these “classic whodunnits” are a small-screen staple and a satisfying binge.
And Then There Were None, 2015
Screenwriter Sarah Phelps sometimes makes “unnecessarily perverse changes to Christie’s perfect plotting”, with disappointing results, said Dowell in The Times. “But I’ll make an exception” for her “subtle and thoughtful” adaptation of “And Then There Were None”, in which she “cleverly” fleshes out the characters and brings “emotional depth to a classic tale”. Darker than Christie’s other works, the action follows a group of strangers, each lured to an isolated island off the Devon coast and murdered one by one. “First-rate performances” from Aidan Turner and Sam Neill anchor the chilling BBC miniseries.
Why Didn’t They Ask Evans?, 2022
This “superbly spry” mini-series adapted by Hugh Laurie is well worth watching, said Radio Times. “A dying man’s cryptic last words” sees childhood friends Bobby (Will Poulter) and Lady Frances “Frankie” Derwent embark on a “quest for the truth” in the small Welsh village where they live. “The leading duo dazzle and delight with screwball-style dialogue as the case lures them into danger.” And Laurie even finds time to “pop up for a cameo”.
