Agatha Christie's Partners in Crime
Encyclopedia
Agatha Christie's Partners in Crime is a 1983
British
television series based on the short stories of the same name by Agatha Christie
. It was directed by John A. Davis
and Tony Wharmby
, and starred James Warwick and Francesca Annis
in the leading roles of husband and wife sleuths Tommy and Prudence 'Tuppence' Beresford. Reece Dinsdale
co-starred as Albert in all except episodes 3 and 5.
The series follows the adventures and exploits of the Beresfords, who have recently taken over the running of a detective agency
based in London
, and each episode features one of the stories from the book. Among these are a quest for missing jewels, the investigation of poltergeists and a story involving poisoned chocolates.
The series followed the short stories closely with two notable exceptions: First, the detective parodies, although alluded to on occasion, were for the most part dispensed with. Secondly, the story arc
of the blue Russian letters
and the search for the agent known as Number 16 were also dispensed with. For this reason three chapters (The Adventure of the Sinister Stranger, Blindman's Bluff and The Man Who Was No. 16) were not adapted.
The series' original run was immediately preceded by transmission on 9 October 1983 of the same production team's adaptation of Christie's second novel The Secret Adversary, which also starred Annis and Warwick in the same roles and which acted as an introduction for viewers to Agatha Christie's Partners in Crime.
The series ran for one season between 16 October 1983 and 14 January 1984 with ten episodes. It was poorly received at the time, but was later shown in the United States
, where it won an award at the 1985 Emmy Awards for Outstanding Graphic and Title Design. As of 2007, the series is regularly aired in the UK on the digital channel ITV3
.
Writer: David Butler
Director: Tony Wharmby
Guest cast:
William Hootkins
as Hamilton Betts
Graham Crowden
as Colonel Kingston-Bruce
Susannah Morley as Beatrice Kingston-Bruce
Arthur Cox
as Detective Inspector Marriott
Dulcie Gray
as Lady Laura Barton
Lynda La Plante
as Phyllis Betts
Charles Shaughnessy
as John Rennie
Fleur Chandler as Janet Smith
Ursula Mohan as Elise
Tim Woodward
as Lawrence St Vincent
Noel Dyson
as Mrs Kingston-Bruce
The opening episode of the series combined the first four chapters of the book (A Fairy in the Flat / A Pot of Tea and The Affair of the Pink Pearl, Parts I and II.) and followed those narratives closely. Reference was made to following the techniques of fictional detectives when Tommy plays a violin mimicking Sherlock Holmes
. Dulcie Gray was advertised as the guest star.
Writer: Jonathan Hales
Director: Christopher Hodson
Guest cast:
Lynsey Baxter
as Lois Hargreaves
Kim Clifford
as Rose Holloway
Michael Cochrane
as Captain Dennis Radcliffe
Deddie Davies
as Mrs Holloway
Anita Dobson
as Esther Quant
Louisa Rix as Mary Chilcott
Joan Sanderson
as Rachel Logan
Granville Saxton as Dr Burton
Liz Smith
as Hannah MacPherson
Whilst the narrative of the short story was followed faithfully, an extra sub-plot was added which saw Tommy accuse Rose Holloway (who was portrayed as Mrs. Holloway's daughter rather than her niece) of the murders to try to gain information from her. Also, whilst Tommy did not overtly assume the persona of Inspector Hanaud
, he did greet Lois Hargreaves using some French phrases and words.
Writer: Jonathan Hales
Director: Tony Wharmby
Guest cast:
Jim Wiggins
as Ticket Collector
Edwin Brown as Hollaby Senior
Terence Conoley as Major Barnard
Denis Holmes as Lecky
Denis Lill
as Hollaby Junior
Emily Moore as Doris Evans
Robin Parkinson as Landlord
Dorothea Phillips as Waitress
Vivienne Ritchie as Girl
Although this episode dispensed with Tommy and Tuppence assuming the characters from Baroness Orczy
's The Old Man in the Corner
and also had the two leads travel down to Sunningdale themselves rather than remain in the ABC shop throughout the story, it did then remain faithful to Christie's text in that they never interacted with the main characters in the drama but recreated events and solved the mystery through the use of on-screen flashbacks.
Writer: Paul Annett
Director: Paul Annett
Guest cast:
Jane Booker as Monica Deane
Bill Dean
as Edmund Hove
David Delve as Percival Smart & Dr O'Neill
Geoffrey Drew as Norman Partridge
Alan Jones as Gerald Rush
Elspeth MacNaughton as Bella Hove
George Malpas as Frank Mulberry
Pam St. Clement
as Mrs Crockett
Ben Stevens as Cockwell
The storyline in this episode was expanded by having the character of Mrs. Crockett's nephew in the house while Tommy and Tuppence investigated Monica's case, he and his aunt overhearing the solution of the anagram being read out and then holding up the Beresford's at gunpoint when they had dug up the 'buried treasure', only for Albert to rescue them.
Writer: Gerald Savory
Director: Christopher Hodson
Guest cast:
Benjamin Whitrow
as Sir Arthur Merivale
Anna Turner as Widow
John Gillett as Dr Stoughton
Annie Lambert
as Lady Merivale
Arthur Cox as Inspector Marriott
Peter Blythe
as Captain Bingo Hale
Although faithful to the short stories of Finessing the King / The Gentleman Dressed in Newspaper, minor changes were made for this adaptation:
Writer: Paul Annett
Director: Paul Annett
Guest cast:
Moira Brooker
as Tilly
Michael Carter as Rodriguez
Arthur Cox as Inspector Marriott
Tricia George as Poppy St Albans
Jennie Linden
as Cicely March
T. P. McKenna
as Randolph Wilmot
Clive Merrison
as Richards
Jo Ross as Gwen Foster
Catherine Schell
as Virma La Strange
Norma West
as Estelle Blaney
The narrative of the chapter was extended by having Tommy and Tuppence meet Randolph Wilmot at a US Embassy garden party where the actress Virma La Strange (who they had just solved a case for) introduced them. The story was also changed to have Wilmot's valet, Richards, part of the gang and this character commit suicide when pressured by the drug smuggling gang. At the climax of the story, Tommy is saved at the Beauty Parlour by Tuppence and three girls who she knew as a VAD's
in the war instead of by Tuppence and the police.
Writer: Gerald Savory
Director: Christopher Hodson
Guest cast:
Tim Brierley as James Reilly
Mark Farmer as Page Boy
Geoffrey Greenhill as Police Sergeant
Constantine Gregory as Bulger Estcourt
Christopher Johnston as P.C. Bamford
Roger Kemp as Inspector Jeavons
Valerie Lilley
as Ellen
Patrick Marley as Lord Leconbury
Linda Marlowe as Gilda Glenn
Anne Stallybrass
as Dorothea Honeycott
Paddy Ward as Barman
This episode was mostly faithful to the two-part chapter in the book of the same name although Bulger Estcourt's part in the plot was extended to make him another suspect of the murder, rather than just being the man who introduces Gilda Glenn to Tommy and Tuppence. In addition, the rather hurried end to the story was extended by having Tommy organise a re-enactment of the crime in which P.C. Bamford (un-named by Christie) was arrested by his own colleagues in the police force after being tipped off by Tommy who had traced his previous life as Gilda's husband of twenty years before. Tommy's fictional detective disguise of Father Brown
was retained for this episode, presumably because the character was more familiar to television viewers of the 1980s than some of the others portrayed in the stories.
Writer: David Butler
Director Christopher Hodson
Guest cast:
Ellis Dale as Henri
Michael Jayes as Peter Le Marchant
Preston Lockwood
as Head Waiter
Tim Meats as Montgomery Jones
Anna Nygh as Una & Vera Drake
Gay Soper
as Hotel Receptionist
Stephen Wale as Car Park Attendant
Elaine Wells as Chamber Maid
While this episode followed the text of the short story for most of its length, it did deviate in the final quarter by adding a sub-plot that Una Drake and Peter Le Marchant were involved with a gang stealing valuable paintings to order for collectors abroad and Le Marchant dying accidentally in a tussle with Una when he refused to pay her her share of the proceeds.
Guest cast:
Rowena Cooper as Dr Irma Kleber
Mischa de la Motte as Manservant
Susie Fairfax as Girl in Shop
Ewan Hooper as Dr Horriston
Elspeth March as Lady Susan Clonray
Elizabeth Murray as Hermione Leigh-Gordon
Jonathan Newth
as Gabriel Stavansson
Tim Pearce as Muldoon
This episode was based on the chapter of the same name and was presented in a somewhat more farcical style than the rest of the series. Changes were:
Writer: Gerald Savory
Director: Christopher Hodson
Guest cast:
Carolle Rousseau as Marguerite Laidlaw
David Quilter as Major Laidlaw
Shane Rimmer
as Hank Ryder
Arthur Cox as Detective Inspector Marriott
Christopher Scoular as Captain James Faulkener
Peter Godfrey as Maybrick
Lawrence Davidson as Monsieur Héroulade
Terence Hillyer as Chauffeur
Stan Pretty as Harry the Barman
The narrative of this episode was expanded by a short sequence in which Albert follows Laidlaw and Héroulade to the Ascot races to see if forged notes were changing hands. In addition, Major Laidlaw was stated to be blind and James Faulkener (a minor character in Christie's short story) was a cousin of Tommy's. The references to Edgar Wallace
were not dropped for this episode, presumably because, like Sherlock Homes and Father Brown, he was more familiar to TV audiences in the 1980s than some of the other detectives and their methods as featured in the original collection.
1983 in television
The year 1983 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1983.For the American TV schedule, see: 1983-84 United States network television schedule.-Events:...
British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
television series based on the short stories of the same name by Agatha Christie
Agatha Christie
Dame Agatha Christie DBE was a British crime writer of novels, short stories, and plays. She also wrote romances under the name Mary Westmacott, but she is best remembered for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections , and her successful West End plays.According to...
. It was directed by John A. Davis
John A. Davis
John A. Davis is an American film director, writer, animator, voice actor and composer known for his work both in stop-motion animation as well as computer animation...
and Tony Wharmby
Tony Wharmby
Tony Wharmby is an English television director and producer.Wharmby is best known for his directorial work on television series such as JAG, NCIS, The O.C., Bones, Providence, Coronation Street, High Sierra Search and Rescue, The X-Files, Coins in the Fountain, New Scotland Yard, Gossip Girl,...
, and starred James Warwick and Francesca Annis
Francesca Annis
Francesca Annis is an English actress, known for her film and television appearances, most recently in the BBC series Wives and Daughters, Cranford, and Deceit.-Early life and education:...
in the leading roles of husband and wife sleuths Tommy and Prudence 'Tuppence' Beresford. Reece Dinsdale
Reece Dinsdale
Reece Dinsdale is an English actor of stage, screen and television.-Acting career:He trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama from 1977 until 1980...
co-starred as Albert in all except episodes 3 and 5.
The series follows the adventures and exploits of the Beresfords, who have recently taken over the running of a detective agency
Private investigator
A private investigator , private detective or inquiry agent, is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. Private detectives/investigators often work for attorneys in civil cases. Many work for insurance companies to investigate suspicious claims...
based in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, and each episode features one of the stories from the book. Among these are a quest for missing jewels, the investigation of poltergeists and a story involving poisoned chocolates.
The series followed the short stories closely with two notable exceptions: First, the detective parodies, although alluded to on occasion, were for the most part dispensed with. Secondly, the story arc
Story arc
A story arc is an extended or continuing storyline in episodic storytelling media such as television, comic books, comic strips, boardgames, video games, and in some cases, films. On a television program, for example, the story would unfold over many episodes. In television, the use of the story...
of the blue Russian letters
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
and the search for the agent known as Number 16 were also dispensed with. For this reason three chapters (The Adventure of the Sinister Stranger, Blindman's Bluff and The Man Who Was No. 16) were not adapted.
The series' original run was immediately preceded by transmission on 9 October 1983 of the same production team's adaptation of Christie's second novel The Secret Adversary, which also starred Annis and Warwick in the same roles and which acted as an introduction for viewers to Agatha Christie's Partners in Crime.
The series ran for one season between 16 October 1983 and 14 January 1984 with ten episodes. It was poorly received at the time, but was later shown in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, where it won an award at the 1985 Emmy Awards for Outstanding Graphic and Title Design. As of 2007, the series is regularly aired in the UK on the digital channel ITV3
ITV3
ITV3 is an entertainment television channel in the United Kingdom that is owned by ITV Digital Channels Ltd, a division of ITV plc. The channel was launched on 1 November 2004. ITV3 is the second largest UK multi-channel, second only to ITV2.-History:...
.
The Affair of the Pink Pearl
Transmission date: 16 October 1983Writer: David Butler
David Butler
David Butler may refer to:*David Butler , first governor of Nebraska*David Butler , UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball player...
Director: Tony Wharmby
Tony Wharmby
Tony Wharmby is an English television director and producer.Wharmby is best known for his directorial work on television series such as JAG, NCIS, The O.C., Bones, Providence, Coronation Street, High Sierra Search and Rescue, The X-Files, Coins in the Fountain, New Scotland Yard, Gossip Girl,...
Guest cast:
William Hootkins
William Hootkins
William Michael Hootkins was an American character actor, most famous for supporting roles in Hollywood blockbusters such as Star Wars, Batman and Raiders of the Lost Ark.-Early life:...
as Hamilton Betts
Graham Crowden
Graham Crowden
Clement Graham Crowden was a Scottish actor. He was best known for his many appearances in television comedy dramas and films, often playing eccentric 'offbeat' scientist, teacher and doctor characters.-Early life:...
as Colonel Kingston-Bruce
Susannah Morley as Beatrice Kingston-Bruce
Arthur Cox
Arthur Cox
Arthur Cox , is a British actor of television and film.His most regular role was as George, the driver of Jim Hacker in the comedy Yes Minister. His other television credits include The Avengers, Terry and June, and Harbour Lights...
as Detective Inspector Marriott
Dulcie Gray
Dulcie Gray
Dulcie Gray, CBE was a British singer and actress of stage, screen and television, a mystery writer and lepidopterist.-Early life and career:...
as Lady Laura Barton
Lynda La Plante
Lynda La Plante
Lynda La Plante, CBE is an English author, screenwriter and former actress, best known for writing the Prime Suspect television crime series....
as Phyllis Betts
Charles Shaughnessy
Charles Shaughnessy
Charles George Patrick Shaughnessy, 5th Baron Shaughnessy , simply known as Charles Shaughnessy, is a British peer, and television, theatre and film actor. He is known for his roles on American television, as Shane Donovan on the soap opera Days of our Lives and as Maxwell Sheffield on the sitcom...
as John Rennie
Fleur Chandler as Janet Smith
Ursula Mohan as Elise
Tim Woodward
Tim Woodward
-Biography:Woodward was born in London, England, the son of actors Edward Woodward and Venetia Mary Barrett.He is probably best known for his roles in the 1970s BBC drama Wings, the 1990s ITV soap opera Families and the 2000s ITV police drama Murder City...
as Lawrence St Vincent
Noel Dyson
Noel Dyson
Noel Dyson was an English actress. Dyson appeared in a number of films but is best remembered as a versatile television actress who became a very familiar face to British viewers in a career spanning almost 50 years...
as Mrs Kingston-Bruce
The opening episode of the series combined the first four chapters of the book (A Fairy in the Flat / A Pot of Tea and The Affair of the Pink Pearl, Parts I and II.) and followed those narratives closely. Reference was made to following the techniques of fictional detectives when Tommy plays a violin mimicking Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
. Dulcie Gray was advertised as the guest star.
The House of Lurking Death
Transmission date: 23 October 1983Writer: Jonathan Hales
Director: Christopher Hodson
Guest cast:
Lynsey Baxter
Lynsey Baxter
Lynsey Baxter is an English actress. Born in London, she began as a child actress in 1974 and later trained at Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts...
as Lois Hargreaves
Kim Clifford
Kim Clifford
Kim Clifford is a British actress.She starred in the BAFTA TV Award winning television play Bar Mitzvah Boy.She also made appearances in other television dramas, including London's Burning Juliet Bravo and the sitcom Goodnight Sweetheart.She is currently married to the artist Lee Galpin and has a...
as Rose Holloway
Michael Cochrane
Michael Cochrane
Michael Cochrane is an English actor who specialises in playing upper class characters, sometimes with a suaveness that hides their villainy....
as Captain Dennis Radcliffe
Deddie Davies
Deddie Davies
Deddie Davies is a Welsh character actress.She is most familiar to television viewers for comedy roles in a host of series, including The Rag Trade, That's My Boy and Chance in a Million. She usually appears in meek, spinsterish roles...
as Mrs Holloway
Anita Dobson
Anita Dobson
Anita Dobson is an English television actress and singer. She gained her highest profile while playing Angie Watts in the BBC soap opera, EastEnders...
as Esther Quant
Louisa Rix as Mary Chilcott
Joan Sanderson
Joan Sanderson
Joan Sanderson was an English television and stage actress. During a long career she invariably played dragonish dowagers, stuck-up spinsters and suburban matrons.-Theatre:...
as Rachel Logan
Granville Saxton as Dr Burton
Liz Smith
Liz Smith (actress)
Liz Smith, MBE is a British actress, best-known for her roles in the sitcoms The Vicar of Dibley and The Royle Family. She also appeared in the 2005 film Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.-Early life:...
as Hannah MacPherson
Whilst the narrative of the short story was followed faithfully, an extra sub-plot was added which saw Tommy accuse Rose Holloway (who was portrayed as Mrs. Holloway's daughter rather than her niece) of the murders to try to gain information from her. Also, whilst Tommy did not overtly assume the persona of Inspector Hanaud
Inspector Hanaud
Inspector Gabriel Hanaud is a fictional French policeman depicted in a series of novels and short stories by the British writer A. E. W. Mason. He has been described as the "first major fiction police detective of the Twentieth Century"....
, he did greet Lois Hargreaves using some French phrases and words.
The Sunningdale Mystery
Transmission date: 30 October 1983Writer: Jonathan Hales
Director: Tony Wharmby
Guest cast:
Jim Wiggins
Jim Wiggins
Jim Wiggins was an English actor, best known for his role as Paul Collins in the long running television soap Brookside....
as Ticket Collector
Edwin Brown as Hollaby Senior
Terence Conoley as Major Barnard
Denis Holmes as Lecky
Denis Lill
Denis Lill
Denis Lill is a New Zealand-born British actor.Some of his many film and television roles include Fall of Eagles , Edward the Seventh , Survivors , The Scarlet Pimpernel , as William Knox d-Arcy, the Australian oil pioneer in Persia, in Reilly: Ace of Spies , Rumpole of the Bailey , Mapp &...
as Hollaby Junior
Emily Moore as Doris Evans
Robin Parkinson as Landlord
Dorothea Phillips as Waitress
Vivienne Ritchie as Girl
Although this episode dispensed with Tommy and Tuppence assuming the characters from Baroness Orczy
Baroness Orczy
Baroness Emma Magdolna Rozália Mária Jozefa Borbála "Emmuska" Orczy de Orczi was a British novelist, playwright and artist of Hungarian noble origin. She was most notable for her series of novels featuring the Scarlet Pimpernel...
's The Old Man in the Corner
The Old Man in the Corner
Created by Baroness Orczy, author of the famous Scarlet Pimpernel series, The Old Man In the Corner was one of the earliest armchair detectives, popping up with so many others in the wake of the huge popularity of the Sherlock Holmes stories....
and also had the two leads travel down to Sunningdale themselves rather than remain in the ABC shop throughout the story, it did then remain faithful to Christie's text in that they never interacted with the main characters in the drama but recreated events and solved the mystery through the use of on-screen flashbacks.
The Clergyman's Daughter
Transmission date: 6 November 1983Writer: Paul Annett
Director: Paul Annett
Guest cast:
Jane Booker as Monica Deane
Bill Dean
Bill Dean
Bill Dean was a British actor who was born in Everton, Liverpool. He was born Patrick Connolly but took his stage name in honour of Everton football legend William 'Dixie' Dean.- Biography :...
as Edmund Hove
David Delve as Percival Smart & Dr O'Neill
Geoffrey Drew as Norman Partridge
Alan Jones as Gerald Rush
Elspeth MacNaughton as Bella Hove
George Malpas as Frank Mulberry
Pam St. Clement
Pam St. Clement
Pamela Ann Clement , known by the stage name Pam St. Clement, is an English actress. She has played Pat Evans in the BBC soap opera EastEnders since 1986, and is now one of the programme's longest-serving cast members. St. Clement announced her intention to leave EastEnders on 8 July 2011 and will...
as Mrs Crockett
Ben Stevens as Cockwell
The storyline in this episode was expanded by having the character of Mrs. Crockett's nephew in the house while Tommy and Tuppence investigated Monica's case, he and his aunt overhearing the solution of the anagram being read out and then holding up the Beresford's at gunpoint when they had dug up the 'buried treasure', only for Albert to rescue them.
Finessing the King
Transmission date: 27 November 1983Writer: Gerald Savory
Gerald Savory
Gerald Savory was an English playwright and screenwriter specialising in comedies.The son of actress Grace Lane , he was educated at Bradfield College and worked as a stockbroker's clerk before turning to the stage , first as an actor then a writer.His first work for movies was writing dialogue for...
Director: Christopher Hodson
Guest cast:
Benjamin Whitrow
Benjamin Whitrow
Benjamin "Ben" Whitrow is a British actor. He attended the Dragon School, Tonbridge School, and RADA. Whitrow was also part of the King's Dragoon Guards from 1956 to 1958. He joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1981...
as Sir Arthur Merivale
Anna Turner as Widow
John Gillett as Dr Stoughton
Annie Lambert
Annie Lambert
Annie Lambert is a British actress, best known to fans of the science fiction television series Doctor Who for her role as Enlightenment in the 1982 serial Four to Doomsday....
as Lady Merivale
Arthur Cox as Inspector Marriott
Peter Blythe
Peter Blythe
Peter Blythe was a British character actor, best known as Samuel "Soapy Sam" Ballard on Rumpole of the Bailey.-Early life:...
as Captain Bingo Hale
Although faithful to the short stories of Finessing the King / The Gentleman Dressed in Newspaper, minor changes were made for this adaptation:
- Tommy and Tuppence attend the Three Arts Ball dressed as Holmes and Watson, rather than the almost unknown (to modern audiences) Tommy McCarty and Dennis Riordan.
- Sir Arthur Merivale attends the ball dressed as the devilDevilThe Devil is believed in many religions and cultures to be a powerful, supernatural entity that is the personification of evil and the enemy of God and humankind. The nature of the role varies greatly...
instead of a seventeenth century executionerExecutionerA judicial executioner is a person who carries out a death sentence ordered by the state or other legal authority, which was known in feudal terminology as high justice.-Scope and job:...
. - Bingo Hale employs Tommy and Tuppence from prisonPrisonA prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
(where they interview him) to investigate the crime instead of Inspector Marriot telling the two sleuths Hale's side of the story, thus helping the story's expositionExposition (literary technique)At the beginning of a narrative, the exposition is the author's providing of some background information to the audience about the plot, characters' histories, setting, and theme. Exposition is considered one of four rhetorical modes of discourse, along with argumentation, description, and narration...
. - Sir Arthur pulls a gun on Tommy and Tuppence before throwing himself out of the window at the denouement of the story .
The Ambassador's Boots
Transmission date: 4 December 1983Writer: Paul Annett
Director: Paul Annett
Guest cast:
Moira Brooker
Moira Brooker
Moira Brooker is an English actress best known for her role as Judith Hanson in the British sitcom As Time Goes By . This programme lasted for nine seasons and was popular in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and the United States, where it is still broadcast weekly on PBS...
as Tilly
Michael Carter as Rodriguez
Arthur Cox as Inspector Marriott
Tricia George as Poppy St Albans
Jennie Linden
Jennie Linden
Jennie Linden is an English film and television actress.Linden was born in Worthing to Marcus and Freida Fletcher, an architect and housewife. She attended the Central School of Speech and Drama at the age of 17 on a scholarship...
as Cicely March
T. P. McKenna
T. P. McKenna
Thomas Patrick McKenna , known professionally as T. P. McKenna, was an Irish actor who worked on stage, in film and television in Ireland and the UK from the 1950s.- Film and television :...
as Randolph Wilmot
Clive Merrison
Clive Merrison
Clive Merrison is a Welsh actor of film, television, stage and radio. He trained at Rose Bruford College.- Television :...
as Richards
Jo Ross as Gwen Foster
Catherine Schell
Catherine Schell
Katherina Freiin Schell von Bauschlott is an Hungarian-born actress best known for her work on British televison.Schell rose to fame in various British film and television productions in the 1960s and 1970s...
as Virma La Strange
Norma West
Norma West
Norma West is a British actress, born 19 November 1943 in Cape Town, South Africa.Her most prolific television appearance was as Queen Elizabeth of York in the 1972 BBC series The Shadow of the Tower. Other TV roles include Ace of Wands, A Touch of Frost, Lovejoy, The Murder at the Vicarage...
as Estelle Blaney
The narrative of the chapter was extended by having Tommy and Tuppence meet Randolph Wilmot at a US Embassy garden party where the actress Virma La Strange (who they had just solved a case for) introduced them. The story was also changed to have Wilmot's valet, Richards, part of the gang and this character commit suicide when pressured by the drug smuggling gang. At the climax of the story, Tommy is saved at the Beauty Parlour by Tuppence and three girls who she knew as a VAD's
Voluntary Aid Detachment
The Voluntary Aid Detachment was a voluntary organisation providing field nursing services, mainly in hospitals, in the United Kingdom and various other countries in the British Empire. The organisation's most important periods of operation were during World War I and World War II.The...
in the war instead of by Tuppence and the police.
The Man in the Mist
Transmission date: 11 December 1983Writer: Gerald Savory
Gerald Savory
Gerald Savory was an English playwright and screenwriter specialising in comedies.The son of actress Grace Lane , he was educated at Bradfield College and worked as a stockbroker's clerk before turning to the stage , first as an actor then a writer.His first work for movies was writing dialogue for...
Director: Christopher Hodson
Guest cast:
Tim Brierley as James Reilly
Mark Farmer as Page Boy
Geoffrey Greenhill as Police Sergeant
Constantine Gregory as Bulger Estcourt
Christopher Johnston as P.C. Bamford
Roger Kemp as Inspector Jeavons
Valerie Lilley
Valerie Lilley
Valerie Lilley is a Northern Irish actress who has played many television roles on dramas such as Doctors and Grange Hill.Lilley currently appears on Channel 4's serial drama Shameless....
as Ellen
Patrick Marley as Lord Leconbury
Linda Marlowe as Gilda Glenn
Anne Stallybrass
Anne Stallybrass
Anne Stallybrass is a British actress who trained at the Royal Academy of Music in London.She was born in Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex...
as Dorothea Honeycott
Paddy Ward as Barman
This episode was mostly faithful to the two-part chapter in the book of the same name although Bulger Estcourt's part in the plot was extended to make him another suspect of the murder, rather than just being the man who introduces Gilda Glenn to Tommy and Tuppence. In addition, the rather hurried end to the story was extended by having Tommy organise a re-enactment of the crime in which P.C. Bamford (un-named by Christie) was arrested by his own colleagues in the police force after being tipped off by Tommy who had traced his previous life as Gilda's husband of twenty years before. Tommy's fictional detective disguise of Father Brown
Father Brown
Father Brown is a fictional character created by English novelist G. K. Chesterton, who stars in 52 short stories, later compiled in five books. Chesterton based the character on Father John O'Connor , a parish priest in Bradford who was involved in Chesterton's conversion to Catholicism in 1922...
was retained for this episode, presumably because the character was more familiar to television viewers of the 1980s than some of the others portrayed in the stories.
The Unbreakable Alibi
Transmission date: 18 December 1983Writer: David Butler
Director Christopher Hodson
Guest cast:
Ellis Dale as Henri
Michael Jayes as Peter Le Marchant
Preston Lockwood
Preston Lockwood
Preston Lockwood was an English actor.He is best known for his television credits, including the role of Butterfield the butler in several episodes of Jeeves and Wooster...
as Head Waiter
Tim Meats as Montgomery Jones
Anna Nygh as Una & Vera Drake
Gay Soper
Gay Soper
Gay Soper is an English actress.She is perhaps best known for her performance in the musical Godspell with David Essex, Julie Covington and Jeremy Irons as well as Mme. Thenardier on the Complete Symphonic Recording of Les Misérables. She also performed all the voices for The Flumps, a famous...
as Hotel Receptionist
Stephen Wale as Car Park Attendant
Elaine Wells as Chamber Maid
While this episode followed the text of the short story for most of its length, it did deviate in the final quarter by adding a sub-plot that Una Drake and Peter Le Marchant were involved with a gang stealing valuable paintings to order for collectors abroad and Le Marchant dying accidentally in a tussle with Una when he refused to pay her her share of the proceeds.
The Case of the Missing Lady
Transmission date: 1 January 1984Guest cast:
Rowena Cooper as Dr Irma Kleber
Mischa de la Motte as Manservant
Susie Fairfax as Girl in Shop
Ewan Hooper as Dr Horriston
Elspeth March as Lady Susan Clonray
Elizabeth Murray as Hermione Leigh-Gordon
Jonathan Newth
Jonathan Newth
Jonathan Newth is a British actor, best known for his performances in television.Credits include: Emergency Ward 10, The Six Wives of Henry VIII, Ace of Wands, The Troubleshooters, Z-Cars, Callan, Van der Valk, The Brothers, Softly, Softly, Poldark, Doctor Who, Notorious Woman, Secret Army , The...
as Gabriel Stavansson
Tim Pearce as Muldoon
This episode was based on the chapter of the same name and was presented in a somewhat more farcical style than the rest of the series. Changes were:
- Tommy and Tuppence go with Gabriel Stavansson to Lady Susan's house and are there when the telegram from Hermione arrives, rather than being brought into the case after this event has occurred.
- The part of the plot where it is realised that there are two Maldon's was dropped.
- The part of the story that takes place in the nursing home was greatly expanded. To do this, Tuppence becomes a patient, impersonating a famous Russian ballerinaBallerinaA ballerina is a title used to describe a principal female professional ballet dancer in a large company; the male equivalent to this title is danseur or ballerino...
called Mosgovskensky. In the short story this name is made up by Tommy on the spot as a composer whose chords he is 'playing' when he attempts the violin in front of Stavansson as part of his attempts to follow the methods of Sherlock HolmesSherlock HolmesSherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
.
The Crackler
Transmission date: 14 January 1984Writer: Gerald Savory
Director: Christopher Hodson
Guest cast:
Carolle Rousseau as Marguerite Laidlaw
David Quilter as Major Laidlaw
Shane Rimmer
Shane Rimmer
Shane Rimmer is a Canadian actor and voice actor, probably best known as the voice of Scott Tracy in Thunderbirds.He has mostly performed in supporting roles, frequently in films and television series filmed in the United Kingdom, having relocated to England in the late 1950s, initially performing...
as Hank Ryder
Arthur Cox as Detective Inspector Marriott
Christopher Scoular as Captain James Faulkener
Peter Godfrey as Maybrick
Lawrence Davidson as Monsieur Héroulade
Terence Hillyer as Chauffeur
Stan Pretty as Harry the Barman
The narrative of this episode was expanded by a short sequence in which Albert follows Laidlaw and Héroulade to the Ascot races to see if forged notes were changing hands. In addition, Major Laidlaw was stated to be blind and James Faulkener (a minor character in Christie's short story) was a cousin of Tommy's. The references to Edgar Wallace
Edgar Wallace
Richard Horatio Edgar Wallace was an English crime writer, journalist, novelist, screenwriter, and playwright, who wrote 175 novels, 24 plays, and numerous articles in newspapers and journals....
were not dropped for this episode, presumably because, like Sherlock Homes and Father Brown, he was more familiar to TV audiences in the 1980s than some of the other detectives and their methods as featured in the original collection.
External links
- Agatha Christie's Partners in Crime at Screenonline.org