Any Agatha Christie fans about?

[wineoclockthanks]

I read them all avidly about 40 years ago and am rediscovering them via Charity shops atm.

One of my favourites was about a group of people living in a shared house, possibly a student house and there were letters written in green ink. I've had a google but can't find the name of the book. Any ideas please?

No spoilers please because I can only remember the murderer in a few and don't want to spoil the rest.

You could try checking if your library has the DVDs to rent. I just checked my library system and it has some of the Hickson ones and this is Finland so it seems it would be even more likely in the UK

Joan Hickson as Mrs Something-or-Other in the Margaret Rutherford Marple film "Murder, She Said". She would have been in her 50s I think.

Before the film, the story goes that Joan Hickson was seen by Agatha Christie in a play, who then wrote to Joan Hickson saying she wanted her to play Miss Marple. What I don't think I've read is who, in the BBC, knew this and had Joan Hickson cast there must have been at least 30 year gap!!

Squigean yes I heard that too - Agatha apparently said something like "One day I hope you will play my dear Miss Marple"!

That's such a coincidence that Joan was in a Margaret Rutherford version, I never realised that. I love MR but she is not how I imagine Miss M at all - but as Shatners said, they're fun to watch as standalone films.

The Beeb should run the Joan Hickson series as a box set on iPlayer...

The Joan Hickson Miss Marples will be on the Britbox streaming service - and you can get it free for 30 days! So if you don't want to subscribe you just need to time your sign up for when you have a lot of time to binge watch & then cancel!

It's likely to be a rights thing with the Joan Hickson ones I guess.

Joan Hickson frequently turns up in character parts in old films. Very often cast as a dotty drunk! So un Marple like!

Is that definite Rusty? I have a couple on vhs but no machine these days.

@dowser I thought it was A Murder Is Announced but then thought I must have got myself mixed up because of the Pocketful of Rye rhyme! It is a horrible scene - you know someone is behind the sheets and you are just waiting for them to pounce. Gives me the shivers thinking about it.

Just found this on Amazon. So tempted to get myself an early Christmas present!

Agatha Christie : The Miss Marple Collection (12 Disc Box Set) [DVD] [1984] https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0007ZD6W2/ref=cmswwrcppapiii_zj5-Db7913QGD

ooh. Is BritBox available now? I finish work tomorrow until the 2nd Jan so have plenty of time for a binge (or 3) and there are only 12 Hickson Episodes anyway.

I am so lucky - a dear friend inherited a LOT of books about a year ago, amongst them are the complete set of AC's which were released about 10 or so years ago with stunning book covers. He is giving them to me for Xmas! I have a lot already but to have such a stunning collection is really special and means I can read them all again in order.

Film wise, Evil under the Sun with Peter Ustinov is my absolute favourite - such wonderful casting and the setting is lush.

I love Joan Hickson as Miss Marple. All my friends know that I want to be Miss Marple when I get old I read all of the Agatha Christie novels as a teenager. DS (12yo) has just started reading "Ordeal by Innocence" as he enjoyed the David Suchet version.

I love "Sleeping Murder" and also "Nemesis" which follows years after "A Caribbean Mystery".

If you google Miss Marple Joan Hickson Britbox you get a lot of links leading to not only Joan Hickson but also Geraldine McEwan episodes (as Britbox is an ITV/BBC collaboration)
They all lead to a sign up page, and I can't find any way to get past that, except by signing up. However I am intending to sign up before Christmas and I'll probably do it this weekend, so I'll report back.

I have found a couple of places that say all the Joan Hickson episodes will be available, but I can't be sure if they refer to the US, and it's possible that the content over there is different, because it depends on who currently has showing rights in different countries.

@soupforbrains - only 12 stories, but they each have 3 episodes!

I would rather be the lady in St Mary Mead in the post office/general store reading the postcards and passing on the gossip!

also "Nemesis" which follows years after "A Caribbean Mystery"

I love those two as well! I always wanted to see more of a relationship develop between Miss Marple and Mr Rafiel, not that they would get together or anything! But just in a crime-fighting odd-couple way.

I love how they sort of win each other round in A Carribbean Mystery. And Nemesis is very moving I think, with the father-son relationship, and that Mr Rafiel trusted Miss M with such a task. That's another bloody creepy one though - urgh!!

tobee yes definitely. Dolly Bantry would also be a good character to be (despite the unsavoury library incident).

I always loved Lucy Eylesbarrow as well, the capable housekeeper/crime-solver from the 4.50 From Paddington. She could do anything!

The Drama channel is showing Joan Hickson as Miss Marple on Sunday afternoons.

@RustyBear the platforms I have always seen them on show them as 1 story in a feature length ep. not split.

They may well have aired differently originally as I wasn't born then! and I've never owned them on DVD so don't know how they were structured on there.

The Drama channel is showing Joan Hickson as Miss Marple on Sunday afternoons.

Has this stopped now? It’s not on this Sunday

I'm old enough to have watched them when they were first shown, and I also have them on DVD, so I've only ever seen them in episodes

My favourite ever Christie book is Cat Among The Pigeons. Love JH as marple. No one else will do. Albert Finney Murder on the orient express is sublime.

Nope, been sleuthing on Drama & no Marple No access to DVD player here.

I'm bedbound & been trying to track her down ever since I finished the other Marples & Poirot....

.....And Lewis, Morse, Endeavour, Wallander, Hamish Macbeth, Hinterland, Midsomer Murders, Happy Valley, Shetland etc

Anyone on Listening Books? Just listened to 'And Then There Were None' narrated by Dan Stevens/ Matthew Crawley It was brilliant!

Is Cat Among the Pigeons the one set in a school?? Or am I confusing it with something else?

Court I love a bit of Midsomer as well. One of my favourite episodes is on ITV this weekend: "Ghosts of Christmas Past"

Sorry to de-rail - although in my defence it's quite Agatha-esque I think, with a feuding family gathered at the old country estate for Christmas...

Yes it was a bit of a derail, apologies Op.

But when you've run out of Christie's, what can you do?

I agree with you Private that does sound rather Agatha-esque I might re-watch.