Calling all fans of the Poirot/Marple TV series

[ILoveMyYuccaPlant]

After browsing ITVX for something to watch I was excited to see that they have all the episodes of both of these series. I'm off work tomorrow and planning to have a lazy day of watching one or two of these while the kids are at school. I've read almost all the Poirot books and watched a few of the episodes (Death On The Nile, Orient Express, Roger Ackroyd) but never read any Marple although I plan to do so this year.

Any recommendations on favourite episodes that are well worth a watch? Or alternatively are there any to avoid?

Thanks!

The hour-long Poirots are based on the short stories-the two-hour ones are based on the books.

Geraldine Marple episodes I like are towards zero, murder at the vicarage, a murder is announced. I am sure Joan Hickson ones are on somewhere - maybe Now/sky if you have it.

Poirot, has to be David suchet. I love some of the old ones, nice light drama, like Poirot's Christmas and death in the clouds, some are a bit silly though. I always loved abc murders. The later feature lengths are mostly great - I liked sad Cypress, five little pigs, appointment with death, and then there's the big feature ones that I always think of like death on the Nile, orient express and blue train

Some of the newer Marple ( as opposed to Miss marple) are hysterical particularly Sleeping Murder ( which they really murdered ) , Nemesis and A Caribbean murder , all three are frankly unwatchable . The best of the newer ones is Towards Zero , which wasn’t actually a Miss Marple book at all .

Just remembered I really like the Suchet version of Hickory Dickory Dock. They changed it so it's set in the 1930s rather than the 1950s which I think works better.

IIRC they put the Suchet Poirots in the 1930s and the Marples in the 1950s in the ITV versions.

ITV Poirot is excellent - David Suchet is top notch. ITV Marple is a poor imitation of the BBC series with Joan Hickson. I’d stick to the Poirots if you’re sticking to ITV. I’m have you seen Dead Man’s Folly? That’s a good one - apparently set in Agatha Christie’s actual house in Devon - some lovely vistas.

Dead man’s folly is one of my favourites but the house is not Agatha Christie’s house in Devon , I think some of the outdoor shots of the river may have been filmed there though .

uktvplay.co.uk/shows/miss-marple/watch-online

You can watch Joan Hickson free on UKTV. 🙂There are currently 9 episodes, from Series 1, 2 & 3, plus 3 others.

@StarbucksSmarterSister , I agree 100% about Sleeping Murder. The Joan Hickson version was seriously creepy - the ITV one was by comparison white blancmange.
Agatha Christie herself wanted Joan Hickson for the part - IMO she was peerless as Miss Marple.

I agree with the consensus around Joan Hickson. Not really a fan of any of the newer Marples, too silly and they always have to add some stupid 'modern' details. I think there's a golden period of the ITV Poirots in the middle, thinks like Hickory Dickory Dock, ABC Murders, where you get the feature length episodes but they don't become all angst-ridden. Like a PP, I also adore the ridiculous Peter Ustinov version of Evil Under the Sun. Maggie Smith and Diana Rigg are just peerless.

If you like an audio book John Hickson reads the audio books I have on Audible.

I know I'm old-fashioned about this, but Miss Marple is always Miss Marple to me. I was outraged when I saw publicity for a programme called Marple. Was it done to match Poirot? Do they think the general public are too stupid to grasp that Agatha Christie had a detective known as Poirot, because men of that era were often referred to by just their surname, and another detective known as Miss Marple, because genteel middle-class ladies were always, always, always referred to by their title and surname?

Anyway. Thanks for the tip about where to watch the Joan Hickson version. They were excellent.

www.itv.com/news/westcountry/2013-10-28/poirots-dead-mans-folly-filmed-at-greenway-house-in-devon

@WimpoleHat
There's also more filming information on the website and when you visit.

As an aside I think Dead Man's Folly is a flipping weird book! When I first came across it on Audible, not that long ago, I thought how an earth are they going to do it on tv? I've only seen it once and they managed it quite well. David Suchet reads it on audible very entertainingly.

Thanks everyone for the episode ideas, I'll also check out UKTV for the Joan Hickson versions.

Just jumping on to add Cat Amo gst the Pigeons to the Poirot rec list. The ITV version is fabulous!

Or even amongst - silly early morning fat fingers...

The David Suchet Poirot's are basically two different series, when Granada went bankrupt it survived the move to being an ITV production but completely changed in style, and got stuck in 1836 for a long time. I'm just thankful it wasn't cancelled outright. Japp, Miss Lemon and Hastings do get cameos in the final season (when they remebered to moved into the later 30's) cementing that it is set in the same universe.

1936**

@ILoveMyYuccaPlant
Thank you so much for this, I could kiss you
I’m ill and a bit down at the moment, this is exactly what I need.

In my early teens when I was starting to read adult fiction, I found copies of Dead Man's Folly, Cat Amongst the Pigeons and Hickory Dickory Dock on my parents' bookshelves. Not so fond of HDD but the other two, especially CATP, remain favourites. I can't remember if I've seen the TV versions so must check them out.

Of the ITV programmes my favourites are:

Poirot: Five Little Pigs

Marple: Murder at the Vicarage

Watch them all and then come back for a game of "spotting actors who appeared in both Poirot and Marple (with extra points if they were in Hickson's Miss Marple too)".

@ThatshallotBaby yes they're definitely cosy tv watching, aren't they? Hope you feel better soon.
@Plexie haha yes I've noticed that there seems to be a few familiar faces in Poirot, looking young and fresh faced before become more famous!
@Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g I was also in my teens when I discovered Poirot and have been very slowly working through them in order. Just got the last two to read but dreading finishing Curtain as it'll feel like end of an era in some way.
@frenchnoodle its good the series remains set in the early era of the books, I miss that tone of the 1930s with the later books.

It's good the series remains set in the early era of the books, I miss that tone of the 1930s with the later books.

It messed up a few plots, Off the top of my head, Taken at the Flood in particular gets mangled and Halloween party has a hippy gardener taking LSD which is out of place in the 1930's. (Suprisingly it's the only Agatha Christie story with lesbians but it's cut from the adaptation.)

I love the Poirot series, but can't be doing with Marple. It's Joan Hickson or nothing for me.

Five Little Pigs, Evil Under the Sun and the ABC Murders are my particular favourites

@frenchnoodle I always assumed that Hinchcliffe and Murgatroyd were lesbians in A Murder Is Announced.