Seven Christie screen adaptations to watch

Get your Agatha Christie Christmas screen fix this festive period with this selection of fantastic TV and film adaptations based on the Queen of Crime’s page turning mysteries.

And Then There Were None

1939. Europe teeters on the brink of war. Ten strangers are invited to Soldier Island, an isolated rock near the Devon coast. Cut off from the mainland, with their generous hosts Mr and Mrs U.N. Owen mysteriously absent, they are each accused of a terrible crime. When one of the party dies suddenly they realise they may be harbouring a murderer among their number.

“This outrageously talented cast is matched by mesmerising production values and an attention to period details that beggars belief.” The Times

Written by Sarah Phelps, this star-studded three-part miniseries explores the dark roots of Agatha Christie’s bestselling novel. The gripping production was the first screen adaptation of the celebrated story to include Agatha Christie’s original ending, and had audiences hooked from the first time it aired in December 2015.

Available on DVD in the United States and United Kingdom.

The Witness for the Prosecution

1920’s London. A brutal, bloodthirsty murder has stained the plush carpets of an elegant London townhouse. The victim in the rich and glamorous Emily French; and all the evidence points to Leonard Vole, a handsome young man who stands to profit from the vast fortune that the victim has left in her will. But he is not alone. Leonard is adamant that his partner, an enigmatic chorus girl, can prove his innocence, and his down-at-heels solicitor is swiftly convinced of this. Soon there is more than one life on the line, and a terrible fate for the guilty party lies in the hands of The Witness for the Prosecution.

“A dark and a nasty story, utterly watchable throughout.” The Guardian

From the same great production team behind And Then There Were None comes two-part miniseries The Witness for the Prosecution, starring Kim Cattrall, Toby Jones and Andrea Riseborough. Based on Agatha Christie’s short story of the same name, The Witness for the Prosecution’s shock ending is sure to keep you sitting on the edge of your seat throughout the beautifully crafted adaptation.

Available on DVD in the United Kingdom.

Murder on the Orient Express

What starts out as a lavish train ride through Europe quickly unfolds into one of the most stylish, suspenseful and thrilling mysteries ever told. From the novel by best-selling author Agatha Christie, Murder on the Orient Express tells the tale of thirteen strangers stranded on a train, where everyone’s a suspect. Hercule Poirot must race against time to solve the puzzle before the murderer strikes again.

“A gloriously sumptuous visual feast.” Radio Times

20^th Century Fox’s big screen adaptation of Hercule Poirot’s much celebrated triumph opened in cinemas around the globe this year, bringing Kenneth Branagh’s portrayal of Christie’s fictional sleuth to life.

Crooked House

The suspicious circumstances surrounding the death of a wealthy patriarch is investigated by spy-turned-private-detective Charles Hayward, who is lured by his former lover to catch her grandfather's murderer before Scotland Yard exposes dark family secrets. On the sprawling estate, amidst a poisonous atmosphere of bitterness, resentment and jealousy in a truly crooked house, Hayward encounters three generations of the dynasty.

“Vintage Agatha Christie, terrific cast, murderously good.” Daily Mail

Sony Pictures present the first ever adaptation of Agatha Christie’s twisted tale in this subtlety chilling film written by Julian Fellowes. Join Glenn Close, Max Irons and Gillian Anderson as they take on one of Christie’s own favourite novels.

Crooked House is available digitally in the US here, and will air for the second time in the UK on Channel 5 on Christmas Eve.

Les Petits Meutres d’Agatha Christie

A Father Christmas is murdered one night at a Christmas market. Six year old Louison witnesses the murder while running away from the orphanage where she lives with her brother, and her life is now in danger. Despite his aversion to children, Commissaire Laurence becomes the children’s bodyguard, and his secretary Marlène delights at playing mother. The solution to the mystery appears to centre around Louison’s strange orphanage; the institution is also well known to journalist Alice Avril, for she spent her childhood there.

The popular French comical thriller series, Les Petis Meutres d’Agatha Christie, presents a Christmas fairy tale specially commissioned by France 2, and will air for the first time on 22nd December 2017.

Death on the Nile

On a luxurious cruise on the Nile River, a wealthy heiress is murdered. Fortunately, among the passengers are famed Belgian detective Hercule Poirot and his trusted companion, Colonel Race, who immediately begin their investigation. But just as Poirot identifies a motley collection of would-be murderers, several of the suspects also meet their demise, which only deepens the mystery of the killer's identity.

Released in 1978, Death on the Nile was the first of Peter Ustinov’s six portrayals of Hercule Poirot. The film won a BAFTA Award and Academy Award for Best Costume Design, and continues to be popular among Christie fans almost forty years after it was first released. Death on the Nile has got to be the perfect choice for the whole family this Christmas. Available on DVD here.

The Mirror Crack’d

The scene is set in the Coronation year of 1953 and the archetypal English village of St. Mary Mead. All is as it should be until Hollywood arrives in the form of an internationally famous film cast, leading to much local excitement and an epidemic of sudden death. Fortunately, super sleuth Miss Marple is on hand to set about solving the mysterious death.

Based on Agatha Christie’s 1962 novel The Mirror Crack’d from Side to Side comes The Mirror Crack’d starring Angela Lansbury in the leading role of Miss Marple. Escape to the British country village setting and watch the unsuspecting sleuth solve the crime. Available on DVD here.