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AGATHA AND HER CHARACTERS
HERCULE POIROT
MISS JANE MARPLE
TOMMY & TUPPENCE
SIDE CHARACTERS
Fan Favourites and Side Kicks
HERCULE POIROT
Hercule Poirot is Agatha Christie's Belgian Private Detective.
He has appeared in 33 novels; over 50 short stories and one play, Black Coffee. These were published between 1920 and 1975.
He has been portrayed on TV, Film and Radio by actors including: Austin Trevor, Tony Randall, ALbert Finney, Peter Ustinov, Ian Holm, John Moffatt, Alfred Molina, David Suchet, Kenneth Branagh and John Malkovich.
David Suchet played the Belgian Detective for 25 years and is the only actor to have filmed all Hercule Poirot stories between 1989 and 2013. The only Hercule Poirot adaptation that he hasn't yet filmed is the Play, Black Coffee. However, the star of the BBC Radio 4's Dramatisations of Poirot, John Moffatt, narrated Black Coffee on audiobook for Harper Collins.
Hercule Poirot first appeared in "The Mysterious Affair at Styles" (published in 1920). During World War I, he left his beloved Belgium and travelled to England as a Refugee. On the 16th July 1916 he meets up again with his old friend, Lieutenant Arthur Hastings in the small village of Styles St. Mary.
His final appearance occurs in "Curtain" (published in 1975)
Hercule Poirot was the only fictional character to receive an obituary, upon his death, on the front page of The New York Times!
MISS JANE MARPLE
Miss Jane Marple is Agatha Christie's elderly, spinster amateur sleuth who lives in the village of St. Mary Mead.
Her first appearance in a full-length novel was in The Murder at the Vicarage in 1930.
Many actresses have played Miss Marple over the years, including; Margaret Rutherford, Angela Lansbury, Geraldine McEwan and Joan Hickson to name just a few.
Joan Hickson, was by far, the most popular actress to portray Miss Marple.
Jane Marple was often called upon by Ex-Chief Commissioner and former Head of Scotland Yard, Sir Henry Clithering and Colonel Melchett but seemed to be the bane of Inspector Slack's investigations. Joining Jane in several books was the lovable Dolly Bantry of Gossington Hall where The Body in the Library was found!
THE MYSTERIOUS MR. QUIN AND MR. SATTERTHWAITE
A Collection of Supernatural Short Stories
1930. The Mysterious Mr. Quin.
"Who is this slight, dark, mysterious Mr. Quin?
Where does he come from? - man of magic, friend of Lovers, voice of those who can no longer speak for themselves...
Why has he teamed up with the rich, likeable Mr. Satterthwaite to unravel hitherto unsolvable crimes.."
In these twelve fascinating and ingenious excitements, death is NOT the greatest evil.
(Taken from the reverse of the short story collections: The Mysterious Mr. Quin. Courtesy of Agatha Christie Limited)
TOMMY AND TUPPENCE BERESFORD
Partners in Crime
Tommy and Tuppence are Agatha Christie's married-couple crime fighters. Officially known as Thomas and Prudence Beresford, their first appearance was in The Secret Adversary in 1922. Partners in Crime, a short story collection, followed in 1929. Twelve years later, in 1941 they appeared in N or M? By The Pricking of my Thumbs followed some 27 years later. Their final case, and book they appeared in, was The Postern of Fate in 1973.
Photo: James Warwick and Francesca Annis as Tommy and Tuppence Beresford. They starred in a full-feature-length version of The Secret Adversary. This was then followed by a 10-episode-series called Agatha Christie's Partners in Crime.
JAMES PARKER PYNE
“Are you happy?
If not consult Mr Parker Pyne, 17 Richmond Street.”
Mr Parker Pyne appeared in 14 Short Stories written by Agatha Christie. Starting, in 1932, with "The Case of the Discontented Soldier" and ending in 1936 with "The Regatta Mystery".
Agatha never wrote a full length novel featuring Parker Pyne, but preferred to leave him in the shorts which appeared in magazines in both the UK and America.
The Agatha Christie Hour, which comprised of 10 one-hour episodes produced in 1982 by LWT (London Weekend Television) in the UK and featured 2 of Parker Pyne's stories; "The Case of the Middle-Aged Wife" and "The Case of the Discontented Soldier". Parker Pyne was portrayed, on both occasions, by Maurice Denham.
Parker Pyne was also portrayed by Richard Griffiths for BBC Radio 4 Dramatisations.
The Incomparable, Miss Lemon, is also said to have worked for Mr Parker Pyne before working with Hercule Poirot. This indicated that Pyne and Poirot shared the same timeline in the sleuthing universe, however, they never actually met in a story.