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Agatha Christie's Marple

Julia McKenzie as Miss Marple in Agatha Christie's Marple
  • Posted at 4:30pm
  • 10 September 2009
  • by AlisonGraham-RT
  • 7 comments

ITV1 gave new Miss Marple Julia McKenzie a slow-burning start with her first story, A Pocket Full of Rye. She didn't appear on screen properly until about 30 minutes in, and even then most of the proper detecting was done by a real police officer (played by Matthew Macfadyen).

But McKenzie really gets her feet under the table in the second adaptation, Murder Is Easy (Sunday 13 September, 8:00pm, ITV1). And that wasn't even a Marple story. This hijacking doesn't seem to bother anyone but me, so I won't go on about how much I dislike it, and yes, I know all of the Marple stories have been made into TV dramatisations, but why not start again from the beginning?

Anyway, Julia McKenzie seems to be doing a pretty good job. Her Miss Marple is more assertive than her predecessor Geraldine McEwan's, who was a bit too unobtrusive and quietly-spoken. In Sunday's adaptation McKenzie teams up with an ex-South African policeman (Benedict Cumberbatch) to investigate a series of murders in the pretty village of Wychwood-under-Ashe.

The episode, as usual, groans under the weight of its guest stars, who include Sylvia Syms, Jemma Redgrave, Steve Pemberton and Russell Tovey.

So who's your favourite Marple? I've always had a soft spot for Margaret Rutherford in the handful of 1960s Marple films, but apparently Agatha Christie, though a fan of Rutherford, didn't like her portrayal. I'm not sure why that makes me sad, but it does.

*

Some RT colleagues and I, women who should know better, are taking a keen interest in the re-runs of Being Human (the BBC3 comic-horror success now repeated on BBC1, Thursdays).

It's emphatically not because we find Aidan Turner, who plays Mitchell the unhappy vampire, in any way entrancing. No, not a bit of it, that's not why we routinely visit Being Human's very good, regularly updated website to look at on-location video snippets of the luscious one and to hear that melting-chocolate Irish accent.

It's research, you understand, ready for Being Human's return in the new year. And I know that Desperate Romantics is over, but it would be impolite not to take a few peeks every now and again at its website and that wee video of Turner as Dante Gabriel Rossetti reading The Kiss. After all, it's a lovely sonnet. Yes, Turner's white shirt is unbuttoned, but I can't say we've noticed the chest hair, what do you take us for? I mean, that would be just wrong.

I'm going for a lie-down now.

**

Alison Graham is TV editor of Radio Times - read her column in the latest issue of Radio Times magazine, on sale now.

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Comments

  • Posted on 20 September 2009
  • at 7:03pm
  • by Michael Roberts

Joan Hickson, yes...the definitive Miss Marple. And as to the tamperings with plot, well, it was Agatha Christie's plots that made the books so successful. I cannot begin to get into the mind of the arrogance that thinks it can do better. Look at the pitiful results!

  • Posted on 15 September 2009
  • at 1:02pm
  • by Mrs Bantry

Am I the only person who is disgusted by ITV not only taking a non-Marple story and turning it into one, but, more importantly completely changing the plot line? The repalcement of the original facts with illigitimate babies, incestuous rape and abortions was totally unnecessary and alien to anything Ms Christie herself has ever written, even in her later books. As for who is the best Marple, its impossible to say all the time ITV sees fit to make these changes to the originals. For me its Joan Hickson but that has as much to do with the faithfulness of the adaptations as it does the actress's talent in the part. i say give Julia a proper chance ITV and let her play Miss Marple as it should be played, within the gentle confines of the stories us real Christie fans know and love.

  • Posted on 13 September 2009
  • at 8:42pm
  • by Jools

Favourite Miss Marple? It has to be Joan Hickson.

  • Posted on 13 September 2009
  • at 3:19pm
  • by Moira

I heard that Agatha Christie told Joan Hickson, then a young actress, that she would play Miss Marple very well. One of those stories that goes round I guess.

In my view Joan Hickson is the actress who is the most believeable in the role. Margaret Rutherford was totally wrong, and I am afraid that Julia MacKenzie does not make the grad either, sorry :-)

  • Posted on 13 September 2009
  • at 9:43am
  • by Jennifer

Can't beat Joan Hickson!

  • Posted on 10 September 2009
  • at 9:55pm
  • by BARBS

A LOT OF TONGUE IN CHEEK. LOVED IT

  • Posted on 10 September 2009
  • at 8:21pm
  • by Harkins

There were only twelve Miss Marple novels, Alison. Are you seriously suggesting that after three years (at the rate of four films a year) they would all be made again? And I think you'll find the Benedict Cumberbatch character is ex-Malayan police, not South African.

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