Agatha Christie's The ABC Murders has been given a gritty makeover – and Poirot fans are bitterly divided

John Malkovich has made his debut as Hercule Poirot in the BBC's new Agatha Christie drama The ABC Murders – and reactions couldn't have been more polarised between love and hate.

Screenwriter Sarah Phelps has given a few twists to the classic murder mystery, and while some fans have praised her "sublime" re-imagining of the original novel, others have been quick to complain about the "massacre" of a well-known classic.

• ABC Murders writer Sarah Phelps responds to “manufactured outrage” at her changes to Agatha Christie’s storylines
• Questions we have after the first episode of Agatha Christie's The ABC Murders
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It's not the first time Phelps has come under fire for her take on Agatha Christie. Responding to her critics, she told the audience at a preview screening: "A lot of it feels like manufactured outrage. Seriously, if you're going to work yourself up into a frothing lather about a television drama, just go and watch BBC Parliament for a couple of minutes. That'll give you a sense of perspective about what to be really pissed off about!”

After the first instalment of the three-parter aired on Boxing Day, many stepped up to praise and defend her work...

And that's not to forget Harry Potter star Rupert Grint, who is back on our screens to play Inspector Crome:

Of course, there have been PLENTY of objections from viewers who didn't approve of episode one:

But others asked: isn't a reimagined version better than a replica?

This article was originally published on 27 December 2018

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