Une poignée de seigle

Probably the least interesting of the BBC TV adaptions; and one of the few unavailable on DVD for some reason. The only really entertaining parts come from the formidable elderly actress Fabia Drake, who plays "Miss Henderson". She wanders around making stern condemning comments; the best comes when the ditzy young blonde wife makes a comment about going to the Clubhouse (located on a nearby golf-course as I recall). Miss Henderson gives a loud sniff, and mutters "Clubhouse! .... WHOREhouse!" which always leaves me in stitches. Otherwise its not that memorable; I can't recall if the book itself was very interesting to begin with. Its fun to see Tom Wilkinson in a younger role.

Rex Fortescue, a wealthy businessman, collapses and dies in his office. He was poisoned. In his pocket are rye seeds.

It turns out Rex wasn't very well liked. He has a very young, pretty wife who fools around with a tennis pro. She, too, is found dead.

Gladys, a clumsy maid in the household, was actually trained by Miss Marple. Very distressed about the murders, she asks Marple for help. But it's too late - Gladys herself is found murdered.

The murders follow the nursery rhyme - Sing a Song of Sixpence: The queen was in the parlor, the maid was in the garden - who played pranks on Rex using blackbirds, and who is committing the murders?

Intriguing story with karma taking over at the end as Miss Marple experiences this rather unpleasant family. The actress Fabia Drake has some great, biting lines.

I very much like the atmosphere and characterizations found in these stories. I admit I always pictured Miss Marple a little softer, a more sweet old lady whose knowledge is a surprise, but I do like Joan Hickson. She comes off as very shrewd.

The good cast includes a very young Annette Badland, Peter Davison, and the aforementioned Drake.

Wealthy businessman Rex Fortesque is universally loathed. Thus, when he is murdered - poisoned - there's plenty of suspects. However, who had the means to poison him? Miss Marple is following the case in the newspapers and starts to see a link to a nursery rhyme, suggesting that more murders will follow.

Another intriguing Miss Marple mystery. The means and motive are quite clever and not at all obvious. Some very interesting characters too, well played - both Miss Marple staples.

The conclusion does feel a bit rushed and left-field though and the plot not entirely watertight towards the end. These would be the only negatives.

I absolutely love the Joan Hickson Miss Marple mysteries. They are clever and well made, and Joan Hickson is for me the definitive Miss Marple. A Pocket Full of Rye is a wonderful adaptation, and my second favourite of the Miss Marple adaptations after A Murder is Announced. The photography, scenery and costumes are truly lovely, and the music is superb. The script is often thought-provoking and the story is faithful, well paced and clever. My only minor criticism is that they could have developed Gladys a little more, but this is very minor. The acting across the board is of high calibre, Joan Hickson coming of best being absolutely terrific as Miss Marple. Overall, wonderful and one of my favourites. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Mr. Fortescue dies in his office poisoned by taxine (extracted from yew trees) and his entire family is suspect: his too young wife, her young handsome lover, his stuffy son, his son's self-absorbed wife, his fanatically religious sister-in-law, even the butter-won't-melt-in-her-mouth housekeeper. The wild adventurous black sheep son of the family shows up with a new wife in the middle of these tensions just as two more murders are committed. One of these deaths becomes very personal for Jane Marple who gets involved.

Probably, arguably, the best of the Marple episodes (I would put it side by side with "4:50 from Paddington") as Christie's masterfully reveals and at the same time obscures the identity of the murderer. I think all will find the solution to the puzzle intriguing while enjoying the excellent performances: look for a young Tom Wilkinson as well as Selina Cadell. Annette Badland (as of this writing starring in Midsomer Murders) is also very good as the dim-witted maid who knows too much and whose fate brings Jane Marple (her former employer) into the fray.

And best of all the nursery rhyme (from which the title comes), rather than a conceit, is a vital part of the mystery and its solution.