Agatha Christie : Les Associés Contre Le Crime

You could depend on British TV to produce solid dramas in the early 1980s, and this show is similar to the Jeremy Brett Sherlock Holmes and Joan Hickson Miss Marple in terms of attention to period detail, particularly Tuppence's awesome clothes.

Francesca Annis does a very good job portraying Tuppence, even though she was about ten years too old for the role. Some of the stories are a bit weak, but I think the fault lies in the source material rather than with the show's crew.

I read a few other reviews, of this series, & felt like saying that they seemed to miss the point. Being familiar with the original novel "The Secret Adversary" (which was made into a full-length TV feature after these) as well as the "Partners in Crime" short stories I believe that those involved with this series captured the spirit the author intended very well indeed.

The tone of the original stories was much lighter than that of other Agatha Christie novels and the playfulness & risque humor (which come across clearly in the dramatizations) came right from the characters in the books. I also believe the overly stylized performances were perfect for the period & mood of the pieces. The acting actually comes across more as a good staging of a Bernard Shaw or Oscar Wilde play in the style of the early 20th century than as a current modern TV program & I for one completely enjoyed the contrast.

2 side notes: I've purchased these on DVD as well as the sets of the Poirot series & while the Poirot are exceptional (wonderfully made & acted) I actually enjoy re-watching the "Partners in Crime" Series more because the emphasis is much less on the crime than on the characters, compared to the Poirot series which always seems to need a twist (right out of Christie) and some kind of action/chase sequence (not so much from Christie).

Also, I'd personally love to see James Warwick and Francesca Annis reprise these roles 20 years on, since there were several novels ("By the Pricking of my Thumbs" and "Postern of Fate" are the two I remember) which caught up with Tommy & Tuppence later in their lives.

I remember watching this series when I was about 10-11 years old with my parents every Friday night at 9:00 on MYSTERY. Ever since that time, whenever I think of Tommy and Tuppence, I think of Francesca Annis and her male actor friend, as I truly loved this series and all of the lush period detail. The only downside was the effect the series had on my late mother, possibly more profound than I believed when she was still alive. Every time we were together in the family care and she saw a period automobile, she would cry: "Oo, look, Anthony! A Tommy and Tuppence car!" Despite this, PARTNERS IN CRIME has remained amongst my favorites of the original MYSTERY! TV series.

Being an Agatha Christie fan,it bothers me when someone adapts one of her works and never bothers to read the source material. This outing has an enjoyable cast,crisp direction,nice period touch in the sets,cars and costumes. Much to my amazement,they actually followed the original stories. Francesca Annis is fun as Tuppence,James Warwick muskies a great Tommy and Reese Dimsdale is fun as Albert,the office mainstay. It's a glance at English Life in the twenties in the upper brackets. Manor houses,servants,costume balls,things that are out of date nowadays but fun to look at. Too bad Francesca and James never reteamed for N or M,or By the Pricking of my Thumbs. The other adaptions I liked were "Why Didn't They Ask Evans?" with Francesca and James,and "The Seven Dials Mystery" with Jame Warwick,all of them excellent.

I received (sorry if I spelt it wrong) the DVD collection as an Easter present two years ago. I thought the whole lot was absolutely charming, exactly as i imagined Tommy and Tuppence and all the other characters to be. I think the costumes; especially Ms Annis's (Tuppence's) wardrobe. My own personal favourite episodes are "The Affair of the Pink Pearl" and "The King of Clubs", the one where they dress up as Sherlock Holmes (Tuppence) and Dr Watson.

Although the plots are a bit slow to start, and some of the acting is a bit over the top, I still thought it was charming. I agree with some of the others; ITV should do the other Tommy and Tuppence stories with Francesca Annis, Tommy Warwick and Reese something or other back in their original roles.

It's about time Tommy and Tuppence came back to our screens.

Thank you for reading this