Miss Marple

well, I haven't really read any books of Agatha Christie (except The Death on the Nile) and as a viewer, I found this series so enjoyable! and my favorite Miss Marple is Geraldine McEwan because i thought she amused me kind of sad she didn't continue but it's understandable! when the plot was sometimes didn't really work on me, I thought it's something that made me want to watch it more and ended up wanting to watch more. It's one of the first British TV series that I watched, and it's something that I wouldn't regret. Ms. Marple is such an unique and authentic character, and it's kind of unfortunate she didn't as popular as Poirot.

I was absolutely gutted when the BBC regained the rights of Agatha Christie from ITV, there were still a few stories that could have been done to feature Miss M, The Seven dials mystery being one.

It's a very difficult series to rate, because the productions ranged from awful to wonderful. Why didn't they ask Evans and The Sittaford Mystery being the low points, with brilliance coming from the likes of The Blue Geranium, A Murder is announced and The Moving Finger.

Adaptations ranged from fairly accurate, A Pocket full of Rye and A Murder is announced, to wildly re written, Nemesis perhaps being the most altered.

They weren't afraid to add Jane Marple to Christie books where she hadn't appeared, in some cases it worked brilliantly, The Pale Horse and Greenshaw's Folly being about the best.

Initially we had Geraldine McEwan, pretty different to the character from the book, but cheeky with a sparkle, and a spry sense of humour. McEwan was unable to return for series 4, so Julia McKenzie was cast to take over. McKenzie was more accurate to the character in my opinion, and when the writing was good, she shone, wonderful in both The Pale Horse and Blue Geranium.

They seemed to take a few risks when it came to casting, we had Elaine Page, Griff Rhys Jones, Harry Enfield, Lisa Stansfield, all actually worked brilliantly, cast against type. The performance highlights came from Zoe Wannamaker, Sharon Small, Shirley Henderson and Fiona Shaw. The only time I felt the acting was in question was during 'Evans,' for that one I blame the script and poor direction.

Glorious scenery throughout, I loved the house that was used as Miss Marple's residence, such a pretty place. The period detail was spot on so many times, in terms of outfits and styling they nailed it, Bertram's wasn't my favourite adaptation but it's a beautiful looking episode, the sets and clothes are sumptuous.

The music was a little overdone at times, more so in Series 1, but a lot of the time it was enjoyable and melodic, The Body in the Library and Murder is Easy being better examples.

You need to watch these adaptations with an open mind, purists of Christie's work are likely to watch with unease. The acting throughout the series was excellent, it was the writers and producers that made the episodes great or poor.

People will always compare these adaptations to the BBC's, I did myself, but try to enjoy them without the comparisons, there'd have been no point making them identically, so plaudits for trying something different, sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't.

My best advice for viewers of this series, especially for diehard Christie fans? Let everything you know about Miss Marple GO. Let it go, forget what you've read, what you've watched. Give up on comparisons. Let the 30's become the 50's. Let the artistic liberties override the canon. Stop being the Christie aficionado, expert, fanatic. Put your expectations in the bin and relax.

I basically learned to read with Christie novels...she introduced me to a lifetime obsession with detective stories, especially British-based adventures. I grew up loving Poirot, Tommy and Tuppence, and Miss Marple. I read and reread all of the stories. I also watched all the PBS/BBC adaptations over the years and yep Hickson was, in my mind and obviously in the minds of the majority of the raters here, the best personification of Jane Marple.

But in letting go of what I expected to see, and in allowing myself to NOT compare McEwan to Hickson and canon to plot changes, I was able to enjoy this series for what it is: a delightful, campy, visually wonderful entertainment opportunity. If you have any questions about how the look and feel of this series is, just watch the introductory titles.

Just. Let. GO. And allow yourself to enjoy the fun. If you can't, well, you're definitely going to be disappointed, which in and of itself is....disappointing.

A series of adaptations of Agatha Christie novels, with Miss Jane Marple as the central character. A seemingly innocuous elderly woman with no background in criminal investigation, she has a knack for solving crimes, particularly murder.

Not in the same league as Agatha Christie's Poirot (the series starring David Suchet), but generally quite watchable. Miss Marple herself is quite bland, and certainly does not have enough colour or presence to carry an entire episode, let alone a series of 23 episodes. This is regardless of whether we are talking about the first 12 episodes, when Geraldine McEwan played Marple, or the final 11 episodes, when she was played by Julia McKenzie. McKenzie was the better of the two, having more gravitas and presence than McEwan, but neither inject much colour or engagement into proceedings.

To compensate for Marple's dullness, the main secondary characters are given depth, and are often made the focus of the episode. This includes some potentially interesting sub-plots and backstories. Marple is a fringe character for much of the episode and then swoops in towards the end to solve the crime. This strategy is not always employed, unfortunately, and, when it is, is not always done well, depending largely on the writing for the episode and the quality of the performances.

The mysteries themselves are generally quite intriguing. In some ways, this is where the Marple series is better than Poirot. Poirot mysteries were often highly complex, to the point of implausibility, with far-fetched back stories. Marple mysteries are more relatable and plausible.

'Agatha Christie's Marple' is a fantastically directed, wonderfully filmed, all-round SUPERB TV series that retains both the atmosphere and irresistible charm of the author's source material, even when it deviates from the strict plots. As Joanna Lumley says in the 'Behind the Scenes on Series 5', as long as people will read and enjoy things, they will read Agatha Christie, and as long as people watch things, they will enjoy productions of her work. She is one of the best authors to have ever lived. I think it's something of a shame that BBC have regained the rights to her work because ITV and Agatha Christie are a match made in heaven. They nailed it with David Suchet's Poirot and they nailed it with Miss Marple too.

Geraldine McEwan and Julia McKenzie are both phenomenal as Miss Marple. Miss Marple generally has been very well-served by performers over the years. I loved it when the character was played by Margaret Rutherford in the '60s, as I did when she was played by Angela Lansbury in 'The Mirror Crack'd' (although they are incredibly different interpretations!). Every actress brings something different. Geraldine McEwan is our pixie-like, eccentric, but oh-so-loveable Miss Marple (probably the closest to the books) and Julia McKenzie is like your lovely grandma down the road. Whenever I watch one of them, I think, "no, THIS is the best Marple," and then I change my mind when I watch the other.

As I have now finished every single episode, here's a very brief breakdown:

The Body in the Library - amazing. Fantastic. Brilliant. It retains the novel's atmosphere superbly (even after they changed a killer).

The Murder at the Vicarage - wonderful.

4:50 From Paddington - very good.

A Murder is Announced - another good one, with Zoe Wanamaker (or Ariadne Oliver, as I know her) playing Letitia Blacklock.

Sleeping Murder - this film's great! It makes a few creative changes to the novel - maybe the writers wanted to play around? - but they don't feel out of place. Even as a fan of the novel, the changes meant I could be surprised by the twists too, which was wonderful. It has great dialogue and vivid characters.

By The Pricking of my Thumbs - Miss Marple meets Tommy and Tuppence! Perfect for Halloween, very creepy, and lots of fun, if you're willing to overlook some minor plot contrivances.

The Sittaford Mystery - this is an eccentric, weird but still unique film which makes a great watch if you're in just the right mood. It bears no resemblance whatsoever to the novel.

The Moving Finger - an eccentric and slightly bonkers production. James d'Arcy is wonderful, as is Frances de la Tour. The back projection is appalling in the 'cycling' scenes, but if you don't mind that, it's a great watch.

Towards Zero - BRILLIANT. Surprisingly faithful to the source material, even with the addition of Miss Marple.

Nemesis - NO. This is pretty much Geraldine McEwan's only rubbish one. It botches the novel and makes the whole thing ridiculous.

At Bertram's Hotel - my favourite episode in the whole series. It stays fundamentally true to the book's murder plot - even if everything else is different! I didn't mind the alterations because the new plot still comes together perfectly.

Ordeal By Innocence - good film, with a brilliant performance from Juliet Stevenson, though not one I return to again and again.

A Pocket Full of Rye - Julia McKenzie shines in her debut, one that translates the novel almost verbatim. A masterpiece with a very moving ending!

Murder Is Easy - this is nowhere near as good as A Pocket Full of Rye, but is still satisfying Christie comfort food.

They Do It With Mirrors - this one's rubbish. Only watch it if you're a completist: dull, convoluted, and makes no sense. (Although maybe it's a tad better than Nemesis.)

Why Didn't They Ask Evans? - Again, rubbish! This was such a brilliant book and they botched it. This could have made a wonderful Marple episode had the writers stuck more to Christie's plot. What makes it doubly annoying is that it starts deceptively well. By the end, it's gone downhill.

The Pale Horse - fantastic! Julia McKenzie and J. J. Feild are superb, as well as pretty much every other actor.

The Secret of Chimneys - despite bearing no resemblance to the novel whatsoever, this is a truly phenomenal film which ranks very highly. It still feels very Christie-esque...just a different plot altogether from the original Secret of Chimneys. :)

The Blue Geranium - an effective and highly enjoyable embellishment of the short story.

The Mirror Crack'd From Side to Side - one of the very best episodes; a true and emotionally heartfelt adaptation of the novel.

A Caribbean Mystery - fine. This story works better as a book, but it's certainly a decent film.

Greenshaw's Folly - massively convoluted but still good. Again, it's great Christie comfort food, and McKenzie is always fabulous.

Endless Night - a horribly bleak and disturbing one, but then that's not out of keeping with the book. Superb performances and a great adaptation.

Bravo! Nemesis, They Do It With Mirrors, and Why Didn't They Ask Evans? Are the only truly awful ones. The question now is...having loved ITV Marple...do I now need to watch its rival: BBC Marple with Joan Hickson?