Poirot

I literally grew up with Poirot, Sunday nights as a nine and ten year old were all about Poirot, Pistachio nuts, Terry's Pyramint.

The productions evolved over time, the early hour long format episodes were much lighter viewing, over time they became more gritty, more daring. One good example is Series 3's Plymouth Express, a much darker presentation they anything that had gone before. By the time you reach Elephants can remember in Series 13 there was something very dark about the production.

I would imagine it became more difficult for the producers over time, they were able to cherry pick adaptations during the early years, some books were much more suitable to the screen then others, The ABC murders and Death in the Clouds would have been so much easier to work with then say The Big Four or Cards on the Table.

The adaptations remained fairly faithful to the book, there was never a fear of them doing what they did with the Marple series, and transplant Poirot into novels he was never intended to be in, for a good reason each of her works had a certain flavour. A few times changes were made to the books, I can only imagine for good reason, too many characters, budget restraints etc. The Big Four and Appointment with death being altered more then some.

So good was David Suchet in the role, that now when you think of Poirot you see David in your mind. I think it will be a while before someone attempts to remake Poirot for the small screen. David had a lot to live up to, Poirot had hit the big screen, Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile had both been huge adaptations, the remakes both compete favourably. Suchet is Poirot.

Characters were switched and added quite a lot, Hastings, Japp and Miss Lemon were often drafted in, but in later years that wasn't the case. It's hardly surprising as each is so enjoyable. Watching them all reunite in 'Lord Edgeware dies' was special.

Generally the productions were very good to excellent, for me at the top of the pile are The ABC Murders, Curtain and Sad Cypress, each are literally flawless. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd and The Big Four are two of the relatively few lesser offerings, with the only true misfire being Murder in Mesopotamia.

For years I hoped for the productions to be completed, at times it seemed like they'd never get through them, I'm so glad they did, but I am missing him.

Who knows maybe one day The Monogram Murders will be made, not a Christie story I know, but it would be worth it to see Poirot anew once again. This truly was a fabulous series. 10/0

As far as I am concerned, David Suchet is the best ever Poirot. He looks like the picture one would have in one's mind when reading the books. Peter Ustinov was an excellent actor but did not look like Porot at all. The main characters are also excellent and you warm to them easily. Hastings is loyal, terribly British and a perfect foil for Poirot. He is intelligent but without any imagination. This makes him ideal for gathering information for Poirot. Japp is basically an good old fashioned sound copper, who has problems solving anything remotely difficult. BUT he his intelligent enough to use Poirot whenever possible rather than trying to compete with him. As with the other characters, Miss lemon is perfectly efficient with just about the right dry sense of humour,

A literary legend became a TV phenomenon when David SUCHET took on the role of Hercule Poirot, Agatha Christie's most famous sleuth. Suchet's Poirot became the most-watched detective in the history of the PBS Mystery! series and a hit all over again on A&E. Now, all 36 one-hour episodes from the series are available in this 12-disc Classic Collection. Using his "little Grey cells" and aided by the affable Captain Hastings (Hugh Fraser), Poirot unravels the thorniest cases without mussing a hair of his famously sculpted mustache. Lush art deco period details and scripts infused with delicious Christie wit make these mysteries irresistible.

Starring: David Suchet, Hugh Fraser, Philip Jackson, Pauline Moran. Director: Andrew Grieve, Edward Bennett.

There were many one hour and somewhat less two hour episodes of the Hercule Poirot mysteries shown on PBS; and foresighted fans should have taped them then, because when A&E re-runs them, parts of each have to be removed to make room for all the commercials. Very often, the solution at the end flashbacks to scenes that we never saw because of the abridgments and frankly the value of these episodes are reduced considerably. But now Acorn Media is reissuing them in complete versions, with the two hour features on DVD and the shorter ones on VHS. Both series are a delight. The acting genius of David Suchet is enhanced by his usual supporting cast (Hugh Fraser as Hastings, Philip Jackson as Japp, and Pauline Moran as Miss Lemon), the wonderful guest casts, the done-to-perfection ambiance of time and place--the late 20s and early 30s--with all those fabulous art-deco buildings they have managed to find and populate. The first boxed set of 3 episodes contains "The Disappearance of Mr. Davenheim," "The Veiled Lady," and "The Lost Mine." In the first, you might spot a bad flaw in the solution. Hint: how long was the playing time of the average 78 rpm disc back then? The second set includes "The Cornish Mystery" (with a genuine "blonde hussy"), "Double Sin" (with a Sweet Young Thing in Distress), and "The Adventure of the Cheap Flat" (with a neat reversal on the plot of Doyle's "The Red Headed League"). And if too many solutions depend on Poirot overhearing by chance some remark early in the story, well that should teach you to be more alert to these things on future viewings. Also if Poirot is not above breaking the law with a little forced entry now and then, well so did Sherlock Holmes. Released at the same time as the DVD edition of "The ABC Murders," ;Death in the Clouds concerns a killing on an airplane during which Poirot himself is fast asleep. As in all Christie mysteries, the red herrings keep coming; but as in few Christie mysteries, not all that many characters have the opportunity to be near the victim at the right time. (Many mystery writers are fond of "the crowded murder scene" in which every character was able to reach the victim at just the right time.) And although you might feel cheated at the solution--and this one is a tad far fetched--you had so much fun up to that point that you don't really feel like carping. The ABC Murders in my opinion is one of the better Poirot mystery novels and it transfers very well to the screen. First of all do not confuse it with the horrible film "The Alphabet Murders" with Tony Randall. This is a fairly faithful adaptation of the Christie novel that has Poirot and Chief Inspector Japp chasing after a serial killer who matches the initials of his victims with the name of the town in which they are killed. And although the murderer turns out to be not exactly the least likely suspect, there are enough red herrings--one gigantic, the rest minor--to keep you guessing until the inevitable scene in which all concerned are gathered in one place to hear how the Master has solved it all There is a bit of nonsense with Hastings' stuffed souvenir of the South American jungles and the last murder is shown but its purpose is not explained as it is in the original. Very amusing sleuthing for one and all--and a very welcome relief to the grizzly "modern" mysteries now being shown with extreme close-ups, whispered dialogue, and as much gore as possible in each frame.

David Suchet is absolutely the best Hercule Poirot I have ever seen. He personifies the Hercule in Agatha Christie's books perfectly. Also, Hugh Fraser (Hastings) and Philip Jackson (Japp) play their parts wonderfully. This show has a very good story line and each episode has a baffling mystery. If you are a mystery fan, I recommend this show to you. Make sure you look for it!