‘Poirot’ Actor David Suchet To Retrace Agatha Christie’s Steps In Doc Series From Soho Studios, Two Rivers Media & Abacus Media Rights; Channel 4 & BritBox On Board
EXCLUSIVE: Iconic Poirot actor David Suchet will replicate an international expedition crime writer Agatha Christie took in the 1920s in a five-part doc series.
In Travels with Agatha with Sir David Suchet, the actor will replicate Poirot author Christie’s journey, which spanned former British Empire territories Canada, Hawaii, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia as part of a trade mission. Each episode will feature one of the five countries. Filming will begin this summer, with delivery scheduled for the end of the year.
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Ian Lamarra’s Soho Studios Entertainment and Alan Clements’ Two Rivers Media are making the show, with Abacus Media Rights handling international distribution. Channel 4 in the UK, BritBox in North America and the Nordics, and SBS in Australia are already on board. Lamarra and Clements are executive producing and Catherine Abbott is series producer.
Stage and screen actor Suchet played Belgian super-sleuth Poirot for nearly 25 years on UK network ITV. Over that time, he became synonymous with the character and one of the world’s leading Christie authorities. Christie remains the world’s best-selling author of all time, with more than two billion books sold worldwide. Her works continue to be a strong source for TV material — just last week it was revealed Anjelica Huston is among the stars of the latest BBC and BritBox drama adaptation of her work, the upcoming Towards Zero.
“This series invites the viewer to travel with David on a fascinating journey to discover more about one of the world’s literary enigmas,” said Jonathan Ford, Managing Director of Amcomri Entertainment-owned Abacus. “Immersing himself in the countries as they are now, David will explore locations she visited and learn about people she met that eventually featured in or inspired her work.”
“Having spent a quarter of a century personifying Agatha Christie’s iconic character of Hercule Poirot, I now feel so honoured to embark upon a journey around the world, as myself — in the footsteps of possibly the greatest crime writer of all times,” said Suchet. “I feel that she will be sitting on my shoulders at every moment urging me on to share her passion for knowledge, travel, archeology, and of course, mystery.”
“David Suchet’s knowledge of, and passion for, Agatha Christie, both as an author and as a person, is unrivalled,” added Lamarra, the former Alaska TV and Zodiak exec whose Soho Studios landed investment from WME-backed Asylum in February. “There is no better person to embark on this pilgrimage to the author. This will be a sumptuous series, premium in its content and look, with huge international appeal.”
Clements, Managing Director of Barbie: Uncovered maker Two Rivers, said the show “is going to be a real treat for Agatha Christie fans all around the world,” and added the doc series “underlines our ambitions in the international market.”
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