The Agatha Christie Hour

Not bought this, just wondered what it's like and whether it's true to the AC stories? 

Comments

  • GKCfanGKCfan Wisconsin, United States
    The episodes are mostly pretty good.  There are some terrific actors, and the episodes are mostly really close to the original stories.
  • My favorite one and the first one that I saw from that series was "The Case of The Middle-Aged Wife". I wish there would be another Agatha Christie Hour series, adapting some other short stories of hers that are not based on Poirot or Miss Marple stories. But of course they would have to be faithful and close to the original stories. 
  • I've seen some of the episodes and they tend to be either a hit or miss. They are pretty faithful to the short stories, and so, if you liked the particular short story, you will probably like that particular episode. If you watch it with someone who is not familiar with the source material (like I did), they may be disappointed because the short stories the Agatha Christie Hour chose to adapt show her range as an author rather than sticking to the more standard mystery format we all know and love. My favorite of the Agatha Christie Hour episodes that I have seen so far are the 2 Parker Pyne episodes. Miss Lemon and Parker Pyne's interactions are hilarious! I wish they had adapted all the Parker Pyne short stories with the set of actors they chose because they did a fantastic job playing their roles.
  • Tommy_A_JonesTommy_A_Jones Gloucestershire, United Kingdom
    I like Most of them, I don't like The one with John Nettles and Michael Gough or the one with the Girl who goes for an Interview but I love The Discontented Soldier (I have always thought Patricia Garwood would make a Good Miss Marple or Dolly Bantry and William Gaunt a Good Sir Henry Clithering or Arthur Bantry) and I also love The Middle-Aged Wife and the one with George and the Girl who could see he wanted an Adventure. I think Lally Bowers and Murice Denham were Brilliant as was the woman who played Miss Lemon.
  • @P_Lombard, that's what I like about The Agatha Christie Hour -- they explored stories that weren't necessarily "whodunits", showcasing Agatha Christie's talents from suspense to thriller and to light hearted stories without a mystery. I wish her short stories were very much filmed today, respectfully done of course. 

    On anotner note, Maurice Denham played a marvelous Parker Pyne and it's a shame he didn't do all the stories and had a separate series just as the Tommy & Tuppence films. If the Parker Pyne stories were filmed today I would be VERY worried that it wouldn't be faithful to the stories. The new adaptations have proven time and time again how unfaithful and how unnecessary and senseless the changes are.
  • edited October 2016
    If there was another series of Agatha Christie short stories filmed, which ones would you like adapted? Would you like any of the episodes from "The Agatha Christie Hour" redone? 
  • GKCfanGKCfan Wisconsin, United States
    Some good ones would be "Philomel Cottage," "Swan Song," "The Actress," "Manx Gold," "Sing a Song of Sixpence," "Where There's A Will," "Accident," "The Strange Case of Sir Arthur Carmichael," "SOS," and "The Hound of Death."
  • Tommy_A_JonesTommy_A_Jones Gloucestershire, United Kingdom

    Great suggestions GKCfan, I would also add The Listerdale Mystery, I think this one and the ones you mentioned are great, a while ago 4Extra played a series of Agatha Christie short stories up-dated, I quite liked them I do hope they do more but 4Extra does old R4 stuff so they probably wont :-(


  • CrookedQuinCrookedQuin California, United States
    I have not seen The Agatha Christie Hour but I am now intrigued. I'm surprised someone decided to adapt these stories, as they are so different from her other works. I do like some of the adventure ones, however, but feel they could've been expanded into novellas as they usually have complex plotting. I shall try and find this series!
  • I have not seen The Agatha Christie Hour but I am now intrigued. I'm surprised someone decided to adapt these stories, as they are so different from her other works. I do like some of the adventure ones, however, but feel they could've been expanded into novellas as they usually have complex plotting. I shall try and find this series!
    It's a shame that more of Agatha Christie's short stories are not adapted as much as her novels are. And I think they deserve the same respectful treatment as the novels. The ones from The Agatha Christie Hour were faithfully made and though the series as a whole has their strengths and weaknesses, as a whole they remained true to Christie's work and showcased a range of stories that she isn't fully known for. I would recommend looking at 'The Case Of The Middle-Aged Wife" -- that was a great one, great cast, great story. 
  • Tommy_A_JonesTommy_A_Jones Gloucestershire, United Kingdom

    It probably wouldn't pay these days to put them on Television they would probably pad them out and ruin them I would love them to  be on TV or radio


  • Well with the way that Agatha Christie's books are adapted onto the screen these days, I sure would feel iffy about any of her short stories if they were done. I don't mind if a short story is padded or fleshed out but if only it's done appropriately -- someone who has read and understand Agatha Christie's books, understand the appropriate story and characters, maintain the story/plotline without rewriting it 
    many of the newer Miss Marple films are (ex: At Bertram's Hotel, Nemesis, Sleeping Murder), and are skillful in adapting onto the screen. There are many of her stories adapted on radio. Here are some links to them:

    (1) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naq4ATbm7dA (Philomel Cottage) 

    (2) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEOlJYr5Teg (The Gate Of Baghdad) 

    (3) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3v76ROKe4k (In A Glass Darkly)

    (4) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aki391ywBCs  (Witness For The Prosecution)

  • I recently got the Complete Marple short stories and mystery set and realised that some of the stand alone Short Stories were in this set, glad to know that they are up to a reasonably good standard. I look forward to watching them!
  • Luke said:
    I recently got the Complete Marple short stories and mystery set and realised that some of the stand alone Short Stories were in this set, glad to know that they are up to a reasonably good standard. I look forward to watching them!
    Unfortunately there are no Miss Marple short story adaptations accept two done with Julie McKenzie as Miss Marple --  The Blue Geranium and Greenshaw's Folly. 
  • Tommy_A_JonesTommy_A_Jones Gloucestershire, United Kingdom
    Philomel Cottage and In a Glass Darkly are 2 of the ones I was mentioning I heard on 4Extra, They were updated, The others were The Dressmakers Doll and Magnolia Blossom
  • @ChristieFanForLife  yer I know that there ar no Marple Short stories in the AC Hour but I recognised some titles that were in the AC Hour. This is the book
     https://www.amazon.co.uk/Miss-Marple-Mystery-Complete-Stories/dp/0007284187/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1477328278&sr=8-1&keywords=marple+and+mystery
  • @Luke, oh I see, gotcha ;) 
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