BBC returns Agatha Christie’s Poirot to screen with BritBox on board for US

Edward Bluemel

Mammoth Screen/Jonathan Ford

The BBC has commissioned Hercule (6×60’), a new adaptation of Agatha Christie’s Poirot detective novels, with BritBox on board for the US.

Edward Bluemel (We Might Regret This, My Lady Jane) will star as Christie’s iconic Belgian detective in a new series produced by ITV Studios’ Mammoth Screen and Agatha Christie Ltd for the BBC and BritBox North America.

The six-parter is written by Benji Walters (Code of Silence, The Leopard, Obsession). Jonny Campbell (Am I Being Unreasonable?, Dracula, BAFTA winner for In The Flesh), will direct the first two episodes. Charlie Palmer (A Woman of Substance, Extraordinary) is series producer.

The series is described as an intimate study of Poirot the man and an epic portrait of Britain between the wars.

Filming will begin this summer, primarily in Liverpool. Hercule will premiere on BBC iPlayer and BBC One in the UK, and on BritBox in North America. Fifth Season is handling global distribution.

Poirot previously aired on UK commercial broadcaster ITV from 1989 to 2013 with David Suchet playing the eponymous role for 25 years.

Lindsay Salt, director of BBC Drama, said: “Hercule Poirot is one of the greatest and most loved characters of all time, and bringing him back to the BBC is a real privilege.

“From the first moments of Edward’s audition we knew we’d found the perfect actor for Hercule, with a performance that feels both fresh and exciting, yet quintessentially Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot.”