Beloved detective fiction writer Agatha Christie’s great grandson, James Pritchard, recently confirmed that a new TV adaptation of Miss Marple is underway. He stated that Marple’s character had been “underestimated” and needed to return for the modern audiences. Miss Marple made her first appearance in a short story titled The Tuesday Night Club in 1927, and later in the full-length novel, The Murder at the Vicarage in 1930. We’re curious to see how the character evolves in its modern sensibilities almost a century after its first publication.
Meanwhile, here are our recommendations, if you’re looking for an introduction to Christie’s detective of St Mary Mead.
READ
4.50 from Paddington: As Mrs McGillicuddy looks out of the train window, she sees a man in a big coat grabbing a woman by her throat in the first-class carriage of the parallel train passing by. After reporting what she witnessed to the ticket collector, she takes the case to her friend at St Mary Mead, the sharp and shrewd Miss Marple, the only one who would believe her. When no ‘body’ is found in the train, the case becomes curiouser. Miss Marple devises a plan to visit “the terrain of the crime”. She must find out who was murdered, who committed the crime, and how the body went missing from the 4.50 train from Paddington. If you’re a first-time Marple reader, this is a great place to start.
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A Blue Plaque at Marple railway station commemorates the town’s connection to the detective. Pic Courtesy/geograph.org.uk
LISTEN
Shedunnit’s Miss Marple, Spinster Sleuth: In this podcast, host Caroline Crampton is joined by Leandra Griffith, whose research on the spinster detective opens interesting questions. Griffith offers a feminist reading of Christie’s “elderly woman character” of the early 20th century. The two discuss the period when Marple was written, shedding light on how the detective navigated her way using the feminine qualities expected of her to her advantage. Unlike the “action-packed”, “globetrotting” heroes, like Hercule Poirot, who have access to various spaces, Marple is more confined to domestic spaces. She is seen knitting or tending to her garden. Her quiet intelligence, resourcefulness, and observations on human nature, make her distinct from the others. She is Christie’s answer of an alternative to the male-dominated, heroic tradition within crime fiction.
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Agatha Christie
WATCH
Agatha Christie’s Marple (2004 TV series): Over the years, several actors have portrayed Miss Marple, Joan Hickson being one of the best-known ones. It’s been famously noted that Christie wrote to Hickson in the 1940s, and hoped that she would play the role of Marple someday. The writer didn’t live to see the 1984 series helmed by the actress. The more recent 2004 ITV adaptation features Geraldine McEwan as Marple for the first three seasons and Julia McKenzie for the next three. This adaptation called for a contrast from Hickson’s 1984 version. It is delightful to see the sprightly charm that McEwan brings to this early 21st century adaptation, and the meditative thoughtfulness that McKenzie adds to the character.
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