The Affair at the Victory Ball (Agatha Christie's Poirot episode)

The Affair at the Victory Ball is the tenth episode of series 3 of the ITV British television drama series Agatha Christie's Poirot featuring David Suchet as Hercule Poirot, first broadcast on 3 March 1991 in the UK. The episode is an adaptation of the Agatha Christie short story of the same name and was directed by Renny Rye with dramatisation by Andrew Marshall.

Synopsis
Poirot and Hastings attend the Victory Ball, a classical masquarade where every guest is dressed as someone famous. Poirot dresses up as himself. During the frolicking, one of the guests, Viscount Cronshaw, is found stabbed to death – and another death soon follows.

The TV adaptation is fairly faithful to original short story. The main difference is that Poirot actually attends the ball with Hastings, and the characters are given more backstory to add to the barebones short story narrative. The denouement is done over a live radio broadcast and is slightly different.

Comparison with Original Story
(may contain spoilers - click on expand to read)

Cast

 * David Suchet as Hercule Poirot
 * Hugh Fraser as Captain Hastings
 * Philip Jackson as Chief Inspector Japp
 * Pauline Moran as Miss Lemon
 * Mark Crowdy as Viscount Cronshaw
 * David Henry as Eustace Beltaine
 * Haydn Gwynne as Coco Courtenay
 * Nathaniel Parker as Chris Davidson
 * Natalie Slater as Mrs Davidson
 * Kate Harper as Mrs Mallaby
 * Andrew Burt as James Ackerley
 * Charles Collingwood as BBC Announcer
 * Brian Mitchell as Second Actor
 * Sarah Crowden as Receptionist
 * Bryan Matheson as Butler

Tropes and themes

 * The Art Deco 1930s
 * Highpoint - a fine example of Modernist architecture by Berthold Lubetkin. Also used in The Million Dollar Bond Robbery. See also Lubetkin in The Incredible Theft. ''

Filming Locations

 * Highpoint - flat of Coco Courtenay
 * BBC Broadcasting House, Portland Place
 * Ladbroke Hall, Notting Hill - externals of the Colossus ball room
 * Princes Gate Mews - residence of the Davidsons
 * 30 Ennismore Gardens, Westminster - Cronshaw's residence