In the novel Ordeal by Innocence, Philip Durrant was the husband of Mary. He served as a pilot in the war, when he married Mary, much to the disapproval of Rachel Argyle. Mary and Philip tried to make a life of their own, but he was not financially astute and his business ventures failed. Then he had contracted polio, which left him paralysed. Just before the murder of Rachel Argyle, Philip had come out of hospital and Mary had brought him to Sunny Point for a visit. Rachel wanted the couple to stay on. Although Mary wanted a life of her own, it is likely that she would have acceded in the end. At the time of Arthur Calgary's appearance, Philip and Mary were living in a house of their own.
Philip, with little to do because of this paralysis, took the appearance of Calgary seriously, and knew that someone else in the family must be the killer. He devoted himself to investigating the case, asking questions and "snooping". He was stabbed to death because the killer thought he was getting too close to the truth.
Portrayals[]
2007 ITV adaptation[]
In the 2007 ITV adaptation which was episode 2 of series 3 of Agatha Christie's Marple, the portrayal of Philip Durrant is significantly different. Here he is an ex-pilot but also a philanderer, "a bag of badness" who had been unfaithful to Mary. A private investigator employed by Rachel Argyle had already amassed a vast file on Philip's infidelity and had handed it to Rachel shortly before she died. Around the time of Rachel's murder, Philip was already having an affair with Hester Argyle (which was still going on two years later during the events in the episode). Moreover, at the time of the killing, Philip was not yet an invalid--he only contracted polio about 6 months later. Because Rachel knew about his infidelity, Philip had a motive for her murder and he also had, in this adaptation, the ability to commit the act. In this adaptation, Philip is not killed for knowing too much.
Philip Durrant is portrayed by Richard Armitage in this adaptation.