Actor Toby Stephens portraying Phillip Blake
In the Hercule Poirot novel Five Little Pigs, Phillip Blake ("went to market") is the younger brother of Meredith. He is a succesful stock broker. He was one of Amyas Crale's greatest friends, and was godfather to Amyas' daughter, Carla.
He lived at Handcross Manor with his brother, but now he lives at St George's Hill. Phillip didn't understand why Poirot had to reopen the case of Amyas' murder, since he believed the killer was his wife Caroline.
According to Mr Jonathan, Philip was "always a nasty, money-grubbing little brute". Mr Jonathan had always disliked him, but had heard that he told a good story, and had "the reputation of being a staunch friend". Philip preferred town to country life, and went into "the business of money-making".
Philip is described as being a "prosperous, shrewd, jovial-looking man--slightly running to fat". Poirot is of the opinion that he is like a contented pig, with "no remorseful thoughts, no uneasy twinges of conscience", and "no haunting memories".
Poirot guesses that Philip is between fifty and sixty years old, and must have been handsome when he was a young man, although his eyes might have been too small and too near together.
Philip tells Poirot that if he had acted more quickly, he could have saved Amyas from being poisoned, by warning him that Caroline had taken coniine from Meredith's laboratory, by warning Caroline that he knew she had taken it, or by calling the police.
Philip tells Poirot that Caroline was "a rotter", and "a cold, calculating planner", but she had a charm and sweetness of manner about her. Poirot also learns from Meredith that there was always some antagonism between Philip and Caroline, and that after Amyas married her, Philip did not go near them for a year.
Philip agrees to write a narrative of the events leading up to Amyas' death, to help Poirot in drawing his own deductions about the case. In this narrative, he writes that he was maliciously amused when he arrived at Alderbury, and saw that Caroline was "cutting up very rough" about the situation with Amyas and Elsa Greer.
On the morning of the murder, Philip overheard an argument that Amyas and Caroline were having in the library. He heard Caroline say to Amyas, "You and your women!", and that someday she would kill him. Later, he heard Caroline say to herself, "It's too cruel".
Philip received a telephone call from Meredith, telling him that some coniine had been taken from his laboratory. He asked Meredith to come to Alderbury immediately.
Philip and Meredith later overheard Amyas and Caroline talking in the Battery Garden. Philip had thought at first that "a three-handed row was going on", but Caroline later mentioned that they had been discussing Angela Warren.
Philip had made up his mind to take Caroline aside after lunch, and accuse her of taking the coniine. However, after lunch, Amyas was found dead.
After Amyas was found dead, Philip restrained Elsa, who attacked Caroline. He later accused Caroline of killing Amyas, and she said that Amyas had done it himself.
Poirot lears from Meredith that after Amyas' death, Philip was "broken up by it". Philip had always been devoted to Amyas, and had always looked up to him, being two years younger than him.
It is later revealed that although Philip felt animosity towards Caroline, he was also strongly attracted to her. He tells Poirot that he resented the power Caroline had over him, and tried to stifle the attraction by dwelling on her worst points.
Philip tells Poirot that he had been in love with Caroline as a boy, but she had taken no notice of him. When Amyas became involved with Elsa, Philip told Caroline that he loved her. He was staying at Alderbury at the time, and asked her to come to him that night. She had come, but had told him that she only loved Amyas, and had left him. This caused him to hate her even more.
Portrayals[]
In the ITV Five Little Pigs Agatha Christie's Poirot episode, he was portrayed by Toby Stephens. In the original novel, Phillip showed affections for Caroline Crale. In Agatha Christie's Poirot, he actually shows affections towards Amyas.