The ABC Murders is the first episode of series four of Agatha Christie's Poirot which featured David Suchet as Hercule Poirot. It was broadcast on 5 January 1992. The feature-length episode is an adaptation of the Agatha Christie novel of the same name and was directed by Andrew Grieve with dramatisation by Clive Exton.
Synopsis[]
Poirot starts receiving mocking letters with allusions to crimes-to-be, signed "ABC". When an old woman, Alice Ascher from Andover, dies on the day indicated by ABC and an ABC railway guide is found by her body, Poirot and the police embark on a chase after the killer, who seems to choose his victims and crime scenes alphabetically, yet quite at random.
The episode is a fairly faithful adaptation of the original novel in which a seemingly psychopathic murderer kills people whose names and places of residence fall in sequence according to the letters of the alphabet, with an A.B.C. railway guide always placed near the body. Some slight abridgements were made for dramatization purposes which do not alter the main story.
Comparison with Original Novel[]
(may contain spoilers - click on expand to read)
Other than a few changes for dramatic reasons, the adaptation is fairly faithful to the original novel.
- The murders are committed within a few days of each other. Hastings says three within ten days. In the book, it is one murder a month. The dates of the murders are thus all changed from what is in the original book.
- Minor characters are dropped especially among the policemen. Inspector Glen and Superintendent Carter appear but not Crome, Kelsey and others.
- At Doncaster, Cust does not stay at the Black Swan but at the Globe. Also in the book, Cust brought the knife back to Mrs Marbury's house and hid it behind the hall stand. In the adaptation, he left it under the bed at the Globe in Doncaster.
- The murder victim at Doncaster was not identified, so the entire discussion about the victim's name not starting with "D" is absent. The body is discovered by Mr Downes but there is no suggestion that he might have been the intended victim.
- In the book, Lily Marbury and Tom Hartigan play a significant role in getting the police onto the trail of Cust. They saw a police appeal for information on one A. B. Case or Cash and thought it might refer to Lily's mother's guest. They reported Cust to Inspector Crome. But Lily Marbury as sympathetic to Cust and called to warn him that an inspector was coming to the house to interview him. Cust left the house and went to Andover where he falls down in the police station. In the adaptation, the Lily and Tom characters are dropped and this sideplot omitted. Cust comes back to London from Doncaster and finds police at the door of Mrs Marbury's. He wanders for a while then collapses in front of the counter of a London police station.
- The entire sequence involving Dr Thompson, and the discussion about Cust's prosecution is omitted. Cust is simply committed for trial and Poirot interviews him.
- The denouement in the book takes place at Poirot's house whereas here it is back to the De La Warr pavilion at Bexhill. Franklin is exposed in the same way but in the book he attempts to commit suicide with his gun but Poirot had managed to switch the bullets for blanks. Here, there is a chase scene in the De La Warr cinema and then Franklin is caught by Japp.
Cast[]
- David Suchet as Hercule Poirot
- Hugh Fraser as Captain Hastings
- Philip Jackson as Chief Inspector Japp
- Donald Sumpter as Cust
- Donald Douglas as Franklin Clarke
- Nicholas Farrell as Donald Fraser
- Pippa Guard as Megan Barnard
- Cathryn Bradshaw as Mary Drower
- Nina Marc as Thora Grey
- David McAlister as Inspector Glen
- Vivienne Burgess as Lady Clarke
- Ann Windsor as Miss Merrion
- Michael Mellinger as Franz Ascher
- Miranda Forbes as Mrs Turton
- Peter Penry-Jones as Superintendent Carter
- Lucinda Curtis as Mrs Marbury
- Jeremy Hawk as Deveril
- Allan Mitchell as Dr Kerr
- Philip Anthony as Doctor
- Andrew Williamson as Man in Library
- John Breslin as Mr Barnard
- Clifford Milner as Constable
- Claude Close as Doncaster Sergeant
- Alex Knight as Andover Sergeant
- David Fox as Scotland Yard Sergeant (as David Richard-Fox)
- Campbell Graham as Mr. Downes
- Gordon Salkilld as Commissionaire
- Norman McDonald as Mr Strange
- Jane Birdsall as Nurse
- Pat Gorman as Desk Sergeant (uncredited)
- Tony Red Richards as Librarian (uncredited)
Tropes and themes[]
- The Art Deco 1930s
- De La Warr Pavilion at Bexhill-on-Sea
- Poirot's quirks
- He straightens the ABC railguides on sale at Victoria Station
- Poirot arranges his crockery in order of height
- Hasting's hobbies
- His adventure holidays - he can't stop talking about the caiman he shot
- Poirot mentions that he needs to protect Hastings from ladies with auburn hair
- Spectacular scenary
- The St Leger stakes at Doncaster
- The Chase scene
- Pursuing the murderer in the De La Warr theatre
Filming Locations[]
- 39 Windsor Street, Uxbridge - Alice Ascher's shop.
- 47 Fife Road, London SW14 (address can actually be seen on the gate) - where Mary Dower works.
- Bexhill-on-Sea
- Seafront and beach
- De La Warr Pavilion
- 18 Third Avenue, Bexhill - Betty Barnard's house
- Marsh Court, Stockbridge, Hampshire - exteriors and interiors of Carmichael Clarke's House
- Royal Victoria Hotel, St Leonards-on-Sea - implied that Poirot and Hastings were staying there as they were filmed walking away from it.
- Doncaster Racecourse, Bawtry Rd, Doncaster (prior to grandstand rebuild circa 2007).
- The Globe Tavern, 8 Bedale St, London - Cust's Doncaster lodgings, also called "The Globe".
- Regal Cinema, 233 High St, Uxbridge - Cust's Doncaster cinema also called "Regal".
- Freemason's Hall, WC2B 5AZ - interiors of Scotland Yard, interiors of the Grand Hotel in Doncaster.
- Park Street, London SE1 9AB - Cust's boarding house in Southwark. The police car appears to be parked outside 13 Park Street. In the show, the address is 14 Market St Southwark.