The Big Four is the second episode of series thirteen of Agatha Christie's Poirot. It was broadcast on 23 October 2013. The feature-length episode was based on the Agatha Christie novel of the same name and it was directed by Peter Lydon with screenplay written by Mark Gatiss and Ian Hallard. In an interview, Ian Hallard discussed the (practical and logistical) reasons he and Mark Gatiss had to deviate from Christie's original plot for their screenplay.[1]
Synopsis[]
With the help of his old friends Captain Hastings, Miss Lemon and Inspector Japp, Hercule Poirot investigates a series of carefully planned and executed murders. They appear to be linked by a secret society called 'The Big Four', whose members migth stop at nothing shorter of the advent of another world war.
Comparison with Original Novel[]
Cast[]
- David Suchet as Hercule Poirot
- Hugh Fraser as Captain Hastings
- Pauline Moran as Miss Lemon
- Philip Jackson as Assistant Commissioner Japp
- David Yelland as George
- Tom Brooke as Tysoe
- Nicholas Day as Ingles (as Nick Day)
- James Carroll Jordan as Abe Ryland
- Patricia Hodge as Madame Olivier
- Steven Pacey as Stephen Paynter
- Simon Lowe as Dr Quentin
- Michael Culkin as Savaranoff
- Lou Broadbent as Mabel
- Sarah Parish as Flossie Monro
- Peter Symonds as Jonathan Whalley
- Barbara Kirby as Mrs Andrews
- Nicholas Burns as Inspector Meadows
- Alex Palmer as Robert Grant
- Teresa Banham as Diana Paynter
- Jack Farthing as Gerald Paynter
- Ian Hallard as Mercutio (uncredited)
- Marina as Cat (uncredited)
Tropes and themes[]
Filming Locations[]
- Kensal Green Cemetery, London, England (Poirot's funeral)
- Lincoln's Inn, London, England (several locations throughout the episode)
- Undercroft of Lincoln's Inn chapel
- Syon House, London, England (location of the chess match)
- The Manor House, Little Missenden, England
- Interior of Hughenden Manor, Buckinghamshire, England
- The cafe at Hughenden Manor, Buckinghamshire, England (prison door)
- Nuffield Place, Oxfordshire, England
- Richmond Theatre, London, England
- The Hackney Empire, Mare Street, London, England (theatre)
Gallery[]
Promotional Videos[]
See Also[]
References[]