Chapter 11: Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple

Abstract

Earlier in this book, we followed the sometimes fractious relationship between Agatha Christie and the BBC, which had resulted in a handful of radio productions, including one with a distinctive legacy (Three Blind Mice, in 1947, which later formed the basis for The Mousetrap). However, forays into television were even rarer, and it took until the 1980s for the BBC to really strike gold when it came to portraying Christie’s works on screen: it broadcast a series of Miss Marple adaptations starring Joan Hickson from 1984 to 1992, covering all 12 of the novels featuring the character. This chapter focuses on this series, but its background is really a story of the relationship between Christie’s family (including Agatha herself) and television generally, as well as the BBC more specifically. In order to understand the history and significance of the series, this chapter picks up the story in 1970, when Christie made her position abundantly clear.