Alan Carr's Adventures with Agatha Christie

-All aboard "Alan Carr's Adventures with Agatha Christie"!

Forward!

Agatha Christie is the greatest crime writer of all time.

Ever since I read one of her novels on a rainy family holiday in Devon at the age of 13, I've been hooked.

Now... [ Horn honks ] I'm on a literary journey of a lifetime to discover my favorite childhood author.

This is classic Agatha Christie.

...and two of her most beloved characters: Miss Marple... Oh, am I pretty.

...and, of course, Poirot.

[ Foreign accent ] I intend to use my little gray cells.

Agatha Christie wrote 66 detective novels throughout her life... Ooh, that's good, that.

...and became one of the most successful novelists of all time.

[ Cork pops ] Oh!

On the way I will be meeting friends, family and fans of this national treasure... -Alan.

-Hello.

...to explore the woman behind the pages... Would you say she is eccentric?

-She was one of a kind.

-...and follow in the footsteps of her favorite characters...

Et voil.

...to see if 100 years on... Wow.

Look at this place.

...Agatha brings as much joy to the next generation as she did for me.

This time I'm tracking down Agatha's most successful sleuth, a true crime-solving connoisseur.

Shove it, Sherlock.

Bog off, Bergerac.

For me the greatest detective of all time is Hercule Poirot.

From the first moment I encountered this funny little Belgian and his famous little gray cells, I was obsessed.

-My name is Hercule Poirot and I am probably the greatest detective in the world.

-The former policeman turned private eye features in 33 of Agatha's novels, 2 plays, and more than 50 short stories, working out whodunit, using his orderly mind and knowledge of human nature.

-Always I am right.

It is so invariable it startles me!

-And it's not just his brilliant brain he's famous for.

Poirot has one of the most recognizable looks of any literary character.

The cane, the mustache, the hat, the iconic walk, and he's been played by so many fantastic actors.

But it made me think, can anyone become Poirot?

To properly understand Belgium's most famous export, I need to walk a mile in Poirot's spats.

So I'm starting at London costume house, Cosprop, home to the suits worn by actor David Suchet when he took on the role.

Whoo-hoo-hoo!

This is so exciting.

I mean, this is the holy grail of Agatha Christie -- the actual Poirot suit.

Look at this as well.

Oh, here we go.

Peter Ustinov, Albert Finney, David Suchet.

He was the one, when I used to read the books, when he came along I was like, "That's it."

-Hi, Alan.

-Oh, hello.

Right on cue, I'm being joined by Ed Bennett, who directed David Suchet's Poirot.

-The idea was to make him as un-English as possible, so typically when he landed amongst the tweed-wearing English, they would look at him and think, "Who is this appalling little person?"

And then of course gradually as he amasses more evidence against the culprit, it's this reversal from being the outsider to being the dominant one.

-So who's your favorite Poirot?

-Definitely David.

He's the definitive Poirot.

Poirot's like a chess grand master.

His life is very controlled, in order that he can be completely alert to the clue that doesn't quite fit.

[ Metal jingles ] And that suited David very well because he's very deft with props.

-And the twiddling of the mustache and the walk as well.

-Of course, it took a long time to get the mustache right.

-Yeah?

-There were mustache meetings.

-[ Laughs ] You're joking me.

-No!

-I want to be Poirot.

I want to get into the mind-set of him.

I want to get into the outfit.

What tips would you give me?

-Well, of course, costume is terrifically important for an actor, so I always imagined that putting on the Poirot costume was becoming Poirot.

The immaculateness of the outfit would extend inwards and suddenly you would become this pure intellect.

-So you're saying it's gonna be a stretch for me.

-[ Laughs ] -Charming!

Let's see.

Costumier Matthew has agreed to let me live out a childhood dream and dress as the great man himself.

Right.

Let's get started.

This is a fat suit, isn't it?

-It is.

-This is basically me on the first lockdown.

Alright, love, you haven't even bought me a drink.

Where's he gone?

Oh!

[ Laughter ] -There we go.

-[ Foreign accent ] My name is Hercule Poirot.

[ Normal voice ] That's quite good, innit?

Ooh, I like it.

I could get used to being fat.

Et voila.

-Bonjour.

-With the costume nailed, movement coach Caroline Pope is on hand to help me perfect my walk.

David Suchet famously achieved his Poirot strut by popping a pound coin between his buttocks.

I'm hoping Caroline has a less invasive solution for me.

-Have you got a cane?

-I have got a cane.

-Let's have a cane.

Great stuff.

Left hand behind the back.

Tight with the knees together so they don't really sort of stride out and you're just walking from the knees.

Mmm.

This is good.

-This is good, you're impressed?

-This is good.

I am impressed.

And back and out, and back, out and back.

Not a stride -- tiny steps, tiny steps.

Place the feet down.

That's better.

That's -- You've got it now.

It's coming.

It's coming.

-[ Foreign accent ] Ooh, it is hard work.

[ Normal voice ] Ooh, it is hard work walking, isn't it?

-Exhausting.

-The concentration!

-Who knew?

-Yeah.

I've still got a little bit more to do but was you impressed?

-Yes, definitely.

Definitely, well done.

-Au revoir, mademoiselle.

-Merci, merci.

-Merci.

Bon voyage.

-Bon voyage.

-Listen, I'm not into football, but I can imagine this is like wearing Beckham's boots, do you know what I mean?

This is -- When it comes to crime fiction, this is the holy grail.

And I'm wearing it!

I'm so excited!

I might have the look.

I might have the walk.

But there's something missing if I want to totally become Hercule Poirot.

Fat ones, thin ones, stumpy ones, dangly ones, and all men have them.

I'm of course talking about mustaches.

What did you think I meant?

When Kenneth Branagh took on the role of Poirot in "Murder in the Orient Express," it took him six months to find his perfect tache.

But I'm taking a shortcut and heading to The Heron pub, in Paddington, meeting place of the Handlebar Club for mustachioed men.

They've been going since 1947, so when it comes to face furniture, they should know a thing or two.

Hello, boys!

-Hello.

-Look at all these mustaches.

So, listen, how do you get mustaches like that?

Because I've got no testosterone in my body.

[ Laughter ] I haven't!

If I do Movember, I have to start in April.

[ Laughter ] Give me tips.

How can I get a mustache?

-Stop shaving.

-Stop shaving.

-Don't be smart.

[ Laughter ] -It's what we tell everybody.

-When was the last time you saw your top lip?

-Oh.

Um... At least 25 years.

-[ Laughs ] 25 years.

'Cause is it true -- 'Cause you're all in the Handlebar Club, aren't you?

-Yes, we are.

-Is it true you have to have graspable extremities?

-Yes, but it doesn't have to be extreme, like mine.

As long as it's gone beyond the edge of your lips to the sides, you can become a member.

-So do you have any rules of Handlebar Club?

Or is it like fight club?

-No beards.

-No beards?

-Yeah.

-You can be a member of the Handlebar Club as a friend.

-Can you get women coming in?

-Yes.

-There's a few women... -My wife comes to every meeting.

[ Laughter ] She once told me that if I ever shaved my mustache off, she would divorce me, so I've got a good... -Oh!

-Shaving it off next week.

[ Laughter ] -I'm on this journey to become a bit like Poirot.

He's one of my heroes.

Read Agatha Christie since I was a boy.

I've tried on his outfit, I've done the walk, I've had the cane, but the one thing I'm missing is the mustache.

I don't want to start any arguments but who's got best Poirot mustache?

You've got Peter Ustinov, David Suchet, Albert Finney.

Who?

-David Suchet for the mustache.

-Yeah, yeah.

-Yeah.

-I'd say Peter Ustinov.

-Well, looking at my face, what kind of tache do you think would suit me?

'Cause I've got quite a round face.

I mean, does that dictate what the mustache should be?

Do I need a wider one to make me look a bit slimmer or...?

Do I need chops?

What do you reckon?

-Yeah, one similar to Russel's I think.

-Oh, yeah, I like your one, yeah.

I need to try some on.

Shall I try some on?

-Yeah, yeah.

-Shall I?

Oh, my God, okay, I can't wait for this.

The pressure though, the pressure!

Over to expert wig maker Faye Booth.

You need to get me a tache and quick.

-Ooh.

-Oh, really?

-Yeah.

-Shall I go and show them?

-Yeah, definitely.

-So, be honest, what do you think?

-No.

-Too Clark Gable.

-Okay, alright, alright, okay, okay.

I need something a bit bigger.

-A bit beefier.

-Beefier, that's it.

I need like a mustache on steroids.

What d'ya reckon?

Do I look like Ned Flanders from "The Simpsons"?

What do you think about the gray one?

[ All saying "no" ] -Friday night dinner.

-Too old man.

-Okay, right.

[ Laughter ] Look at the size of that!

-Oh, yeah.

-Surely you like this?

-It's an eye-catcher.

-You'd get membership.

-We're getting there, though, yeah?

-You're getting closer.

-Okay, alright.

That feels a bit better, yeah.

-Yeah.

Good shape, that is.

-I'll go and check with them.

-Yeah.

-There you are.

-Yes, yes.

-Poirot.

-This is Poirot, innit?

-Yes, that's Poirot.

-Yeah, yeah.

-Absolutely.

-I quite like it.

I'm thinking Tom Selleck, "Magnum P.I.," that kind of vibe.

[ Saxophone playing "Agatha Christie's Poirot" theme song ] So this is what you do all day, just drink beer and listen to the saxophone?

-Pretty much.

-Fridays we have the theme to Miss Marple.

-Oh, right.

I grew up in one of the most landlocked places in the UK, Northampton.

And when I read the books, I craved the decadence of the Orient Express or the Nile.

I just loved that world where people dressed for dinner, used knives and forks properly.

I mean, admittedly they stab you in the back with the knife but you get the gist.

I wanted a piece of that.

Why can't I have a piece of the action?

[ Train whistle blows ] Well, it might not be the Orient Express, but a trip on the Dartmouth Steam Railway should give me a taste of Poirot's glamorous world.

And I've got a little time before my train leaves.

Ooh, I'll have that.

Oh, I'll get another one as well.

What should I get?

Paignton?

-Paignton.

You're in it.

-Okay.

Do I get an Alan Carr discount?

-Full Alan Carr discount.

-I'm a celebrity.

I don't pay for anything?

-[ Laughs ] -Thank you.

Joining me on board is Agatha biographer Laura Thompson.

Laura!

-Hello.

Oh!

This is what I call traveling in style.

-It's very Agatha.

She was a great fan of trains.

[ Train whistle blows ] -So, let's start at the beginning.

Where did Hercule Poirot come from?

-Well, he first appeared in print in "The Mysterious Affair at Styles" in 1920, but he's recognizable from the very first.

-Yeah.

-She does this description.

He's about 5'4".

He's incredibly dandified as she calls him.

A speck of dust would cause him more pain than a bullet wound.

And then this head that's shaped like an egg.

-How can we forget the mustache?

-And then of course the mustache.

-So you just can't take him seriously from the outset.

-What?!

What?!

How does she dare?

-I wondered why she chose Belgium instead of French because in the book that's a lot of the humor, is people are going, "Oh, he's French."

"I am Belgian."

He gets very angry about it.

-She seems to have had a really clear image in her head.

She kind of says, "Oh, I needed a detective.

I wanted to write a detective story."

And then she says, "I thought about our Belgian refugees in Torquay."

-Ah.

Agatha was working as a volunteer nurse during the First World War when a community of Belgian refugees settled in her hometown, providing this unlikely source of inspiration for Hercule Poirot.

Why Hercule and not Hercules Poirot?

-I've always wondered that.

-He's not very Hercules, is he?

He's quite small.

It's like when people call their Chihuahuas Hercules or like, you know, like a little cat Tiger.

It doesn't make sense.

-It's a good joke really, to have this little, you know, little vain man and call him Hercule is quite funny.

-Do you think that she had a love-hate relationship with him?

-He's a bit like another husband, isn't he?

[ Both laugh ] -That's a good way of putting it, yeah.

-Yeah, it's kind of "Ahh, here he is.

And I put up with him and he's made me a lot of money."

But, you know, she wrote an essay in 1945.

And she says something like, "if you're going to write detective fiction, be really careful who you choose as your detective because you're going to be with them a long while."

Now, I mean, later she called him a detestable, bombastic, tiresome, egocentric creep.

-[ Snickers, laughs ] -Other than that... -Yeah.

[ Laughs ] -He's very vain and he's got the foil of Hastings.

-Yes.

-I put that in to please you, Hastings.

-You mean it wasn't true?

-Not in the least, mon ami.

-Good lord.

-And Hastings is his trusted friend.

He's this quite stiff, upper-lipped Englishman, isn't he?

-He's an idiot, which is good because it's almost like even we know more than he does kind of thing, but it's Dr. Watson, isn't it?

-Yeah, yes.

When you watch him on the screen, who is your Poirot?

Is he Kenneth Branagh?

Is he Peter Ustinov?

Is he Suchet?

-Do you know, it's really weird.

I really like Ustinov.

Okay, he doesn't try to look like him or anything.

-No, no.

-But I kind of quite liked that portrayal.

What do you think?

-I love Ustinov 'cause I think that's when I grew up.

"Death on the Nile" -- I mean, and that star-studded cast.

Bette Davis, Maggie Smith.

Oh, my God, a gay man in Northampton watching that on the telly.

Hello!

He added a bit of camp to it that I don't think you sort of get in the books.

-He is quite camp actually, isn't he, Poirot?

He's sexless and he's got a lot of empathy.

When he talks to women, you feel -- he's very, very likable.

-Yes, yes.

A lot of camp people are very sexless.

Thankfully, I'm the exception.

[ Laughs ] Now that we've arrived there's something I've always wanted to do since I watched "Murder on the Orient Express," so please excuse me.

[ Train whistle blows ] Oh, wow, look at this!

That's amazing, innit?

[ Train whistle blows ] All in the wrist!

One of my favorite characteristics about Poirot is his exacting standards in everything he does.

Including his breakfast, which is a thing of beauty.

As Poirot himself says, "For my breakfast I have only toast, which is cut into neat little squares.

The eggs -- there must be two.

They must be identical in size."

-I blame the chicken.

-Driver, Savoy please.

Here at The River Restaurant, executive head chef Andrew Sawyer runs a tight ship.

-Service.

-But he's letting me borrow a corner of his kitchen to see if I can create the perfect Poirot breakfast.

Andrew, how do you cope?

How do you cope in here?

This is madness.

-The pressures!

-I'm here to talk about Poirot.

I love Poirot.

Very prissy, very precise, likes everything in its place.

-Yep.

-Now, you know, he loved his breakfast.

He liked two eggs, the same size, and toast cut into individual squares.

What would you say if someone out there ordered that?

-Go next door!

[ Both laugh ] Have you got an apron?

-No.

-Right.

We'll have to get you an apron.

Gianluca, can we get an apron?

-I need an apron!

Get me an apron!

Alan Carr needs an apron!

Come on, I'm taking charge of this kitchen, come on.

Apron for Alan Carr!

Me and chefs don't get on, 'cause I was a waiter.

-Was you?

-And I could only do two plates, and he used to go, "You idiot!"

-[ Laughing ] -It's here.

-Oh, took your time.

Were you making it?

-Yeah.

-Right.

What we gonna do?

Come on.

Let's get on with this breakfast.

-Here you go, Alan.

Here's some eggs.

See if you can find the exact eggs.

-Okay, yeah, he liked them two the same size.

Let's have a look.

-Yeah.

-Oh, it's like my old sports day.

Like that, yeah?

-Yeah.

Right, you need to put a timer on then, Alan.

-Yeah, yeah, 3 1/2 minutes.

-Do you know how to work one?

That's 15 seconds already gone, Alan.

-Oh, alright, alright!

-[ Laughs ] -This is broken.

-It's not.

It's not.

Oh, it is broken.

-Yeah, you see?

-Who stitched us up?

-Get me a proper alarm clock.

-Get a timer!

-Then I need to put some toast in, you know, love.

-Right then.

-I'm worn out already.

I've only put two eggs in.

What's the time?

Two minutes, oh, my God.

-Under the grill.

-Here, top top?

-On the top.

-I'm going to get a job as a bomb disposal unit just to have a bit of chill time.

-Alan, I can smell something burning then.

-[ Gasps ] Oh, my -- That's you talking to me.

-Alan, the timer.

-Oh, my God.

Alright.

Like that, yeah?

[ Timer beeping ] [ Timer stops ] I'm struggling with boiled egg on toast.

Is that acceptable at the Savoy?

-No.

-They wouldn't even eat this at a Little Chef!

-What would Poirot say?

-He'd have that sent back.

-He'd have an aneurysm, wouldn't he?

-I know!

-I cannot eat these eggs.

They are of totally different sizes.

-So much for making the perfect plate of food.

But I'm not giving up yet.

This time I'm getting the pros to lend a hand.

Oh, that's not right, no.

This is right.

That.

Yeah.

-Get the toast ready.

-Toast in.

-That's it.

-Yeah, lovely.

-We can spread them out a little bit.

-That's perfect.

Yes, lovely, thank you.

Right.

Where's the eggcups?

Look at that.

Right.

And then shall I do that thing that -- even though there's nothing there?

-[ Laughs ] -And the verdict...?

Delicious.

-Thank you, Alan.

-That breakfast is just perfect for Poirot.

Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot loves reminding people that he's probably the world's greatest detective.

-You don't belong to the police.

-I am better than the police.

-I'm following in his footsteps to find out what makes him worthy of that title.

My favorite part of any Poirot novel is the end, where he gathers all the suspects together, dishes out the evidence, and tells us who did what.

Now I'm going to meet a friend who's made a career out of determining people's guilt and innocence.

Plus he's an Agatha Christie fan too.

Rob!

-Oh, hello, love.

How are you?

-Oh, I could smell your cheap cologne from out there.

-Well, I bought some expensive bubbly for you.

-Prosecco?

Do you know what?

You remind me of Poirot.

-In what particular sense?

-You know, at the end of the novel, he brings everyone together and judges them.

Sometimes we've had a night out, and I feel you've been judging me all night.

-Yes.

-And said guilty.

-That's pretty much right.

-[ Laughing ] -Yeah.

You know what I love about Poirot -- what he does is he reminds people that even when the evidence is totally overwhelming against the most obvious person, it may not be the case, that there's a whole variety of different people that could've done it.

That's really important.

Especially when Agatha Christie was writing, because the consequences were, to say the very least, extreme.

-I know.

They could be hung and everything.

-Hanged.

Hanged.

-Hanged.

-Oh, you're so judgy.

-What can I tell you?

[ Both laugh ] What do you love about Poirot?

-I love that the clues are there for the taking if you're clever enough.

-It has all the sense of wanting to be someone who solves puzzles, but all of the human drama at the same time.

-Yes.

-Which is exactly what sitting on a jury is.

-Can you tell if people are guilty and innocent?

Do they have a look?

-Well, no, is the answer to that question.

-What about shifty eyes?

-Shifty eyes?

No.

-Because I'm quite judgmental.

If I was the judge, I would say, "I don't like your shoes.

You're going down."

-Yes.

That's the happy relief that you don't sit on juries or sit as a judge.

-Did Poirot ever defend anyone in court?

-He didn't defend anybody, but in "Sad Cypress," which is the first novel he appears in, appears in court, there's overwhelming evidence against this beautiful young woman, who's about to face the gallows, and he's the only person that's completely sure of her innocence.

-Do you have a favorite Poirot?

-Intellectually, for me, it'll always be Peter Ustinov.

It's really unusual that you can be that pompous and that likable.

I don't know how I've managed it over these years.

-No, no but you're not likable, are you?

-[ Laughing ] You know, I'm so glad you're so enthusiastic about Poirot because I'm now going to take you somewhere which I think it's going to be perfect to put your little gray cells to the test.

-Ooh!

-Grab your coat.

-Ooh, I've pulled!

Right!

Look at this building.

It's amazing.

-It's amazing, isn't it?

I've brought you somewhere extremely special.

We are now going to see "Witness for the Prosecution," an Agatha Christie play, in this incredible building.

-So this isn't a theater or anything, is it?

-Just wait and see.

I'm just a little bit disappointed you didn't dress properly for the occasion.

Never mind.

Do come in.

-Hmm.

Someone's guilty.

Of being a bitch.

-[ Laughs ] Oh, wow!

I never knew this was here.

-Well, Alan, all I can say is welcome to court.

-I've been in court before, love.

Apparently, shoplifting isn't a victimless crime.

-[ Laughs ] -This hidden gem in London's County Hall might look like a courtroom, but it's actually a former council chamber and is now used to stage one of Agatha's most dramatic works.

Does this take you back?

-This really does.

So this looks almost identical to Court One at the Old Bailey.

-I think a play and a court case are very similar -- the wigs, you've got the outfits, you've got the tension, you've got the drama.

-Sure.

-You don't know what's going to happen at the end.

-Hitchcock said that drama is just life with the dull bits cut out.

You dial that up to 100 and you've got your courtroom.

Standing here, you can really feel that.

-Oh, hello.

How are you?

-Thank you so much for coming.

Welcome to "Witness for the Prosecution."

-Wow.

-An amazing space.

-Absolutely, and we actually didn't have to hardly change anything in this space to turn it into a theater.

We built the stage, we installed the lighting, but otherwise, all of this is exactly as it was.

-Where are we going to be?

-You're going to be in the jury.

-Do the jury have to decide at the end here?

-So, the jury get to witness the whole thing.

Then just before the verdict they all get to vote.

Everybody says, "Oh, I'd love to be on a jury."

And here everybody gets to feel like they're having that experience.

-It's ingenious.

-Yeah, clever.

-"Witness" might not feature Hercule Poirot, but sitting on the jury gives me a chance to channel his renowned powers of deduction.

-Hello.

Hi.

-Hi.

-We're on the jury too.

-Can I just say, though, I am disappointed that you're having a drink because, you know, this is a very serious business.

-And you haven't got one.

[ Laughter ] -Welcome, members of the jury.

We ask that when the court is in session, all drinks are kept clear of the service area in front of you.

[ Laughter ] -I swear by Almighty God... [ Laughter ] ...that I will faithfully try the defendant and give a true verdict according to the evidence.

[ Cheers and applause ] Thank you.

-God help the defendant.

[ Laughter ] -It is the case for the prosecution that Miss Emily Jane French was murdered between 9:30 and 10:00.

-It's very realistic, you know.

It really is.

-Arrested for what?

-For murder, sir.

-And have you murdered someone?

Recently?

-No, sir.

Never!

[ Indistinct shouting ] [ Applause ] -What d'ya think?

Do you trust Mrs. Voles?

-No.

-No.

-There's not really anyone else to suspect, is there?

-The housekeeper.

-Or the wife?

-Well, let's just wait and see then.

All will be revealed.

And soon enough it's time for the jury to give our verdict.

-Do you find the prisoner, Leonard Vole, guilty or not guilty?

-Come on, you didn't think I'd spoil the ending, did you?

-How did you feel being on a jury?

-Oh, Rob, it was terrifying, the pressure.

There were so many twists and turns.

This is immersive.

This is cutting edge.

This is what people are doing now.

People want to get more involved so she's even at the forefront of that.

-70 years after it was written as a short story, it still has all of that hallmark of total authenticity.

That could be Court One at the Old Bailey now.

-She's almost like anticipating what's coming up in the future.

-You know, watching that, did you feel like Poirot?

-Poirot?

I feel like a Pernod.

Me nerves are shot.

Come on, love.

Poirot's meticulous attention to detail is one of the secrets of his success.

Whether it's footprints in the flowerbed or a suspicious-looking stab wound, he always gets to the bottom of it.

To understand Poirot's ability to unearth the evidence of a murder, I've come to Bart's Pathology Museum to meet Carla Valentine, an expert in all things death.

Carla!

-Hi, Alan.

[ Laughs ] -What is this place?

-Do you want me to come down and show you?

-What is it though?

Look at all these things.

-This is a pathology museum, so basically it is a repository for about 5,000 pieces of human bodies.

-Used for medical teaching, the specimens at Bart's Pathology Museum include victims of violent crimes.

And this collection made Carla realize just how ahead of her time Agatha Christie really was.

'Cause you're a big Agatha Christie fan.

You've written books about it.

-Absolutely, yeah.

And a lot of it was inspired by what we had in this collection.

-How much do owe Agatha Christie?

-She's contributed to the forensic landscape as we know it today.

-Yeah.

-She's the person who coined the phrase "the scene of the crime" before anybody else ever used it.

She even invented a crime-scene examiner's kit, and she gave it to Hercule Poirot in "The Mysterious Affair at Styles."

Didn't even get invented in real life until 1924, so she was way ahead of the curve with that.

-'Cause I started rereading "Death on the Nile," and that is very forensics-led, isn't it?

The victim in "Death on the Nile" is murdered by a gunshot to the head.

But Poirot's analysis of the injury enables him to identify her killer.

Have you got any bullet wounds?

-Well, I have.

What I can show you is the "Death on the Nile" specimen.

-Can I ask you a question?

How does this affect your mental health, living around all this stuff?

I mean, is it a depressing place or does it... -Have you been on the tube in rush hour?

That's depressing.

[ Both laugh ] This is fine.

This is three different entry wounds from small-caliber rifles and three different exit wounds.

Now, what this one is, is a close-up shot.

But this was the thing that really made me realize that Agatha knew her stuff when it came to guns because she alludes to this idea of gunshots which are at close range, gunshots which are far away, and if you're really paying attention to the text in "Death on the Nile," you'll see what she's getting at.

-She definitely does her research.

-Yeah.

-Must have been quite strange for a woman to be interested in crime and how to kill people.

I imagine back then it must have been quite "What a weird thing."

-I can imagine that, because of the war, when it was, all of a sudden, all hands on deck and she was a nurse in the VAD, she talks about dealing with limbs being chopped off, having to throw them in the incinerator, having to mop up blood.

I think that really changed how a lot of women had to deal with violence and gore.

-Wow.

What've we got here?

-What you can see is obviously some very deep wounds here that have been done with a sharp blade.

And really this is the kind of thing that Poirot and the doctor on "Murder on the Orient Express" were looking at.

-In this classic murder mystery, 11 strangers are trapped on a train.

One is brutally murdered, but the multiple stab wounds puzzle Poirot.

-Some of them were small wounds, some of them were big.

-Some of them were left-handed, some of them were right-handed.

Yes.

-Exactly.

-Do you think Agatha Christie's longevity is down to her being so au fait with forensics and everything?

-I do.

The way that we would now watch a crime drama with all the correct details, she wrote in that way back then.

Now, of course, it's not necessarily going to be the same now because we've had so many advances, but it was the same cutting-edge kind of information.

-There's a whole nother level.

-I know.

It just doesn't end, does it?

So many different specimens to see.

-It's like a department store of death.

-[ Laughs ] I think one of my favorite things to show some of the gruesomeness of Agatha's work is probably one like this because this is the sort of blunt-force trauma that you would see if somebody got hit on the head, like Alice Ascher in Andover in "The A.B.C.

Murders."

-Yeah, yes.

They've really gone to town.

-It's like one, two, three.

Yeah, but it just goes to show this is the kind of thing that Agatha was thinking about when she writes those books.

-I mean, I've had hangovers like that.

[ Both laugh ] When Carla showed me some of the specimens and the details, it sort of made me think of what must've been going on in Poirot's head, his little gray cells, 'cause he was looking at those details.

He was looking at the why, how, what happened here.

-See ya later.

-See ya later, Carla.

I feel now I'm closer to Poirot and also how his mind works.

At the height of Poirot's popularity, Agatha Christie would get inundated with letters from people asking about Poirot's life.

So what Agatha Christie did, she wrote an open letter as Poirot telling them.

In it, he says, "Anything in the least crooked or disorderly is a torment to me."

-With care, with care!

-"Order and method are my gods."

It's almost like Poirot became a real person to his fans.

I've come to Torquay Museum.

It's a treasure trove of Agatha memorabilia... Oh, look!

...including original sets from the TV series.

David Suchet must've sat here at this desk.

Cool.

Let's have a seat.

Oh.

You're fired!

It's got something about it.

This is really nostalgic for me to think that I was sitting there as a kid in Northampton.

I was watching these props on the screen and here I am with them.

Look at this cane.

Look at that.

Oh, I might practice me walk.

I still got it.

I love -- Look at this.

I'm gonna go over.

-Are you sure you're allowed to sit there, Alan?

-Mark Aldridge is a fellow Poirot fan and has even written a book about him.

-Only special people get to step over the rope.

-Well, people say I'm special.

My PE teacher said I was.

This is a piece of TV history, isn't it?

-Well, isn't Poirot just a piece of TV history?

Full stop, though.

I mean, it's such a big show that people are still watching now.

Over 30 years ago it started.

So Poirot's bigger than just the books.

Fantastic as the books are.

People love seeing him on TV and film as well.

-If someone told Agatha Christie all those years about, like, this year, there would be a Hollywood blockbuster remake of "Death on the Nile" with some of the biggest stars in Hollywood.

-Absolutely.

-She wouldn't believe it, would she?

-No.

We've got Poirot on stage.

We still get the Poirot on radio, get Poirot in graphic novels, we get Poirot absolutely everywhere.

And he's not going anywhere anytime soon because he's so good and they are so good, the stories.

-Because you've actually written a book about Poirot.

-So, I was really fascinated by Poirot because there is so much of him.

So I wanted to tell the story of him over the course of a century, you know, really going from "Mysterious Affair at Styles," first book in 1920, up to these modern Hollywood movies.

-So what else have you got to show me?

-Well, Alan, I've got a couple of treats for you actually.

If you come over here, there's something very, very special.

-Do I have to wear these gloves?

-Always keep the gloves on.

-Yeah, you never know.

I might have to do some emergency mime.

-[ Laughs ] So, here, Alan, something very, very special.

This is one of Agatha Christie's original notebooks.

-No!

-She wrote in sort of scraps really through these notebooks, and this one has part of "The Mysterious Affair at Styles."

-"Curtain," the final Poirot one, it was set in the same place, wasn't it?

Styles, so she sort of wanted to bring it round full circle.

-It bookends it really nicely.

It's a very definite end there.

She wrote it in about 1940.

So a long time before it was published.

-I heard that.

Did she keep it in a safe?

-She did.

It was kept very, very safe out of everyone's eyes, and only a few people knew any details about it.

So it was a really special thing when it was eventually revealed that there was this Poirot novel that was actually definitely going to be his final novel.

-And obviously this is the weird thing about people who read Agatha Christies.

You don't want to say spoilers, but even though they've been around for years but I'm going to slightly spoil it.

Final warning -- if you don't like spoilers, mute your telly and look away now.

As well as killing off Poirot in the final novel, Christie also has her world-famous detective commit a murder himself.

When I first read it, I was shocked.

Was you shocked?

-Absolutely.

I was shocked.

Yeah.

But isn't that a great piece of evidence showing us that Agatha Christie could always outwit us?

So we thought we knew where this was going.

And she's "Oh, no.

Even now, I've got one last surprise for you."

-What was the reaction when Poirot died?

-Well, funny you should ask that, Alan, because it was a big news event, as big as you can imagine.

So let me show you something else that's quite special.

-Ooh, okay.

-This is the front page of The New York Times in August 1975.

And what do we have just down there in the corner?

-"Hercule Poirot is dead; famed Belgian detective."

Is that an obituary?

-It is an actual obituary.

The first time, maybe the only time, The New York Times has ever had an obituary for a fictional character.

-Oh, wow!

-It's a really big deal.

And actually, quite interestingly, if I just read you the beginning of it, it says, "Hercule Poirot, a Belgian detective who became internationally famous, has died in England.

His age was unknown."

So treating him like he's a real person, at least at the beginning there anyway.

People were going to miss Poirot.

They absolutely -- Now we're realizing that this was it.

We now knew all of Poirot's story.

-Just shows you the impact of Agatha Christie, isn't it?

-Yes.

-I've come to the end of Poirot's story.

And I'm nearly at the end of my journey too.

I've nailed the look and got a glimpse of how Poirot's quirky character plays into his brilliant detective skills.

And I think I'm about ready to put it all together.

[ Knock on door ] "Mr. Carr, there has been a murder.

Your presence is required."

Well, I know exactly what I'm gonna wear.

This crowd are all set to enjoy a 1920s murder-mystery night here at the Dartmoor Halfway Inn.

-Cheers, everyone!

-Whoo!

-All they're missing is a world-famous detective.

[ Foreign accent ] Ladies and gentlemen, it is me, Hercule Poirot.

I intend to lose -- [ Chuckles ] I intend to use my little gray cells.

Bienvenue.

May I sit down here, ladies?

-Of course you may.

-I hear tonight there will be a murder.

-Oh!

-[ Gasps ] -And I am here to solve that murder.

-Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.

-Let the investigating begin.

-There comes a time in a man's life when he feels he has to settle down.

-These actors specialize in murder-mystery nights, where they interact with the audience with food -- and let's be honest -- a fair few drinks.

-Miss Warner, would you make me the happiest man alive and be my wife?

-[ Exclaiming ] -Did not look happy about the proposal.

The play is certainly keeping us all guessing.

Guessing where the next dodgy innuendo will come from, anyway.

-I love Fannie Harris.

[ Laughter ] Ladies and gentlemen, I couldn't imagine a world without Fannie in it.

-Oh, dear.

He is with the waitress now?

I think there is more to come.

[ Woman screams ] -It's Miss Warner!

She's dead!

[ Patrons gasp ] -I need to get to the bottom of this.

Well, this is my first ever murder-mystery evening.

And I won't lie.

So far it's totally bonkers.

But I'm loving it.

[ Normal voice ] Why do you think we love a murder mystery?

Is it the murder or is it the mystery?

-It's a little bit of both.

-Murder is the worst thing you can do to a fellow human being, but us Brits, we love it, don't we?

We love it!

I don't feel bad.

I mean, if you see my search history on my... [ Laughter ] And someone gets murdered, I mean, I'd be suspect number one.

I just love... We just love it, don't we?

-Yeah, we're crazy, crazy people.

-Yeah.

-[ Laughs ] -So what do you think of my Poirot?

-It's very, very good.

[ Cheers and applause ] -[ Foreign accent ] Once I sort my accent out, I will find out who the murderer is.

-Ladies and gentlemen, as you may know, I am Cecil Laforce, the local village policeman.

And, of course, I'm not the only famous detective here tonight.

There is the world-famous Mr. Hercule Poirot.

-I actually know who the killer is.

[ Patrons gasp ] Yes.

The killer is in fact... the hotel manager.

[ Patrons gasp ] -Fine!

It was me!

-Ha!

-And I'm not sorry, sir.

-You do realize they're going to hang you for this?

-Well, if I am to be hung, let it known far and wide that I am the best hung man in Devon!

[ Laughter and applause ] -Well, congratulations, Mr. Poirot.

You certainly spotted the culprit.

-Obviously because Poirot is the greatest detective of all time.

[ Applause ] [ Normal voice ] You're welcome.

What an adventure I've had.

And what a fitting ending.

Here I am in a lovely country pub, dressed as Hercule Poirot, and I've just solved a murder mystery.

I think Agatha Christie would be proud.

-Salut!

-Salut!

-Salut!

-I wonder what I'd look like in a deerstalker?