Agatha Christie's Marple is a British ITVtelevision series based on the Miss Marple and other murder mystery novels by Agatha Christie. It is also known as Marple. The title character was played by Geraldine McEwan from the first to third series, until her retirement from the role. She was replaced by Julia McKenzie, from the fourth series onwards. The first six episodes were all adaptations of Miss Marple novels by Christie. Subsequent episodes were derived both from works featuring Miss Marple but also Christie novels that did not feature the character.
Anna Rawlins (as Beatrice) Zoe Thorne (as Florence) Steven Williams (as Peter Carmody) Giles Oldershaw (as Edwards) Emma Cooke (as Dinah Lee) Abigail Neale-Wilkinson (as Jesse) Tina Martin (as Middle-aged Woman)
Julian Morris (as Dennis Clement) Angela Pleasence (as Miss Hartnell) Ruth Sheen (as Mrs Tarrant) Julie Cox (as Young Miss Marple) Marc Warren (as Captain Ainsworth) Paul Hawkyard (as Frank Tarrant) Jenny Howe (as Old Hall Maid) John Owens (as Photographer)
Toby Marlow (as James Stoddard-West) Neve McIntosh (as Lady Stoddard-West) Ciarán McMenamin (as Cedric Crackenthorpe) Kurtis O'Brien (as Alexander Eastley) Tim Stern (as Steward) Tasha Bertham (as Olga) Meritxell Lavanchy (as Anna Stravinska)
Russ Abbot (as CI Arthur Primer) Harriet Walter (as the Duchess of Malfi) Emilio Doorgasingh (as Sergeant Desai) Darren Carnall (as Dresser) Helen Coker (as Lily Tutt) Mary Healey (as Shop Assistant) Vincent Leigh (as Jim Tutt)
Ken Russell (as Reverend Caleb Dane Calthrop) Talulah Riley (as Megan Hunter) James D'Arcy (as Jerry Burton) Ellen Capron (as Agnes Brown) Angela Curran (as Miss Ginch)
Charles Dance (as Septimus Bligh) Eliza Bennett (as Nora Johnson) Michael Begley (as Ethan Maxwell) Jody Halse (as Amos Perry) Florence Strickland (as Jane Eyre) Oliver Jordan (as Young Ethan) Chloe Pennington (as Young Hannah)
James Howard (as 1891 Hotel Doorman) Adam Smethurst (as Cab Driver) Tony Bignell (as Newsboy) Shenton Dixon (as Louis Armstrong) Sarah London (as Miss Tibbs) Georgia Allen (as Mrs Rice) Isabella Parriss (as Young Miss Marple)
Ben Meyjes (as Inspector Tipping) Thomas Arnold (as Jones) Mike Burnside (as George) Eleanor Turner-Moss (as Diana Brinton) Guy Williams (as Dr Lazenby) Peter Symonds (as Hurstall)
Freddie Fox (as Tom Savage) Basher Savage (as Young George Savage) Sarah Ridgeway (as Young Sylvia Savage) Rupert Savage (as Young Jack Savage) David Buchanan (as John Carstairs)
Michelle Collins (as Constance Treadwell) Alex Knight (as Jaffers) Robert Dunbar (as Young Count Ludwig) Letty Butler (as Young Treadwell) Ian Weichardt (as Young Lomax)
Rebekah Manning (as Susan Carstairs) Ian East (as John the Gardener) Richard Betts (as Clerk of the Court) Benjamin Harcourt (as Peter Pritchard) Thomas Harcourt (as Michael Pritchard) Molly Harcourt (as Susan Pritchard)
Anna Andresen (as Maisie Cooper) Gene Goodman (as Louis Charles) Isabella Parriss (as Marie Thérèse) Jonathan Coyne (as French Officer) Don Gallagher (as Man in Livery) Lois Jones (as Primrose Dixon) Olivia Darnley (as Cherry Baker)
Charlie Higson (as James Bond) Kingsley Ben-Adir (as Errol) Jeremy Crutchley (as Ian Fleming) Anele Matoti (as Inspector Daventry) Joe Vaz (as Sergeant Weston) Andrea Dondolo (as Mama Zogbe)
Stephen Churchett (as Coroner) Celyn Jones (as Sergeant Keene) Alan Bond (as Hotel Guest) Adam Wadsworth (as Young Pete Hayman) Caroline O'Neill (as Woman Passer By)
Several characters appear in more than one episode, but only Mrs Dolly Bantry is played by the same actress. Also, Stephen Churchett appears as the coroner in four episodes.
Agatha Christie's Marple is aired in the United States on PBS on Mystery!, where it is presented as "Agatha Christie's Miss Marple".
The series is broadcast to the whole of Canada on CBC and in French on Radio-Canada. In Australia, Agatha Christie's Marple airs on ABC1. Marple is also being broadcast on ATV World in Hong Kong. Marple has been shown in South Korea in EBS, and currently is viewed by many audience from MegaTV. In Norway, the series has been airing on state broadcaster NRK1 as "Miss Marple". In Sweden, Marple airs on on TV4, the biggest commercial TV station. In Brazil, the series airs on HBO Brasil. In Poland, the series airs on Ale Kino+.
In China, Agatha Christie's Marple is presented on CCTV-8, but The Body in the Library and Murder Is Easy haven't been shown due to the involvement of lesbian affair and incest rape separately. Why Didn't They Ask Evans? has been extensively edited due to the involvement of War-period China.
Changes to novels
The show has sparked controversy with some viewers for its adaptations of the novels. The first episode, The Body in the Library, changed the identity of one of the killers and introduced lesbianism into the plot; the second episode explored Miss Marple's earlier life; the third episode contained a motive change and the fourth episode cut several characters and added affairs into the story and emphasized a lesbian subplot that was quite discreet in the original novel. The second series also saw some changes. By the Pricking of My Thumbs was originally a Tommy and Tuppence story, while The Sittaford Mystery was also not originally a Miss Marple book and the identity of the killer was changed. The third series has two adaptations that were not originally Miss Marple books: Ordeal by Innocence. and Towards Zero. The fourth series continues the trend with Murder Is Easy and Why Didn't They Ask Evans?. The fifth series does the same, with The Secret of Chimneys and The Pale Horse, as does the sixth series with Endless Night.
The Body in the Library makes some significant changes including a lesbian affair and the identity of one of the killers.
The first series of Marple was released in March 2005 in the UK, followed by the second series in July 2006. Series 1 was released in the US (Region 1) in May 2005, followed by the second series in August 2006.
The third series was released in October 2007 in the US, but its UK release was delayed because of ITV's decision to defer airing the final two installments. ITV released the third series on DVD in October 2008, before the broadcast of the final episode, Nemesis, in January 2009.
Series 4 was released in the UK in January 2010, before the airing of Why Didn't They Ask Evans? in June 2011. The fourth series was released in Region 1 in August 2009, after the conclusion of the broadcast on PBS Mystery!
Series 5 episodes The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side, The Secret of Chimneys and The Blue Geranium were released in the US (Region 1) in August 2010. The remaining episode of the fifth series, The Pale Horse, was released separately in June 2011, coinciding with its broadcast on PBS Mystery! that year. Series 5 was released in the UK (Region 2) in June 2011.
Series 1 to 5 were released in a 20 DVD box-set as "Agatha Christie's Marple - The Collection" in August 2011 in the UK.
