Edit filter log

'{{Short description|BBC adaptation of the novels by Agatha Christie starring Joan Hickson}} {{About|the BBC series starring Joan Hickson|the ITV series with Geraldine McEwan and Julia McKenzie|Agatha Christie's Marple}} {{Infobox television | name = Miss Marple | image = Miss Marple Title.jpg | caption = Title card | camera = | runtime = 120 minutes | creator = | starring = [[Joan Hickson]]<br>[[David Horovitch]]<br>Ian Brimble<br>[[John Castle]]<br>[[Gwen Watford]]<br>[[Barbara Hicks]]<br>[[Christopher Good]]<br>Various others | language = English | country = United Kingdom | channel = [[BBC One]] | first_aired = {{start date|1984|12|26|df=yes}} | last_aired = {{end date|1992|12|27|df=yes}} | audio_format = [[Monaural|Mono]] (1984–89)<br>[[Stereophonic sound|Stereo]] (1991–92) | picture_format = [[4:3]] 16 mm film Colour<ref name=blu-ray>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbcstudiosandpostproduction.com/blog/miss-marple/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141026233611/http://www.bbcstudiosandpostproduction.com/blog/miss-marple/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=26 October 2014 |title=Restoring classic BBC murder mystery Agatha Christie's Miss Marple |publisher=BBC Studios and Post Production, October 2014 |access-date=15 August 2015}}</ref> | num_series = 3 | num_episodes = 12 | related = ''[[Agatha Christie's Marple]]''<br>'' }} '''''Miss Marple''''' is a British [[television]] series based on the [[Miss Marple]] murder mystery novels by [[Agatha Christie]], starring [[Joan Hickson]] in the title role. It aired from 26 December 1984 to 27 December 1992 on [[BBC One]]. All 12 original Miss Marple Christie novels were dramatised. The adaptations were written by [[Trevor Bowen|T. R. Bowen]], [[Julia Jones (dramatist)|Julia Jones]], [[Alan Plater]], [[Ken Taylor (scriptwriter)|Ken Taylor]] and [[Jill Hyem]], and the series was produced by [[George Gallaccio]]. In addition to its availability on VHS and DVD, the series began to be released on [[Blu-ray]] Disc in October 2014, marking its 30th anniversary. ==Background== Agatha Christie had never been very happy with most filmed adaptations of her works, and according to her grandson Mathew Pritchard, who handled her estate after her death, she "did not care much for television", either. Producer Pat Sandys of [[London Weekend Television|LWT]] first approached Pritchard and the Christie estate with a researched, detailed plan to film the novels ''[[Why Didn't They Ask Evans?]]'' and ''[[The Seven Dials Mystery]]'' in the early 1980s. Although indifferently treated by critics, the projects were popular with audiences and led to the filming of a number of short stories and the Tommy and Tuppence Beresford stories including ''[[The Secret Adversary]]'' and in the subsequent series ''[[Agatha Christie's Partners in Crime]]''. With the success of that series, the BBC received approval to produce the stories of one of Christie's most famous detectives.<ref>The New Bedside, Bathtub & Armchair Companion to Agatha Christie, Edited by Dick Riley and Pam McAllister. Ungar Publishing, New York 1979, rev 1986. "Christie on the BBC" Tennenbaum, Michael, p 339 {{ISBN|0-8044-5803-0}}</ref> [[File:Joan Hickson.jpg|thumb|left|Joan Hickson as Miss Marple]] When the BBC was granted the screen rights to all 12 Miss Marple novels, the rights to three already co-existed and were set to expire at the end of 1988. ''[[The Mirror Crack'd|The Mirror Crack'd From Side to Side]]'' had already been filmed and theatrically released in 1980 with [[Angela Lansbury]] in the role, and the same production company was in the process of filming ''[[A Caribbean Mystery]]'' and ''[[Murder with Mirrors|They Do It With Mirrors]]'' with Helen Hayes for television broadcast. Thus these three titles were the last to be dramatised under the BBC's agreement. The adaptations are mainly true to the original novels. [[Joan Hickson]], who played Miss Marple, was an [[octogenarian]] herself during most of the series' production. In 1980 she had appeared in a minor role of Mrs Rivington in ''[[Why Didn't They Ask Evans?]]''. Decades before, she had appeared in a minor role in ''[[Murder, She Said]]'', in which [[Margaret Rutherford]] played Miss Marple and interestingly referred to Hickson's character as the younger generation. Hickson had also appeared in a stage adaptation of the novel ''[[Appointment with Death]]'' in 1946, after which Christie sent Hickson a note that read, "I hope one day you will play my dear Miss Marple."<ref name=Murder>Agatha Christie: Murder in Four Acts, Haining, Peter, Virgin Books, London, 1990. {{ISBN|1-85227-273-2}}</ref> ==Characters== ===Regular characters=== In addition to [[Miss Marple]], there are two semi-regular characters in the series. The first is Inspector (later Superintendent) Slack, played by [[David Horovitch]]; the second is Constable (later Sergeant) Lake, played by Ian Brimble. Slack and Lake appear in five episodes: "[[The Body in the Library (film)|The Body in the Library]]", "[[The Murder at the Vicarage]]", "[[4.50 From Paddington]]", "[[They Do It with Mirrors]]" and "[[The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side]]". They are the official detectives and both (particularly Slack) originally dislike and are exasperated by Miss Marple, her interference and her methods, but they eventually come to respect (and indeed, in the case of Lake, like) her. *'''[[Inspector]]/[[Superintendent (police)|Superintendent]] Slack''' ([[David Horovitch]]) – Slack is the senior officer in charge of many cases. He has been described as a man who has never striven more to contradict his name. Miss Marple describes him as having the same personality as that of a [[Diesel_locomotive|diesel engine]], most unappealing, but efficient. When Slack first met Miss Marple, her strange personality and her quirky methods caused him to think she was batty, and thus took no notice of her. Slack especially disliked the fact that his superiors think highly of Miss Marple and consult her for advice (although he later ends up doing the same). Usually, Slack passes over Miss Marple's beliefs and dislikes her interfering, although he later comes to value her advice. In his final appearance, it is revealed that Slack has been promoted to Superintendent and appears to have grown wiser, even telling an officer to consult Miss Marple. In "They Do It with Mirrors" it is revealed that Slack has a secret [[passion (emotion)|passion]] for magic tricks, and secretly practises. Slack is featured in the novels ''[[The Murder at the Vicarage]]'' and ''[[The Body in the Library]]''. *'''[[Constable]]/[[Sergeant]] Lake''' (Ian Brimble) – Lake is Slack's colleague and often works with him. He is also very bemused by Miss Marple, her quirky ways, her unusual methods and her claims of solving the cases based on trivial stories from her past. However, the difference was whilst Miss Marple annoyed Slack, Lake found her quite funny. By the time of ''They Do It With Mirrors'', Lake is on friendly terms with Miss Marple and also reveals he has a young son called Adam. When Slack is promoted, Lake gets more roles in the art of criminal investigation but stays a Sergeant. Lake is featured in the novel ''[[They Do It with Mirrors]]''. ===Recurring characters=== There are other recurring characters in ''Miss Marple'': * [[John Castle]] appears as Inspector Dermot Eric Craddock in "[[A Murder Is Announced]]" and "[[The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side]]". Craddock was unknown to Miss Marple in the former story, but had become her nephew by the latter. * [[Gwen Watford]] appears as Mrs Dolly Bantry in "[[The Body in the Library]]" and "[[The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side]]". * [[Barbara Hicks]] and [[Christopher Good]] both appear as Miss Amanda Hartnell and Christopher Hawes in "[[The Murder at the Vicarage]]" and "[[The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side]]" respectively. * Rhoda Lewis is village shopkeeper and postmistress Mrs Brogan in "[[A Pocketful of Rye]]", "[[4.50 from Paddington]]" and "[[The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side]]". * Miss Marple’s nephew Raymond West appears in "[[Sleeping Murder]]" played by [[David McAlister]] and in [[A Caribbean Mystery]] and [[The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side]] played by [[Trevor Bowen]]. * Jason Rafiel appears in "[[Nemesis (Christie novel)|Nemesis]]" played by [[Frank Gatliff]] and "[[A Caribbean Mystery]]" played by [[Donald Pleasence]] (although the two episode are set in the reverse order to which they aired). ==Episodes== {| border="2" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 0 1em 0 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%;" |- style="background:#EFEFEF" ! '''#''' ! '''Title''' ! '''Airdate''' ! '''Guest cast and synopsis''' ! '''IMDb link''' |- |rowspan=2|1 |rowspan=2|"[[The Body in the Library (film)|The Body in the Library]]" |rowspan=2|26, 27, 28 December 1984 |[[Gwen Watford]], [[Moray Watson]], [[Trudie Styler]], [[Jess Conrad]], [[Ciaran Madden]], [[Keith Drinkel]], [[Debbie Arnold]], [[Frederick Jaeger]], [[Valentine Dyall]], [[Raymond Francis]], [[David Horovitch]], [[Anthony Smee]], [[Andrew Cruickshank]], [[Hugh Walters (actor)|Hugh Walters]], [[Arthur Bostrom]], [[Stephen Churchett]], [[John Moffatt (actor)|John Moffatt]] | rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088833/|title=Agatha Christie's Miss Marple: The Body in the Library|date=26 December 1984|access-date=3 January 2017|via=IMDb}}</ref> |- |Miss Marple assists her neighbours the Bantrys when a lovely young girl is found dead in their library. The girl is traced to a seaside resort and the desperate family of a wealthy old man. |- |rowspan=2|2 |rowspan=2|"[[The Moving Finger]]" |rowspan=2|21, 22 February 1985 |[[Michael Culver]], [[Elizabeth Counsell]], [[Richard Pearson (actor)|Richard Pearson]], [[Sabina Franklyn]], Andrew Bicknell, [[Hilary Mason]], [[Dilys Hamlett]], [[John Arnatt]], [[Sandra Payne]], [[Geoffrey Davion]], [[Victor Maddern]], [[Gordon Rollings]], [[Patsy Smart]], [[Gerald Sim]] | rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087749/|title=Agatha Christie's Miss Marple: The Moving Finger|date=21 February 1985|access-date=3 January 2017|via=IMDb}}</ref> |- |[[Poison pen letter]]s are being sent to everyone in town. It seems like a vulgar joke until a letter is found next to a suicide victim. The village vicar's wife happens to be a personal friend of Miss Marple and asks her to come and discover the culprit. Then another body is found, this time clearly murder. |- |rowspan=2|3 |rowspan=2|"[[A Murder Is Announced]]" |rowspan=2|28 February, 1, 2 March 1985 |[[Ursula Howells]], [[Renée Asherson]], [[Joan Sims]], [[John Castle]], [[Sylvia Syms]], [[Ralph Michael]], [[Paola Dionisotti]], [[Samantha Bond]], [[Simon Shepherd]], [[Mary Kerridge]], [[David Collings]], [[Elaine Ives-Cameron]], [[Joyce Carey]], [[Kevin Whately]], [[Liz Crowther]] |rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087756/|title=Agatha Christie's Miss Marple: A Murder Is Announced|date=28 February 1985|access-date=3 January 2017|via=IMDb}}</ref> |- |A party game goes wrong and a young Swiss man is dead. Friends and neighbours start to turn on each other, and Inspector Craddock is stumped. Fortunately, Miss Marple is in town visiting her niece and helps solve the crime. |- |rowspan=2|4 |rowspan=2|"[[A Pocket Full of Rye|A Pocketful of Rye]]" |rowspan=2|7, 8 March 1985 |[[Peter Davison]], [[Timothy West]], [[Stacy Dorning]], [[Annette Badland]], [[Fabia Drake]], [[Clive Merrison]], [[Rachel Bell]], [[Selina Cadell]], [[Tom Wilkinson]], [[Susan Gilmore]], [[Frank Mills (British actor)|Frank Mills]], [[Louis Mahoney]] |rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087924/|title=Agatha Christie's Miss Marple: A Pocket Full of Rye|date=7 March 1985|access-date=3 January 2017|via=IMDb}}</ref> |- |The members of a wealthy banking family start dropping like flies, and Miss Marple is reminded of the old nursery rhyme ''[[Sing a Song of Sixpence]]'' and vows to find the villainous "blackbird" behind the crimes. |- |rowspan=2|5 |rowspan=2|"[[The Murder at the Vicarage]]" |rowspan=2|25 December 1986 |[[Paul Eddington]], [[Cheryl Campbell]], [[Robert Lang (actor)|Robert Lang]], [[Polly Adams]], [[James Hazeldine]], [[Jack Galloway]], [[Rosalie Crutchley]], [[Norma West]], [[Christopher Good]] | rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0170266/|title=Agatha Christie's Miss Marple: The Murder at the Vicarage|date=25 December 1986|access-date=3 January 2017|via=IMDb}}</ref> |- |Death is only steps from Miss Marple when odious magistrate Colonel Lucius Protheroe is murdered in her idyllic village of St. Mary Mead—in the [[vicar]]'s study, no less. |- |rowspan=2|6 |rowspan=2|"[[Sleeping Murder]]" |rowspan=2|11 January; 18 January 1987 |Geraldine Alexander, [[John Moulder-Brown]], [[Jean Anderson]], [[Terrence Hardiman]], [[Frederick Treves (actor)|Frederick Treves]], [[John Bennett (actor)|John Bennett]], [[Geraldine Newman]], [[Jack Watson (actor)|Jack Watson]], [[Jean Heywood]], [[Amanda Boxer]], [[John Ringham]], [[David McAlister]], [[Kenneth Cope]], [[Gary Watson]], [[Donald Burton]], [[Sheila Raynor]] |rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091970|title=Agatha Christie's Miss Marple: Sleeping Murder|date=11 January 1987|access-date=3 January 2017|via=IMDb}}</ref> |- |A young wife, Gwenda, believes her house is haunted. With Miss Marple's guidance, she comes to realize she witnessed the murder of her stepmother there 20 years ago, as a child. Despite Miss Marple's advice to let sleeping murder lie, the newlyweds decide to investigate the crime, putting Gwenda's own life at risk by stirring a sleeping murderer in the process. |- |rowspan=2|7 |rowspan=2|"[[At Bertram's Hotel]]" |rowspan=2|25 January, 1 February 1987 |[[Caroline Blakiston]], [[Joan Greenwood]], [[George Baker (British actor)|George Baker]], [[James Cossins]], [[Helena Michell]], [[Irene Sutcliffe]], [[Preston Lockwood]], [[Edward Burnham]], [[Donald Burton]], [[Peter Baldwin (actor)|Peter Baldwin]] |rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090669|title=Agatha Christie's Miss Marple: At Bertram's Hotel|date=25 January 1987|access-date=3 January 2017|via=IMDb}}</ref> |- |False identities, larceny, and a crime ring are only the tip of the tentacle when Miss Marple stays in a posh London hotel (modeled after [[Brown's Hotel]]) where nothing is what it seems. Murder naturally follows, leading to a thrilling chase after the culprit. |- |rowspan=2|8 |rowspan=2|"[[Nemesis (Christie novel)|Nemesis]]" |rowspan=2|8, 15 February 1987 |[[Margaret Tyzack]], [[John Horsley (actor)|John Horsley]], [[Anna Cropper]], [[Valerie Lush]], [[Helen Cherry]], [[Peter Tilbury]], [[Liz Fraser]], [[Bruce Payne]], [[Joanna Hole]], [[Jane Booker]], [[Frank Gatliff]], [[Peter Copley]], [[Roger Hammond (actor)|Roger Hammond]] | rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091618|title=Agatha Christie's Miss Marple: Nemesis|date=8 February 1987|access-date=3 January 2017|via=IMDb}}</ref> |- |Miss Marple is sent on a mission from beyond the grave to clear a dead man's son. Vowing to find out the truth, she links him to a dead girl, Verity Hunt, and a family of [[weird sisters]]. She discovers love, as well as hate, can be a reason for murder. |- |rowspan=2|9 |rowspan=2|"[[4.50 from Paddington]]" |rowspan=2|25 December 1987 |[[Maurice Denham]], [[Joanna David]], [[Jill Meager]], [[Andrew Burt]], [[Jean Boht]], [[John Hallam]], [[David Waller]] |rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092497|title=Agatha Christie's Miss Marple: 4:50 from Paddington|date=25 February 1987|access-date=3 January 2017|via=IMDb}}</ref> |- |Miss Marple's friend witnesses a murder in a railway carriage running parallel to her own, so Miss Marple engages a resourceful young woman to investigate. The search leads to a decrepit estate, where they suspect the body was dumped. But the seemingly innocent family who live there have secrets of their own. |- |rowspan=2|10 |rowspan=2|"[[A Caribbean Mystery]]" |rowspan=2|25 December 1989 |[[Donald Pleasence]], [[Sophie Ward]], [[Adrian Lukis]], [[T. P. McKenna]], [[Frank Middlemass]], [[Sue Lloyd]], [[Michael Feast]], [[Sheila Ruskin]], [[Joseph Mydell]] | rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097015|title=Agatha Christie's Miss Marple: A Caribbean Mystery|date=25 December 1989|access-date=3 January 2017|via=IMDb}}</ref> |- |While holidaying in [[Barbados]], Miss Marple hears a lot of stories by a dotty Major who tells tall tales of knowing a murderer. But when the Major turns up dead, the wild beauty of the island can't hide the trail of a manipulative and ruthless killer. |- |rowspan=2|11 |rowspan=2|"[[They Do It with Mirrors]]" |rowspan=2|29 December 1991 |[[Jean Simmons]], [[Joss Ackland]], [[Faith Brook]], [[Holly Aird]], [[Christopher Villiers]], [[Brenda Cowling]] | rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103078/|title=Agatha Christie's Miss Marple: They Do It with Mirrors|date=29 December 1991|access-date=3 January 2017|via=IMDb}}</ref> |- |At an estate turned [[Youth detention center|reformatory school]], Miss Marple visits her old school chum Carrie Louise. When Carrie Louise's dear stepson is killed, the discontent family is only the beginning as there are literally hundreds of suspects! |- |rowspan=2|12 |rowspan=2|"[[The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side]]" |rowspan=2|27 December 1992 |[[Claire Bloom]], [[Barry Newman]], [[Gwen Watford]], [[John Castle]], [[Elizabeth Garvie]], [[Judy Cornwell]], [[Glynis Barber]], [[Christopher Hancock]], [[Rose Keegan]], [[Amanda Elwes]], [[Christopher Good]], [[Margaret Courtenay (actress)|Margaret Courtenay]] | rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104882|title=Agatha Christie's Miss Marple: The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side|date=27 December 1992|access-date=3 January 2017|via=IMDb}}</ref> |- |Hollywood comes to St. Mary Mead when faded movie star Marina Gregg takes up residence for a local film shoot. But when she narrowly escapes an attempt on her life and a local woman dies instead, Miss Marple sorts the [[Gossip magazine|gossip-rag]] chatter from the facts to uncover a tragedy. |} ==Production== BBC producer Guy Slater cast [[Joan Hickson]] as Miss Marple. The series was filmed beginning in 1983 in areas including [[Norfolk]], [[Devon]], [[Oxfordshire]] and [[Barbados]]. The town of [[Nether Wallop]] in [[Hampshire]] doubled as Miss Marple's home village of St. Mary Mead. Slater was replaced by producer George Gallaccio starting with the fourth film. The closing credits refer to the films being "''A BBC-tv production in association with The [[Arts and Entertainment Network]], USA and The [[Seven Network]], Australia''". The first series consisted of four books adapted into ten episodes, each approximately 55-60 minutes in length and were broadcast between December 1984 and March 1985. The second series featured another four books, adapted as eight episodes, but the first two were combined into a 100-minute feature length episode shown on Christmas Day 1986, followed by the remaining six episodes at 50 minutes in length each in January and February 1987. The remaining four stories were broadcast as stand alone, 120 minute feature length episodes in the Christmas periods of 1988, 1989, 1991 and 1992. Eventually, with multiple repeats, all twelve stories were broadcast as both stand alone, feature length stories and broken into 50-55 minute single episodes. Hickson vowed not to do another film after 1989's "[[A Caribbean Mystery]]", but was persuaded to return for the final two films in 1991 and 1992. "A Caribbean Mystery" was shot on location at the Coral Reef Hotel in Barbados, where Christie had stayed in her visit to the country, and which had been the inspiration for the setting of the novel. Owners Budge and Cynthia O'Hara, who still owned the hotel 30 years later, were the inspirations for the characters in the novel and were able to share a treasure trove of Christie memorabilia with the cast.<ref name=Murder/> The evocative theme tune for the TV series was composed by [[Ken Howard (composer)|Ken Howard]] and Alan Blaikley. The series opening titles featured paintings by renowned illustrator Paul Birkbeck of seemingly pleasant village life, darkened by suspicious looking characters and the shot of a murder victim behind a cricket sight screen. Gossipy women were made to look like they were hiding secrets, whilst the vicar appeared to be hiding in the shadows. For the first four episodes, these paintings were black and white, but from "The Murder at the Vicarage" onwards, new colour drawings replaced these. The series closing credits featured a contemplative portrait of Hickson as Miss Marple in her trademark straw hat. Adaptations of the books ''[[A Caribbean Mystery]]'' (1964) and ''[[Nemesis (Agatha Christie novel)|Nemesis]]'' (1971) were filmed out of order. "Nemesis" was produced in February 1987 and "A Caribbean Mystery" in December 1989. The significance of this is the character Jason Rafiel, who is introduced in ''A Caribbean Mystery'' and in ''Nemesis'' has died and made a request of Miss Marple to solve a years-old mystery. Because the two episodes were filmed out of order, viewers of "Nemesis" are clueless as to what part Jason Rafiel played in Miss Marple's life until they watch "A Caribbean Mystery". Rafiel was portrayed by [[Frank Gatliff]] in "Nemesis", and by [[Donald Pleasence]] in "A Caribbean Mystery". The character of Inspector Craddock presents another inconsistency in the series. The character is clearly unknown to Miss Marple in "[[A Murder is Announced]]" but in his second appearance in "[[The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side]]", Craddock is Miss Marple's nephew. All of the episodes take place in the 1950s. "[[The Murder at the Vicarage]]" is set in 1954, according to a sign about money being raised for the church fund. This takes place after the events of "[[The Body in the Library]]", which Miss Marple relates briefly when describing how she first came across Inspector Slack. "[[Nemesis (Christie novel)|Nemesis]]" is set in 1955 or 1956 as it is said to be seven or eight years after the murder of the story which happened in 1948, according to the dates on the victim's gravestone. "[[A Caribbean Mystery]]" is set prior to this. "[[At Bertram's Hotel]]" is set relatively shortly after the launch of ITV (in September 1955), so probably in 1956 (though it also shows the [[London Hilton]] completed, which suggests the early 1960s), and "[[4.50 from Paddington]]" is set in 1957, during the launch of [[Sputnik]]. ==Reception== The first episode was enthusiastically received by critics. ''The Times'' said "once hooked, you won't be able to turn off", and ''The Sun'' said it was a series "with pulling power and real class". For episode two, "The Moving Finger", ''The Daily Telegraph'' stated "Once again Guy Slater's production is built around the brilliant performance of Joan Hickson, behind whose faded blue eyes and spinsterish sibilants, the wheels of detective intelligence can be seen positively whirring around. The enterprise is impeccably cast, beautifully ordered, lovingly photographed." Reviews for subsequent films were equally positive.<ref name=Murder/> Alan McKee, of the Museum of Broadcast Communications, reviews the series as "a good example of a 'heritage' production", popular in the 1980s. It combines new Victorianism in moral standards and a sanitised version of England's past. Mostly set in a rural past, English architecture and country mansion houses are featured. Like many BBC programmes, production values are impeccable and costumes, houses and decor, cars, hairstyles and make-up could all be described as "sumptuous".<ref name=MBC>{{cite web|url=http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/M/htmlM/missmarple/missmarple.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020215221213/http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/M/htmlM/missmarple/missmarple.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=15 February 2002 |title=Museum of Broadcast Communications |publisher=Museum.tv |access-date=2012-02-17 }}</ref> McKee also praises the series for "being as faithful as possible to the source material. Miss Marple does not chase the villains herself as [[Margaret Rutherford]] does in her film series, nor are the titles of the books altered to make them more sensational."<ref name=MBC/> As for Hickson personally, she is frequently described as the "definitive" Miss Marple as Christie would have pictured her, and Hickson personally credited in large part the bestowal of an [[Order of the British Empire|OBE]] award to the role, as [[Queen Elizabeth II]] was a fan of the series and Hickson's performance.<ref name=Murder/> ==Other countries== All 12 episodes were shown in the United States on the [[Public Broadcasting Service|PBS]] ''[[Mystery!]]'' series. ''Miss Marple'' was also seen in over 30 countries, including Spain, the former [[Soviet Union]] and China. ==Home media== ''Miss Marple'' was first released in DVD in the UK (Region 2) in 2000. A complete box set of all 12 stories was released in 2005 by [[2 Entertain Video]]. In [[North America]] (Region 1), episodes were first released in 2001. In summer 2009, the Sunday edition of the Greek newspaper ''[[Kathimerini]]'' was offering to its readers DVDs (one per week) of the series. In January 2010, the ''[[Daily Mail]]'' offered six DVDs (from [[2 Entertain Video]]) each with a complete episode from series. The episodes in the DVD giveaway offer were "[[The Murder at the Vicarage]]", "[[Sleeping Murder]]", "[[At Bertram's Hotel]]", "[[Nemesis (Agatha Christie novel)|Nemesis]]", "[[A Caribbean Mystery]]", and "[[They Do It with Mirrors]]". To mark the 30th anniversary of the series, BBC Home Entertainment fully remastered the series for release on DVD and, for the first time, on [[Blu-ray Disc]].<ref name=blu-ray/> The series was released in three volumes. ''Miss Marple: Volume One'', released on 28 October 2014, included the episodes "The Body in the Library", "A Murder Is Announced", "The Moving Finger," and "Murder at the Vicarage" and the first part of the three-part documentary special, "A Very British Murder, Part 1: A New Taste for Blood".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbcwpressroom.com/home-entertainment/products/miss-marple-volume-one/ |title=Miss Marple: Volume One |publisher=BBC Home Entertainment |access-date=15 August 2015}}</ref> ''Miss Marple: Volume Two'', released on 31 March 2015, included the episodes "They Do It with Mirrors", "The Mirror Crack’d from Side to Side", "4.50 from Paddington", and "A Pocketful of Rye" along with the bonus material "A Very British Murder, Part 2: Detection Most Ingenious".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbcwpressroom.com/home-entertainment/products/miss-marple-volume-two/ |title=Miss Marple: Volume Two |publisher=BBC Home Entertainment |access-date=15 August 2015}}</ref> ''Miss Marple: Volume Three,'' released on 9 June 2015, included the episodes "A Caribbean Mystery", "At Bertram’s Hotel", " Sleeping Murder", and "Nemesis" along with the bonus material "A Very British Murder, Part 3: The Golden Age".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbcwpressroom.com/home-entertainment/products/miss-marple-volume-three/ |title=Miss Marple: Volume Three |publisher=BBC Home Entertainment |access-date=15 August 2015}}</ref> == Épisodes == # (1) ''[[Un cadavre dans la bibliothèque (téléfilm, 1984)|Un cadavre dans la bibliothèque]]'' (''{{lang|en|The Body in the Library}}'') # (3) ''[[Un meurtre sera commis le... (téléfilm, 1985)|Un meurtre sera commis le...]]'' (''{{lang|en|A Murder Is Announced}}'') # (2) ''[[La Plume empoisonnée (téléfilm, 1985)|La Plume empoisonnée]]'' (''{{lang|en|The Moving Finger}}'') # (4) ''Une poignée de seigle'' (''{{lang|en|A Pocket full of Rye}}'') # (5) ''[[L'Affaire Protheroe (téléfilm, 1986)|L'Affaire Protheroe]]'' (''{{lang|en|The Murder at the Vicarage}}'') # (7) ''À l'hôtel Bertram'' (''{{lang|en|At Bertram Hotel}}'') # (9) ''[[Le Train de 16 h 50 (téléfilm, 1987)|Le Train de {{Heure|16|50}}]]'' (''{{lang|en|4.50 from Paddington}}'') # (10) ''[[L'Œil de verre]]'' (''{{lang|en|A Caribbean Mystery}}'') # (6) ''La Dernière Énigme'' (''{{lang|en|Sleeping Murder}}'') # (8) ''Némésis'' (''{{lang|en|Nemesis}}'') # (11) ''Le Manoir de l'illusion'' (''{{lang|en|They Do It with Mirrors}}'') # (12) ''[[Le miroir se brisa (téléfilm, 1992)|Le miroir se brisa]]'' (''{{lang|en|The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side}}'') ==References== {{Reflist|30em}} ==External links== *[http://www.screenonline.org.uk/tv/id/976602/index.html ''Miss Marple'' at the British Film Institute Screen Online] {{Miss Marple}} {{Authority control}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Miss Marple (Tv Series)}} [[Category:1984 British television series debuts]] [[Category:1992 British television series endings]] [[Category:BBC television dramas]] [[Category:Miss Marple]] [[Category:English-language television shows]] [[Category:1980s British drama television series]] [[Category:1990s British drama television series]] [[Category:Period television series]] [[Category:Television shows based on works by Agatha Christie]] [[Category:British crime drama television series]] [[Category:BBC mystery television shows]] [[Category:Television series set in the 1940s]] [[Category:Television series set in the 1950s]] [[Category:British detective television series]] [[Category:Television series by BBC Studios]]'