My Lady Jane star Edward Bluemel will star in a new drama series based on Agatha Christie’s beloved detective Hercule Poirot for the BBC.
The six-part series Hercule is described as “an intimate study of Hercule the man and an epic portrait of Britain between the wars”.
The series will “take a magnifying glass to three of Christie’s most celebrated stories while also charting Hercule’s burgeoning friendship with Captain Arthur Hastings, his early encounters with Scotland Yard’s James Japp and introducing him to one particular nemesis…”
The ITV series Poirot, starring David Suchet in the title role, was a staple of British television for more than two decades, running from 1989 to 2013.
British actor Bluemel, who has also appeared in A Discovery of Witches and Killing Eve, said: “I feel very lucky to have been trusted with such an iconic character who has been played by so many great actors. I can’t wait to continue Hercule’s legacy.”
Christie’s great-grandson, James Prichard, executive producer for Agatha Christie Limited, said: “My father had the privilege of working with David Suchet for nearly 25 years and I now have the good fortune of being able to share my great-grandmother’s brilliant stories with a new generation of viewers.
“Edward Bluemel is an extremely talented performer and will make a great addition to the long line of actors that have played this celebrated character, aided and abetted by Benji Walters’ thoughtful scripts. I cannot wait to see Edward on screen as Hercule Poirot.”
The series will be made by Mammoth Screen, the production company behind a string of previous Christie adaptations.
It is written by Code Of Silence writer Benji Walters, with Am I Being Unreasonable’s Jonny Campbell directing the first two episodes. Charlie Palmer is a series producer.
Filming will begin this summer, primarily in Liverpool.
Hercule will premiere on BBC iPlayer and BBC One in the UK, and on BritBox in North America.
Rebecca Durbin and Damien Timmer, executive producers for Mammoth Screen, said: “Edward Bluemel and Benji Walters are both extraordinary talents, and it is a joy to see them take on this beloved character and make him their own.
“Hercule is both a love letter to Agatha Christie and a fascinating new perspective on an iconic figure – we hope viewers will find it as arresting as we do!”
