7 Agatha Christie Adaptations that CHANGED THE MURDERER

[@ececaglakahya8274]

Welcome back Miles... I missed your videos...

[@DaleRibbons]

Les Petits Muertes d'Agatha Christie, a French TV series that began in 2009, loosely adapted from many of her works. They made MANY changes, including the killer at least once.

[@philipmonihan8222]

Their ABC Murders.

[@kugelweg]

YAY, you're back! I was afraid we'd broken you. I'm glad all is well with you. This video is great. I'm excited to see more.

[@user-hv7kp9vo8f]

So glad you’re back…

[@Natilra]

Great to see a new video, Miles! and this video in particular Hope the play went well

[@gersonribeiro374]

About time, I've waiting forever for a new video!!!!!!!!

[@brianbommarito3376]

The “Appointment with Death” adaptation for the Poirot TV series. Love to hear you talk about that one, since we ended on that as a subject.

[@suzie_lovescats]

The Suchet version is my favourite ❤️

[@tinamisuu_2390]

Had a long day and couldn't believe my luck when I saw you posted! Had been going back to your channel a few times already to check if I had missed a new video. I only recently discovered your channel and it got me into watching the David Suchet series (after finishing all of your videos)! I loved it and now my mom and I have another TV show to talk about (she's been a long time fan). Thank you so much! So glad you are back as well! But don't worry if you don't have the time or don't feel like posting a lot. We will be gladly here waiting for you ^^

[@bree7913]

Glad your back hope the play went well. I loathed the secret of chimneys adoption I saw it in the 90s and it still makes me go on a rant to this day😂

[@MysteryMiles]

Thank you, the play went great!

[@Phantomex6303]

YEAAAHHHHHH HE‘S BACK!!!! 🎉🥳❤

[@BillPeschel]

Great video, Miles. Beautifully edited and thought-provoking opinions.

[@kellieheald]

Great subject, looking forward to this👍

[@GhostLlama9000]

Welcome back, and in top form! Always nice to see video game adaptations treated on par with other formats.

[@AmyC531]

Welcome back! Great video!

[@stevenstanley3157]

As soon as you started talking about the book, I ordered a copy! Can't wait to read it!!

[@penguinnj173yahoo6]

So happy to see you back. I had that computer game- it was great because it came with a copy of the book. Brings back a lot of memories...

[@tanyawolfson9107]

Wonderful video! Welcome back. I missed this.

[@gregdeandrea1450]

And when the world needed him most, he returned!

[@philipmonihan8222]

Loving the new intro, Miles. Hope your Unexpected Guest went well. PS, I bought that book on your recommendation.

[@Kay-kg6ny]

SWEET a new upload! Love this channel

[@helenedussaussois4879]

Welcome back!!!🎉 i've missed you!

[@GreenBitterfly]

Yay! So glad you're back, have really missed watching your videos whilst I eat my lunch.

[@jenm3056]

Yay! Welcome back Miles!! Delicious as always--thank you. 🔦🔍📝 I actually enjoy the 2018 Ordeal by Innocence. Sara Phelps contributes an interesting, dark layer of the English social landscape at that time. Especially for women with few options and children born in tough situations, i.e., rich elite "taking them in" is accepted as fully noble and good, when in reality, women/children were property and used in myriad ways. Elements that Agatha highlighted in that book and others, i.e., Appointment with Death. I see these adaptions as an expansion of what Agatha introduced in her era and brilliantly calculated as compelling for audiences and for a diversity of murder puzzles albeit lucrative (people's appetite for whodunit as entertainment and traversing different realities but not hardcore social critique). Taste and relationships with entertainment are so dynamic, and writers--even adaptors--are responding to society. The Christie estate no doubt has a set formula for sustaining the feel that we all love, while gently nudging different writers to be both relevant and consumable, so the grand dame's works don't become outdated relics.

[@AnnieWilson-n7x]

Yeah, you’re back

[@charlottephillips6858]

Good to see you back Miles! I was really pleasantly surprised to see you cover the And Then There Were None game - i played it years ago soon after reading the original book. The game is a really involved click and point puzzle adventure which I really enjoyed, and I think whilst the change of murderer didn't make as much sense as the original, it was a fun change that I think was more engaging for those of us who had read the book. It is definitely not the best way to experience the story for the first time though 😅 The same developer made an Evil Under the Sun game which followed the same click and point format which I also really enjoyed! I seem to remember it being pretty faithful to the book too 😊

[@jamesporter2542]

In the Suchet Version of Appointment With Death, the solution was also changed. The original murderer had an accomplice and the motive changed

[@miriamportugal4703]

Thank you for the video and for the book recommendation! ❤

[@HayDayArcadia]

10:50-11:00 😂😂😂😂 Actually "Appointment with Death" with David Suchet is also completely different from the book. They added a subplot that is not in the book at all. Changed the relationship between the characters... changed the motive, and don't remember exactly but there was something with the murderer as well...

[@kugelweg]

MIles covered this in a review about Appointment with Death, I believe.

[@ravivenkitaraman7011]

Welcome back. Great video.

[@salemslotandmore8278]

Thank You for the Video 😀

[@sciagurrato1831]

Another brilliant analysis from Miles Ledoux - the top commentator anywhere.

[@nikytamartell2473]

Great video and thanks for the book recommendation.

[@RealLordFuture]

Welcome back!

[@r.j.powers381]

Nemesis is one of my favourite Agatha Christie novels. It has a clever story where Miss Marple is sent on a mission without any clues as to what she is to investigate. Very intriguing. This was made into a fine adaptation with the great Joan Hickson as Marple. Then there was a strange version with Ms Mckewen (sp) as Marple where the killer was changed. I was dumbfounded. Have a look. It was the one and only time I watched the then new Miss Marple series with M(sp). Very disappointing in every way. I'll stick to Joan.

[@tacitus7797]

Practically everything was changed with the new Marple version - its not even really the same story.

[@lukacunningham342]

12:46: You can *HEAR* his anger when he says the name

[@philipmonihan8222]

I actually don't mind Alphabet Murders (it's not Suchet but it's cute as a pastiche) but, yeah, it makes no sense having the "pseudo murder" be in it with the real killer.

[@firdania1581]

Finally! New video!

[@vintage1994]

Agree with everyone else - we've missed your videos! If you take requests I'd love to see your take on The Clocks or Three Act Tragedy in the future!

[@MysteryMiles]

One of those is coming soon. :)

[@Unownshipper]

Great to see a new video from you, Miles. The thing about The Body in the Library is that you know it pretty much comes down to two people and the Hickson version wasn't made *that* long before the Geraldine McEwan one. With both suspects equally as suspicious, I think it was a case of trying to give audiences a surprise with a new spin on things by making the well-bred, upperclass devoted mother... (gasp) GAY?! 🧐😲 It was 2004. Gay representation was a big thing in media. I'd like to also point out this was just 2 years before Cards on the Table and 1 year after Five Little Pigs. I think these were all done with the best of intentions, but some of these showrunners (all of whom were working independently of each other) just didn't think of the ramifications of The Gay Murderer Trope.

[@otsoko66]

the 'killer lesbian' trope was pretty hot at that moment -- and seriously if the only representation we get is as murderers and evil-doers who get their punishment in the end (I see you White Lotus), then I really don't think we can attribute any good intentions to the showrunners/writers.

[@Unownshipper]

@@otsoko66 Yeah, that's the thing about the road to hell: it's paved with good intentions.

[@tacitus7797]

> just didn't think of the ramifications of The Gay Murderer Trope. Of course it was a couple of lesbians because it was written and directed by men. As I posted on another comment before a saw yours - I found the ending really distasteful because of the excessive music and drama and knowing that the mother was probably going to be hung. Its implied with the final scene that its happily ever after because her child is being looked after by the uncle. The murderer switch was as interesting twist - but the way it was handled was just bad.

[@Unownshipper]

@@tacitus7797 The only criticism I'm going to make regarding your assessment is that I don't like the "Of course it was a couple of lesbians because it was written and directed by men" retort. Even as hyperbole, that's a self-defeating, regressive point to argue. Five Little Pigs was written and directed by Kevin Elyot and Paul Unwin, respectively. Not only is it one of the finest episodes of the series, it features sensitive portrayals of queer characters (a lesbian, a gay, and a bisexual (pansexual?) couple), so let's not fall into the trap of resorting to sexist assumptions of gender-based artistic capabilities.

[@DavidMacDowellBlue]

Thank you so much! So much fun!

[@seto749]

I remember the first time seeing The Body in the Library and picking up at the time the little changes that pushed the solution in the other direction. It feels as if the change tied in with their having given Miss Marple a wartime involvement with a married man. I never forgave The Secret of Chimneys for shoehorning in The Herb of Death. What I liked most about Dame Agatha's adaptation of Appointment with Death was how it cleaned up what had always seemed to me as the novel's weak spot; Poirot's realization of how extraordinarily impressionable Miss Pierce was came a little too far from nowhere for the pivotal point, though the point in itself was nice. And I did like how Miss P (Pryce in the play) had the key to the solution in a completely different mistake. And didn't Joan Hickson play Miss Pryce on stage?

[@Teekay93_]

Having played the Agatha Christie video game of And then there were none, I wouldn’t really recommend it. The changes in the story negate the overall essence and some riddles don’t work that well. While the Adventure games for Murder on the orient express did some changes too (a new female sidekick for Poirot), it was imo the better game.

[@seemomster]

I really enjoyed the new ending to the 2018 "Ordeal by Innocence" more than the original. The ending in the novel struct me as something that Christie had used before. And, changing the "missing witness" to a mental patient rather than an Antarctic Research Scientist was not such a reach.

[@MaryanaMaskar]

Yaaaay! 🎉🎉

[@reneevolak5266]

Hurray! Miles is back.

[@ace-of-teacups]

I don't think I've ever been this early o_o

[@shanigribben9158]

I'd love for you to do Death on The Nile next, or if you want to do one that isn't Poirot or Marple, I'm extremely fond of the Billy Wilder directed version of Witness for the Prosecution.

[@MysteryMiles]

It'll probably be a while before Death on the Nile, but I want to do either WftP or Spider's Web this year.

[@shanigribben9158]

@@MysteryMiles I’d also love a video on which directors you think should take on Agatha Christie next . I know that Towards Zero is getting a BBC adaptation and Seven Dials is getting adapted by Netflix soon but I would actually love to see Greta Gerwig take on Christie

[@MysteryMiles]

@@shanigribben9158 Omg that is awesome news! I'll check out Greta Gerwig.

[@shanigribben9158]

@@MysteryMiles she would probably do best with one of the stand alone novels

[@shanigribben9158]

@@MysteryMiles She directed Little Women, so she's good with cozy, family stuff. Also David Suchet is doing a 5 part documentary, recreating an Agatha Christie expedition

[@Sebastian-lw5qb]

The Suchet version of Death in the Clouds changed the murderer as well or at least give him an accomplice that he didn't have in the book-

[@vulpes82]

Welcome back, Miles! Hope the play was a rousing success. I actually like the "Body in the Library" change, but it's always such a tricky thing in putting a queer slant on these types of things because you can end up just rehashing very old "the gays are twisted, so they're also murderers!" stereotypes/tropes. That "Appointment with Death" adaptation Christie made... genius! And so in-character. Wish we'd gotten that instead of... whatever the Suchet version was.

[@suzie_lovescats]

The Suchet version was genius.

[@ChildOfTheFlower]

I had thought about The Pale Horse perhaps being on this list. Despite the 2019 stating the killer was Osborne, that story was irrelevant as the real focus was on Esterbrooke being revealed to have killed his first wife and the series making you believe he was on to something regarding her death as a means to redeem himself for sleeping with Thomasina. Followed by that confusing ending which also introduces magic into the world of Christie.

[@MysteryMiles]

I actually haven't seen the new Pale Horse yet, so I didn't read this comment past "2019". I'm planning to watch it soon, though, I promise!

[@d-phil8585]

And here I thought I knew a lot about AC. Now I'm intrigued to see and adaptation of the original ending to "Appointment with Death". (Just keep Kenneth Branagh away from it LOL) I think that ending makes Mrs. Boynton the most evil villain in an AC book, even if it is a suicide.

[@grannyweatherwax8005]

I guess I've given many screenwriters the benefit of the doubt but, in general, I figured endings were changed to give the viewer something different to surprise them. As in "oh, you are familiar with the book and thought you knew where this was going? Well you were wrong!" Being overly familiar with the plot is why I was not interested in the new version of Orient Express. I don't need to see a note for note remake of something I've already seen multiple versions of. When done well (that's the key), I enjoy when a mystery switches things up.

[@DarbyKern]

Agatha Christie changed the killer in several of her adaptations for the theater. Ten Little Indians ended VERY Differently!

[@Sebastian-lw5qb]

But nonetheless with the same killer.

[@sarahy1680]

I personally loathe the Ordeal by Innocence changes. It ruins the narrative point of the novel -- Arthur's good intentioned offering of Jacko's posthumous alibi rips the family's fragile peace apart and for what? It gets Philip killed and Tina stabbed. (I suppose the reveal of Kirsten as the actual killer is a good thing.😃) And the dark humor of Jacko carefully plotting everything out and then being convicted anyway is totally lost. The adaptation is just a run-of-the-mill melodrama. Christie's own stage adaptation of And Then There Were None changes the ending -- Lombard and Vera are actually innocent and survive.

[@bovnycccoperalover3579]

I am cynical. I think they changed the murderer in "The Body In the Library" for shock value. I will stick with the earlier Joan Hickson version. Hated the changes they made to "Cards on the Table". The main murderer was the same but there they switched the attempted murderer in the subplot. Totally agree that only Agatha Christie should be allowed to make changes to her own works.

[@tacitus7797]

I also really did not like that version of "Body in the Library" - really, playing "Zadoc the Priest" while the culprits are being arrested and calling out to each other - and trying to say its all okay in the end because the uncle is taking care of his nephew ... and gee I was thinking to yourself the mother is going to be hung. I think the writers were trying to differentiate themselves from the Joan Hickson version with an added dash of edgy Lesbianism. Maybe I am just being old fashioned - but it was really distasteful.

[@banannakis6723]

I think I would have liked that new ending to Appointment With Death a lot better than the original ending. It's a good book, but not one of my favorites and it fits with the character and the story of the book.

[@brianbommarito3376]

I have played the “And Then There Were None” video game from 2005. It is a mixed bag. For a number of years I couldn’t get past the point right after Rogers is killed because I was supposed to do a puzzle as Narracott involving building a parachute device to make an attempt to escape the island. (I was too proud to look-up a guide to explain to me how to get the last item needed. It required me to go past a secret door in a hidden vault where a three word puzzle is almost impossible to solve and the only clue is not discernible, and frankly they cheated because they moved one letter of the third word into the second word for reasons of symmetry. I can’t say I didn’t enjoy the game, because that would be a lie, but at times it was frustrating. Some items you can pick up have no puzzle or clue to connect it with, thus making it just an item to carry around. Best features: environment and soundtrack. Worst features: required puzzles and character design and the “new” killer’s story. The only redeeming factor is that after the game’s epilogue you can return to the house and do one final, relatively simple puzzle, and once solved you can watch a pretty good retelling of the story’s Real end.

[@margaretalbrecht4650]

I luckily haven't seen some of those, but the ones that I have (the Marples) were awful. There's a reason why I prefer the Joan Hickson series.

[@uma.n2680]

The David Suchet's appointment with death also changed the murderer, and motives. That one is probably the worst adaptation from the series.

[@brianbommarito3376]

In my opinion, the change of the original ending of “Ordeal by Innocence” in the 2018 version worked great. This is the only case I can recall where the screenwriter actually improved on Christie’s original work by using this under-handed and disrespectful method. But it’s not really because Sarah Phelps is a brilliant writer, it is because “Ordeal by Innocence” has never been a favorite of mine when it comes to Agatha Christie. I know it was one of Christie’s personal favorites, but I think it’s probably the strongest of her weakest books. I only reread the book or rewatch the film versions (including 2018) when I’m willing to torture myself. It’s never a pleasant experience for me.

[@chriswald7700]

Yes, Miles is back!!! Finally!!! 😀 I hate it if they change the murderer or the motivation. When it comes to Christie I am puristic - as little changes as possible. As for the murderer switch in "The Body in the Library": I think they thought it was "modern" or "progressive" if make the queer. However, the strength of Christie is that the atmosphere of her work is old-fashioned but classy. Unfortunately this Sarah Phelps person thinks she must give all her Christie adaptations her own spin which makes me expect just another atrocity when a new Christie mini series with a Phelps screenplay is announced. Alas it all started so promising with her adaptation of "And Then There Where None".