Hercule Poirot is approached by Mrs Todd (played by Brigit Forsyth) who asks him to find her cook, Eliza Dunn (played by Freda Dowie). Initially, Poirot refuses saying that it isn't what he specialises in. However, he reluctantly agrees to take on her case after she tells him straight that "a good cook's a good cook" and just as important as "stolen secrets and countesses' jewels". Poirot and Captain Hastings (played by Hugh Fraser) go to Mrs Todd's home in Clapham, London, where the detective questions the maid, Annie (played by Katy Murphy), who tells him that Eliza Dunn had sent for her belongings even though she had stated no intention of leaving. Mr Todd doesn't think that any crime has been committed whilst the lodger, a young bank clerk called Arthur Simpson (played by Dermot Crowley), appears to be unaware of her disappearance. When Mr and Mrs Todd dismiss him from the case with a cheque for a paltry one guinea, Poirot is offended and vows to continue with the investigation. It soon becomes apparent that Eliza Dunn's disappearance is connected to Chief Inspector Japp's (played by Philip Jackson) case involving an absconding bank clerk called Davies and the theft of £90,000 in negotiable securities from the bank where he had worked. Poirot finally succeeds in tracing Miss Dunn through an advertisement in the newspapers to Keswick, near Carlisle in the North Country. He and Captain Hastings learn that she had been deliberately gotten out of the way by a deception. She had been approached by a mysterious Australian man called Mr Crotchet who, claiming to be a lawyer, told her that she had come into a legacy of £150 and a house. But, in order for her to be able to claim it, she had to leave her job and London immediately. Returning to London, Poirot once again calls upon Annie, the maid, for help and discovers the reason for the deception enabling Japp to apprehend a murderer and recover the stolen £90,000 worth of negotiable securities...
David Suchet made his debut as Agatha Christie's eccentric but extremely intelligent Belgian detective in this marvellous TV adaptation from a short story of the same name. Here, he establishes himself as the definitive Poirot accurately capturing all of the character's traits, nuances and eccentricities and he is a joy to watch. At the start Captain Hastings is unsuccessfully trying to get him interested in some of the cases being covered in the press. This is because he is too pre-occupied with attending to his wardrobe and trimming his moustache. His embarrassment at accepting Mrs Todd's case is also hilarious, especially when she tells him to his face what she thinks of it all and he has no option but to take it on. Yet, behind his brave face he is still embarrassed and begs Hastings not to tell Japp that he has taken on what he believes to be a trivial matter. However, when the case is concluded and it turned out to be more involved than he first thought, he frames the one guinea cheque from Mr and Mrs Todd and hangs it on the wall above his desk as a reminder "Never to despise the trivial, the undignified. A disappearing domestic at one end. A cold blooded murder at the other". Performances are excellent throughout: Brigit Forsyth excels as Mrs Todd as does Dermot Crowley as the seemingly mild-mannered bank clerk. Katy Murphy has a great part as Annie, the parlour maid, who provides Poirot with a vital clue in solving the mystery. Hugh Fraser, Philip Jackson and Pauline Moran are good in the roles in which they would regularly support Suchet in the series that followed this pilot episode. They provided the vital chemistry between Poirot and his friends and associates that was one of the joys of watching the show. Another strength of the series was the excellent production values - costumes, settings, attention to period detail - and the first rate dramatization, which are much in evidence here. The skilled direction is by Edward Bennett.
David Suchet made his debut as Agatha Christie's eccentric but extremely intelligent Belgian detective in this marvellous TV adaptation from a short story of the same name. Here, he establishes himself as the definitive Poirot accurately capturing all of the character's traits, nuances and eccentricities and he is a joy to watch. At the start Captain Hastings is unsuccessfully trying to get him interested in some of the cases being covered in the press. This is because he is too pre-occupied with attending to his wardrobe and trimming his moustache. His embarrassment at accepting Mrs Todd's case is also hilarious, especially when she tells him to his face what she thinks of it all and he has no option but to take it on. Yet, behind his brave face he is still embarrassed and begs Hastings not to tell Japp that he has taken on what he believes to be a trivial matter. However, when the case is concluded and it turned out to be more involved than he first thought, he frames the one guinea cheque from Mr and Mrs Todd and hangs it on the wall above his desk as a reminder "Never to despise the trivial, the undignified. A disappearing domestic at one end. A cold blooded murder at the other". Performances are excellent throughout: Brigit Forsyth excels as Mrs Todd as does Dermot Crowley as the seemingly mild-mannered bank clerk. Katy Murphy has a great part as Annie, the parlour maid, who provides Poirot with a vital clue in solving the mystery. Hugh Fraser, Philip Jackson and Pauline Moran are good in the roles in which they would regularly support Suchet in the series that followed this pilot episode. They provided the vital chemistry between Poirot and his friends and associates that was one of the joys of watching the show. Another strength of the series was the excellent production values - costumes, settings, attention to period detail - and the first rate dramatization, which are much in evidence here. The skilled direction is by Edward Bennett.