Jane Marple is shocked and saddened to learn that her friend, Jason Rafiel has died. She's even more perplexed when he's arranged for her to go on a coach tour, her aim is to unearth a mystery, unfortunately there are no clues.
Up there with Christie's best books, and certainly one of her darkest, but as adaptations go, nothing beats this, for me this is still the best dramatisation of a Christie novel. It's a fabulous first episode.
Watching this mystery unravel is a joy, Miss Marple is digging in the dark, she hasn't a clue what she's hunting, but the pieces start to fall into place.
Some glorious scenes, that moment where Miss Marple and Elizabeth Temple sit discussing Verity, it's just fabulous, and that view is sublime.
Stunning locations throughout this first part, some glorious buildings, could anything be more English?
Wonderful production values, great costumes and sets, and that coach is amazing.
Schuster and Broadrib are hilarious characters, the look on both their faces as Miss Marple rambles on about partridges and marron glacé priceless, they are such superior beings .
They didn't hold back with casting for this one, Helen Cherry is captivating as Elizabeth Temple, and John Horsley is great as The Professor. Even the extras seem to matter somehow.
The trio of Tyzack, Cropper and Lush are terrific, I'll discuss them in more detail in the next episode.
This episode made me get a Minton Haddon Hall cup and saucer, if it's good enough for Jane Marple. ...
I don't think it gets much better than this.
10/10.
Up there with Christie's best books, and certainly one of her darkest, but as adaptations go, nothing beats this, for me this is still the best dramatisation of a Christie novel. It's a fabulous first episode.
Watching this mystery unravel is a joy, Miss Marple is digging in the dark, she hasn't a clue what she's hunting, but the pieces start to fall into place.
Some glorious scenes, that moment where Miss Marple and Elizabeth Temple sit discussing Verity, it's just fabulous, and that view is sublime.
Stunning locations throughout this first part, some glorious buildings, could anything be more English?
Wonderful production values, great costumes and sets, and that coach is amazing.
Schuster and Broadrib are hilarious characters, the look on both their faces as Miss Marple rambles on about partridges and marron glacé priceless, they are such superior beings .
They didn't hold back with casting for this one, Helen Cherry is captivating as Elizabeth Temple, and John Horsley is great as The Professor. Even the extras seem to matter somehow.
The trio of Tyzack, Cropper and Lush are terrific, I'll discuss them in more detail in the next episode.
This episode made me get a Minton Haddon Hall cup and saucer, if it's good enough for Jane Marple. ...
I don't think it gets much better than this.
10/10.