Murder Is Easy

Putting a new spin on an old story is nothing new, and occasionally produces real gems, so ignore the people who were always going to hate anything that places brown faces in roles they grew up seeing white ones on TV. Despite the racism of the past, there were a good number of notably successful black and Asian people in Britain and the US (going back a couple of hundred years) - they just weren't in the films and TV shows the people complaining watched as children, and they weren't taught about in schools.

All that said, there are many more legitimate reasons to swerve this adaptation. It just lacked any real sense of jeopardy or tension. The pacing was off. Many of the characters came across as caricatures. There were too many ideas and unfinished / unexplored red herrings and other dramatic devices. All in all, it just felt like it was executed by people who don't love or understand the genre. Worth dozing on the sofa to one Sunday afternoon, but not much more than that, I'm afraid.

Whilst travelling to London on a train, Luke William encounters pensioner Lavinia Pinkerton, who explains that a killer is at large in her village of Wychwood, only the locals believe the deaths are all accidents, if nobody thinks it's murder, murder is Easy.

After the likes of And then there were none, ABC Murders and Witness for The Prosecution, Christie at Christmas is back.

Well publicised, I'd been looking forward to it, I don't think it's a brilliant adaptation, but it's a good one, it's a great story, one of my favourite Agatha Christie page turners, definitely one of these more bloodthirsty texts, there are plenty of murders.

The main talking point seems to be the casting of David Jonsson, several people seemed to be upset by the change, for me, he was the best thing about this production, he's excellent throughout.

Sinead Matthews, Tom Riley, Douglas Henshall, lots of talent to enjoy.

Very nicely produced, it looks great, those scenes of London looked amazing, some wonderful costumes.

Dear BBC, can we please have more next Christmas?

7/10.

This quite village murder mystery was pitched just right. Is there a serial killer in their midst or is it just a bizarre series of accidents? Sometimes it takes an outsider to see through to the truth. The outsider being David Jonsson who is solid as the Nigerian finding his way in post war britain. What connects these victims and who has a motive for their murder. All these are answered but not before the body count is increased. This is a period Mid Sommer style of mystery. I have not read the book, but was certainly entertained by the two part drama. A solid seven. See for yourself on iPlayer before dismissing.

Agatha Christie wrote many dozens of murder mysteries, some famously ingenious; but either 'Murder is Easy' was a dud, or this adapatation is badly screwed up. People start dying in a small English village, but everyone still alive is remarkably unperturbed and several seem not to care if they're suspected to be the killer. Eventually, the real culprit is unearthed, and explains exactly how they've done it, although our amateur detective hero has identified the villain without in fact piecing any of it together for themselves. I've seen Christie adaptations that were fun, preposterous, or anachronistic; but none as anemic as this.

Firstly I'm a big fan of the whodunit period drama. From Miss Marple to Poirot etc. When I saw this advertised on the BBC over the Christmas period I was hoping for a good watch.

This starts off intriguing with Miss Pinkerton boarding a train, making her way to Scotland Yard. On the train, she meets Luke Fitzwilliam, whom she tells her tale of a murderer in her village. Fitzwilliam, an investigator himself, who is frustrated at a delay in starting his new job and so goes to Miss Pinkerton's village to investigate her claims.

To be honest, I found this one a bit boring. The way it played out and was acted it almost felt like a parody of Agatha Christie rather than a serious drama.

Although David Jonsson carried the lead well enough it didn't really suit the story to have Fitzwilliam's character changed to Nigerian. It made it difficult to believe the setting where the story takes place and that it was 1950s Britain.

I would recommend spending two hours doing something better than watching this. There are much better adaptations of Agatha Christie's work than this and time would be better spent watching them. Sadly yet again another Christmas and another sub par BBC adaptation.