Why Didn't They Ask Evans?

O.k. I gotta fess up. I'm giving this mini-series 7 stars for having the smarts to hire and feature Lucy Boynton as its female lead. She is everything you want and infrequently get from a lead. The viewer falls for her. And once fallen the viewer cares and cares a great deal about her welfare. And the more peril her character - Lady Franky - is in, the more involved the viewer is. I might not have fully understood everything that's going on, but I fervently hoped that the series would keep Lady Franky safe.

A man is found dead at the bottom of a cliff. Another is found hanged in his home. What is the connection, if any, between these two apparent murders? There is, in fact, an answer. And along the way to that answer there are (a) other deaths (b) look-a-like-ladies (c) photos purloined and (d) hospitals for the mentally unfit.

All well and good. But the problem (for me) was this.

Huh? So much happens and happens so fast that I simply could not keep up. Worse still the climactic scene(s) happens in the dark, an ill-advised decision when the complex story would be hard enough to follow in broad daylight.

And, yes, I could have re-watched the 3-part series before writing this, I could have made notes and put the pieces together. I could have. But isn't that asking too much? Yes, I think so.

So then, I'm saying, See this series if only for the sake of actress Lucy Boynton. And stick around for the story. Maybe you'll be luckier, and more astute, than I.

Maybe you'll 'get it'.

Hugh Laurie has done a fabulous job deftly infusing humour into this script. The cinematography is delightful, with gorgeous costumes, lovely architecture and rugged scenery brought to life. A strong cadre of actors with the wonderful character of Frankie (Lucy Boynton) pulling all the strings, Boynton is in her element with this persona.

It is drawn out at some points, it would have benefited from shorter episodes, also some plot elements are overly contrived.

I have always loved Why Didn't They Ask Evans and I loved that this adaptation stuck more closely to the book. Yes, there were some changes but the heart was there.

Bobby and Frankie have held a place in my literary heart for years and they lived up to my expectations and hopes.

Is the mystery a bit confusing? Yes, it also was confusing in the book but it's a great ride, good fun and the characters, costumes and scenery make it a thoroughly enjoyable watch.

On a slightly related note, loved seeing the golf course and castle at Three Cliffs!!

A partially faithful adaptation of the book, although it rearranges certain lines of dialogue, and changes certain conversations up to include bits of the prose that weren't verbalized by the roles . The opening titles shows characters running through a maze , subsequently the vicar's (Alistair Petrie) son Bobby Jones (Will Poulter) and Dr. Alwyn Thomas play a round of golf, Bobby slices his ball over the edge of a cliff. His ball is lost, but on the rocks below he finds the crumpled body of a dying man. With his final breath the man opens his eyes and gasps, 'Why didn't they ask Evans?'. Becoming convinced the man's death may have been a murder , Bobby and his socialite friend Lady Frances "Frankie" Derwent (Lucy Boynton) set about solving the mystery.

This TV movie happens to be a murder mystery in three episodes dealing with dying man's enigmatic last words send vicar's son, Bobby Jones, and his socialite friend, Lady Frankie Derwent, on a crime-solving adventure . It is very well-made, actually looking authentic without being too heavy on scenarios including gorgeous photography , as well gowns and sets that are both sumptuous and brilliant . There are some enjoyable elements to this story, Lucy Boynton and Will Poulter drive the film , they literally are pretty good for the material and script they're given . The dialogue is faithful to Agatha Christie and helps to make the mystery interesting throughout, and the story, while paced slowly but adequately, is both suspenseful and intricate , if seemingly implausible on first viewing . This is a fine decision, as it fits better with the TV format than the novel's version of the scene would . As a result this adaptation is quite good, but there are some problems dragging it down. "Why Didn't They Ask Evans ?" is three hours long, and it really doesn't need to be . There are numerous scenes that could have easily been trimmed . There are a lot of scenes where the camera is just aimlessly surveying its surroundings, or characters are taking forever in walking/sneaking around . The acting in ¨Why Didn't They Ask Evans?¨ is all good , the actors are all British giving sympathetic interpretations , such as : Will Poulter, Lucy Boynton , Daniel Ings, Alistair Petrie , Jonathan Jules , Nicholas Asbury , Richard Dixon and director Hugh Laurie himself , among others .

This nice adaptation with some mistakes was professionally written and directed by Hugh Laurie. This notable actor , producer and director is known for playing : House series (2004), Catch-22 (2019) , Tomorrowland (2015) , The Flight of the Phoenix (2004) , Stuart Little (1999) . And he has written produced or directed various films or television movies , such as : Chance ,The Night Manager , Live On The Queen Mary , The Laughing Prisoner , The Crystal Cube and various episodes of House.

There're other versions about this story : ¨Why Didn't They Ask Evans? (1980) with Francesca Annis , John Gielgud , Bernard Miles , Eric Porter , Leigh Lawson. And Why Didn't They Ask Evans? (2009), which was episode 4 of Season 4 of Marple directed by Nicholas Renton with Julia McKenzie , Samantha Bond , Richard Briers , Rik Mayall , Rafe Spall , Natalie Dormer , Warren Clarke , Mark Williams .

I read the book prior to the release of this, and I have to say it isn't a favourite of mine, nor was the awful Marple adaptation some years ago.

Laurie has managed to make the story into a really enjoyable, watchable whodunnit. The acting was great, I thought most of the characters came to life.

The best element, the visuals, it looks incredible, great fashions and cars, plus some sublime location work, surely one of the most picturesque places in The UK.

Nowadays, it's advisable to approach Agatha Christie adaptations with a degree of caution, you have no idea whether you'll find Poirot taming lions, or Jane Marple making ice sculptures, but credit where it's due, it's a faithful adaptation, without any massive changes.

If I'm honest, I thought it dipped a little in the middle, but overall it was very watchable.

Let's hope we get more quality adaptations soon, this was very good, 8/10.