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Poirot
S1.E4
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Four and Twenty Blackbirds

  • Episode aired Jan 29, 1989
  • TV-14
  • 50m
IMDb RATING
7.2/10
2.1K
YOUR RATING
Cheryl Hall, Denys Hawthorne, and David Suchet in Poirot (1989)
Agatha Christie's Poirot: Four And Twenty Blackbirds
Play trailer1:47
1 Video
58 Photos
CrimeDramaMysteryThriller

When a reclusive painter is found dead, Poirot finds the vital clue in the dead man's last meal.When a reclusive painter is found dead, Poirot finds the vital clue in the dead man's last meal.When a reclusive painter is found dead, Poirot finds the vital clue in the dead man's last meal.

  • Director
    • Renny Rye
  • Writers
    • Russell Murray
    • Agatha Christie
  • Stars
    • David Suchet
    • Hugh Fraser
    • Philip Jackson
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.2/10
    2.1K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Renny Rye
    • Writers
      • Russell Murray
      • Agatha Christie
    • Stars
      • David Suchet
      • Hugh Fraser
      • Philip Jackson
    • 22User reviews
    • 1Critic review
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

    Agatha Christie's Poirot: Four And Twenty Blackbirds
    Trailer 1:47
    Agatha Christie's Poirot: Four And Twenty Blackbirds

    Photos57

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    Top cast22

    Edit
    David Suchet
    David Suchet
    • Hercule Poirot
    Hugh Fraser
    Hugh Fraser
    • Captain Hastings
    Philip Jackson
    Philip Jackson
    • Chief Inspector Japp
    Pauline Moran
    Pauline Moran
    • Miss Lemon
    Richard Howard
    • George Lorrimer
    Tony Aitken
    Tony Aitken
    • Tommy Pinner
    Charles Pemberton
    • Stooge
    Geoffrey Larder
    • Harry Clarke
    Denys Hawthorne
    • Bonnington
    Holly de Jong
    • Dulcie Lang
    • (as Holly De Jong)
    Clifford Rose
    Clifford Rose
    • Makinson
    Philip Locke
    Philip Locke
    • Cutter
    Hilary Mason
    Hilary Mason
    • Mrs. Hill
    Cheryl Hall
    Cheryl Hall
    • Molly
    Marjie Lawrence
    Marjie Lawrence
    • Irene Mullen
    Su Elliot
    • Edith
    • (as Su Elliott)
    John Bardon
    John Bardon
    • Lavatory Attendant
    Peter Waddington
    Peter Waddington
    • Forensic
    • Director
      • Renny Rye
    • Writers
      • Russell Murray
      • Agatha Christie
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews22

    7.22K
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    Featured reviews

    9Sleepin_Dragon

    Very enjoyable early episode.

    Poirot attends a meal with his dentist Bonnington. Waitress Molly casually talks about people being creatures of habit, she tells Poirot about fellow diner, Henry Gascoine, an artist and man of habit, broke his long standing routine recently, arriving on a different day, and eating different food. Poirot is instantly intrigued by Henry's deviation, more so when he learns that night poor Henry tumbled down the stairs to his death. Poirot attempts to learn more about Henry, talking to his neighbours and model, Poirot learns that Henry's estranged brother Anthony has also recently died. The little grey cells spring into action as Poirot smells a rat.

    Brilliantly acted, I especially loved Holly De Jong's performance as Dulcie Lang, I will forever be a fan of Holly's after her brilliant performance a few years previous in Blackadder II.

    As a fan of all things art deco i find this episode in particular a treat, some of the art work on show is just fabulous.

    The music hall scenes look so good, a fun era expertly recreated. Some of the costumes too are rather wonderful. The seaside scenes also look so nice, meticulous.

    I've always considered this one of the best of the early Poirot episodes. it's a super smart episode, it's a very clever plot, I've always liked the art of misdirection and the use of doubles. Short on suspects, but that seems not to matter.
    xava-lynn

    very simplistic

    For some reason when I was younger, I ignored Agatha Christie stories. In the past few years, I've discovered them from borrowing audio books from the library and greatly enjoyed them - which let me to start reading as well. And so I was delighted to find out about the Poirot series. The few I've seen that I'd read were true to her stories, and those that I'd not read always left me impressed with her writing and tight plots, and left me guessing until the end "who dun it". One really couldn't miss a minute of it.

    Therefore I expected so much more from this episode. In fact, until I looked at the other reviews, I really did not think it was based on a 'real' Agatha Christie story. I thought it was written by someone else just using the character. It was just too simplistic and obvious. But as always, the settings are beautiful, although I was still left very disappointed with the plot line. That said, I still have hope for other episodes in the series.
    8Paularoc

    Another good and entertaining episode

    As is to be expected from this outstanding series, the production values, costuming, sets (especially the music hall), music, underlying humor, and acting are all top-notch. Suchet is the quintessential Poirot with, however, perhaps a more pronounced display of humor and wit than Poirot of the books. In this outing, an elderly and eccentric artist dies from an apparent accidental fall down the stairs. But Poirot, while having dinner with his dentist friend at Bishop's Chop House had seen Gascoigne on the night of his death. The waitress comments to Poirot and his friend how much Gascoigne has deviated from his previous schedule and dinner choices. When he later hears that Gascoigne died soon after that dinner, Poirot becomes convinced that Gascoigne was murdered. He also learns that Gascoigne's twin brother has also died. Although it doesn't distract from enjoying this episode, it is slightly flawed by having too few suspects and thus it is easy to figure out whodunit. This quibble is more than offset by the running and humorous side story of Hastings' enthusiasm for following a cricket match. Poirot refers to cricket as "Cricket, an English enigma. I don't know of any other game where even the players are uncertain of the rules." This episode is another winner.
    9sjmckenna-27831

    England v Australia

    Another excellent episode in a series that consistently sets a high bar. The acting is first class and the setting and clothes capture the period perfectly. Good to see Hastings taking so much interest in the Test Match score. England versus Australia and England's bowlers doing well for a change. Too much time spent by some reviewers trying to show the producers made a mistake with England's competitor and not enough effort made to listen to the dialogue.
    7kaberi-893-642316

    A light adaptation of a light story

    This was one of the Poirot episodes that required a lot of padding by the screenwriters. The original story itself was quite basic: at dinner one evening, Poirot hears a waitress make a chance remark that a regular customer had ordered a meal that was very different from his usual tastes. A few days later he hears from his dinner companion that that same habitual customer from the restaurant had happened to die that very evening, apparently by accident. Poirot's curiosity is aroused, and by talking with a series of acquaintances of the dead man, and calling on his knowledge of human nature, he is able to determine that the man's death was not all it appeared to be.

    A simple enough story, and lacking some of the detail that would make it appealing to television viewers. So, the writers added in some considerable amount of background of the dead man's artistic career and family, along with a series of references to contemporary forensic science (faint traces of CSI!), cricket, and even a passing reference to Raffles, a fictional mystery-solving character from the 1930's. Nothing wrong with any of that. Didn't really add to the essential story, but didn't take away from it either. All in all, an episode that was enjoyable but not very memorable.

    Related interests

    James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, Sharon Angela, Max Casella, Dan Grimaldi, Joe Perrino, Donna Pescow, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Tony Sirico, and Michael Drayer in The Sopranos (1999)
    Crime
    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama
    Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway in Chinatown (1974)
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    Thriller

    Storyline

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    Did you know

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    • Trivia
      Four and Twenty Blackbirds is a short story written by Agatha Christie and published as a part on an anthology collection (containing stories about both Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple) in October 1960.
    • Goofs
      During Poirot's and Hastings' visit to a music-hall, a modern 'EXIT' sign is clearly visible in the background.
    • Quotes

      Hercule Poirot: Cricket. The English enigma. I know not of any other game where even the players are unsure of the rules.

    • Connections
      Referenced in OWV Updates: Multimedia Update (22/03/2016) (2016)

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 29, 1989 (United Kingdom)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Official sites
      • Official site
      • Official Website - SonyLIV
    • Language
      • English
    • Filming locations
      • Cumberland Gardens, Clerkenwell, London, England, UK(Henry Gascoyne's home at number 8)
    • Production companies
      • Carnival Film & Television
      • London Weekend Television (LWT)
      • Picture Partnership Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 50m
    • Color
      • Color

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