A Murder is Announced (1)

I have read one of these ,3 10 Paddington,and wasnt at all impressed at the plotting or characterisation. Very poor in fact. However Joan Hickson is brilliant compared to the rest in the film adaptions. I cant watch McEwen ,much as i loved her in Mapp and Lucia and the others are pretty hopeless inc Julia McKenzie but Margaret Rutherford adds a bumbling comic touch right out of Ealing Films. Hickson has been accused here of being wooden and maybe compared to some of the others she is dull. They all seem to be overdoing the sweet old lady aspect but she wasnt really. Hickson reigned it in, drank tea and rather unfussily cracked the crimes.brava.!

I've seen oh so many versions of Miss Jane Marple and of all of them, Joan Hickson's version, to me is the most boring and wooden in her performance. I loved the silliness of the Margaret Rutherford's version, the fun Helen Hayes version and the lively, more humanized version of the late great Geraldine McEwan's version. Julia McKenzie's was ok, but more somewhere in between all the other's versions. I'm giving these Joan Hickson's versions a solid 3 for only getting to see the wonderful older actors that my hubby and I have seen in many other great shows. Still to me this series characters acting all seems so played straight from the books and doesn't have any emotion and very wooden feel to me. Just my 2 cents worth. A true Christie fan will watch ALL versions and judge for their-selves!

The Villagers of Chipping Cleghorn at curious when an advert appears in the local paper, advertising a murder..

It's a terrific start to one of the best Miss Marple adaptations. The story is wonderful, the adaptation faithful and sincere. In this first instalment we are introduced to the characters, and given the first murder. How on Earth did the young Swiss boy end up getting shot, it must have been suicide?

Everything is on point, the tone, music, the script, pacing, and of course performances. The whole cast are magnificent, I'm particularly fond of Renee Asherson and Ursula Howells here.

A great start 9/10