BBC One and Agatha Christie Productions Ltd have cemented a unique production deal that will see Agatha Christie Ltd‘s production arm deliver seven new Christie adaptations over the next four years. They will begin by working with Mammoth Screen on the first of these adaptations.
The first of the novels to be adapted is Ordeal By Innocence; other titles so far confirmed include Death Comes As The End, a groundbreaking murder mystery set in Ancient Egypt; and The ABC Murders, a race against time to stop a serial killer who is operating across 1930s Britain.
Following the critical success of And Then There Were None for BBC One in December 2015, Agatha Christie Productions Ltd and Mammoth Screen will begin working with Sarah Phelps as she continues her connection with Christie by adapting Ordeal By Innocence, one of Agatha’s own personal favorite novels. Further writers will be announced in due course, as Christie’s most celebrated works are adapted over the four years with the chosen titles demonstrating her extraordinary range.
In addition to the seven new titles, filming is currently underway on The Witness for the Prosecution, adapted by Sarah Phelps, directed by Julian Jarrold and starring Toby Jones, Andrea Riseborough, Kim Cattrall, David Haig, Billy Howle and Monica Dolan.
Charlotte Moore, Director, BBC Content, says: “These new commissions continue BBC One’s special relationship as the home of Agatha Christie in the UK. Our combined creative ambition to reinvent Christie’s novels for a modern audience promises to bring event television of the highest quality to a new generation enjoyed by fans old and new.”
Hilary Strong, Chief Executive Officer, Agatha Christie Limited, says: “And Then There Were None was a highlight of the 2015 BBC One Christmas schedule, and we are truly delighted to be building on the success of that show, first with The Witness For The Prosecution, and then with adaptations of seven more iconic Agatha Christie titles. What Sarah Phelps brought to And Then There Were None was a new way of interpreting Christie for a modern audience, and Agatha Christie Ltd is thrilled to be bringing this psychologically rich, visceral and contemporary sensibility to more classic Christie titles for a new generation of fans.”
Following the success of the 2015 three-part thriller And Then There Were None, BBC One ordered The Witness for the Prosecution, a new two-part adaptation by Sarah Phelps of Agatha Christie’s 1925 short story of the same title from Mammoth Screen and Agatha Christie Productions. One of Christie’s most celebrated titles, The Witness for the Prosecution was later turned into a successful stage play and critically acclaimed film (1957) directed by Billy Wilder and starring Marlene Dietrich.
Ordeal By Innocence will be executive produced by Hilary Strong and James Prichard for ACPL, Karen Thrussell and Damien Timmer for Mammoth Screen and Matthew Read for BBC.
