First image shows Edward Bluemel as Hercule Poirot
Developed over time first seen 2 months ago
The BBC and BritBox have unveiled the first image of Edward Bluemel as Hercule Poirot, confirming casting and creative details for "Hercule," a new six-part adaptation of Agatha Christie's detective as filming continues in Liverpool. Billed as an intimate character study of Poirot set against a wider portrait of interwar Britain, the series draws on three of Christie's early stories while introducing figures who become recurring allies and one significant nemesis, adding to a long line of screen interpretations of the character.
The cast alongside Bluemel includes Henry Ashton, James D'Arcy, Calvin Demba, Phil Dunning, Jack Gleeson, Tamsin Greig, James Nesbitt, Guy Remmers, Rebecca Rittenhouse and Mawaan Rizwan. The series is written by Benji Walters, with episodes directed in pairs by Jonny Campbell, Chanya Button and Alrick Riley, and produced by Mammoth Screen (part of ITV Studios) and Agatha Christie Limited, with Charlie Palmer as series producer and Fifth Season handling global distribution. It will air on BBC iPlayer and BBC One in the UK and on BritBox in North America, though no release date has yet been announced.
- First image released of Edward Bluemel as Poirot in new BBC series
- "Hercule" is a six-part drama filming now in Liverpool
- Ensemble cast includes James Nesbitt, Tamsin Greig, James D'Arcy
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Edward Bluemel is best known for roles in shows including "Killing Eve" and "Sex Education," and he now takes on one of fiction's most famous detectives: Hercule Poirot, the fastidious Belgian sleuth created by Agatha Christie in the 1920s and reused across dozens of her novels and short stories. Poirot has been played on screen many times before, notably by David Suchet in a long-running ITV series and by Kenneth Branagh in recent Hollywood films, so a new interpretation invites comparison with those established portrayals.
"Hercule" is a fresh television adaptation rather than a film, made jointly by the BBC and BritBox, the streaming service run by BBC Studios and ITV. It is produced by Mammoth Screen, a production company behind other literary adaptations, working with Agatha Christie Limited, which manages the rights to her works, meaning the show has the backing of both broadcasters and the author's estate.
Christie remains one of the best-selling novelists of all time, and her Poirot stories have been a reliable source of screen adaptations for decades, so a new series carries weight for fans of the character as well as for the broadcasters involved. The show's ensemble cast draws together a mix of established and rising actors, and its setting in interwar Britain situates it within a period often used in crime drama for its social contrasts and atmosphere.
More coverage
- The Hollywood Reporter — Edward Bluemel Is Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot in BBC, BritBox First-Look Image for ‘Hercule’
- Deadline — ‘Hercule’: BritBox Unveils First Look At Edward Bluemel As Title Character In Poirot Origin Series
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Originally published by Variety as “Edward Bluemel Suits Up as Detective Poirot in First Look at BBC and BritBox Series ‘Hercule’”.