Why Didn't They Ask Evans? (TV 1980)

While golfing on the Welsh coast, Bobby Jones apparently hits a stranger who falls off the the sea cliff. His enigmatic last words are "Why didn't they ask Evans?"

Directors:

John Davies, Tony Wharmby

Writer:

Agatha Christie (novel)

Stars:

Francesca Annis, John Gielgud, Bernard Miles

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Francesca Annis	...	Lady Frances Derwent
John Gielgud	...	Reverend Jones
Bernard Miles	...	Dr. Thomas
Eric Porter	...	Dr. Nicholson
Leigh Lawson	...	Roger Bassington-ffrench
James Warwick	...	Bobby Jones
Madeline Smith	...	Moira Nicholson
Connie Booth	...	Sylvia Bassington-ffrench
Robert Longden	...	Badger Beadon
Doris Hare	...	Rose Pratt
Joan Hickson	...	Mrs. Rivington
Rowland Davies	...	Dr. George Arbuthnot
James Cossins	...	Henry Bassington-ffrench
Mitzi Rogers	...	Mrs. Cayman
John Pennington	...	Mr. Cayman

Storyline

While out playing golf with his friend Dr. Thomas, Bobby Jones finds a man who has apparently fallen over the side of a cliff onto the seaside rocks below. His dying words are "Why didn't they ask Evans?". The dead man is identified by his sister Mrs. Cayman as Alex Pritchard, who had recently returned to the UK from abroad and was on a walking tour. Bobby and his friend Lady Frances Derwent soon conclude that illicit drugs are at the core of the mystery and suspicion falls on a certain Dr. Nicholson who runs a country clinic for drug addicts. The mystery revolves around a will and numerous false or stolen identities. But just who is Evans and what should he/she have been asked?

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Plot Keywords:

golf | last words | drug addict | dying words | red herring | 

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Genres:

Crime | Mystery | Romance | Thriller

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 May 1981 (USA)

Also Known As:

Askel tyhjyyteen

Company Credits

Production Co:

London Weekend Television (LWT), Independent Television (ITV)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

180 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This was Joan Hickson's third appearance in 43 years in a screen adaptation of an Agatha Christie story or novel, following A Night of Terror and Murder She Said. Hickson subsequently played Christie's character Jane Marple 12 times in 8 years in a series of TV-movies, including the remake of the 1961 film as Agatha Christie's Miss Marple: 4:50 from Paddington.

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Quotes

Dr. Nicholson: Drugs always end in tragedy... always!

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Connections

Version of Agatha Christie Marple: Why Didn't They Ask Evans? (2009)

User Reviews

Do not bother with this...

Terrible. Absolutely terrible. Long, confusing and unrewarding. After about three hours of this painful mess the ending truly is the final nail in the coffin. Not even the magnificent, sexy, beautiful goddess Francesca Annis can save this poor adaptation of Agatha Christie's work. The plot drags and drags and time goes by slowly and suddenly you realize that you don't even have any idea of what's going on anymore. By the end even with the usual explanation by the villain there's still a lot that's left unexplained and then… it's over. A complete waste of time and without a doubt one of the worst adaptation's to bear the name of Agatha Christie.