The Adventure of the Western Star (4 Mar. 1990)
"Agatha Christie's Poirot" The Adventure of the Western Star (original title)

After receiving threatening letters, an aristocrat is robbed of her famed diamond in front of Poirot's eyes.

Director:

Richard Spence

Writer:

Clive Exton (dramatized by)

Stars:

David Suchet, Hugh Fraser, Philip Jackson

Cast

Episode complete credited cast:
David Suchet	...	Hercule Poirot
Hugh Fraser	...	Captain Hastings
Philip Jackson	...	Chief Inspector Japp
Pauline Moran	...	Miss Lemon
Barry Woolgar	...	Inspector Dougall
Struan Rodger	...	Henrik Van Braks
Rosalind Bennett	...	Marie Marvelle
Oliver Cotton	...	Gregorie Rolf
Alister Cameron	...	Lord Yardly
Caroline Goodall	...	Lady Yardly
Stephen Hancock	...	Mullings
Ian Collier	...	Sergeant
Bruce Montague	...	Hoffberg
Julian Gartside	...	Hotel Receptionist
Bill Thomas	...	Steward

Storyline

Poirot is thrilled to receive an invitation from renowned Belgian actress Marie Marvelle. She has been receiving anonymous notes about the Western Star, a valuable diamond purchased by her husband at a cut-rate price several years before. The notes speak to the mystical nature of the diamonds and that they should be returned to their rightful owners. The next day, Lady Yardly claims to have received similar notes about her own fabulous diamond, the Eastern Star. When Poirot and Hastings visit Lord and Lady Yardly the diamond is stolen in a daring robbery. Needless to say, none of this sits well with Poirot who finds he has a very tight knot to untie.

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Plot Keywords:

murder mystery

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Crime | Thriller

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English French

Release Date:

4 March 1990 (UK)

Filming Locations:

Twickenham Studios, Twickenham, Middlesex, England, UK

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

50 min 50 min (36 episodes)

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Goofs

Poirot is seen placing a card with the words "Mlle. Marie Marvelle." on top of the flowers he has brought with him to the apartment before putting final touches to the tea table. When he gazes at the bouquet before he picks it up later on, the card is nowhere to be seen.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Chief Inspector Japp: Anything?

User Reviews

Tightly plotted and very well made

I have always loved Agatha Christie: Poirot, and while The Adventure of the Western Star is not one of my favourites of the short-story adaptations(Wasp's Nest, The Chocolate Box, The Adventure of the Italian Nobleman, The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb, Mystery at Hunters Lodge and Four and Twenty Blackbirds) it is one of the better ones with my only real complaint being the not so convincing accent of the actress playing Marie. Other than that, it was sumptuously shot and looks absolutely splendid in detail. The music further enhances the mood, often beautiful and often haunting. The writing is consistently, with some of the series' funniest moments, with Poirot's bow in the doorway, Japp hiding in the bushes and Poirot's lines about ice cold detective prowess(or something like that) and Why is it the misfortune of Poirot to be among such philistines? The story is very tightly constructed with every single scene relevant to the story. David Suchet is adorable, dapper, funny and somewhat adorable too here. Phillip Jackson and Pauline Moran support him wonderfully while Hugh Fraser gives one of his finest performances of the series in this episode, there is something about Hastings' naivety that I find amusing. All in all, a very good episode. 8.5/10 Bethany Cox