The Yellow Iris (31 Jan. 1993)
"Agatha Christie's Poirot" The Yellow Iris (original title)

A man celebrates the two-year anniversary of his wife's sudden death by cyanide while in Argentina - a death which Poirot himself had witnessed, but could not solve at the time.

Director:

Peter Barber-Fleming

Writer:

Anthony Horowitz (dramatized by)

Stars:

David Suchet, Hugh Fraser, Pauline Moran

Cast

Episode complete credited cast:
David Suchet	...	Hercule Poirot
Hugh Fraser	...	Captain Hastings
Pauline Moran	...	Miss Lemon
David Troughton	...	Barton Russell
Dorian Healy	...	Anthony Chapell
Geraldine Somerville	...	Pauline Wetherby
Yolanda Vazquez	...	Lola (as Yolanda Vasquez)
Robin McCaffrey	...	Iris Russell
Hugh Ross	...	Stephen Carter
Joseph Long	...	Luigi
Stefan Gryff	...	General Pereira
Arturo Venegas	...	Hotel Receptionist
Leonard Maguire	...	Mr. Grove
Carol Kenyon	...	Singer
Tracy Miller	...	Singer

Storyline

Hercule Poirot has a rare opportunity when he gets a second chance to solve a murder circumstance prevented him from solving two years before. On his way to visit Capt. Hastings in the Argentine, Poirot had stopped in Buenos Aires. While out for dinner, a young woman named Iris Russell was poisoned. The police found cyanide in her purse and ruled her death to be suicide, something her husband Barton Russell refuses to accept. When Poirot agrees with him and raises objections to the hasty police verdict, he is quickly ordered deported. Now, two years later, Russell Barton is hosting a dinner in London on the anniversary of his wife's death with everyone who was present invited to the event. This time, Poirot has no intention of letting the killer get away.

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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

Release Date:

31 January 1993 (UK)

Filming Locations:

Twickenham Studios, London, England, UK

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

50 min 50 min (36 episodes)

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Quotes

[first lines]
Pauline Wetherby: Barton, please!
Barton Russell: Don't try to stop me, Pauline; I have to do it.
Pauline Wetherby: I'm afraid.
Barton Russell: Don't be. Two years almost to the day.
Barton Russell: [to the grave] He will rest, Iris. I swear it.

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Connections

Version of Sparkling Cyanide (1983)

User Reviews

Very interesting

The Yellow Iris is a very interesting, albeit not entirely successful, adaptation. It does maintain the spirit of the story, which is a well-written and fun one with some parallels to Sparkling Cyanide in the means of the killing, and while I would have liked the pace to have steadied a little and one or two of the characters more drawn out, I really liked The Yelloe Iris overall.

The final solution is very much like the episode, very interesting if not exactly ingenious. The production values are top notch, with some gorgeous scenery and costumes and I loved the photography, and the music is both beautiful and haunting. The dialogue is excellent, the direction is good and the cast are top drawer, David Suchet is an outstanding Poirot and he is supported very well by Hugh Fraser, Pauline Moran and David Troughton.

All in all, a good and interesting episode without being one of the best. 7/10 Bethany Cox