Lord Edgware Dies 

A beautiful actress becomes the prime suspect in the murder of her tyrannical husband - except that she has a cast-iron alibi for the night of the crime.

Director:

Brian Farnham

Writers:

Agatha Christie (based on the novel by), Anthony Horowitz (dramatized by)

Stars:

David Suchet, Hugh Fraser, Philip Jackson

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
David Suchet	...	Hercule Poirot
Hugh Fraser	...	Hastings
Philip Jackson	...	Chief Inspector Japp
Pauline Moran	...	Miss Lemon
Helen Grace	...	Jane Wilkinson
John Castle	...	Lord Edgware
Fiona Allen	...	Carlotta Adams
Dominic Guard	...	Bryan Martin
Deborah Cornelius	...	Penny Driver
Hannah Yelland	...	Geraldine Marsh
Tim Steed	...	Ronald Marsh
Lesley Nightingale	...	Miss Carroll
Christopher Guard	...	Alton
Iain Fraser	...	Donald Ross
Tom Beard	...	Duke of Merton

Storyline

Lady Edgware, the well-known stage actress Jane Wilkinson, has a dilemma in that her husband has consistently refused to give her a divorce. She asks Hercule Poirot to visit the man to see if there is any possibility of convincing him. Lord Edgware is nothing short of nasty, treating all those around him very badly. When he is found dead, there is no great surprise, but there certainly are a good number of suspects. The police believe Lady Edgware to be the culprit, but she has a cast-iron alibi, having attended a private dinner over the time her husband was killed. There is also the man's nephew, who would inherit his fortune, and his personal assistant, whom he treated very badly; and then there is the family butler, who clearly has his own interests at heart.

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Plot Keywords:

murder | doppelganger | woman wearing a fake moustache | reference to adolf hitler | murder mystery | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 February 2000 (UK)

Filming Locations:

The Peacock House, Holland Park, London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Carnival Film & Television, A+E Networks, Agatha Christie

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min 100 min (14 episodes)

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

The title of the novel this episode is based on was unfamiliar to U.S. readers for many years. The critically well received novel, "Lord Edgware Dies", was originally published in the U.K. & U.S. in September 1933 under the same title, but later that very same year the U S. publisher decided to print the novel again but changed the title to "Thirteen At Dinner". This second title was taken from the old superstition that if there are 13 people sitting down to dinner at the same time, the first person to get up and leave will experience bad luck. Eventually, however, in more recent printings the novel returned to being printed in the U.S. under it's original title "Lord Edgware Dies".

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Goofs

During the chase on the airport roof (filmed at Shoreham airport) a Cessna Skylane taxis in the background from right to left. Also during the chase a modern TV aerial appears in the sequence.

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Quotes

Poirot: Tell me, Hastings, what is your opinion of Jane Wilkinson?
Hastings: Very attractive
Poirot: Yes, indeed. But It is the psychology that is of interest to Poirot.

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Connections

Referenced in Agatha Christie: Murder on the Orient Express (2006)

User Reviews

A favorite Christie novel made into a good episode

"Lord Edgware Dies" is part of the Poirot starring David Suchet series, but it was also a TV movie with Peter Ustinov and Faye Dunaway called "Thirteen at Dinner." I love both of them; Ustinov created his own character, which was hilarious, while Suchet IS the Christie Poirot. Kind of like Margaret Rutherford as Miss Marple and the Marple Christie created. Very different but both good.

This adaptation has a couple of flaws, though the story is enjoyable and well done. I'll be honest and say that after seeing Carlotta Adams' (Fiona Allen) act in the club, I don't know that I'd think she was good at impersonations.

The second flaw is the one that has been mentioned previously; I won't belabor it.

One thing that makes this episode fun is the presence of Miss Lemon, Japp, and Hastings.

Helen Grace is gorgeous as Jane Wilkinson and those clothes -- no expense spared in any of these episodes.