The Murder of Roger Ackroyd 

Poirot comes out of retirement when his industrialist friend is brutally murdered a short while after a local widow who was suspected of killing her husband commits suicide.

Director:

Andrew Grieve

Writers:

Agatha Christie (based on the novel by), Clive Exton (dramatized by)

Stars:

David Suchet, Philip Jackson, Oliver Ford Davies

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
David Suchet	...	Hercule Poirot
Philip Jackson	...	Chief Inspector Japp
Oliver Ford Davies	...	Dr. Sheppard
Malcolm Terris	...	Roger Ackroyd
Selina Cadell	...	Caroline Sheppard
Daisy Beaumont	...	Ursula Bourne
Flora Montgomery	...	Flora Ackroyd
Nigel Cooke	...	Geoffrey Raymond
Jamie Bamber	...	Ralph Paton
Roger Frost	...	Parker
Vivien Heilbron	...	Mrs. Ackroyd
Gregor Truter	...	Inspector Davis
Rosalind Bailey	...	Mrs. Ferrars
Liz Kettle	...	Mrs. Folliott
Charles Simon	...	Hammond

Storyline

Living quietly in the small village of King's Abbot, sleuth Hercule Poirot becomes involved in the murder of successful industrialist Roger Ackroyd. The number of potential killers is almost as great as the population of the village itself. As Poirot investigates he sees that there might be a connection to the suicide of a local woman, and the death the previous year of her husband.

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Plot Keywords:

village | hercule poirot | murder | murder mystery | private detective | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 January 2000 (UK)

Filming Locations:

Castle Combe, Wiltshire, 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 1979 film, "Agatha," about the mysterious disappearance of Agatha Christie for eleven days in 1926, begins with the publication of "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd." This story is her most unusual creation as you will see at the end of the show.

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Goofs

At the airport a modern day Cessna can be seen taking off.

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Quotes

Hercule Poirot: Decidedly, it is time for Poirot to act.

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Connections

Referenced in Murder on the Orient Express (2001)

User Reviews

none of the punch of the novel

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd was, I believe, the first Agatha Christie I read, so many years ago it's frightening. I do remember a lot about it, though, and watched this episode with great anticipation.

Unlike some on this board, I couldn't possibly remember some of the book details that were left out, but I knew something was missing. The book packed such a wallop, it was breathtaking.

This episode, alas, seemed ordinary to me.

Hercule Poirot has retired to King's Abbott and is working on growing marrow. When a friend of his, Roger Ackroyd, is found murdered in his home, Poirot looks into the case. Inspector Japp joins him, so the to old friends are reunited.

Just the day before, there had been the suicide of Mrs. Dorothy Ferrars. She was Roger's great love. Poirot begrudgingly is pulled further into the case, where he tries to figure out the motive as he sorts through suspects: a secretly married couple, Mrs. Ackroyd, etc.

From the beginning, Poirot reads a journal, the journal of the murderer. In the book, the story is narrated by someone else. Also, there is no second murder. Japp was not present; it was an antagonistic inspector. Poirot's actual Hastings in this story was Dr. Sheppard, who has a small role here.

What a shame -- of all the stories to wreck, this is the one they picked. I'm a little disappointed in the Christie estate. They sold these stories without any care of what would happen to them.

I loved Suchet, as always, and Japp.