Death in the Clouds 

While Poirot sleeps on an airplane flight from Paris to London, a notorious French moneylender is murdered with a poisoned dart.

Director:

Stephen Whittaker

Writer:

William Humble (dramatized by)

Stars:

David Suchet, Philip Jackson, Sarah Woodward

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
David Suchet	...	Hercule Poirot
Philip Jackson	...	Chief Inspector Japp
Sarah Woodward	...	Jane Grey
Shaun Scott	...	Norman Gale
Cathryn Harrison	...	Lady Horbury
David Firth	...	Lord Horbury
Amanda Royle	...	Venetia Kerr
Richard Ireson	...	Inspector Fournier
Jenny Downham	...	Anne Giselle
Eve Pearce	...	Madame Giselle
Roger Heathcott	...	Daniel Clancy
Guy Manning	...	Jean Dupont
Gabrielle Lloyd	...	Elise
John Bleasdale	...	Mitchell
Harry Audley	...	Raymond Barraclough

Storyline

After spending a bit of a holiday in Paris, Poirot finds himself on a flight to London with an odd assortment of people, some of whom he had met during his stay. When one of the passengers, Madame Gisele, is murdered during the flight by a poisoned dart, Poirot is asked by Inspector Japp of Scotland Yard to assist with the investigation. Gisele was a well-known moneylender with penchant towards blackmail. When Lady Horbury denies knowing the dead woman - which Poirot knows is false - the police clearly have their prime suspect. Poirot however, sees a far more complex plot to gain access to the victims money.

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Plot Keywords:

murder mystery | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 January 1992 (UK)

Filming Locations:

Twickenham Studios, London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Granada Media,Picture Partnership Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min 100 min (14 episodes)

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

This episode can be dated to 1935, when Fred Perry of the UK defeated Gottfried von Cramm of Germany in the men's singles championship. Von Cramm defeated Perry in the 1936 championship.

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Goofs

Although the events take place in 1935, there is a Pelican book, with its distinctive blue and white spine on Clancy's shelf. Pelicans, the non-fiction imprint of Penguin, was founded in 1937.

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Connections

Version of Agasa Kurisutî no meitantei Powaro to Mâpuru: Kumo no naka no shi (sono ichi) Sora tobu misshitsu (2005)

User Reviews

Poison darts and wasps on a plane

Wouldn't you just know it, there's a murder on the plane on which Poirot is traveling from Paris to London. One Madame Gisele is killed via poisoned dart. Madame Gisele was a moneylender to the upper crust and also a blackmailer. Poirot has seen her with the haughty Lady Horbury, but Lady Horbury claims never to have seen Madame Gisele before. Poirot is troubled. A wasp is found on the plane, killed by one of the passengers with his coffee cup. Poirot wonders what the wasp was doing there. And how did someone kill Madame Gisele with a dart in front of all the passengers? It's a knotty problem, which Poirot finally solves, but it's much more complicated than it appeared in the beginning with situations involving bigamy and fake identities.

Excellent mystery with Poirot and Japp working together, and Poirot enlisting the aide of the female flight steward as well. The usual high production values abound.