I have to say, to me, David Suchet is most faithful to the Agatha Christie Poirot in the books. He is fastidious, vain, brilliant, and somewhat superior, and altogether perfect. Peter Ustinov was fantastic. He, like Margaret Rutherford, created his own character and was marvelous, bringing much more humor to the role.
This is the first in the series, The Adventures of the Clapham Cook, made in 1989. Poirot is consulted about a woman's missing cook, Eliza Dunn. She went to the market one day and never came back. This isn't Hercule's kind of case. It's not lofty enough, but there's something about it....he takes it.
A strange tale of inheritance follows, and Poirot soon finds himself dealing with a bank employee, which takes him far afield of what started out as a simple missing persons case.
This whole series is excellent and was and at times still is a mainstay of public television. This particular story is excellent, and we get to meet the cast of characters -- Poirot, Hastings, Miss Lemon,and Inspector Japp (Hugh Fraser, Pauline Moran, and Philip Jackson) all of whom are marvelous and just right for the period in which the story takes place. And who wouldn't want to live in that fabulous art deco building?
The first time I heard David Suchet's real speaking voice I was shocked. His Poirot accent is so brilliant. I had the privilege of seeing him on Broadway in Amadeus. What an actor.
Truly excellent series.
