The Sittaford Mystery 

The death of the presumptive future Prime Minister is predicted during a séance in a snowbound country hotel, and he is found stabbed to death in his room the next morning.

Director:

Paul Unwin

Writers:

Stephen Churchett (screenplay), Agatha Christie (novel)

Stars:

Geraldine McEwan, Timothy Dalton, Robert Hickson

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Geraldine McEwan	...	Miss Marple
Timothy Dalton	...	Clive Trevelyan
Robert Hickson	...	Arthur Hopkins
Robert Hardy	...	Winston Churchill
Laurence Fox	...	James Pearson
James Murray	...	Charles Burnaby
Ian Hallard	...	Reporter
Zoe Telford	...	Emily Trefusis
Jeffery Kissoon	...	Ahmed Ghali
Mel Smith	...	John Enderby
Rita Tushingham	...	Miss Elizabeth Percehouse
James Wilby	...	Stanley Kirkwood
Paul Kaye	...	Dr. Ambrose Burt
Michael Brandon	...	Martin Zimmerman
Carey Mulligan	...	Violet Willett

Storyline

When Clive Trevelyan - Member of Parliament, war hero and heir apparent to Prime Minister Winston Churchill- is killed, Miss Marple sets about to solve the case. Trevelyan has made his fortune many years before in Egypt having secretly uncovered a lost tomb. He is killed during a major snowstorm when there are no police available. There are several possible suspects including Trevelyan's ward, James Pearson and his fiancée Emily Trefusis; his political agent, John Enderby; a journalist Charles Burnaby; a visiting American Martin Zimmerman; and several other apparently disinterested parties. A convict has also escaped from Dartmoor prison. Miss Marple concludes that Trevalyan's murder is related to his days in Egypt and sets about to identify the murderer.

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Plot Keywords:

year 1952 | 1950s | year 1927 | 1920s | interwar period | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

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Certificate:

TV-14

Did You Know?

Trivia

Timothy Dalton (Clive Trevelyan), Michael Brandon (Martin Zimmerman) and Ian Hallard (Reporter) have all appeared on Doctor Who.

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Goofs

This film is set in 1952. In the cottage at Exhampton, Miss Marple is seen speaking in an Ericofon single-piece telephone. But this phone wasn't put in production until 1954, and was adopted by the British Post Office as late as 1974.

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Quotes

Stanley Kirkwood: [Referring to the dead body] Shall we shift him into the garage while the guests are having dinner?
Dr. Ambrose Burt: e should pack snow around the body... to prevent leakage.

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Crazy Credits

In memory of Michael Attwell, 16 January 1943 to 18 March 2006.

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Connections

Referenced in Hard Quiz: Episode #3.4 (2018)

User Reviews

Christie fans should skip it

Agatha Christie published Murder at Hazelmoor in 1931. In the novel, Captain Trevelyan, owner of Sittaford House, is murdered (elsewhere) and his nephew, James Pearson is arrested on suspicion. Pearson's fiancée, Emily Trefussis and Inspector Narracott believe Pearson to be innocent and eventually unravel the mystery of who killed him. One of Christie's better, but not her best, plot.

In this television adaptation, Miss Marple, a Christie character from several other stories, is grafted into the story and Inspector Narracott is deleted, along with a significant sub-plot involving the reason for the Willett's presence at Sittaford House. In addition, the adapters tossed in a homosexual note and, to make this even remotely believable, decided to shift the guilt onto a character that is, in the novel, entirely innocent. The result is a muddled, confusing mess, which would be better overlooked.

Furthermore, Geraldine McEwan entirely lacks the good humor and charm of Joan Hickson, who played Miss Marple in another, far superior series of Christie adaptations.

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 April 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

Agatha Christie - Marple: The Sittaford Mystery

Filming Locations:

Dorney Court, Dorney, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Granada, WGBH, Agatha Christie

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color