The Clocks 

Four clocks surround an unidentified corpse in a blind woman's house, and a young typist is summoned to the crime scene. However, Poirot is convinced that the complicated setup is merely hiding a simpler solution.

Director:

Charlie Palmer (as Charles Palmer)

Writers:

Agatha Christie (novel), Stewart Harcourt (screenplay)

Stars:

David Suchet, Olivia Grant, Anna Skellern

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
David Suchet	...	Hercule Poirot
Olivia Grant	...	Annabel Larkin
Anna Skellern	...	Fiona Hanbury
Tom Burke	...	Lt. Colin Race
Andrew Havill	...	Sven Hjerson
Victoria Wicks	...	Mrs Swinburne
Jaime Winstone	...	Sheila Webb
Sinead Keenan	...	Nora Brent
Lesley Sharp	...	Miss Martindale
Anna Massey	...	Miss Pebmarsh
Phil Daniels	...	Inspector Hardcastle
Ben Righton	...	Constable Jenkins
Beatie Edney	...	Mrs Hemmings
Abigail Thaw	...	Rachel Waterhouse
Guy Henry	...	Matthew Waterhouse

Storyline

Investigating a spy-ring, Lt. Colin Race comes to Wilbraham Crescent, where he literally bumps into agency typist Sheila Webb, as she comes flying out of number 19, the home of blind receptionist Millicent Pebmarsh. Sheila has discovered the body of a man whose identity proves hard to confirm, surrounded by four clocks, stopped at the same time. Miss Pebmarsh does not know the man and did not ask for the services of Sheila, who is the initial chief suspect. However, as Poirot is brought in to assist Inspector Hardcastle in the case, and the murderer strikes again, Poirot comes to realize that the man was killed elsewhere and brought to Miss Pebmarsh's house. The neighbors claim to have seen nothing but Poirot believes one of them may have had a secret which was worth killing for and sets out to unmask them, as well as explaining the significance, if any, of the clocks. At the same time, Colin solves his investigation with Poirot's help.

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Plot Keywords:

hercule poirot | clock | blind woman | typist | spy | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English German

Release Date:

26 June 2011 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Thornhill Crescent, Islington, London, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

ITV Studios,WGBH,Agatha Christie

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min (DVD) 89 min (9 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

16 : 9

Did You Know?

Trivia

Frances Barber appears here as Merlina Rival, and ten years earlier in the second episode of series 2, Poirot: The Veiled Lady (1990), as Lady Millicent.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Fiona Hanbury: Good night, Annie.
Annabel Larkin: Good night, Fee.
Fiona Hanbury: Oh, Annie, are you going down the Bluebell tonight?
Annabel Larkin: No, not tonight. Tired.
Fiona Hanbury: Early night.
Annabel Larkin: Ah, I wish it was early. See you tomorrow.

User Reviews

A solid and faithful episode

A very faithful adaptation of the Clocks,with brilliant interpretations by Anna Massey as a very menacing,if sweet blind woman,Phil Daniels as a cockney cop in the Philip Jackson mold and Lesley Sharp as a snobbish and haughty secretary,is as usual wonderfully directed and written.The story is rich of hilarious characters(the Cat lady,the middle-aged couple à la George & Mildred) ,and it adds to the novel a spy subplot not too surprising and perhaps a bit old-fashioned,as if a spy melodrama from the 40s (say,The Spy in Black) would have been sewed together with a very modern and highly original whodunit.But the prologue in the Dover Castle underground HQ is so beautifully shot that it saves the too predictable solution of this minor part of the mystery (the mole discovered in the second half of the movie is so suspicious and conspicuous that even Hastings would have guessed the truth on first glance !).Nothing to complain instead with the major mystery,adapted and explained with a deft touch.(The clocks scene with the discovery of the murdered man is a joy in itself,a real masterpiece).Not the best outing of the season(the laurels go to the marvelous Tragedy) and not diabolically clever as the Mark Gatiss adaptations,but a sound,highly amusing adaptation of one of Dame Agatha's minor works