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

Geoffrey Palmer (Vice Admiral Hamling) is the father of the director Charlie Palmer.

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Goofs

Two of the characters step out of an office to smoke their cigarettes on the pavement outside. This is a very modern phenomenon. Back then, they would simply have smoked in the office.

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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 minor Agatha Christie story with a cluttered spy plot...

This has to be the most disappointing of all the Agatha Christie stories brought to the TV screen by Masterpiece Theater and starring David SUCHET as the mastermind detective Hercule Poirot.

The story is so far-fetched in concept and cluttered with such a lot of nonsense about a spy plot and the sinister group of people involved, with every facet of the story straining credibility from the start. And this, despite a fine central performance by ANNA MASSEY as a blind receptionist who finds a murdered man behind her sofa and is unable to explain either his identity or the circumstances of his death.

As usual, the production values are excellent and the acting by all concerned is on a high level of expertise. But the story seems so absurd and is hard to follow once the various details come to light, making it appear that even Poirot will be unable to unwind the tangled mess of events.

Very disappointing and certainly not one of Agatha Christie's more credible mysteries.