Agatha Christie: Lucy Worsley on the Mystery Queen

I was tempted to buy Lucy Worsley's recent book on Agatha Christie but, having been disappointed by this TV programme, I won't be buying it.

I've enjoyed other programmes that Lucy Worsley has made, but they were all about people I knew very little about. I think the problem here is that I feel I know a moderate amount about Agatha Christie and the conclusions Lucy draws seem very subjective. I feel she has an idea of who Agatha Christie was and looks for evidence to confirm her view. Of course, I have my own idea of who Agatha Christie was, and perhaps I just don't like Lucy's alternative take? But I do think I'm not being completely unfair in criticising Lucy's subjectivity -- I expect better of a professional historian.

And the way that she unilaterally decides that she must "spoil" The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, struck me as an appalling liberty. She does warn those watching that she is going to "spoil" it but, even so, I think she is robbing new readers of the enjoyment of a naive reading of that novel.

There's little here that feels either new or authoritative. Even the "fugue" hypothesis has been explored elsewhere. Much better to spend the 3 hours reading or re-reading something written by Agatha Christie herself. Perhaps Nemesis, if you are a Miss Marple fan?

The name Agatha Christie is by no means unfamiliar to anyone regardless of ones' interest or lack of it in the world of fiction. Lucy adds a personal touch to the well-known author through this short TV series available on BBC iPlayer.

As a novice to Agatha Christie's work and her life, I found Lucy's programme interesting and enjoyable to watch. The series is short and offers the fundamental knowledge of Christie's works and her personal life as a child, the young woman who impulsively fell in love with her first husband and the successful author she had been during the scope of her life.

Lucy's shear interest and passion not only on the works of Christie but also in her personal life is presented in a way that is essentially feminine and elegant. I found the short series informative as well as entertaining. Lucy's presentation is exquisitely packed with an abundance of positive force to become a fan of the author-if you already are not one!

I enjoyed this 3 parter but as a die hard fan I couldn't bear Lucy's terrible pronunciation of Poirot - "pwyro" ugh !! I also didn't agree with her giving away key plots, spoilers or not. I have read her autobiography and feel that Lucy hasn't even bothered to read this as there were a lot of assumptions she made about Agatha that were clearer if she had. It's an interesting watch though if anything to see the wonderful locations and photos as well as historical memorabilia she has access to. It's definitely worth watching maybe more if you don't know much about Agatha and especially if you do !

I have no idea who Lucy Worsley is but her narration destroys this series. Her constant, painfully laborious attempts to make every comment like a badly acted mystery play are excruciating. Although, obviously not her fault, her speech impediment adds to the feel of watching a children's pantomime.

Factually, the series is interesting and informative but the information is lost in the distracting presentation.

I feel many facts have been slightly twisted to fit the narrative.

As others have pointed out her pronunciation of Hercule Poirot's name is also annoying....perhaps the book would have been a better choice.

In this three part BBC documentary series, Lucy Worsley examines the life and work of The Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie.

It's a well balanced series, with enough focus on her personal life and works. The first two episodes spend most of its time looking at her marriage, family and disappearance, the third really does explore many of her greatest works.

Lucy gives lots of personal opinions, and does see things I'd say from her own point of view, but I appreciate that she's a fan of Christie, and you can see that she loves her work. I like Lucy's presentation, she's amiable, and there are some interesting interviews.

I'm sure it's not going to be for everyone, but as a lover of Christie, I found it a respectful, interesting look into her life, I can't say I learned anything new, bit it showed me how much her work was influenced by her private life.

8/10.