As other Agatha Christie adaptations continue to come thick and fast to our TV screens, it was reported last month that the BBC was at work on a new adaptation of perhaps her most famous and beloved detective – Hercule Poirot.
Now, the broadcaster has confirmed who has been cast as the new Poirot, taking on the role previously played by the likes of David Suchet, Albert Finney and Sir Kenneth Branagh.
The coveted role has gone to Edward Bluemel, who will be activating his little grey cells for the new adaptation – which is simply called Hercule and will be made up of six episodes.
Bluemel said in a statement: “I feel very lucky to have been trusted with such an iconic character who has been played by so many great actors. I can’t wait to continue Hercule’s legacy.”
Edward Bluemel. Mammoth Screen/ Jonathan Ford
Bluemel is best known for starring in series such as A Discovery of Witches, Killing Eve, Sex Education, Ten Percent, Castlevania: Nocturne, Belgravia: The Next Chapter, My Lady Jane, We Might Regret This and Washington Black.
He also has history with Agatha Christie adaptations, having played the key role of Jimmy Thesiger in this year’s Netflix adaptation, Agatha Christie’s Seven Dials.
Bluemel’s name will now sit alongside a whole host of other actors to have played the Belgian detective, including Sir Peter Ustinov, John Malkovich, Alfred Molina and Peter Dinklage.
The synopsis for Hercule calls it “an intimate study of Hercule the man and an epic portrait of Britain between the wars. The series takes a magnifying glass to three of Christie’s most celebrated stories, while also charting Hercule’s burgeoning friendship with Captain Arthur Hastings, his early encounters with Scotland Yard’s James Japp, and introducing him to one particular nemesis…”
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The new Poirot series is coming from Benji Walters, who has worked on episodes of Code of Silence, Obsession, The Leopard and Noughts & Crosses.
James Prichard, executive producer for Agatha Christie Limited, said in a statement: “My father had the privilege of working with David Suchet for nearly 25 years, and I now have the good fortune of being able to share my great grandmother’s brilliant stories with a new generation of viewers.
“Edward Bluemel is an extremely talented performer and will make a great addition to the long line of actors that have played this celebrated character, aided and abetted by Benji Walters’ thoughtful scripts. I cannot wait to see Edward on screen as Hercule Poirot.”
Filming on Hercule is set to begin this summer, primarily in Liverpool, with the series premiering on BBC iPlayer and BBC One in the UK, and on BritBox in North America, at a later date.
Hercule will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
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