A classic Agatha Christie team is coming to a new series and with a modern twist! Here’s what we know!
Anyone remotely interested in mysteries knows about Agatha Christie. She didn’t invent the mystery as we know it, but she popularized the whodunit and created the tropes so many writers have since copied.
Most will know Christie’s two most famous characters: Belgian detective Hercules Poirot and aged amateur sleuth Jane Marple. Both have been given multiple film and TV adaptations, with scores of great actors playing both roles.
Now, BritBox is going to bring two more of Christie’s famed characters to life in a new series. Deadline reports that the popular streamer (which features practically every other Christie adaptation ever made) is crafting a new series based on her characters Tommy & Tuppence. Only it’s not quite the same as fans may expect.
Who are Tommy & Tuppence?
Created by Christie in 1922’s The Secret Adversary, Thomas Beresford and his wife Prudence were childhood friends who reconnected after World War I and fell in love. The pair live among London society while engaging in solving mysteries.
The characters were featured in five novels, aging across World War II and raising some children. Obviously, there have been some adaptations over the years on radio, television and film. Probably the best known is a 1982 adaptation of Adversary starring James Warwick and Francesca Annis. That led to the pair reprising the roles in the popular ITV/PBS series Partners in Crime, adapting the short story collection of the same name (which is available on BritBox).
The characters were last seen in a 2015 adaptation of Partners in Crime but are now ready to return in a bold new way.
What is the new Tommy & Tuppence about?
The new version is being developed by Phoebe Eclair-Powell (The Road Trip, Harm) and is notable for not taking place in the 1930s but rather in the present day. It still sounds like it will adapt the original stories, just with a modernized twist.
BritBox North America president and general manager at BritBox International Robert Schildhouse said:
“Tommy & Tuppence is a contemporary twist on Agatha Christie’s beloved sleuthing duo. With Phoebe Eclair-Powell’s superb writing and Lookout Point’s stellar production team, this series promises to be a fun blend of romance and mystery. We can’t wait for BritBox audiences to fall in love with Tommy and Tuppence all over again as they navigate murder, mystery, and mischief.”
Eclair-Powell added her own thoughts on taking on the characters:
“As an Agatha Christie superfan, this job is a dream come true. I am eternally grateful to James Prichard and Agatha Christie Limited for having me on board. With the excellent teams at Lookout Point and BritBox, who are clear Christie fans too, it’s a perfect combination. Christie’s detective duo are witty, sharp and raring to solve lots and lots of murders whilst asking if they should really be more than just partners in crime… To bring Tommy and Tuppence into the twenty-first century is truly an honour.”
So far, there’s no word on casting, which will be key to capturing the vibrant pair. The stories always rest on the wonderful romance of Tommy & Tuppence with their banter and Tuppence showing her smarts and wit. Various adaptations have done a good job casting actors who can bring that to life, and hopefully, this follows suit.
Changing it to the modern times can be a risk as much of the charm of the stories is in the period setting and how the two interact with the society of the 1930s/40s London. A modern take may make it too much like other crime shows out there, although it is fun to imagine how Eclair-Powell can adapt the original stories for a modern audience.
The six-episode series is set to begin production later this year and likely to premiere in 2026 to add yet another great Agatha Christie saga to BritBox’s huge library.
Partners in Crime (1983) streaming on BritBox.
Stay tuned to Precinct TV for more news and updates.