Murder Is Easy is a British mystery thriller television serial, based on the 1939 Agatha Christie novel of the same name. It is adapted by Siân Ejiwunmi-Le Berre and directed by Meenu Gaur. It premiered on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on 27 December 2023.
| Murder Is Easy | |
|---|---|
| Genre | |
| Based on | Murder is Easy by Agatha Christie |
| Written by | Siân Ejiwunmi-Le Berre |
| Directed by | Meenu Gaur |
| Starring | David Jonsson Penelope Wilton Morfydd Clark |
| Music by | Segun Akinola[1] |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of episodes | 2 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Sian Ejiwunmi-Le Berre James Prichard James Gandhi Damien Timmer Danielle Scott-Haughton Reemah Sakaan Stephen Nye |
| Producer | Karen Kelly |
| Production companies | Agatha Christie Limited Mammoth Screen |
| Original release | |
| Network | BBC One BritBox International |
| Release | 27 December – 28 December 2023 |
Premise
editLuke Fitzwilliam (Jonsson) is a Nigerian attaché on his way to Whitehall when he meets the mysterious Miss Pinkerton (Wilton) on a train. Pinkerton discusses with him that a series of deaths in the village of Wychwood-Under-Ashe are not accidental and there’s a killer on the loose. Later, Miss Pinkerton is killed in a hit-and-run, and Fitzwilliam steels himself to discover the murderer before they strike again.[2][3]
Cast
edit- David Jonsson as Luke Obiako Fitzwilliam
- Morfydd Clark as Bridget Conway
- Penelope Wilton as Miss Lavinia Pinkerton
- Sinead Matthews as Miss Honoria Waynflete
- Tom Riley as Lord Whitfield
- Douglas Henshall as Major Horton
- Mathew Baynton as Dr Thomas
- Mark Bonnar as Reverend Arthur Humbleby
- Nimra Bucha as Mrs Humbleby
- Tamzin Outhwaite as Mrs Pierce
- Jon Pointing as Rivers
- Phoebe Licorish as Rose Humbleby
- Joe Fagan as the Butler
Episodes
edit| No. | Episode | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | UK viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Episode 1[4] | Meenu Gaur | Siân Ejiwunmi-Le Berre | 27 December 2023 | 6.82 |
| 2 | Episode 2[5] | Meenu Gaur | Siân Ejiwunmi-Le Berre | 28 December 2023 | 5.68 |
Production
editProduced by Mammoth Screen and Agatha Christie Limited, it was a co-commission between the BBC and BritBox International. The Agatha Christie novel of the same name is adapted by Siân Ejiwunmi-Le Berre and directed by Meenu Gaur. It was produced by Karen Kelly. Executive producers are Ejiwunmi-Le Berre, James Prichard for Agatha Christie Limited, James Gandhi and Damien Timmer for Mammoth Screen, Danielle Scott-Haughton for the BBC and Reemah Sakaan and Stephen Nye for BritBox International.[6]
Filming took place in Scotland in the summer of 2023 on the two-part drama series.[7][8] First-look images from the production were released in November 2023.[9]
Broadcast
editThe show aired on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the UK on 27 December 2023 and will be broadcast on BritBox International in the US, Canada and South Africa.[10][11]
Reception
editRebecca Nicholson in The Guardian awarded it three out of five stars, praising its promising reworkings but finding the second episode unfocused, and that it "both overexplains and underexplains what is going on".[12] Nick Hilton in The Independent awarded it two out of five stars.[13]
References
edit- ^ "Segun Akinola Scoring BBC's 'Murder Is Easy'". filmmusicreporter.com. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
- ^ Chase, Stephanie (21 February 2023). "BBC announces new Agatha Christie murder mystery adaptation". Digital Spy. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
- ^ "Agatha Christie "Would Have Approved Of Young Black Hero In Latest BBC Adaptation"". Deadline.
- ^ "Murder Is Easy - Episode 1". BBC One. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
- ^ "Murder Is Easy - Episode 2". BBC One. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
- ^ Yossman, K.J.; Ramachandran, Naman (10 July 2023). "'Lord of the Rings' Actor Morfydd Clark to Star in Agatha Christie Adaptation 'Murder Is Easy' for BBC, BritBox". Variety. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
- ^ Whittock, Jesse (10 July 2023). "'Murder Is Easy': David Jonsson, Morfydd Clark & Penelope Wilton Among Cast Of Agatha Christie Adaptation For BBC & BritBox International". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
- ^ Abbatescianni, Davide (11 July 2023). "Filming begins in Scotland on Meenu Gaur's two-part thriller Murder Is Easy". Cineuropa.org. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
- ^ Craig, David (2 November 2023). "First look at Agatha Christie's Murder Is Easy with Shetland, Ghosts stars". Radio Times. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
- ^ Griffiths, Emmy (2 November 2023). "Downton Abbey actress set to star in BBC's new Agatha Christie adaptation Murder is Easy – and we can't wait". Hello. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
- ^ "UK TV Ratings: BBC's Latest Agatha Christie Adaptation Neck-And-Neck With ITV's 'Why Didn't They Ask Evans?' From Easter Weekend". Deadline.
- ^ Nicholson, Rebecca (27 December 2023). "Murder Is Easy review – shines a whole new light on this Agatha Christie classic". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
- ^ Hilton, Nick (27 December 2023). "Murder Is Easy review: BBC's Christmas Agatha Christie adaptation is bland and incoherent". The Independent. Retrieved 8 January 2024.