The little grey cells are officially back on the case. The BBC has released the first images of Edward Bluemel (My Lady Jane, Killing Eve) in costume as Agatha Christie’s legendary detective Hercule Poirot for ‘Hercule’, with the six-part drama now filming in Liverpool.
The new images give us our first proper sense of Bluemel’s take on the famous Belgian sleuth, complete with period suit, pocket square, hat in hand and, most importantly, that carefully groomed Poirot moustache. It is a noticeably younger version of the character than audiences are used to seeing on screen, which fits with a series designed to explore an earlier chapter in the detective’s life.
‘Hercule’ is described as both an intimate study of Poirot the man and an epic portrait of Britain between the wars. The story will be built around three of Agatha Christie’s early Poirot tales, although the BBC is still keeping the exact trio under wraps. Alongside those mysteries, the drama will introduce Poirot to future friends and allies, while also bringing one particular nemesis into his orbit.
The BBC had already announced a rather impressive supporting cast, including Henry Ashton (A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder), James D’Arcy (Oppenheimer, Constellations), Calvin Demba (Supacell, Life), Phil Dunning (Smoggie Queens, Am I Being Unreasonable?), Jack Gleeson (House of Guinness, In the Land of the Saints and Sinners), Tamsin Greig (Riot Women, Friday Night Dinner), James Nesbitt (Cold Feet, Run Away), Guy Remmers (The Buccaneers, Lessons), Rebecca Rittenhouse (His & Hers, Maggie) and Mawaan Rizwan (Juice, The Split Up).
Christie’s Poirot remains one of the biggest names in detective fiction, with the novels having sold more than 750 million copies around the world. That also means Bluemel is stepping into a role with a formidable screen history behind it, but the decision to focus on an earlier Poirot gives this version a little more room to establish its own identity rather than simply recreating what audiences have seen before.
The six-part series is written by Benji Walters (Code of Silence, The Leopard, Obsession). Jonny Campbell (Am I Being Unreasonable?, In The Flesh) directs the opening two episodes, Chanya Button (Code of Silence, Doctor Who) handles the middle pair, and Alrick Riley (Bridgerton, How to Get Away with Murder) directs the final two. Charlie Palmer (A Woman Of Substance, Extraordinary) serves as series producer.
Mammoth Screen, part of ITV Studios, and Agatha Christie Limited produce the drama for the BBC and BritBox, with Fifth Season handling global distribution. Filming is now underway in Liverpool, so expect plenty more glimpses of Bluemel’s immaculately dressed detective before he finally arrives on screen.
‘Hercule’ premieres in 2027 on BBC iPlayer and BBC One in the UK, and on BritBox in North America.
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