Interestingly, the undisputed Queen of Crime Mystery, Agatha Christie, wrote only one series longitudinally: Tommy and Tuppence.
Over five literary volumes, they evolve from young lovers dabbling in detective work to working investigators, then sleuthing while married with children, and finally to retired espionage agents in their 70s solving cold cases for recreation.
As part of their “Eras of Agatha Christie” September event, BritBox premieres Agatha Christie’s Tommy & Tuppence, the first contemporary English-language adaptation of the crime-solving duo, on September 15, on what would’ve been the author’s 136th birthday.
Agatha Christie’s Tommy & Tuppence
Tommy Beresford and Tuppence Cowley are an archetypal detective pairing. He is methodical and detail-oriented, while she is impulsive and instinctual.
BritBox’s modern-day telling frames them as young professionals who dated in university but have fallen out of touch.
On the first two-episode adventure, they bump into each other at an Alice in Wonderland-themed wedding.
Loosely based on Christie’s short story, “Finessing the King,” they work together to solve the murder of a wedding guest, who also happened to be having an affair with the groom.
Agatha Christie’s Tommy & Tuppence plays with the nostalgic format of two-hour mystery narratives served up in one-hour chunks.
The premiere hooks you with a complete case, then strings you along with one hour per week for the remaining four installments.
Brilliant programming plan, though it may frustrate those eager for the conclusion.
Did I mention this BritBox premiere is purely global/international? That’s right: the USA and Canada get to see Agatha Christie’s Tommy & Tuppence before the UK!
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Blunt’s Brilliant Detectives
Tommy, at least, comes by his detecting penchant honestly by way of his Aunt Ada. A legacy literary character, Ada isn’t always included in the adaptations.
Here, however, she’s not only the series’ narrator and Tommy’s inspiration, but also the founder of the detective agency Tommy and Tuppence revive to carry out their investigative adventures.
Fun fact: 89A Fernell Rd, London, NW3 9PC is the address usually associated with Christie’s most famous character, Hercule Poirot.
In this updated adaptation, Aunt Ada, played by the talented Imelda Staunton, is both Tommy’s mentor and emotional touchstone.
Before settling into a retirement home to live out her sunset years, she pursued an exciting life as a private detective and was rumored to have worked for MI6 as well.
Her voiceover for Tommy and Tuppence’s adventures is a delightful device that hints at all sorts of shenanigans for the young people while suggesting that the matronly aunt may not be as content to sit and diminish as much as she appears.
The Lady Albert
Speaking of secondary but vital characters, my favorite is undoubtedly Albert, the owner of the Lady Albert Pub situated below Tommy’s flat.
In the stories, Albert is Tommy and Tuppence’s literary sidekick and go-to assistant, often called upon to ride to the rescue or interpret coded messages. He grows with them throughout their lifetime, raising his own family and eventually running his own business.
On Agatha Christie’s Tommy & Tuppence, Albert is a thoroughly modern, gender-fluid pub proprietor and Tommy’s landlord.
They are the blissfully calm eye of the storm that is Tommy and Tuppence’s relationship and working vibe on a good day.
Whatever insanity they walk in on when visiting Tommy’s flat, they take it in stride with nary an eyelash twitch. Of course, they can’t help commenting on the relationship complications, but it’s never in a pushy manner.
The Cases
Of the three mysteries covered by Agatha Christie’s Tommy & Tuppence Season 1, the first two are based (very loosely) on short stories from the Partners in Crime anthology published in 1929.
In the style of early Christie, all the pieces of the mysteries’ solutions are present at the start of the story. What follows is Tommy and Tuppence’s unraveling of the whys and hows of the crime.
Episodes 1-4 also introduce many complications to the couple’s journey, including Tuppence’s husband and a young police detective who circumvents her boss’s orders to help them. Well, Tommy.
Now that I’m a grown adult and a good distance from my Nancy Drew fan days, I totally get how that boss, DI Merriot, finds Tommy and Tuppence a pain in the butt with all their meddling.
The final case of the season, based on Christie’s 1968 novel, By the Pricking of My Thumbs, is more involved than the other two.
There’s more emotional depth as the case begins on a deeply personal note, and the villain of the piece is very well hidden in plain sight, with a truly depraved twist to their backstory.
Fans of Christie’s work will love the modern interpretations of well-known cases. The many red herrings and misleading details are playfully tongue-in-cheek at times.
Partners in Crime-Solving
Although Christie’s writing is very much “of an era” in style and substance, the relationship between Tommy and Tuppence proves timeless.
Although they tick the boxes of being attracted to each other, successful at solving mysteries together, and mostly supportive in a pinch, there’s an element of chaos to Tommy and Tuppence’s partnership that can be off-putting.
Tommy likes flow charts and organizing cue cards. He’s a successful writer with a healthy fan base. He likes to talk it out and agree on a plan.
Tuppence couldn’t follow a path of logical reasoning with a SatNav app. But she springs into action, full of confidence in her gut.
She also revels in tearing up plans and winging it. She’s absolute rubbish at listening unless you’re a potential suspect.
Imagine they’re trying to sail a boat together. Tommy’s always trying to secure the rigging. Meanwhile, Tuppence has thrown in with the storm. That’s what their energy can be like.
But we quickly realize that they need each other.
Of course, it takes them considerably more time to figure that out.
The Verdict
Overall, Agatha Christie’s Tommy & Tuppence is a fun crime-solving spree that hits a few bumps when the personal issues overtake the professional commitments.
Agatha Christie’s Tommy & Tuppence premieres with its first two episodes on BritBox on September 15, with a new episode dropping weekly after that.
Having not seen any of the previous adaptations, I’m looking to my die-hard Agatha Christie Fanatics to fill me in on the compare-and-contrast.
Vote for your favorite version in the poll below and hit our comments with your hottest takes on this new one!
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