Warning: SPOILERS!

In her autobiography, Agatha Christie said she thought less of a reader who loved “The Mystery of the Blue Train.” She wrote it to meet her publisher’s deadline, and finishing it made her realize that she was a professional writer, not a housewife who wrote.

Teresa and I look at the “Agatha Christie’s Poirot” adaptation of “Blue Train,” starring Elliot Gould. This precursor contains many of the seeds that Christie would explore in “Murder on the Orient Express,” with beautiful scenery of the south of France.

“Agatha Christie, They Watch” reviews the adaptations of Agatha Christie’s novels in chronological order.

Teresa Peschel, author of "Agatha Christie, She Watched" and the "International Agatha Christie, She Watched," hosts our livestream. Joining Teresa is her husband, technical adviser, and straight man, Bill Peschel. Together, they are Peschel Press, publisher of intriguing, intelligent, and idiosyncratic books (www.peschelpress.com).

HOW TO SEE THIS MOVIE:

Available on DVD.

WHERE TO FIND US

Peschel Press: www.peschelpress.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/peschel_press/

NEXT WEEK:

“Murder at the Vicarage” (1986), starring Joan Hickson from “Miss Marple.”

DISCLAIMER: FAIR USE. Title 17, US Code (Sections 107-118 of the copyright law) All media in this video is used for the purpose of review and commentary under the terms of fair use. All footage, music and images used belong to their respective owners.

Warning: SPOILERS!

“The Mystery of the Seven Dials” — Agatha Christie’s pastiche of P.G. Wodehouse’s Bright Young Things and John Buchan thrillers — gets the Netflix treatment in this lavish 3-part series written by Doctor Who writer/producer Chris Chibnell. We get race-swapped characters, a healthy dose of White Guilt, some girlbossing, and changes in the story. We investigate the extent of the changes, the effect on Agatha’s original story, and whether the result is entertaining and exciting.

This show reviews the adaptations of Agatha Christie’s novels in chronological order.

Teresa Peschel, author of "Agatha Christie, She Watched" and the "International Agatha Christie, She Watched," hosts our livestream. Joining Teresa is her husband, technical adviser, and straight man, Bill Peschel. Together, they are Peschel Press, publisher of intriguing, intelligent, and idiosyncratic books (www.peschelpress.com).

HOW TO SEE THIS MOVIE:

A Netflix exclusive

WHERE TO FIND US

Peschel Press: www.peschelpress.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/peschel_press/

NEXT WEEK:

“The Big Four” the sole adaptation from “Agatha Christie’s Poirot” (2013).

DISCLAIMER: FAIR USE. Title 17, US Code (Sections 107-118 of the copyright law) All media in this video is used for the purpose of review and commentary under the terms of fair use. All footage, music and images used belong to their respective owners.

Warning: SPOILERS!

It’s Agatha Christie meet P.G. Wodehouse’s Drones Club in “The Seven Dials Mystery,” a TV movie from 1981. True, James Warwick (34) was too old to play a Bright Young Thing, and Cheryl Campbell (31) to play “Bundle” Brent, but they were game in this tale of espionage, secret societies, high living, and murder.

Teresa Peschel, author of "Agatha Christie, She Watched" and the "International Agatha Christie, She Watched," hosts our livestream. Joining Teresa is her husband, technical adviser, and straight man, Bill Peschel. Together, they are Peschel Press, publisher of intriguing, intelligent, and idiosyncratic books (www.peschelpress.com).

HOW TO SEE THIS MOVIE:

Prime Video, Britbox, Roku, and Acorn TV

WHERE TO FIND US

Peschel Press: www.peschelpress.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/peschel_press/

NEXT WEEK:

“Agatha Christie’s Seven Dials,” the new version that appeared on Netflix this month.

DISCLAIMER: FAIR USE. Title 17, US Code (Sections 107-118 of the copyright law) All media in this video is used for the purpose of review and commentary under the terms of fair use. All footage, music and images used belong to their respective owners.

Warning: SPOILERS! If you haven’t read “The Murder of Roger Ackroyd,” do yourself a favor and stop here and read it. You’ll thank us later.

“Checkmate” (2022) is the first official adaptation of Agatha Christie’s stories. Situ Yan is an idealistic lawyer and when behind-the-scenes machinations sets an assassin free (think “Murder on the Orient Express”), he’s left holding the bag. His train trip to Harbin in Manchuria is eventful and after befriending the soldier Luo Shaochuan (think Hastings), they find themselves investigating murders, kidnappings, stolen dogs, and other crimes.

“Checkmate” is a 24-episode telenovella that covers “Orient Express,” “The Murder of Roger Ackroyd” (the subject of today’s livestream), “One, Two, Buckle My Shoe,” “Three Act Tragedy,” “The Nemean Lion,” “Curtain,” and more!

Teresa Peschel, author of "Agatha Christie, She Watched" and the "International Agatha Christie, She Watched," hosts our livestream. Joining Teresa is her husband, technical adviser, and straight man, Bill Peschel. Together, they are Peschel Press, publisher of intriguing, intelligent, and idiosyncratic books (www.peschelpress.com).

HOW TO SEE THIS MOVIE:

Links: iQIYI website (login needed) https://www.iq.com/album/checkmate-2022-1vwjz1u3j1p?lang=en_us

DVD versions for sale on eBay: https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=checkmate+dvd+chinese+series

Peschel Press: www.peschelpress.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/peschel_press/

NEXT WEEK:

We’re jumping ahead to “The Seven Dials Mystery.” We’re watching first the James Warwick version from 1981 and discussing it on 1/22/26. Then, on Jan. 29, we’ll tackle the new Netflix adaptation.

Warning: SPOILERS! If you haven’t read “The Murder of Roger Ackroyd,” do yourself a favor and stop here and read it. You’ll thank us later.

Teresa Peschel, author of "Agatha Christie, She Watched" and the "International Agatha Christie, She Watched," hosts our livestream. Joining Teresa is her husband, technical adviser, and straight man, Bill Peschel. Together, they are Peschel Press, publisher of intriguing, intelligent, and idiosyncratic books (www.peschelpress.com).

Links:

Peschel Press: www.peschelpress.com

Dailymotion: “The Murder of Kuroido” https://dai.ly/x8il2r2

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/peschel_press/

DISCLAIMER: FAIR USE. Title 17, US Code (Sections 107-118 of the copyright law) All media in this video is used for the purpose of review and commentary under the terms of fair use. All footage, music and images used belong to their respective owners.

Two years after the execrable “Agatha Christie Poirot” episode that ended in a shootout in a factory, the Russians released a FIVE-HOUR version of “The Murder of Roger Ackroyd” that may be the best adaptation of all.

Warning: SPOILERS! If you haven’t read “The Murder of Roger Ackroyd,” do yourself a favor and stop here and read it. You’ll thank us later.

Teresa Peschel, author of "Agatha Christie, She Watched" and the "International Agatha Christie, She Watched," hosts our livestream. Joining Teresa is her husband, technical adviser, and straight man, Bill Peschel. Together, they are Peschel Press, publisher of intriguing, intelligent, and idiosyncratic books (www.peschelpress.com).

Links:

Peschel Press: www.peschelpress.com

(The movie was briefly available on DailyMotion but has been taken down by the copyright owner. Apparently, they hate to make money.)

DISCLAIMER: FAIR USE. Title 17, US Code (Sections 107-118 of the copyright law) All media in this video is used for the purpose of review and commentary under the terms of fair use. All footage, music and images used belong to their respective owners.

After a five-year hiatus, “Agatha Christie’s Poirot” returned in 2000 with a different format (90-minute movies), a more serious tone, and less emphasis on Miss Lemon, Hastings, and Inspector Japp. The series was launched with one of Christie’s greatest novels, “The Murder of Roger Ackroyd,” and what they did to the book, well, you’ll have to watch us and find out.

Teresa Peschel, author of "Agatha Christie, She Watched" and the "International Agatha Christie, She Watched," hosts our livestream. Joining Teresa is her husband, technical adviser, and straight man, Bill Peschel. Together, they are Peschel Press, publisher of intriguing, intelligent, and idiosyncratic books (www.peschelpress.com).

Links:

Peschel Press: www.peschelpress.com

Dailymotion: “The Murder of Roger Ackroyd” https://dai.ly/x9kd654

DISCLAIMER: FAIR USE. Title 17, US Code (Sections 107-118 of the copyright law) All media in this video is used for the purpose of review and commentary under the terms of fair use. All footage, music and images used belong to their respective owners.

Before we move on to “The Murder of Roger Ackroyd,” let’s discuss this adaptation of Agatha Christie’s “The Unexpected Guest.” This play is popular everywhere but in Britain and the U.S., which has never filmed it. Why is that? And how well did the Estonians do?

While this movie is subtitled, it was done using AI, so we’ll also talk about the current state of translation software and artificial intelligence.

Teresa Peschel, author of "Agatha Christie, She Watched" and the "International Agatha Christie, She Watched," hosts our livestream. Joining Teresa is her husband, technical adviser, and straight man, Bill Peschel. Together, they are Peschel Press, publisher of intriguing, intelligent, and idiosyncratic books (www.peschelpress.com).

Links:

Peschel Press: www.peschelpress.com

YouTube “The McGregor Case”: https://youtu.be/NzLIBuM_Ozg

DISCLAIMER: FAIR USE. Title 17, US Code (Sections 107-118 of the copyright law) All media in this video is used for the purpose of review and commentary under the terms of fair use. All footage, music and images used belong to their respective owners.