Poirot fans, your prayers have been answered! More than a decade on from its finale, the BBC is bringing us a dream reboot that’s set to rival the original. Hercule is the perfectly cast Poirot remake that will star Killing Eve and My Lady Jane actor Edward Bluemel - the youngest actor to ever play the titular Belgian sleuth - and the first picture of our new Poirot has officially been revealed!
While he might be younger than his predecessors at only 33 years old, the series will chart the detective's early years and, fortunately, the actor doesn’t appear to be fazed one bit. Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama says of the casting: “From the first moments of Edward’s audition we knew we’d found the perfect actor for Hercule, with a performance that feels both fresh and exciting, yet quintessentially Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot.”
While we patiently wait for Hercule to arrive on our screens, here’s everything you need to know about the reboot, including the plot, cast and where to watch it.
What was the original Poirot about?
Often hailed as one of the best detective series of all time, the long-running drama aired on ITV from 1989 to 2013. Almost all of Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot novels were adapted in the process, with David Suchet starring in the titular role for 24 years.
Over the course of 13 series, the drama followed the super sleuth with a sharp mind as he solved a range of complex crimes in 1930s England. The original series also starred the likes of Hugh Fraser as Poirot’s closest friend, Captain Arthur Hastings, Pauline Moran as his secretary and Philip Jackson as his long-standing associate.
What will Hercule be about?
The six-part series, which the BBC is calling an “intimate study of Hercule the man and an epic portrait of Britain between the wars”, will follow Hercule Poirot’s first cases in London before becoming the world's most famous sleuth. Edward Bluemel, best known for starring in Killing Eve (he played an MI6 intern) and My Lady Jane (as Lord Guildford Dudley), will step into the iconic shoes of Poirot, which is no mean feat for a 33-year-old.
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According to the BBC, the series takes a magnifying glass to three of Christie’s most celebrated stories, while also charting Hercule’s friendship with Captain Arthur Hastings, his early encounters with Scotland Yard’s James Japp, and introducing him to one particular nemesis.
Edward Bluemel says of the role: “I feel very lucky to have been trusted with such an iconic character who has been played by so many great actors. I can’t wait to continue Hercule’s legacy.”
James Prichard, executive producer for Agatha Christie Limited, added of the casting: “My father had the privilege of working with David Suchet for nearly 25 years, and I now have the good fortune of being able to share my great grandmother’s brilliant stories with a new generation of viewers. Edward Bluemel is an extremely talented performer and will make a great addition to the long line of actors that have played this celebrated character, aided and abetted by Benji Walters’ thoughtful scripts. I cannot wait to see Edward on screen as Hercule Poirot.”
Rebecca Durbin and Damien Timmer, executive producers for Mammoth Screen, told the BBC: “Edward Bluemel and Benji Walters are both extraordinary talents and it is a joy to see them take on this beloved character and make him their own. Hercule is both a love letter to Agatha Christie and a fascinating new perspective on an iconic figure - we hope viewers will find it as arresting as we do!”
Who’s in the cast of Hercule?
The cast of Hercule includes:
- Edward Bluemel (pictured above in My Lady Jane)
- 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)
- Mawaan Rizwan (Juice, The Split Up)
Has the BBC released a picture of the new Poirot?
Yes, the BBC has just released the first look image of Edward Bluemel in character and we think he looks pretty good. Check out the picture below.
How can I watch Hercule?
The BBC hasn’t yet shared a release date for Hercule, but we do know that filming will begin this summer, primarily in Liverpool, and that it will premiere on BBC iPlayer and BBC One in the UK, and on BritBox in North America. As soon as we have a confirmed release date, we’ll share it here.
What other detective dramas can I watch now?
One of our favourite hidden gems is Chasing Shadows. The ITV drama introduces us to DS Sean Stone (played by Reece Shearsmith) and his professional partner Ruth Hattersley (Alex Kingston) who work in a missing persons unit, so we see an area of policing that’s rarely portrayed on screen. You can watch Chasing Shadows now on ITVX. If you’re a fan of Endeavour, we’d also suggest checking out Scrublands. Based on the award-winning novels written by Chris Hammer, the Australian series takes us to an isolated town in rural Australia where investigative journalist Martin Scarsden (Luke Arnold) finds himself unravelling a mystery of spectacularly large proportions. Scrublands is available to watch now on BBC iPlayer.
