If you’ve already cracked all of our favourite inspector Poirot’s brilliant mysteries and need something new to get stuck into, we’ve unearthed a charming, lesser-known detective drama: Agatha And The Truth of Murder. With Agatha herself (played by Slow Horses star Ruth Bradley) swapping her writing room for a real-life investigation, it’s perfect viewing for wannabe sleuths and, dare we say, even better than Poirot.

The feature-length film takes us back to 1926, when the country was gripped by the disappearance of celebrated crime writer Agatha Christie. Nobody knows what exactly happened during the 11 days she was gone, but Agatha And The Truth Of Murder envisions an imaginative explanation – she was solving a murder, of course. Adding to the intrigue, the central mystery is inspired by a real cold case: the 1920 killing of Florence Nightingale’s goddaughter.

Intrigued? With the series available to stream now, here’s everything you need to know about Agatha And The Truth Of Murder, including the plot, cast and how to watch it.

What is Agatha And The Truth Of Murder about?

Two women in vintage attire stand in front of an old car.
HELEN SLOAN SMPSP

In December 1926, Agatha Christie vanished for 11 days, sparking public fascination and a huge police search. Almost a century later, writer Tom Dalton imagined an alternative explanation for her disappearance in Agatha Christie And The Truth Of Murder. The 2018 film follows Christie (Ruth Bradley), who’s struggling in her personal life – her writing has hit a wall and her husband wants a divorce.

Amid the turmoil, nurse Mabel Rogers (Pippa Haywood) approaches Agatha to ask her to help solve the six-year-old murder of Florence Nightingale Shore (Stacha Hicks), Florence Nightingale’s goddaughter, who was brutally attacked on a train. Agatha initially insists that she’s a writer, not a detective, but her curiosity soon gets the better of her.

Mabel has already identified a collection of suspects, including Florence’s cousin Randolph (Tim McInnerny); Zaki (Luke Pierre), an Algerian soldier who Florence had previously cared for; Travis Pickford (Blake Harrison), a boxer; and Daphne Miller (Bebe Cave), a nurse whose job was on the line due to a negligence report Florence wanted to file.

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However, Agatha quickly realises Mabel has left out some key details and identifies new suspects. Taking inspiration from her own novels, she wears a disguise and invites all the accused to a gathering in a country house under the guise of a fake inheritance reveal. Quickly, a dramatic interrogation unfolds, two members of the group disappear – and one of the guests is shot! Meanwhile, the police are still scouring the country searching for Agatha…

Who’s in the cast of Agatha And The Truth Of Murder?

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UKTV

The cast of Agatha And The Truth Of Murder includes:

  • Dean Andrews (Ashes To Ashes) as Wade
  • Ruth Bradley (Slow Horses) as Agatha Christie
  • Bebe Cave (Tell That To The Winter Sea) as Daphne
  • Amelia Dell as Rosalind
  • Richard Doubleday (Line Of Duty) as Postmaster Wilson
  • Derek Halligan (A Belfast Story) as Mr Todd
  • Blake Harrison (The Inbetweeners) as Travis Pickford
  • Pippa Haywood (pictured above in Magpie Murders, Bergerac, Prisoners’ Wives) as Mabel Rogers
  • Stacha Hicks (The Owners) as Florence Nightingale Shore
  • Ralph Ineson (The Witch) as Detective Inspector Dicks
  • Brian McCardie (Damaged) as Sir Hugh Persimmion
  • Michael McElhatton (Game Of Thrones) as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
  • Tim McInnerny (Blackadder) as Randolph
  • Clare McMahon as Carlo
  • Liam McMahon (Northanger Abbey, The Hardacres) as Archie
  • Seamus O'Hara (An Irish Goodbye) as PC Spencer
  • Luke Pierre (Midsomer Murders, Rogue Agent) as Zaki Hanachi
  • Joshua Silver as Franklin
  • Samantha Spiro (Grandpa’s Great Escape, Sex Education) as Pamela

Is there a trailer for Agatha And The Truth Of Murder?

Yes, you can watch the trailer for Agatha And The Truth Of Murder below.

Is Agatha And The Truth Of Murder any good?

group of people in vintage clothing standing in front of a steam train.
UKTV

Yes – the drama ingeniously takes two incidents that have fascinated the public for decades (the unsolved murder of Nurse Florence Nightingale Shore and the unexplained 11-day disappearance of Agatha Christie) and combines them into one entertaining whodunnit. The country house gathering feels irrefutably Christie-esque; it’s cosy, clever and packed with enough red herrings to keep you guessing until the very satisfying conclusion.

How can I watch Agatha And The Truth Of Murder?

You can watch Agatha And The Truth Of Murder now on Channel 4 and Channel 5.

What other detective dramas can I watch now?

man in a blue coat outdoors with a cigarette.
Acorn TV

For a more modern detective drama, we’d recommend Jack Taylor, which follows the eponymous detective (Iain Glen), a self-destructive, heavy-drinking former garda who becomes a private investigator in Galway, taking on the cases that others daren’t touch. Jack Taylor is available to watch now on ITVX. For another stylish detective drama, try Inspector George Gently, in which the eponymous anti-corruption inspector (Martin Shaw) takes the rash young DS John Bacchus (Lee Ingleby) under his wing as they solve a string of complex crimes in 1960s Northeast England. Inspector George Gently is available to stream now on Netflix.