Agatha Christie Screen Spotlight: ‘Miss Marple’ Debut Episodes ‘ The Body in the Library’ with Joan Hickson
Although Agatha Christie’s famous detective Miss Marple has been played by numerous actresses over the past seven decades, when most people think of the character, the image in their head is formed largely by Joan Hickson, star of the BBC series Miss Marple. The show aired from 1984-1992 and adapted all 12 Miss Marple novels, and it remains the most faithful onscreen representation of Christie’s beloved creation.
That all began with the three-episode adaptation of 1942’s The Body in the Library, Christie’s second Miss Marple novel. Writer T.R. Bowen doesn’t present the episodes like a typical TV pilot, though, and Miss Marple is already well-known as a shrewd amateur sleuth in her cozy English hometown of St. Mary Mead. If her name weren’t in the title, she might not even register as the main character at first. She spends most of the first episode simply lurking in the background, offering support to her friend Dolly Bantry (Gwen Watford), who’s been scandalized by the discovery of a dead body in the library of her sprawling country home.
Miss Marple’s reputation has preceded her, both with the characters and most likely with the audience as well — even viewers who were watching the show when it first aired in 1984. Everyone knows that she’ll be the one to eventually solve the crime, so she can bide her time while the official investigation progresses, pursuing all the wrong suspects and running into various dead ends.
That doesn’t sit well with Detective Inspector Slack (David Horovitch), who dismisses Miss Marple as “an aging spinster” and is annoyed that his superior officer, Colonel Melchett (Frederick Jaeger), seems to value her opinion. Dolly is so convinced of Miss Marple’s deductive skills that she becomes slightly annoyed when the case isn’t wrapped up quickly enough, since the whole thing is quite a bother for her and her husband.
The bulk of the story takes place at the upscale seaside Majestic Hotel, where the alleged victim, Ruby Keene (Sally Jane Jackson), was employed, and where Dolly and Miss Marple take up temporary residence to remain close to the action. Wealthy hotel guest Conway Jefferson (Andrew Cruickshank), who was Ruby’s benefactor, engages retired Scotland Yard detective Sir Henry Clithering (Raymond Francis) to conduct his own inquiry, but once Sir Henry spots Miss Marple, he knows that his participation is largely redundant.
Sir Henry calls Miss Marple “one of the most formidable criminologists in England,” and adds that “her mind has plumbed the depths of human iniquity, and taken it all in a day’s work.” Meanwhile, Miss Marple spends much of her time quietly knitting, observing the interactions of people around her, and quietly formulating her solution. “I’m afraid you’ll find my methods terribly amateurish,” she says with somewhat disingenuous humility before recounting every detail of exactly what happened to the dead woman.
That mix of modesty and hubris defines Hickson’s version of Miss Marple, who always looks unassuming and speaks softly, letting the people around her take up all the attention — at least until she reveals how much she knows about the entire situation. It’s easy to see how this version conforms best to Christie’s conception of the character, rather than the showier takes on Miss Marple in other adaptations.
The low-key approach makes Miss Marple a bit dry at times, but there’s plenty of deadpan humor, especially in the way that other characters interact with Miss Marple herself. The restrained style of the show matches Miss Marple’s restrained crime-solving style, capturing the methodical, meticulous way she puts the clues together.
Hickson may be mild-mannered and self-effacing, but she conveys the genius behind Miss Marple’s placid demeanor. By the end of the third episode of The Body in the Library, it’s easy to see why so many law enforcement professionals are in awe of Miss Marple — and just as easy to see why Hickson’s performance is considered definitive.
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Josh Bell is a freelance writer and movie/TV critic based in Las Vegas. He has written about movies, TV, and pop culture for Vulture, IndieWire, CBR, Inverse, Crooked Marquee, and more. With comedian Jason Harris, he co-hosts the podcast Awesome Movie Year.