Agatha Christie: Lucy Worsley on the Mystery Queen takes an in-depth look at the world’s best-selling crime writer.
The three-part series, airing on BBC Two this month, sees historian Lucy Worsley carry out some sleuthing of her own to find out what inspired the creator of Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple and how her extraordinary life was every bit as intriguing as her acclaimed whodunnits.
Here’s everything you need to know about Agatha Christie: Lucy Worsley on the Mystery Queen...
Agatha Christie: Lucy Worsley on the Mystery Queen – when is the air date?
The three-part documentary begins on Friday, November 25 on BBC Two at 9 pm and will air weekly but it will also be available as a box-set on BBC iPlayer.
No US air date has been announced but we will update here if that changes.
Agatha Christie: Lucy Worsley on the Mystery Queen – what is it about?
The series sees Lucy Worsley, best known for documentaries including Lucy Worsley Investigates, Blitz Spirit with Lucy Worsley, and Lucy Worsley’s Royal Myths and Secrets, explore how deceptively 'cosy' crime writer Agatha Christie was actually a trailblazer and how the epic social changes she lived through, and her own personal struggles, bled into her work.
The historian speaks to members of Christie’s family as well as fellow writers to find out more and she travels to a variety of locations across the globe that were important to the author, from Devon to Egypt and Istanbul.
“Agatha Christie experienced two World Wars, divorce, was a working single mum, and struggled with mental health,” Worsley tells What to Watch. “Her books tell the story of the 20th century as attitudes changed. But she also fits into that box marked ‘Difficult woman.’ People felt there was something odd about her and I was drawn to that.”
What does the show reveal about Agatha Christie’s early life?
Worsley looks at Christie’s seemingly idyllic childhood in Devon and uncovers how a sinister recurring nightmare went on to influence some of her darkest mysteries. The historian also examines how Christie’s work as a hospital dispenser during World War One led to poison becoming the murder weapon of choice in her novels.
“When her father died, the family lost its money and she became anxious. She’d have this recurring nightmare about a 'Gun Man' and dream her mother had turned into this killer. That comes up in her stories — the murderer is always amongst us,” explains Worsley. “Then in World War One, she worked in a hospital seeing things nice ladies weren't supposed to and mixed potentially poisonous medicines. She was a rule-breaker.”
How does the series explain Agatha Christie’s famous disappearance?
In the second episode of the series, Worsley delves into the reasons why the author vanished for 11 days in 1926, sparking a manhunt until she was found in a Harrogate hotel. She looks at how the press became hostile to Agatha Christie in the aftermath of the event, and even tries to clear the writer’s name.
“The explanation was that it was a publicity stunt or she was framing her cheating first husband [Archibald Christie] for her murder. That's what the press wanted to believe,” explains Worsley. “But it’s not true. She said she'd experienced suicidal thoughts and she’d gone into a fugue state when you take a flight from reality, but people didn’t listen because it was uncomfortable.”
What does the series reveal about Agatha Christie’s later years?
The documentary discovers how Christie reached dizzy new heights as an author in her middle age, while she also became a successful playwright and found love again.
“She was full of surprises,” says Worsley. “She travelled to Iraq by herself in 1928 and fell in love with this archaeological assistant [Max Mallowan] 14 years younger than her. And she didn't become the Queen of the West End stage [with hits including The Mousetrap] until 1952, when she was 62. She’s a role model for later life success.”
Is there a trailer?
Yes! The clip, which includes several archive shots of Christie, sees Worsley claiming that she wants to uncover the true Agatha Christie. Journalist Kate Adie is shown talking about Christie’s time working in a hospital during World War One and the teaser concludes with Worsley declaring that the author was a ‘pioneering, radical writer and woman'...
