Towards Zero: everything we know about the Agatha Christie drama

Towards Zero star Anjelica Huston, wearing Gucci, attends the 10th Annual LACMA ART+FILM GALA
Anjelica Huston leads the cast of Towards Zero (Image credit: Getty Images)

Towards Zero, starring Oscar winner Anjelica Huston, is the latest BBC adaptation of an Agatha Christie classic.

Having last year made Murder is Easy, the broadcaster is now setting its sights on "Towards Zero", which was first published in 1944. It's being adapted for the screen by BAFTA-nominated Rachel Bennette (NW) and directed by the Olivier Award-winning Sam Yates (Magpie).

Anjelica Huston says: "I have long been a fan of Agatha Christie and the murder-mystery genre and always love the opportunity to film in England. I am thrilled to be working with director Sam Yates and this wonderful cast, and excited to play the clever and dignified Camilla, Lady Tressilian."

James Prichard, executive producer for Agatha Christie Limited, adds: "This is a very special production. Rachel [Bennette] has done an extraordinary job on making my great-grandmother's story even more dramatic, intense and troubling. Add in a cast of this calibre and viewers are in for a real treat."

Here's everything we know…

Towards Zero release date

Towards Zero is likely to be shown on BBC One this Christmas, probably a couple of days after Christmas Day. However, the BBC is yet to confirm its Christmas TV schedule. Filming is taking place now in and around Bristol and on the Devon coast, meaning it will be ready in time. The three-part series will be available on BritBox in the US.

What's the plot?

Teasing the plot, the BBC says: "England, 1936. After a scandalous celebrity divorce, British tennis star Nevile Strange (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) and his ex-wife Audrey (Ella Lily Hyland) make the unthinkable decision to spend a summer together at Gull’s Point, their childhood home and the coastal estate of Nevile's aunt, Lady Tressilian (Anjelica Huston).

"With unfinished business between the former childhood sweethearts, plus the presence of Nevile’s new wife Kay (Mimi Keene), tensions are running high. Add to this a long-suffering lady’s companion, a mysterious gentleman's valet, an exiled cousin with a grudge, a venerable family lawyer, an inquisitive orphan and a French con man, and soon there will be murder. A troubled detective must rediscover his purpose to untangle a toxic web of jealousy, deceit and dysfunction. Can he solve the crime before another victim meets their death? 

 "An explosive love triangle, a formidable matriarch and a house party of enemies. All compelled… Towards Zero."

Who's in the cast?

As mentioned Anjelica Huston plays Camilla, Lady Tressilia. The series also stars Jackie Clune (Motherland)Grace Doherty (Call the Midwife), Jack Farthing (Rain Dogs), Khalil Gharbia (Mary & George), Adam Hugill (Sherwood), Academy Award-winner Anjelica Huston (The Grifters), Ella Lily Hyland (Black Doves), Oliver Jackson-Cohen (The Haunting of Hill House), Mimi Keene (Sex Education), Clarke Peters (The Wire), Emmy winner Matthew Rhys (The Americans) and Oliver Award-winner Anjana Vasan (Black Mirror: Demon 79).

Is there a trailer?

No not yet.

Has Towards Zero been adapted for television before?

Yes, oddly ITV turned it into a Miss Marple mystery even though Miss Marple isn’t in the book! Back in 2008 the late Geraldine McEwan played Marple in ITV's Towards Zero

David Hollingsworth
Editor

David is the What To Watch Editor and has over 20 years of experience in television journalism. He is currently writing about the latest television and film news for What To Watch.

Before working for What To Watch, David spent many years working for TV Times magazine, interviewing some of television's most famous stars including Hollywood actor Kiefer Sutherland, singer Lionel Richie and wildlife legend Sir David Attenborough. 

David started out as a writer for TV Times before becoming the title's deputy features editor and then features editor. During his time on TV Times, David also helped run the annual TV Times Awards. David is a huge Death in Paradise fan, although he's still failed to solve a case before the show's detective! He also loves James Bond and controversially thinks that Timothy Dalton was an excellent 007.

Other than watching and writing about telly, David loves playing cricket, going to the cinema, trying to improve his tennis and chasing about after his kids!