Curtains for good old Poirot
Cop show favourite Philip Glenister received a personal invitation from Hercule to join the cast of a 20th Century TV classic
LIFE On Mars and Ashes To Ashes star Philip Glenister admits he’s not obvious casting to play a bluff, self-assured aristocrat in the final case for Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot.
Sir William Boyd Carrington is a former governor of the province of India, an aristocrat who is rather eccentric. Nothing at all like the character with whom the actor is most readily identified – detective chief inspector Gene Hunt in Life On Mars and it’s successor Ashes To Ashes. Hunt became something of a national hero despite Hunt’s politically incorrect, brutal and corrupt method of 1970s policing.
Sir William was, says the actor, very enjoyable to play including his relationship with Babs – Barbara Franklin, played by Anna Madeley. “Carrington is rather taken with Babs, and they’d be together if the circumstances were different,” says Glenister. “Carrington believes Babs could do a lot better for herself if she wasn’t with that drab, boring husband Dr Franklin, who is stuck in a lab all day. I think she would agree her life would be a lot more exciting if she were with Carrington.”
Glenister is one of the guest stars in the Agatha Christie adaptation Curtain: Poirot’s Last Case which marks David Suchet’s final outing as the iconic Belgian detective, after 25 years and 13 series in the role. The aged and immobilised detective calls on old friend Captain Hastings (Hugh Fraser) for assistance as they return to the scene of their first case, Styles Court, to try and prevent an imminent murder.
Glenister’s appearance is all down to Suchet, with whom he worked on the BBC drama Hidden.
“While we were filming he asked me if I’d ever been in a Poirot. I hadn’t. Later, I received a personal invitation from Hercule himself. I wasn’t going to say no to that. Curtain is the last Poirot, so it’s a pretty big deal for any actor,” he explains.
While in Devon during the summer Glenister visited Greenway, Christie’s holiday home, where some of the recent episode Dead Man’s Folly was filmed. “It was very interesting to walk around her estate knowing I had been part of the last Poirot. It was a fascinating and intriguing place to visit,” he says.
The appeal of Agatha Christie’s stories, first and foremost, is that they’re good storytelling, he believes. “The stories themselves are just brilliant, they’re really well acted and the attention to detail really lets the whole thing run away with your imagination. The adaptations are just like opening one of her books, which means the production team have succeeded in doing what they set out to do.”
After more contemporary roles he welcomed a return to period drama. “The film is set in the mid-20th Century, and that’s not a period I’ve done before,” he says. “What really struck me about the whole production of Poirot was the attention to detail. Whether it’s make-up, props, costumes, design, that’s a real team effort done with great care. When you step on set, it’s literally like stepping back in time.” The Poirot in this final story is a shadow of his former self. “To achieve a frail and much older look David had to lose a lot of weight before filming,” he says. “His commitment to the role is phenomenal and I have nothing but the utmost respect for him as a person and an actor.
“David is good fun to be around. Whenever he has the moustache on, he behaves like Poirot even if he’s not being filmed. It’s clear how much the character means to him – Poirot is David’s legacy.”
How emotional was it filming the final scene? “The most emotional part was watching the reunion between Poirot and Captain Hastings. There is a wonderfully moving scene where Hastings is reading a passage from Othello to Poirot. They played with such integrity. It was a pleasure to watch,” adds Glenister.
LIFE On Mars and Ashes To Ashes star Philip Glenister admits he’s not obvious casting to play a bluff, self-assured aristocrat in the final case for Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot.
Sir William Boyd Carrington is a former governor of the province of India, an aristocrat who is rather eccentric. Nothing at all like the character with whom the actor is most readily identified – detective chief inspector Gene Hunt in Life On Mars and it’s successor Ashes To Ashes. Hunt became something of a national hero despite Hunt’s politically incorrect, brutal and corrupt method of 1970s policing.
Sir William was, says the actor, very enjoyable to play including his relationship with Babs – Barbara Franklin, played by Anna Madeley. “Carrington is rather taken with Babs, and they’d be together if the circumstances were different,” says Glenister. “Carrington believes Babs could do a lot better for herself if she wasn’t with that drab, boring husband Dr Franklin, who is stuck in a lab all day. I think she would agree her life would be a lot more exciting if she were with Carrington.”
Glenister is one of the guest stars in the Agatha Christie adaptation Curtain: Poirot’s Last Case which marks David Suchet’s final outing as the iconic Belgian detective, after 25 years and 13 series in the role. The aged and immobilised detective calls on old friend Captain Hastings (Hugh Fraser) for assistance as they return to the scene of their first case, Styles Court, to try and prevent an imminent murder.
Glenister’s appearance is all down to Suchet, with whom he worked on the BBC drama Hidden.
“While we were filming he asked me if I’d ever been in a Poirot. I hadn’t. Later, I received a personal invitation from Hercule himself. I wasn’t going to say no to that. Curtain is the last Poirot, so it’s a pretty big deal for any actor,” he explains.
While in Devon during the summer Glenister visited Greenway, Christie’s holiday home, where some of the recent episode Dead Man’s Folly was filmed. “It was very interesting to walk around her estate knowing I had been part of the last Poirot. It was a fascinating and intriguing place to visit,” he says.
The appeal of Agatha Christie’s stories, first and foremost, is that they’re good storytelling, he believes. “The stories themselves are just brilliant, they’re really well acted and the attention to detail really lets the whole thing run away with your imagination. The adaptations are just like opening one of her books, which means the production team have succeeded in doing what they set out to do.”
After more contemporary roles he welcomed a return to period drama. “The film is set in the mid-20th Century, and that’s not a period I’ve done before,” he says. “What really struck me about the whole production of Poirot was the attention to detail. Whether it’s make-up, props, costumes, design, that’s a real team effort done with great care. When you step on set, it’s literally like stepping back in time.” The Poirot in this final story is a shadow of his former self. “To achieve a frail and much older look David had to lose a lot of weight before filming,” he says. “His commitment to the role is phenomenal and I have nothing but the utmost respect for him as a person and an actor.
“David is good fun to be around. Whenever he has the moustache on, he behaves like Poirot even if he’s not being filmed. It’s clear how much the character means to him – Poirot is David’s legacy.”
How emotional was it filming the final scene? “The most emotional part was watching the reunion between Poirot and Captain Hastings. There is a wonderfully moving scene where Hastings is reading a passage from Othello to Poirot. They played with such integrity. It was a pleasure to watch,” adds Glenister.
- Curtains: Poirot’s Last Case, ITV1, November 13, 8pm
Original article can be found here.
Copyright @PhilipGlenisterFans. All Rights Reserved. This is a non-profit website, and all material on this site is meant for entertainment purposes only. No copyright infringement is intended and all content provided or linked to on this site is copyrighted to their respective owners, photographers, and representatives. Watermarks are meant for site promotion only and do not indicate ownership. If you come across something you would like removed, please contact us before taking further action and we will remove it.