Towards Zero, starring Oscar winner Anjelica Huston, is the latest BBC adaptation of an Agatha Christie classic, and a string of first-look pictures have now been released including the main shot above.
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."
Writer, Rachel Bennette, says: "These are among the richest and most complex of Christie's characters, and I was captivated from the first by the charisma, in particular, of her female characters. It has been thrilling to bring them all to life in this disturbing tale of truth and lies, love and hate, a story which unfolds amidst the dark, cinematic glamour of the 1930s, yet feels startlingly of our time.”
Director, Sam Yates, says: "It has been an honour to bring this most psychological and sensual of Agatha Christie's stories to vibrant life with a peerless cast of actors and an extraordinary team. Audiences are in for a propulsive, intoxicating ride into the dark hearts of some of Christie's most irresistible characters."
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.
