Casting has been announced for the latest incarnation of Hercule Poirot.
A new six-part series from the BBC and BritBox, titled simply Hercule, is set to begin filming this summer in Liverpool, England.
Playing Agatha Christie’s iconic Belgian detective will be 33-year-old English actor Edward Bluemel, who you may recognise from My Lady Jane and We Might Regret This.
“I feel very lucky to have been trusted with such an iconic character who has been played by so many great actors,” commented Bluemel. “I can’t wait to continue Hercule’s legacy.”
“Hercule Poirot is one of the greatest and most loved characters of all time, and bringing him back to the BBC is a real privilege,” said Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama.
“From the first moments of Edward’s audition we knew we’d found the perfect actor for Hercule, with a performance that feels both fresh and exciting, yet quintessentially Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot. We can’t wait for viewers to meet him,” she added.
Hercule is being written by Benji Walters (Code of Silence), with Dracula director Jonny Campbell helming the first two episodes, and Charlie Palmer (A Woman Of Substance) as series producer.
The official synopsis promises “an intimate study of Hercule the man and an epic portrait of Britain between the wars.”
We’re told that the series will take a magnifying glass to three of Christie’s most celebrated stories, while also charting Hercule’s burgeoning friendship with Captain Arthur Hastings, his early encounters with Scotland Yard’s James Japp, and introducing him to “one particular nemesis.” Who could that be, we wonder…
James Prichard, executive producer and great grandson of Agatha Christie, said: “My father had the privilege of working with David Suchet for nearly 25 years, and I now have the good fortune of being able to share my great grandmother’s brilliant stories with a new generation of viewers.
“Edward Bluemel is an extremely talented performer and will make a great addition to the long line of actors that have played this celebrated character, aided and abetted by Benji Walters’ thoughtful scripts. I cannot wait to see Edward on screen as Hercule Poirot.”
Hercule is expected to premiere in 2027 on BBC iPlayer and BBC One in the UK, and on BritBox in North America.
