Hugh Laurie is adapting Agatha Christie’s ‘Why Didn’t They Ask Evans?’ for BritBox

Hugh Laurie is going to write, direct, and executive produce a new Agatha Christie mini-series.

The House star will adapt Christie’s 1934 story Why Didn’t They Ask Evans? for BritBox.

Produced by Mammoth Screen, who made the BBC’s recent And Then There Were None and The ABC Murders adaptations, the three-part drama is BritBox’s biggest commission yet.

Why Didn’t They Ask Evans? tells the story Bobby Jones and his socialite friend Lady Frances Derwent, who become amateur sleuths after discover a dying man while hunting for a golf ball.

Laurie commented: “The hairs on the back of my neck haven’t properly settled down from the first time I grasped the beauty of the essential mystery.

“Since then, I have fallen deeper and deeper in love with the characters, and feel immensely honoured to have been given the chance to retell their story in this form.”

He added: “I will wear a tie on set, and give it everything I have.”

It’s not yet clear if the 61-year-old English actor will also star in the mini-series.

Executive producer Helen Ziegler said: “[Laurie’s] dazzling scripts take the mischief and cleverness of the original novel to a new level, and with Hugh sitting in the director’s chair, this really is going to be an authored treat for Christie fans everywhere.”

Emily Powers, head of BritBox North America, teased: “Hugh Laurie’s writing pays homage to the brilliance of the original Agatha Christie mystery while adding fresh wit, humor, and creativity that will appeal to all audiences.”

It was first reported in 2019 that Hugh Laurie was working on an Agatha Christie project, with rumours at the time suggesting he could become the new Poirot.

Why Didn’t They Ask Evans? will premiere on BritBox in 2022.

Poirot: The Complete Cases Collection box set is available on DVD on Amazon.