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NARRATOR: AGATHA CHRISTIE IS
Official YIFY movies site: YTS.MX
THE BEST-SELLING NOVELIST OF ALL TIME.
THE QUEEN OF CRIME WROTE 66 MURDER MYSTERIES
AND DOZENS MORE PLAYS AND SHORT STORIES.
WE ALL KNOW AGATHA, DON'T WE?
WOMAN: THE NICE OLD LADY HAVING TEA WITH THE VICAR,
ARSENIC IN THE CRUMPETS.
NARRATOR: BUT DO WE REALLY KNOW
WHAT WAS GOING ON INSIDE HER BRILLIANT MIND?
AGATHA ON TAPE: YOU SIT DOWN TO START A BOOK
THAT HAS LIVED IN YOUR MIND.
ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS TO WRITE IT.
NARRATOR: TONIGHT, WE'LL DELVE DEEPER INTO THE GENIUS
OF AGATHA CHRISTIE THAN EVER BEFORE.
WE'LL HEAR FROM THE PEOPLE WHO KNEW HER BEST...
MAN: SHE LISTENED TO WHAT ANYBODY SAID,
WATCHED WHAT THEY DID,
AND THEN SHE MADE HER OWN USE OF IT.
NARRATOR: AND UNCOVER THE SECRETS
OF HER RARELY SEEN ARCHIVE...
MAN 2: I WENT TO A ROOM IN WHICH THE ENTIRE HISTORY
OF AGATHA CHRISTIE'S LITERARY CAREER WAS TO BE FOUND.
NARRATOR: TO DISCOVER THE MOMENTS
THAT CHANGED AGATHA'S PSYCHE FOREVER.
SHE WATCHES THE CENTURY GROW UP
AND SHE DOESN'T WATCH IT GET ANY BETTER.
NARRATOR: THIS IS THE UNTOLD STORY
OF WHAT MADE AGATHA CHRISTIE TICK.
WOMAN: SHE SAW BLOOD, SHE SAW GORE,
SHE SAW DEATH, AND SHE WASN'T AFRAID TO USE IT.
MAN 3: I THINK SHE HAD THE MOST EXTRAORDINARY MIND.
[TYPEWRITER BELL DINGS]
[FILM PROJECTOR WHIRRING]
NARRATOR: AGATHA WAS BORN IN TORQUAY IN DEVON
ON THE 15TH OF SEPTEMBER, 1890.
MAN: AGATHA CHRISTIE WAS MY GREAT-GRANDMOTHER.
WE ALL REFERRED TO HER AS "NIMA," WHICH WAS
MY FATHER'S ATTEMPT AT "GRANDMA."
MAN: NIMA AND I WERE CLOSER THAN SHE WAS
EVEN WITH MY MOTHER.
SHE WAS THE CEMENT IN THE FAMILY.
I'VE ALWAYS TOLD EVERYBODY, INCLUDING MY GRANDCHILDREN,
THAT NIMA WAS THE BEST LISTENER I EVER MET IN MY LIFE.
SHE LISTENED TO WHAT ANYBODY SAID,
SHE WATCHED WHAT THEY DID,
AND THEN SHE MADE HER OWN USE OF IT.
NARRATOR: AGATHA WATCHED,
SHE LISTENED, AND SHE ALSO DID SOMETHING REMARKABLE--
SHE RECORDED EVERYTHING.
NARRATOR: AGATHA'S FAMILY HAVE GRANTED US ACCESS
TO THIS RARELY SEEN TREASURE TROVE
OF MANUSCRIPTS, LETTERS, AND DIARIES.
THEY ARE THE KEY
TO UNDERSTANDING EXACTLY HOW HER MIND WORKED.
HIDDEN WITHIN ARE 73 OF AGATHA'S RARELY SEEN NOTEBOOKS.
FOR DECADES, THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE NOTEBOOKS
REMAINED AN ENIGMA.
DR. JOHN CURRAN: I WENT TO A ROOM IN WHICH THE ENTIRE HISTORY
OF AGATHA CHRISTIE'S LITERARY CAREER WAS TO BE FOUND.
NARRATOR: BUT NOW, THEY'VE BEEN DECODED
BY DR. JOHN CURRAN.
CURRAN: THE HAPHAZARDNESS IS THE CLUE
TO AGATHA CHRISTIE'S PHENOMENAL SUCCESS.
NARRATOR: THESE SCRIBBLINGS MAY LOOK INDECIPHERABLE,
BUT TO JOHN, THE PRIVILEGE OF GETTING HANDS-ON
WITH THE NOTEBOOKS HAS GIVEN HIM A TANTALIZING WINDOW
INTO AGATHA'S MIND.
HER BRAIN TEEMED WITH IDEAS.
ESSENTIALLY, HER NOTEBOOKS WERE HER SOUNDING BOARD.
THAT'S WHERE SHE BRAINSTORMED ON PAPER.
NARRATOR: NEXT TO SHOPPING LISTS AND TRAIN TIMES
IS A FASCINATING DISCOVERY--
THE SECRET WAY AGATHA CONSTRUCTED HER PLOTS.
CURRAN: WELL, ONE METHOD THAT SHE DID USE FREQUENTLY
WAS THIS IDEA OF ALLOCATING LETTERS
TO SHORT SCENES AND THEN RE-ORDERING THOSE LETTERS.
GOOD EXAMPLE OF THIS IS THE BOOK "TOWARDS ZERO."
SHE'S ALLOCATED A-B-C-D-E-F-G
UP AS FAR AS "H"
TO A SERIES OF LITTLE SCENES.
THEN SHE GOES BACK AND DOES A-D-C-B,
AND THEN, AFTER "B," SHE HAD WRITTEN G-H,
AND SHE SCRATCHED THEM OUT AND WROTE G-H
AT THE VERY BEGINNING OF ALL THIS, SO SHE'S
COMPLETELY JUMBLED UP THE ALPHABETICAL SEQUENCE
TILL SHE GOT TO THE PLOT THAT SHE EVENTUALLY WAS HAPPY WITH.
NARRATOR: OVER THE YEARS, AGATHA STORED
THE WORKINGS OF HER MIND WITH ENCYCLOPEDIC PRECISION.
BUT TO TRULY UNDERSTAND HOW THIS INSPIRED HER WRITING,
WE NEED TO RETURN TO HER EARLY YEARS.
[TYPEWRITER BELL DINGS]
AGATHA ON TAPE: PEOPLE OFTEN ASK ME WHAT MADE ME TAKE UP WRITING.
YOU SEE, I PUT IT ALL DOWN TO THE FACT
THAT I NEVER HAD ANY EDUCATION.
MATHEW: SHE COULD ONLY EDUCATE HERSELF,
AND THAT LEFT FAR MORE ROOM FOR THE IMAGINATION.
JAMES: SHE HAD A LOT OF TIME ON HER OWN,
INVENTING STORIES, INVENTING GAMES.
CURRAN: SHE WASN'T TAUGHT HOW TO THINK,
SO SHE THOUGHT DIFFERENTLY, SHE THOUGHT IN A VERY LATERAL WAY.
AGATHA ON TAPE: I FOUND MYSELF MAKING UP STORIES
AND ACTING THE DIFFERENT PARTS,
AND THERE'S NOTHING LIKE BOREDOM TO MAKE YOU WRITE.
NARRATOR: AGATHA'S IMAGINATION WAS SHAPED
BY HER UNCONVENTIONAL FAMILY.
SHE KIND OF GREW UP IN A MATRIARCHY, I WOULD SAY.
HER FATHER, HE JUST WENT AROUND BEING LOVELY,
AND HER BROTHER, HE ENDED UP SORT OF TAKING DRUGS
AND HE ACTUALLY DIED QUITE YOUNG,
SO THE FORCE OF THE FAMILY WAS IN THE WOMEN:
THE MOTHER,
THE CLEVER SISTER, AND THE GRANDMOTHERS,
BOTH OF WHOM KIND OF APPEAR IN "MISS MARPLE," I WOULD SAY.
THAT INNATE WISDOM REALLY PERMEATES THE DETECTIVE FICTION.
NARRATOR: AGATHA CHANNELED WHAT SHE LEARNT ABOUT FEMALE
INTUITION INTO ONE OF HER MOST ICONIC CHARACTERS,
MISS MARPLE.
IT WAS THEIR TREATMENT OF THE NOTE
BY THE BODY THAT SURPRISED ME.
THE HANDWRITING EXPERT SEEMED TO KNOW HIS ONIONS.
OH, YES, IT WAS OBVIOUSLY A FORGERY,
BUT WE DIDN'T NEED AN EXPERT TO TELL US THAT.
[TRAIN WHISTLE BLOWS]
NARRATOR: AGATHA'S CHILDHOOD MAY HAVE BEEN LONELY,
BUT SHE GREW UP IN A CHOCOLATE-BOX WORLD
THAT WOULD LATER BECOME THE BACKDROP TO MANY OF HER NOVELS.
THIS SETTING MAY EXPLAIN WHY PEOPLE SOMETIMES DISMISS
AGATHA'S WRITING AS SO-CALLED "COZY CRIME."
THE TRUTH IS THEY HAVE MISUNDERSTOOD
WHAT REALLY MADE HER TICK.
WOMAN: I THINK THERE IS A HUGE AMOUNT OF INTELLECTUAL SNOBBERY
ABOUT POPULIST LITERATURE.
IT'S THE KIND OF BELIEF THAT THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO WAY
ON GOD'S GREEN EARTH THAT THERE COULD BE ANYTHING CONTAINED
WITHIN IT OTHER THAN SILLY FROTH.
IT WAS THE POKER IN THE LIBRARY
AND THERE'S A BODY ON THE FLOOR, AND SOMEBODY DISCOVERS IT
AFTER THEY'VE BEEN PLAYING LAWN TENNIS,
BUT IT DOESN'T REALLY MATTER; SOMEBODY COMES IN
AND SORTS IT OUT AND EVERYONE HAS A SANDWICH,
AND IT'S ENDLESSLY, WILDLY POPULAR.
NARRATOR: BUT THERE IS A DARKER AND MORE
INTRICATE SIDE TO AGATHA'S WRITING.
JAMES: I DON'T THINK THERE IS ANYTHING "COZY" ABOUT HER WORKS.
PHELPS: SHE'S INFINITELY MORE COMPLEX THAN THAT.
SHE'S INFINITELY MORE SUBTLE, AND SHE IS INFINITELY
MORE OF A TRICKSY BITCH.
IT'S JUST "ARE YOU PAYING ATTENTION TO HER?"
IF YOU'RE NOT, THAT'S FINE. READ IT AND HAVE FUN,
AND THEN SEND IT BACK TO THE LENDING LIBRARY.
IF YOU'RE PAYING ATTENTION, YOU GET A WHOLE LOT MORE.
LITTLE DETAILS. WHAT'S THAT LITTLE DETAIL OVER THERE?
PAY ATTENTION TO THAT AND THINK ABOUT IT,
AND THE WHOLE BOOK SKEWS ON DETAILS AND CLUES.
NARRATOR: SARAH PHELPS HAS ADAPTED 5 OF AGATHA'S WORKS.
PORTER: NEED TICKETS, PLEASE. NEED TICKETS.
NARRATOR: IN "THE ABC MURDERS,"
LITTLE DETAILS AND CLUES DRIVE
AGATHA'S SOPHISTICATED PLOT.
JAMES: "THE ABC MURDERS" IS ACTUALLY AN EXTRAORDINARY STORY.
IT'S ONE OF THE FEW BOOKS, ACTUALLY, WHERE TO SOME EXTENT,
THE POTENTIAL MURDERER IS LIMITLESS.
NARRATOR: A SERIAL KILLER IS ON THE LOOSE.
THE MOOD IS DISTURBING
AND THE MURDERS BRUTAL.
IT'S NOT THE TRADITIONAL KIND OF LOCKED-ROOM MYSTERY
OR COUNTRY-HOUSE MURDER, WHERE, YOU KNOW,
THERE IS A LIMITED GROUP OF SUSPECTS.
[DOG WHINES]
[CLANG]
VERY DEFINITELY NOT COZY.
NARRATOR: NEXT,
AGATHA'S IMAGINATION GETS DARKER.
WOMAN: SHE SAW BLOOD, SHE SAW GORE,
SHE SAW DEATH, AND SHE WASN'T AFRAID TO USE IT.
NARRATOR: AND HER LIFE HAS ITS OWN PLOT TWIST.
THOMPSON: WITHOUT THE DISAPPEARANCE, WOULD SHE
HAVE BECOME THE AGATHA CHRISTIE THAT WE NOW HAVE?
[TYPEWRITER BELL DINGS]
NARRATOR: IN 1914,
AS BRITAIN'S TROOPS MARCHED INTO BATTLE...
AGATHA CHRISTIE TOOK HER FIRST STEPS INTO ADULT LIFE.
MATHEW: IT'S A VERY POIGNANT PICTURE FOR ME
BECAUSE, OF COURSE, I NEVER KNEW NIMA
IN THOSE YOUNGER DAYS,
AND I THINK IT DISPLAYS A PERSON
WHO PERHAPS HAD A DEGREE MORE INNOCENCE
AND JOIE DE VIVRE AT A VERY IMPORTANT STAGE OF HER LIFE.
PHELPS: WHAT IS FASCINATING TO ME IS
HOW HER VIEW OF THE WORLD IS SHAPED BY THE FIRST WORLD WAR.
[TYPEWRITER BELL DINGS]
NARRATOR: THE FIRST WORLD WAR WAS AN OPPORTUNITY
FOR AGATHA TO EXPLORE THE POWER OF MEDICINE.
IN OCTOBER 1914,
SHE VOLUNTEERED TO BE A NURSE AT HER LOCAL HOSPITAL
IN TORQUAY.
PHELPS: SHE IS WATCHING MEDICINE CHANGE
SO RADICALLY AND SO FAST.
WE START THE FIRST WORLD WAR
AND WITH HAVING NO REAL IDEA AT ALL
ABOUT WHAT HEAVY ARTILLERY IS GOING TO DO TO
THE HUMAN BODY AND ALSO TO THE HUMAN MIND.
NARRATOR: BY EXPOSING HERSELF TO THE DARK REALITY OF WARFARE,
AGATHA BUILT A MIND BANK OF CHILLING EXPERIENCES.
IN 1917,
SHE QUALIFIED AS A DISPENSER,
AND HER MIND TURNED TO
THE POSSIBILITIES OF POISON.
PHELPS: I ALWAYS IMAGINE THAT EVERYTHING
FOR HER IS A GRAIN.
IN A GRAIN OF MORPHINE, WHICH IS THE DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN PAIN RELIEF AND DEATH, AND BALANCING EVERYTHING
ON THOSE TINY, TINY SCALES,
ONE GRAIN THIS WAY
IS PAIN RELIEF AND POSSIBLE LIFE;
ONE GRAIN TOO FAR IS DEATH.
NARRATOR: CARLA VALENTINE IS INVESTIGATING
HOW AGATHA CONCOCTED HER DARK METHODS OF MURDER.
SHE SAW BLOOD, SHE SAW GORE,
SHE SAW DEATH, AND SHE WASN'T AFRAID TO USE IT.
SHE IS VERY ACCURATE IN HER FORENSIC DESCRIPTIONS.
SHE TALKS ABOUT GUNS AND SILENCERS.
SHE KNOWS ABOUT BLOOD SPATTER ANALYSIS,
SHE KNEW ABOUT TRAJECTORIES,
SHE KNEW ABOUT ENTRY WOUNDS AND EXIT WOUNDS,
AND SO SHE USES THAT IN A LOT OF HER BOOKS.
NARRATOR: AGATHA'S FORENSIC ATTENTION TO DETAIL
PLAYS OUT MOST CLEARLY IN "DEATH ON THE NILE."
POIROT IS CRUISING THROUGH EGYPT
AND GETS EMBROILED IN A MURDEROUS LOVE TRIANGLE.
[KNOCK ON DOOR] POIROT: ENTRER.
AH, MY DEAR COLONEL.
WHAT A BEAUTIFUL MORNING, N'EST-CE PAS?
I'M AFRAID SOMEONE'S BEEN SHOT.
WHO?
LINNET DOYLE, LAST NIGHT.
SHOT THROUGH THE HEAD.
IN "DEATH ON THE NILE," FOR EXAMPLE,
THE VICTIM HAS A SPECIFIC GUNSHOT WOUND.
MAN: THE PISTOL WAS HELD CLOSE AGAINST HER HEAD.
SEE, WHERE THE SKIN IS SQUASHED?
POIROT: OUI.
THERE WAS NO STRUGGLE. SHE WAS SHOT IN HER SLEEP.
THESE ARE SOME REALLY FANTASTIC EXAMPLES OF GUNSHOT WOUNDS,
AND YOU CAN SEE THERE'S A HUGE DIFFERENCE.
AN ENTRY WOUND TENDS TO BE QUITE SMALL,
AND THEN THE EXIT WILL BE A LOT BIGGER.
THERE'S ALSO A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE GUN BEING AWAY
FROM THE SKIN AND THE GUN BEING PLACED ON THE SKIN.
POIROT: BUT THE BULLET WOUND SHOWED SIGNS OF SCORCHING, AND
THAT IS TO SAY THE REVOLVER HAD BEEN PLACED AGAINST HER HEAD.
VALENTINE: AND AGATHA'S KNOWLEDGE OF THIS IS
THE THING THAT REALLY PUSHES THE PLOT FORWARD.
NARRATOR: AGATHA FOUND INSPIRATION FOR HER MURDERS
IN THE WORK OF A HOME OFFICE PATHOLOGIST
KNOWN AS THE FATHER OF FORENSICS.
IN THE EARLY 20TH CENTURY,
SIR BERNARD SPILSBURY WAS A MEDIA CELEBRITY
WHOSE DISCOVERIES WERE SPLASHED
ACROSS THE NEWSPAPERS.
THIS IS A REALLY FANTASTIC FORENSIC SPECIMEN.
WHAT WE'VE GOT HERE IS A STOMACH,
AND THE LINING HERE, YOU CAN SEE HEMORRHAGES,
AND THAT'S BECAUSE THIS PERSON HAS BEEN POISONED.
BUT THE SPECIMEN ITSELF HAS BEEN PREPARED
BY SIR BERNARD SPILSBURY.
HE WAS A REALLY FAMOUS GOLDEN-ERA PATHOLOGIST.
SHE WOULD HAVE LOVED THE FACT
THAT HE WAS A REAL-LIFE SHERLOCK HOLMES.
HE WAS INVOLVED IN ALL THE FAMOUS CASES OF THE TIME:
THE BRIDES IN THE BATH, DR. CRIPPEN,
THE BRIGHTON TRUNK MURDERS, SO IT'S A NICE MARRIAGE
OF FACT AND FICTION.
NARRATOR: AGATHA STARTED WRITING IN 1916.
AFTER "THE MYSTERIOUS AFFAIR AT STYLES,"
AN AGATHA CHRISTIE MURDER MYSTERY
WAS PUBLISHED EVERY YEAR.
OUR ACCESS TO AGATHA'S ARCHIVE
IS A RARE OPPORTUNITY TO HEAR
HER INSIGHTS IN HER WORDS.
AGATHA ON TAPE: HOW AWFUL THE FIRST DAY IS ALWAYS,
WHEN YOU REALLY SIT DOWN TO START WRITING THE BOOK
THAT HAS LIVED IN YOUR MIND,
THAT'S HAD NOTES MADE FOR IT AND A SKELETON...
AND THE WHOLE THING IS THERE, LAID OUT, READY.
NARRATOR: BUT, ON DECEMBER THE 4TH, 1926,
AGATHA'S LIFE TOOK AN UNEXPECTED TWIST.
HER CAR WAS ABANDONED IN THE SURREY COUNTRYSIDE.
THE BEST-SELLING NOVELIST OF ALL TIME
HAD DISAPPEARED.
THOMPSON: IT STARTED QUITE SMALL IN THE PAPERS,
AND THEN IT SUDDENLY WENT MAMMOTH.
THE PAPERS WERE JUST COVERED IN IT.
IS SHE DISGUISED AS A MAN? IS SHE THIS? IS SHE DEAD?
IT WAS...A MASSIVE, MASSIVE SENSATION.
NARRATOR: FOR 11 DAYS,
NOBODY KNEW WHERE AGATHA CHRISTIE HAD GONE.
WHAT WAS REALLY GOING ON IN AGATHA'S MIND?
[TYPEWRITER BELL DINGS]
[BELLS PEALING]
NARRATOR: ON CHRISTMAS EVE, 1914,
AGATHA MILLER
BECAME AGATHA CHRISTIE.
MATHEW: SHE MET ARCHIE RIGHT AT THE BEGINNING
OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR.
SHE DECIDED SHE LOVED ARCHIE, SO, DESPITE THE FACT
THAT A WAR WAS STARTING, THEY GOT MARRIED,
AND HE WENT AWAY AND DID HIS BIT IN THE WAR.
THEN HE RETURNED,
AND THEY HADN'T GOT A LOT OF MONEY,
BUT THEY DID THE BEST THEY COULD.
UNTIL THAT STAGE, I THINK THEY WERE QUITE HAPPY.
AGATHA ON TAPE: I DON'T THINK THAT I REALLY
CONSIDERED MYSELF AS A BONA FIDE AUTHOR.
MARRIED WOMAN WAS A PROFESSION IN ITSELF,
AND IT WAS MY PROFESSION.
THAT WAS MY STATUS. THAT WAS MY OCCUPATION.
AS A SIDE LINE, I WROTE BOOKS.
NARRATOR: IN 1926,
AGATHA PUBLISHED A BOOK THAT WOULD TURN HER
INTO A HOUSEHOLD NAME.
MATHEW: THE LITERARY WORLD WAS READY TO RECEIVE HER.
SHE HAD WRITTEN THIS WONDERFUL BOOK
CALLED "THE MURDER OF ROGER ACKROYD."
THE WORLD WAS HER OYSTER THEN,
AS FAR AS A CRIME WRITER
WAS CONCERNED, AND THIS WAS
THE PRECURSOR TO THE YEARS
WHICH WERE UNQUESTIONABLY THE UNHAPPIEST OF NIMA'S LIFE.
SO, IN APRIL 1926, HER MOTHER DIED.
WHAT SHE WAS CLINGING TO WAS THE THOUGHT THAT ARCHIE WOULD
COME TO THE HOUSE, AND THEY WERE GOING TO GO ON HOLIDAY TOGETHER.
AND WHAT HAPPENED WAS THAT ARCHIE CAME TO THE HOUSE
IN AUGUST 1926 AND SAID, "I'VE FALLEN IN LOVE
WITH ANOTHER WOMAN AND I'D LIKE A DIVORCE."
NARRATOR: ARCHIE HAD FALLEN IN LOVE
WITH A LADY CALLED NANCY NEELE.
SHE'S AGATHA CHRISTIE, SO WHAT DOES SHE DO?
SHE MAKES UP A PLOT.
IN HER PLOT, THERE'S A KIND OF DEVIOUS INNOCENCE
TO THIS DISAPPEARANCE THAT I THINK IS VERY TYPICAL OF HER.
SHE ARRIVED AT WHAT WAS THEN CALLED A HYDRO.
IT WAS LIKE A SPA
AND IS NOW THE OLD SWAN HOTEL.
SHE TURNED UP AT ABOUT 7:00 ON THE EVENING
OF SATURDAY, THE 4TH OF DECEMBER
AND THAT SHE SIGNED THE REGISTER,
CALLING HERSELF "TERESA NEELE,"
I.E. THE SURNAME OF HER HUSBAND'S GIRLFRIEND,
NANCY NEELE, AND THAT SHE TOOK A ROOM
FOR 5 GUINEAS A WEEK.
HARROGATE'S, YOU KNOW, IT'S A VERY LOVELY PLACE.
IT'S THE SORT OF PLACE
THAT AGATHA CHRISTIE WOULD DISAPPEAR TO--
YOU KNOW, CLOISTERED, PROTECTED.
IT'S LIKE THE TORQUAY OF THE NORTH.
SHE WOULD HAVE FELT COMFORTABLE THERE.
NARRATOR: AS THE POLICE CONTINUED
THEIR NATIONWIDE SEARCH, NOBODY KNEW AGATHA
HAD FLED TO A SPA IN HARROGATE.
THOMPSON: I THINK,
WITHOUT THE DISAPPEARANCE, WOULD SHE
HAVE BECOME THE AGATHA CHRISTIE THAT WE NOW HAVE?
THIS IS THE GREAT IMPONDERABLE.
WOULD SHE HAVE WRITTEN THE BOOKS THAT SHE WROTE?
NARRATOR: NEARLY A CENTURY LATER,
THE MYSTERY BEHIND AGATHA'S DISAPPEARANCE
IS STILL HOTLY DEBATED.
MATHEW: SOMETHING DID HAPPEN IN HER MIND.
SHE WASN'T TRYING TO PUBLICIZE THE BOOK
"THE MURDER OF ROGER ACKROYD," WHICH WAS
WHAT WAS GOING ON AT THE TIME.
IT WAS JUST THAT SHE WAS DESPERATE.
I THINK SHE WANTED TO SEE WHAT PEOPLE WOULD DO
AND WHAT PEOPLE WOULD SAY IN THE PRESENCE OF ABSENCE;
HER ABSENCE, MOST SPECIFICALLY.
ALL OF HER BOOKS ARE ABOUT WHAT PEOPLE DO
WHEN CONFRONTED WITH AN ABSENCE OF LIFE.
THEY'RE MURDER MYSTERIES.
THOMPSON: IT WAS ALL ABOUT ARCHIE.
SHE WANTED TO GET HER HUSBAND BACK,
AND SHE TRIED EVERYTHING, PLEADING.
NOTHING HAD WORKED. HE WAS COMPLETELY OBDURATE.
NARRATOR: AFTER 11 DAYS,
AGATHA WAS FINALLY DISCOVERED.
SHE HAD MASTERED THE ART OF DECEPTION,
AND THE DISAPPEARANCE WOULD INFLUENCE THE WAY
SHE WORKED UP HER PLOTS FOR YEARS TO COME.
AGATHA ON TAPE: YES, I DO FIND THAT ONE'S FRIENDS
ARE CURIOUS ABOUT THE WAY ONE WORKS.
"WHAT IS YOUR METHOD?" THEY WANT TO KNOW.
I THINK THE REAL WORK IS DONE IN THINKING OUT THE DEVELOPMENT
OF YOUR STORY AND WORRYING ABOUT IT UNTIL IT COMES RIGHT.
THAT MAY TAKE QUITE A WHILE.
NARRATOR: AS SHE WEAVED TWISTS AND TURNS THROUGH HER PLOTS,
AGATHA ADDED THE MYSTERY TO HER MURDERS.
WOMAN: SHE ENJOYS THE TWISTS,
TWISTED PEOPLE,
TWISTED STORIES,
THEN FINALLY GIVES YOU A SERIES OF TWISTS
THAT YOU CAN'T BELIEVE, BUT YOU DO BELIEVE.
[FOOTSTEPS]
NARRATOR: "WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION"
IS A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF THE WAY AGATHA
USES LIES TO KEEP AN AUDIENCE GUESSING.
MAN: LEONARD VOLE, YOU ARE CHARGED
ON INDICTMENT THAT YOU, ON THE 14TH DAY OF OCTOBER,
KILLED EMILY JANE FRENCH.
ARE YOU GUILTY OR NOT GUILTY?
NOT GUILTY.
THERE'S A SURFACE LEVEL
OF BRILLIANT PLOT-MAKING,
BUT FOR THE MOST PART, SHE'S TALKING ABOUT,
YOU KNOW, LAYERS AND LAYERS OF MENDACITY
AND BRILLIANT, BRILLIANT LYING.
BARRISTER: YOU SAID THERE WAS BLOOD ON BOTH CUFFS?
WOMAN: YES. BOTH CUFFS?
I TOLD YOU, AS THAT IS WHAT LEONARD SAID.
NO, MRS. HARVEY, YOU SAID, "HE TOLD ME
TO WASH THE CUFFS. THEY HAD BLOOD ON THEM."
DID YOU WASH BOTH CUFFS? I REMEMBER NOW.
IT WAS ONLY ONE CUFF I WASHED.
ANOTHER LIE, THEN?
SHE LOVES THE DISTURBING,
SHE LOVES TO PLAY SOMETHING THAT, UH, YOU THINK IS
ONE THING AND THEN IS REVEALED TO BE NOT.
PERHAPS YOUR MEMORY AS TO OTHER PARTS
OF YOUR STORY IS EQUALLY UNTRUSTWORTHY.
YOU ORIGINALLY TOLD THE POLICE THAT THE BLOOD
ON THE JACKET CAME FROM A CUT CAUSED
BY A SLIP WHEN CARVING HAM!
I SAID SO, YES, BUT IT WAS NOT TRUE.
MORE LIES.
BAILEY: IT'S THE ART OF MAKING US FALL IN LOVE WITH THE LIAR
AND NOT REALIZING THEY'RE LYING AND FEEL COMPLETELY BETRAYED
WHEN YOU DO DISCOVER THAT THEY ARE LYING,
THEY'RE SORT OF DAMAGED.
THE QUESTION THE JURY MUST ASK THEMSELVES
IS WERE YOU LYING THEN, OR ARE YOU LYING NOW?!
BAILEY: AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT KEEPS US,
FOR THE MOST PART, SORT OF SO INTRIGUED
BY HER NOVELS, 'CAUSE WE LOVE A GOOD LIAR.
NARRATOR: COMING UP...
THOMPSON: I THINK HER MIND SHIFTED FUNDAMENTALLY
INTO THAT OF, IF YOU LIKE, THE ONLOOKER.
NARRATOR: AGATHA'S CURIOSITY TAKES HER TO THE MIDDLE EAST.
THOMPSON: SHE SAID, "THAT'S WHEN I BECAME A WRITER."
NARRATOR: AND SHE DISCOVERS THE DARKEST CORNERS
OF THE HUMAN PSYCHE.
PHELPS: YOU ARE GOING TO TWIST ON THE PIN
THAT YOU'RE IMPALED UPON, BUT THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO
BECAUSE HERE IT COMES.
[TYPEWRITER BELL DINGS]
NARRATOR: IN 1928,
AGATHA CHRISTIE'S INQUIRING MIND
BEGAN TO EXPLORE A PLACE
THAT WOULD INSPIRE SOME OF HER BEST WRITING,
THE MIDDLE EAST.
MATHEW: WHAT LIT THE BLUE TOUCH PAPER, SO TO SPEAK,
WAS HER ABILITY
TO FIND A NEW LIFE,
WHICH STARTED WITH A TRIP TO IRAQ.
AGATHA ON TAPE: I FELT, WELL, IT IS MY RISK,
BUT I BELIEVE IT IS WORTH TAKING A RISK.
I HAD HAD SO MUCH PUBLICITY
AND HAVE BEEN CAUSED SO MUCH MISERY BY IT
THAT I WANTED THINGS KEPT AS QUIETLY AS POSSIBLE.
[TYPEWRITER BELL DINGS]
NARRATOR: AFTER THE DISAPPEARANCE,
AGATHA'S CRIME FICTION DRIED UP.
TO DISTRACT HERSELF FROM THE DEATH OF HER MOTHER
AND A DEVASTATING DIVORCE,
AGATHA TRAVELED THE WORLD.
MATHEW: SHE NOW FOUND HERSELF INVOLVED
IN AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL WORLD FAR AWAY FROM ENGLAND.
I THINK THEN, FOR THE FIRST TIME,
SHE FOUND PEOPLE WHO WERE KIND TO HER
AND INTERESTED IN HER AS A PERSON.
NARRATOR: AGATHA LOST HER HEART TO THE ANCIENT SITES
AND ARCHAEOLOGIST MAX MALLOWAN.
AGATHA ON TAPE: I WAS VERY HAPPY.
WE HAD BECOME INSTANT AND CLOSER FRIENDS THAN,
IT SEEMED TO ME, ANY FRIEND I HAD EVER HAD BEFORE.
I REALIZED HOW CLOSE OUR COMPANIONSHIP HAD BEEN,
HOW WE SEEMED TO UNDERSTAND EACH OTHER
ALMOST BEFORE WE SPOKE.
MATHEW: HE WASN'T THE LIKELIEST CANDIDATE FOR MARRIAGE,
AS FAR AS NIMA WAS CONCERNED, BUT I THINK
IT WAS BORN OF PROBABLY BOTH THEIR NEEDS
TO HAVE SOMEONE WHO THEY COULD TRUST AROUND THEM
WHILST THEY PURSUED CAREERS
THAT WERE IN NEITHER CASE ORTHODOX,
AND SHE BEGAN TO REGAIN HER CONFIDENCE.
AGATHA ON TAPE: IT HAD NEVER OCCURRED TO ME
THAT MAX AND I WOULD BE OR EVER COULD BE ON THOSE TERMS.
WE WERE FRIENDS.
QUITE SUDDENLY,
I FELT THAT NOTHING IN THE WORLD
WOULD BE AS HAPPY
AND DELIGHTFUL AS BEING MARRIED TO HIM.
I FELT IT WAS APPROPRIATE THAT HER SECOND HUSBAND WAS
AN ARCHAEOLOGIST BECAUSE IT WAS LIKE AN EXCAVATION,
GETTING TO GRIPS WITH THIS LADY AND HER EXTRAORDINARY MIND.
NARRATOR: SURROUNDED BY ARABIAN WONDERS,
AGATHA CHANGED THE WAY SHE OBSERVED THE WORLD AROUND HER.
MATHEW: SHE BECAME AN EXPERT PHOTOGRAPHER
AND HELPED WITH THE PHOTOGRAPHING OF THE FINDS.
NARRATOR: FILMED BY AGATHA,
THIS FOOTAGE IS A RARE OPPORTUNITY
TO SEE THE WORLD THROUGH HER EYES.
THOMPSON: I THINK HER MIND SHIFTED FUNDAMENTALLY
INTO THAT OF, IF YOU LIKE, THE ONLOOKER.
JAMES: SHE WAS OBVIOUSLY INSPIRED BY ALL
OF HER SURROUNDINGS; I MEAN, YOU KNOW, A LOT
OF THE BOOKS ARE BASED AROUND HER TRAVELS.
THOMPSON: HER HUNGER FOR TRAVEL,
WHICH WASN'T JUST "LET ME GO FIRST-CLASS
AND SIT IN A HOTEL AND HAVE A COCKTAIL."
IT WAS GETTING STUCK IN THERE AND BEING
REALLY, REALLY INTERESTED IN THE COUNTRY SHE WENT TO,
AND I THINK THAT WAS VERY MUCH
KEY TO THE WAY HER MIND WORKED
AND HER SUBSEQUENT SUCCESS.
NARRATOR: AS AGATHA BROADENED HER HORIZONS,
HER SPIRIT WAS RENEWED
AND HER MIND AWOKEN.
THOMPSON: SHE SAID, "THAT'S WHEN I BECAME A WRITER."
NARRATOR: AGATHA'S IMAGINATION WAS NOW UNSTOPPABLE,
SO MUCH SO THAT HER EXPERIENCE
OF A TRIVIAL TRAIN DELAY WOULD BECOME IMMORTALIZED
IN ONE OF HER MOST POPULAR BOOKS.
AGATHA ON TAPE: I SUMMONED THE HOTEL CLERK
AND MADE HIM BOOK ME
A SEAT ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS
FOR 3 DAYS' TIME.
NARRATOR: IN 1931,
AGATHA TRAVELED FROM ISTANBUL
ON WHAT SHE DESCRIBED AS "THE TRAIN OF MY DREAMS"...
THE ORIENT EXPRESS.
AGATHA RECALLED THE JOURNEY IN A LETTER SHE SENT TO MAX:
"MY DARLING, WHAT A JOURNEY!
"STARTED OUT FROM ISTANBUL IN A VIOLENT THUNDERSTORM.
"WE WENT VERY SLOWLY DURING THE NIGHT,
AND ABOUT 3 A.M. STOPPED ALTOGETHER."
AFTER THE RAIN TURNED TO SNOW,
SHE WAS STRANDED FOR TWO DAYS.
IN 2017, AGATHA'S MOST FAMOUS BOOK
WAS FURTHER CELEBRATED ON THE SILVER SCREEN.
"MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS"
IS REMARKABLY SIMILAR TO AGATHA'S
OWN TROUBLED JOURNEY.
JAMES: THERE IS A TRAIN STUCK IN A SNOWDRIFT WITH THESE
13 CHARACTERS ON IT.
NARRATOR: BUT AGATHA GIVES THE STORY A PLOT TWIST.
JAMES: ONE OF THESE CHARACTERS ENDS UP DEAD,
AND POIROT IS OBVIOUSLY ON HAND TO DETECT IT.
POIROT: AS WE ARE SNOWBOUND, I HAVE ELECTED TO TAKE THE CASE
AND FIND FOR MY FRIEND, MONSIEUR BOUC, THE CRIMINAL.
AND WHY YOU?
MY NAME IS HERCULE POIROT,
AND I AM PROBABLY THE GREATEST DETECTIVE IN THE WORLD.
AGATHA CHRISTIE DEFINITELY HAD A VIEW OF RIGHT AND WRONG.
JAMES: INTERESTINGLY, I THINK SHE FELT THAT HUMAN NATURE
WAS SUCH THAT NEARLY ALL OF US
ACTUALLY COULD TURN OUR HANDS TO MURDER.
I THINK YOU SEE THAT IN THE BOOKS.
"MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS," YOU KNOW, IS
THE PERFECT EXAMPLE, WHERE, TO SOME EXTENT,
ALL THE PARTICIPANTS ARE EQUALS, SO THE LIKELIHOOD IS THAT IT IS
ONE OF THESE 12 OR 13 CHARACTERS WHO'VE COMMITTED THE CRIME.
POIROT: IF THERE WAS A MURDER,
THEN THERE WAS A MURDERER.
THE MURDERER IS WITH US
ON THE TRAIN, NOW.
JAMES: IT IS EXTRAORDINARY HOW WELL SHE TRAVELS
AND HOW WELL SHE TRANSLATES THAT ALL BACK TO THESE STORIES.
SHE JUST HAD THE MOST WONDERFUL IMAGINATION.
NARRATOR: AGATHA'S WANDERLUST HELPED HER TO BUILD A NEW LIFE,
AND BY THE LATE 1930S,
ONCE AGAIN, HER DARK MIND WAS THRIVING.
DESPITE TRAVELING THE WORLD,
AGATHA'S MOST CHILLING MASTERPIECE
WAS INSPIRED BY BURGH ISLAND IN DEVON.
PHELPS: "AND THEN THERE WERE NONE" IS PUBLISHED
IN THE SUMMER OF 1939, A FEW SHORT WEEKS AWAY
FROM THE SECOND WORLD WAR BEING DECLARED, WHERE WE WERE GOING
TO BE PITCHED CATACLYSMICALLY INTO ANOTHER BLOODBATH.
NARRATOR: IN THE BOOK, 8 STRANGERS
HAVE BEEN INVITED TO STAY
ON AN ISOLATED ISLAND.
ACTION BEGETS ACTION BEGETS ACTION.
THERE'S A TERRIBLE FATE, AND IT'S COMING FOR YOU,
AND THERE IS NO MITIGATION.
YOU'RE GOING TO TWIST ON THE PIN THAT YOU'RE IMPALED UPON,
BUT THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO BECAUSE HERE IT COMES.
GET UP!
PHELPS: IT'S LIKE BEING HELD IN THE WHITE EYE OF GOD.
IT IS CRUEL, IT IS UNFLINCHING,
IT IS BRUTAL, AND I LOVED IT.
LET'S JUST QUICKLY BREAK IT DOWN AS A PLOT.
IT LOOKS LIKE A PARLOR GAME:
THE MERCENARY, THE GENERAL,
THE JUDGE, THE SPINSTER, SCHOOLTEACHER, BUTLER.
BIT BY BIT, THE VENEERS ARE
STRIPPED AWAY FROM THESE PEOPLE, AND THEY'RE
CONFRONTED WITH THE TERRIBLE THING THAT THEY'VE DONE.
MAN ON GRAMOPHONE: YOU ARE CHARGED WITH
THE FOLLOWING INDICTMENTS:
EDWARD GEORGE ARMSTRONG,
THAT YOU MURDERED LOUISA...
WHO IS THIS? I DON'T KNOW, SIR.
MAN ON GRAMOPHONE: EMILY CAROLINE BRENT,
THAT YOU MURDERED BEATRICE TAYLOR.
WHO IS THIS? WHAT'S THE MEANING OF THIS?
MAN ON GRAMOPHONE: WILLIAM HENRY BLORE,
THAT YOU DID MURDER JAMES STEVEN LANDOR...
NARRATOR: EACH OF THE STRANGERS
HAVE COMMITTED A MURDER
AND ESCAPED JUSTICE.
PHELPS: YOU'D THINK TO YOURSELF THAT IF YOU KILLED SOMEBODY,
YOU'D EXPECT, YOU KNOW, THAT YOU'RE HAUNTED BY THIS.
MAN ON GRAMOPHONE: ...THAT YOU DID MURDER 21 MEN.
PHELPS: BUT NO, ALL THESE PEOPLE HAVE CARRIED ON FUNCTIONING
IN SOCIETY; THEY'VE GONE ON WITH LIVING, THEY'RE NOT BOTHERED.
NARRATOR: AGATHA WROTE PART OF THE NOVEL
WHEN SHE STAYED ON BURGH ISLAND.
[GATE CREAKING]
PHELPS: ON A WIND-SCOURED ROCK,
WHERE NOBODY CAN SEE THEM AND NO--AND THEY CAN'T SEE ANYBODY,
WHERE THEY'RE ENTIRELY ISOLATED,
AND THEY'RE DYING ONE BY ONE AND THEY KNOW THAT THEY
ARE GOING TO BE PICKED OFF, AND THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO.
"AND THEN THERE WERE NONE," IN LOTS OF WAYS,
IS THE DARKEST OF ALL HER NOVELS,
AND THE MORE YOU GET INTO IT, THE DARKER IT BECOMES.
IT IS A STORY OF WHAT LIES BEHIND GUILT, WHAT AMOUNTS
TO A CRIME, AND, YOU KNOW, WHAT IS JUSTICE.
I THINK THAT THERE IS JUSTICE AND THAT THERE IS
OBLITERATION FOR THE SHEER HELL OF IT.
NARRATOR: AS AGATHA REACHED THE PEAK OF HER DARK POWERS,
THE OUTBREAK OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR THREATENED HER OUTPUT.
[AIR RAID SIREN]
[CLICK]
AGATHA ON TAPE: THE WAR YEARS DID NOT SEEM LIKE YEARS.
THEY WERE A NIGHTMARE,
A BAD DREAM
IN WHICH REALITY STOPPED
AND THE NIGHTMARE TOOK OVER.
[TYPEWRITER BELL DINGS]
NARRATOR: AS BOMBS BATTERED LONDON,
AGATHA RETREATED TO A SAFE HAVEN
IN THE NORTH OF THE CITY.
THOMPSON: IN 1941, SHE ENDED UP
AT REALLY QUITE AN UNLIKELY PLACE--
THIS MODERNIST BLOCK, THE ISOKON.
SHE REALLY LOVED IT.
SHE SAID TO MAX, "IT'S NOT BEAUTIFUL,
"BUT WHENEVER I PASS THAT FUNNY OLD BLOCK
LIKE A WHITE SHIP, I THINK, OH, I WAS SO HAPPY THERE."
ON THE FACE OF IT, IT'S A SURPRISING BUILDING
FOR AGATHA CHRISTIE TO HAVE LIVED IN.
YOU KNOW, COZY, CHINTZY AGATHA, YOU'D THINK, OH,
SHE'D HAVE A BIG ROOM WITH BIG, PLUSH CHAIRS
AND ALL THAT KIND OF THING, BUT, OF COURSE,
AGATHA WAS MUCH MORE COMPLICATED THAN THAT.
NARRATOR: AGATHA'S WARTIME LETTERS
ARE A UNIQUE INSIGHT
INTO THE WORKINGS OF HER MIND.
THOMPSON: SO THESE ARE A FEW LETTERS FROM HER TIME HERE.
THIS ONE THAT IS UNDATED WHEN SHE SAYS,
"I SHOULD HAVE THE GREATEST OBJECTION TO SIGNING
"THE ENCLOSED AGREEMENT, AS IT SEEMS TO BE FOR THE RENT OF AN
UNFURNISHED FLAT, THEREFORE NOT APPLICABLE TO ME AT ALL."
SO THE FACT THAT SHE'S GETTING THE RIGHT FLAT
AND GETTING IT FURNISHED THE WAY SHE WANTS IT,
AND THERE'S SOMETHING HERE ABOUT CARPET CLEANING
AND THAT KIND OF THING.
SHE'S GOT THIS ABILITY TO COMPARTMENTALIZE.
IT SHOWS HOW SHE COULD DIVIDE HER ATTENTION
WITHOUT ANY TROUBLE WHATSOEVER.
SHE COULD BE ON TOP OF SOMETHING DOMESTIC
AND THEN WRITE THESE RIDICULOUS AMOUNT OF BOOKS.
JAMES: YOU KNOW, AT TIMES, SHE WAS WRITING 3 OR 4 BOOKS A YEAR.
I MEAN, THAT IS A PRETTY EXTRAORDINARY OUTPUT.
YOU TALK TO ANY WRITER ABOUT TRYING TO COME UP
WITH THAT MUCH MATERIAL AND TO KEEP IT ORIGINAL,
KEEP IT FRESH, AND, YOU KNOW, THEY WOULD--
THEY WOULD TAKE THEIR HAT OFF TO HER.
THOMPSON: IT'S ALMOST AS THOUGH THE WAR,
THE PRESSURE, THE FEAR OF DEATH IN THE AIR--
WHICH IT ABSOLUTELY WAS-- FOCUSED HER.
IT'S INSANE.
AGATHA ON TAPE: I DO REALIZE NOW, LOOKING BACK
OVER MY WAR OUTPUT, THAT I REALLY PRODUCED
AN INCREDIBLE AMOUNT OF STUFF DURING THOSE YEARS OF WAR.
THIS WAS IN ANTICIPATION
OF MY BEING KILLED IN THE RAIDS,
WHICH SEEMED TO ME, IN THE HIGHEST DEGREE,
LIKELY.
NARRATOR: DURING WORLD WAR II,
AGATHA'S POPULARITY SOARED.
PHELPS: SHE GOT A LARGER READING PUBLIC WHO WANTED SOMETHING;
SOMETHING FROM HER, WANTED SOMETHING FROM HER THAT WAS
GOING TO GIVE THEM A FEELING OF SECURITY,
STABILITY, CLOSURE.
NARRATOR: AGATHA'S TALES OF CRIME AND PUNISHMENT
ALLOWED BLITZ-WEARY BRITONS TO LOSE THEMSELVES
IN THE TWISTS AND TURNS OF HER PLOTS.
PHELPS: SHE WAS VERY AWARE OF AUDIENCES
WANTING SOMETHING DIFFERENT IN THIS NEW LANDSCAPE.
NARRATOR: COMING UP...
JAMES: SHE HERSELF WAS INCREDIBLY SHY.
NARRATOR: AGATHA'S RETREAT FROM THE LIMELIGHT...
SHE DIDN'T LOVE THE PUBLIC ATTENTION AT ALL.
NARRATOR: REVEALS THE WOMAN BEHIND THE POPULAR MYTH.
SHE SHIELDED HERSELF WITH THAT IMAGE,
YOU KNOW, THE NICE OLD LADY
HAVING TEA WITH THE VICAR
AND ARSENIC IN THE CRUMPETS.
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NARRATOR: AGATHA CHRISTIE IS
THE BEST-SELLING NOVELIST OF ALL TIME.
HER 66 CLASSIC MURDER MYSTERIES
STILL LIVE ON TODAY.
SHE IS FAMOUSLY ONLY OUTSOLD BY SHAKESPEARE AND THE BIBLE.
I MEAN, WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THAT,
IT'S AN EXTRAORDINARY THING.
NARRATOR: BY THE 1950S,
AS "THE MOUSETRAP" EMBARKED
ON ITS RECORD-BREAKING WEST END RUN,
AGATHA HAD ALREADY SOLD
MILLIONS OF BOOKS.
SHE IS A LITERARY SENSATION.
BUT ON RARE PUBLIC APPEARANCES,
AGATHA REVEALED SHE WAS UNCOMFORTABLE
IN THE LIMELIGHT.
[TYPEWRITER BELL DINGS]
JAMES: SHE HERSELF WAS INCREDIBLY SHY.
SHE DIDN'T LOVE THE PUBLIC ATTENTION AT ALL.
MRS. CHRISTIE, MAY I CONGRATULATE YOU
ON THE RECORD PERFORMANCE PUT ON BY "THE MOUSETRAP"?
DO YOU THINK IT THE BEST PLAY YOU'VE WRITTEN?
I DON'T KNOW. OTHER PEOPLE SEEM TO, AT ANY RATE.
I WAS WONDERING WHY "THE MOUSETRAP," RATHER
THAN YOUR OTHER PLAYS, ACHIEVED THIS RECORD.
I DON'T KNOW. [ECHOES]
MATHEW: I THINK THE SHYNESS PROBABLY EMANATED
FROM THE UNHAPPY PERIOD OF HER LIFE
WHEN SHE FELT SHE WAS
HOUNDED BY THE MEDIA.
JAMES: I ALWAYS THINK THERE ARE TWO AGATHA CHRISTIES.
THERE IS THE WORLD-FAMOUS ICON, THE NOVELIST, THE PLAYWRIGHT,
THEN THERE IS AGATHA CHRISTIE THE WOMAN.
THOMPSON: SHE DID START TO BECOME
THIS FAR MORE GUARDED PERSON IN MANY, MANY WAYS,
AND SHE ALLOWED THE PERSONA
OF AGATHA CHRISTIE TO SORT OF DEVELOP.
SHE USED IT TO PROTECT HER OWN PRIVATE LIFE,
AS IT WERE, BUT I THINK SHE ALSO RECOGNIZED ITS VALUE
AS A SELLING POINT; YOU KNOW, THE NICE OLD LADY
HAVING TEA WITH THE VICAR AND ARSENIC IN THE CRUMPETS.
I THINK SHE SHIELDED HERSELF WITH THAT IMAGE.
NARRATOR: IN HER LATER YEARS,
AGATHA PLOTTED HER OWN ESCAPE AND RETREATED TO GREENWAY,
HER PRIVATE HOLIDAY HOME IN DEVON.
[BIRDS CHIRP]
AGATHA ON TAPE: HOW BEAUTIFUL GREENWAY LOOKED
IN ITS TANGLED BEAUTY.
WE WERE THANKFUL TO BE TOGETHER
AND, AS IT WERE, GENTLY TRYING OUT LIFE,
TO START AGAIN.
JAMES: SHE WAS PROBABLY HAPPIEST
DOWN HERE AT GREENWAY IN,
AMONGST HER FRIENDS AND FAMILY.
SHE WAS A VERY PRIVATE PERSON,
AND THIS WAS THE PLACE SHE CAME TO RELAX.
MATHEW: I THINK GREENWAY WAS SO IMPORTANT TO HER
BECAUSE IT WAS FUN TIMES,
TIME TO ENJOY YOURSELF WITH YOUR FAMILY
AND CLOSE FRIENDS AT A PLACE WHICH SHE DESCRIBED
AS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PLACE IN THE WORLD.
NARRATOR: AS HER PACE OF LIFE SLOWED,
AGATHA'S THOUGHTS BEGAN TO TURN TO HER OWN MORTALITY.
AGATHA ON TAPE: SUN OR WIND
OR EVEN A NICE, HOT BREAKFAST AND THE SMELL OF COFFEE.
YOU CAN'T WANT TO DIE WHEN YOU FEEL LIKE THAT.
BUT I KNOW, OR BELIEVE,
THAT IT IS A GOOD AGE AT WHICH TO PASS FROM LIFE
TO WHATEVER COMES NEXT.
NARRATOR: WHILST AGATHA'S NOVELS FOCUSED
ON THE COMPLEXITY OF DEATH, TO HER,
THE ENDING OF LIFE WAS SIMPLER.
AGATHA ON TAPE: PEOPLE ALWAYS SEEM VERY EMBARRASSED
BY HAVING TO DISCUSS ANYTHING TO DO WITH DEATH.
THE QUESTION OF DEATH NOWADAYS IS VERY IMPORTANT TO TALK ABOUT.
NARRATOR: AGATHA DIED PEACEFULLY
ON THE 12TH OF JANUARY, 1976,
AGED 85.
BUT, THROUGH HER NOVELS,
SHORT STORIES, PLAYS,
AND THE EXTRAORDINARY TREASURES OF HER ARCHIVE,
HER LEGACY IS ENDLESS.
THOMPSON: YOU CAN'T IMAGINE THE WORLD WITHOUT HER BOOKS.
NARRATOR: HER UNORTHODOX CHILDHOOD
UNLEASHED HER IMAGINATION.
THOMPSON: THE SIMPLICITY MEANS THAT A CHILD CAN READ THEM,
BUT THE SIMPLICITY IS DECEPTIVE.
THERE'S AN AWFUL LOT MORE BENEATH THE SURFACE.
NARRATOR: SHE JOURNEYED
INTO THE DARKEST CORNERS
OF THE HUMAN PSYCHE.
JAMES: SHE STARTED WRITING DURING THE FIRST WORLD WAR.
SHE FINISHED WRITING IN THE EARLY 1970S.
AND MOST OF THOSE BOOKS ARE SET
IN THE TIME THAT THEY WERE WRITTEN.
NARRATOR: THE BLOODY 20TH CENTURY,
FILTERED THROUGH AGATHA'S POISON PEN
ONTO THE PAGE.
PHELPS: SHE WATCHES THE CENTURY GROW UP
AND TOLD STORIES
ABOUT THE TUMULTUOUS 20TH CENTURY
AND ABOUT BRITAIN AND ABOUT WHO
WE WERE THEN AND WHO WE ARE NOW.
NARRATOR: EVEN TODAY,
AGATHA'S DARK MIND LIVES ON.
JAMES: I FEAR IT MIGHT RUN IN THE CHRISTIE BLOOD
TO THINK ABOUT DEATH, TO THINK ABOUT MURDER.
I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY OTHER PEOPLE THINK THIS.
MAYBE IT'S A UNIQUE TRAIT TO MY FAMILY.
HOW WOULD YOU,
IF YOU WERE SO MINDED, COMMIT THE PERFECT MURDER?
♪ ♪
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