Poirot: Dead Man’s Folly

Agatha Christie’s sleuth is back – and on good form
Michael-Moran1It’s very hard to review a Poirot. For a start, everybody loves them. Even if I could find something wrong with this final run of feature-length mysteries for Agatha Christie’s punctilious sleuth, no one would thank me for pointing it out.

Certainly the cast is marvellous in Poirot: Dead Man’s Folly (ITV, Wednesday at 8pm). Apart from David Suchet, who is so good as Poirot that it’s hard to envisage anyone daring to attempt the role again this century, Zoë Wanamaker’s on hand to ask the questions we’d like to ask. We also have Rebecca Front (unfailingly wonderful in anything) and Sean Pertwee (owner of the manliest voice in recorded history). There are some questionable accents further down the cast list – but are the mysterious cousin and the backpacker just not very good actors – or actually imposters? Anything’s possible in a Poirot.

As befits the setting – that endless summer between the wars where all country-house mysteries and PG Wodehouse stories take place – there’s a beastly chemist who keeps banging on about eugenics. And there are some truly lovely costumes to marvel at in the somewhat slow first section before any murders take place.

There’s a sense that Poirot is suffering from a creeping self-doubt as he edges toward retirement. But fret not. He rewaxes his moustache and solves the case. That’s why everybody loves him.

NOT TO BE MISSED

MISFITS (Channel 4, Wednesday, 10pm)
The ASBO superheroes are back for a last hurrah. Expect paranormal powers, time travel and knitting.

ARENA: NATIONAL THEATRE (BBC Four, Thurs, 9pm)
Go behind the scenes at one of our great theatrical institutions.

BY ANY MEANS (BBC One, Sunday, 9pm)
The slick, action-packed adventures of this elite squad will please Spooks fans.