Being Poirot

[Music] hercu Pirro is for me much more than the character on the written page uh hercu parro for me almost is a real person you're a detective I am the detective Colonel Curtis he is the the person who was responsible for my life for 25 years the truth it has the habit of revealing itself I've got to know him I've lived him no one can always be right but I am always I am right it is so invariable it startles me he's my invisible closest and best friend they have been good days [Music] Agatha chrises

puu premiered on television in 1989 voila is there nothing to whicho cannot turn his finger a quarter of a century and 13 series later it's a global phenomenon watched by 700 million viewers in 100 countries worldwide [Music] it's 6:00 in the morning thank you very much thank you and sha my driver is taking me to work I'm heading to Pinewood Studios to film the last series of quo this will be one of the hardest days of my acting life because today PUO will die I say old chap you're looking pretty awful don't you think I

should call a doctor oh what good would that do no money me what will be will be getting into character is a very detailed process for me beginning from the moment I'm dressed and I get into the car with sha driving me because at that point I'm learning lines but then I go to makeup and then the serious business of the day begins for [Music] me David is a method actor he dieted for probably about 9 months to lose I think about two Stone right it's BL whereas in all the other films he looks like

a a robust little man in curtain he looks like a little sack of bones in a suit but it'd be good if it helps him look really really ill Agatha Christie does the most extraordinary thing it's the only story in which you see PUO as a little old man and it's told Through The Eyes of Captain Hastings Hastings the key to it for me is that mustache once that mustache goes on that lip I think it's true to say that you will be speaking to heru puu make sure that does not Dr a little here

yes yes it is better curtain pirro's last case was written by Agatha Christie in 1942 intended for publication after her death it was hidden in a bank fold for 30 years before publication in 1975 he knows he has to die yes he could never take the ignon of being accused of a m and then hung we all knew that the final scenes were coming up and we in a sense prepared but it was nevertheless a most remarkable atmosphere huge Sound Stage at Pinewood with a set built in the center of it the room itself which

contained a bed and walls in which he was going to die was not crowded it was deliberately kept quiet and now I need to think but go down to breakfast Moni the case it is ended and outside the set itself the rest of the crew was exceptionally quiet um Sheila David's wife were sitting beside the sound man to film it was one of the most extraordinary experiences to have or to play a man who dies forgive me you thank you camera 3 it's a difficult day it's difficult cuz he feels he feels the character very

deeply I think every time he shoots it it's going to take more out of him yes finish that for a character actor of his intensity to lose someone who's been completely involved and absorbed in for 25 years is a personal tragedy terrible it was awful and I'll never forget it the hardest hardest moment of [Music] filming what the day what the day what a moment when curtain was published such was the sensation of the news of quo's death that it made the front page of the New York Times it showed the extraordinary impact of a

strange little character who for many had seemed like a real person Hercule puu has been the most important role in my acting career you might think you know PUO but I'd like to show you what goes on inside those little gels along the way we'll find out why this remarkable little man is so loved around the [Music] world to begin to understand Vu we need to go back to the beginning I am on my way to the seaside town of toi and remembering a visit I made 25 years ago he said to me I've been

off at the role of PUO he said what do you think I said well I should take it I wouldn't hesitate I said the only piece of advice I give you is it's going to change your life and he said oh don't be so silly I said well it will so this is a very special place I at the Christie's house Greenway was Agatha Christie's summer home from 1938 until her death in 1976 soon after I was cast as heru PUO I was invited here to meet her daughter I remember one particular lunch I had

with agath Christi's daughter Roslin and her husband Anthony Hicks and they said to me we want the audience to be able to smile with PUO but never laugh at him and that's why you have been chosen to play the role getting the approval of agath Christi's family was crucial for me before my life as puu began today I've come back to meet her grandson Matthew Pritchard here we are in devire where Pirro was actually born how do you think he came to be well of course that was long before my time yes but um I'm

told that a a bus Drew up in Union Square in uh in T and out of it trooped uh a whole busload of Belgian refugees one of whom was a little man who surprisingly enough David looked a bit like you do you fancy a pint of beer if there's any left uh no mercy I cannot yet bring myself to enjoy the English Public House my grandmother must have seen him and she must have thought well there's my detective quo was introduced to the world in 1920 as a World War I Belgian Refugee in Agatha Christie's

first book The Mysterious Affair at styles Mar was an extraordinary looking little man he was hardly more than 5' 4 in but carried himself with great dignity the neatness of his attire was almost incredible ah voila as a detective his flare had been extraordinary and he had achieved triumphs by unraveling some of the most baffling cases of the day the handwriting on this letter shouts your guilt you are a heartless murderer Agatha Christie could never have guessed that puu would become so famous appearing in over 50 short stories and 33 novels oh look now would

she is this a real one that she that is a real one she would have taken this to um the Middle East she would have hammered out death on the Nile somewhere near the pyramids in Egypt really on something like that something like that the more I know about Agatha the more I learn about her that she was such a warm generous lovely person I just hoped she would have liked what I did that's all she was very honest very candid indeed today Agatha Christie is revered in toi so I can't visit here without loaning

something very special to the museum oh I didn't believe it I knew some things were coming here but I didn't know what it was and it's my flat my flat it's paro's flat look my desk hello Carl hello David hello it's nice to see you hello see you as well very nice to see you laa fastic take it out that absolutely beautiful this is actually my prize possession I think I probably held that more than any other thing I've ever held in my life that is absolutely incredible it's still warm as well it is still

but there's another reason we're here I'm meeting John curan an archist who has found clues about puu's creation in Agatha Christie's secret diaries and there look Hercule proo yes written by Agatha Christie so you can see here the mysterious of Affair of style as the plot was roughed out and then came her dilemma a detective story now what kind of a detective MH um so she said why not have a Belgium Refugee because the refugees were in most countries at that stage you're not selling onions are you but your people come over here doing that

a lot what kind of man should he be a little man with a somewhat grandiloquent name could never get my tongue run French but I am Belgian m not French like many small dandified men he would be conceited and he would of course have a handsome mustache yes I think the moment is right for the trimming of the mustache also the Ping and what about Agatha's own relationship to the man himself well that was became a bit fraught as the years went on and she says here why why did I ever invent this detestable bombastic

tiresome little creature I must be right because I am never wrong eternally straightening things forever boasting always twirling his mustaches and tilting his egg-shaped head and then she adds an I think this is quite funny anyway what is an egg-shaped head um have I ever seen an egg-shaped head when people say to me I get to said this a EG shaped head but you see all of those things that irritated her the public Ador absolutely absolutely yes and I'm here to be witness to the egg-shaped head in 1920 Agatha Christie put puu on the page

soon he was to become a star of stage and Screen good evening everybody this is heru [Music] poo in the Roaring 20s Agatha Christie's new detective Hercule PUO was hugely popular after only four books he was set to appear on the London stage I wish I could get into to do Who Tardis and go back to sitting in a London theater in 1928 and witnessing for the very first time that the character of arul PUO came to life performed by Charles Lorton one of the greatest actors that we had in those days performing in a

play called Alibi which was an adaptation of the Glorious novel the murder of Roger akroy he was just like the detective of the novel walking into the room the actors make up is perfect the attitude the way of holding his head I have seen PUO tonight poo himself actually appears on stage as himself in uh the novel and the film we make called three act tragedy I was certain that the person who murdered the Reverend Steven babington and Dr Bartholomew strange must have been present on both occasions but not a apparently so and in every

novel she gives him his great what we call the summing up where he goes through all the people in the room making them feel guilty for a crime they never committed and pointing his finger at the guilty party it's his moment of theater God damn you what have you done what have I done it is you who you have deceived me oh yes I think PUO if he wasn't a detective I think he could have easily been a wonderful actor in 1931 3 years after Pirro first appeared on stage Alibi was filmed for the cinema

with a new puu sadly this film is now lost but other screen portrayals have survived oh wow isn't this fantastic so Lights Camera Action the oldest surviving PUO film is Lord edgewear dies from 1934 starring British actor Austin Trevor the mustache for PUO is such an important part of his character and it was obviously a conscious decision by the film company not to have him with a mustach you mean to tell me that you think that she committed all these murders that she I do not think my friend I know she did every one of

them the accent is well you can hear it's English trying to be French but then that was the style then Madame you tried to pull the wool over the eyes of heru puu and I hanged if we can have that I remember watching murder on the Orient Express as part of my research When developing the character an impulsive murderer has himself been repulsively and perhaps deservedly murdered in the Public's mind Albert finny was the Pu when that film came out PUO came alive for the public as he had never done before great film death on

the Nile and I I always thought that uh Peter Hof was just on the edge of becoming a really great PUO I am the nasty little heaves dropper Madame 25 years ago I went back to Agatha Christie's novels to find her PUO I got a file of paper a pen and I started reading every single story but I've never seen this little creation of heru puu portrayed as he was written in the books so I wrote a list of 93 little notes about his character ABIA tell me all that you have discovered what's the first

one Belgian not French has four lumps of sugar in tea or coffee sometimes three and once or twice five order and Method are his gods in the little gray cells of the brain lies the solution of every mystery always wears a hat when going out in the evening air will wipe dirty seats or benches with his handkerchief before sitting down I had found his idiosyncrasies now I had to build his character I shut my eyes and I think one must always seek the truth from from within for me it's the voice PUO is not really

connected with his emotions he's connected with his head and therefore I decided to give him a head sound so I could be talking to you as David sushe my voice is coming up from my emotions now it is in my mouth and now it is going higher higher in my brain and I will put on his Belgian French accent and then I will speak as Chief Inspector you really ought to look to your elocution SW me there's nothing wrong with my lingo but something was still missing I went back to the books and found the

final piece of the jigsaw his walk PUO crossed the lawn with his usual rapid mincing gate within his patent leather boots having found that of course I then had to learn how to do it and that's the walk that became synonymous with myuo White Haven Mansions if you please the same level of care went into the whole look of the television series here in London's Charter House Square the production team found the exterior location for pua's home I really do love coming here this is of course course where PUO lived the name of the Block

in the book is White Haven mansions and he chose this particular block of flats not because of its location or anything but because it's symmetrical and that fuo was L I've come here to meet Buu's first producer David how wonderful to see you Brian Eastman well this is so strange because I don't know whether I'm coming back into one of our sets or the real place and of course this is the real place but but the set was based on it wasn't it yeah well it was based on but you it was a decision wasn't

it to have everything set in the 30s yes cuz she wrote the Pirro novels over a period of about 60 years and I felt that um it was very important for a television show that we should be rooted in one particular era and in the end I thought well I'm actually going to root them all in one particular year dress them like 1936 of course this isn't this isn't our flat in the I mean this is the real flat in this building we use the outside of one of these which one was it there well

I remember we always used to count down from the top one two three and that's that one isn't it with the vertical blinds I think that was the one Mr perro Mr perro yes M lemon yes there's a letter sir a letter from Eliza done there and the wonderful thing that I felt that you did was you managed to capture the peculiarities alongside the lovability and I think that is why people love him but I had a wonderful team of actors around me didn't I that I was able to play off and they were able

to have their own life and their own worlds good Heavens Hugh Fraser as Captain Hastings uh you think oh Hastings is a bit of a dunderhead uh and no maybe he isn't the brightest but Hugh brought a fantastic intelligence yes to a man who apparently didn't have much right my dear and inspector Philip Jackson Who Is Always bested by parro right who's the victim and Miss lemon uh um Paulie Moran just brought that beautiful eccentricity to it abduction addiction adultery see also under marriage bigamy see alsoo under marriage bombs see alsoo under [Music] marriage I

know from the mail I get and from how people react to the series it's not just me it's the whole look it's production values the props the locations and I couldn't have been given a better place to live for the man I played there was one other element that played a crucial role in creating the mood of the series I've come to meet composer Christopher gunning fantastic if I just hum they say but you know David you know one of many extraordinary things was that I presented Brian Eastman with four different tunes and he rang

up the next day and he said well I've listened to all four of them and number four is my favorite wow and I was mighty disappointed because number one was mine why do you think I put number one at the beginning yes and I can still remember it actually it went like yes I have heard that uh da da da it went something like that and that was my clear favorite but Brian didn't even give that a thought and of course he was right and I was wrong how did you decide that should be one

of your theme tunes for p what what is the process for you I did read a script so I thought about what sort of Music would take us back to the 30s a little bit and I phoned Brian and asked he said no I'm getting terribly negative reactions to the music Christopher and we're going to have to start again so what I did was to darken it all and I moved it into G minor so the AO saxophone could now play it in that register and the accompaniment could be down here and immediately has a

sort of Gravitas that it didn't have when I was fiddling around up there that music along with many other elements defines the series but what made puu such a popular character around the world where better to find out than visiting the country of his birth Belgium pity Emily couldn't come still I think she's right Brussels is a far cry from her loss is my [Music] G Hercule PUO is not simply a legend in Agatha Christie's Homeland the PUO films have been seen in over a hundred [Music] countries over the years I've received thousands of letters

from all around the world viewers might know my face but not all have heard my voice I had no idea puu would be so big outside Britain now I want to find out about his International appeal and where better to do so than the country of his birth ladies and gentlemen welcome on board this service to and Bros we will be one of the aspects that really link us Piro and myself is that both of us are in a way Outsiders although I was born in England most of my family on my father's side were

from Lithuania I certainly don't look like a typical Englishman and that that was Pirro as well in all the stories he's portrayed very vividly but we know very little about his past we know that he came to England retired head of the Brussels police force but we know very little about where when he was a policeman there well bar how does it feel being back in Brussels again after so many years in the eye of my mind Chief Inspector I have never left well here we are most beautiful Square in the world ah it's fantastic

look at it the grand Square in Brussels I can actually remember filming here the chocolate box and yeah I played chess in this Square I remember that the choc box was the only Pirro story that took us back to his past as a police officer in Brussels checkm it's told in flashback so I had to lose over 20 years with the clever help of makeup and a hairpiece I'd like um a box that I can fill with chocolates please there's a murder of course and Belgian chocolates appear to be the cause of death yes of

course what we have to remember is that the chocolate might have tasted nice but you wouldn't have lived very long to savor the [Music] aftertaste my duties as a junior police officer involved my regular attendance at the court of the coroner and you agree the death of Paul Dera was treated by all those concerned as a matter of routine where I am now is in the Palace of Justice in Brussels and of course Pirro would have been very familiar with this place because this is the high court this is the highest court in the land

superintend Bush one moment if you please Shantal and myself we would be very happy to investigate further the Dera case his methods of detection are very basic he's not a forensic detective he likes clues of course everything is in the clue SE inside this envelope of crumbs of chocolate I want you to tell me by your analysis exactly what they contain and whether or not they contain poison he's far more of a psychologist he's interested in people's minds when he speaks with you he always says I listen to what you say but I hear what

you mean for it was you Madame Dera who killed your son in over 70 stories Piru soed many intriguing cases but there was always one great mystery that eluded him the mystery that even I will never be able to S the nature of love I get lots of male and people talking to me about piro's sexuality why is everyone so afraid of sex uh why isn't he married uh does he fall in love where's Poo's romantic in interest in chocolate box PUO found the killer but lost his heart to his client virgin Mena I hope

I haven't made things awkward for you okay and puu really becomes very attached in a in an emotional way to V perhaps this will say it for me she gives to him a little silver brooch really you should not her if you'll notice when I play PUO as an older man he always wears there and that was given to him by his first love he would love to have been married but he knows himself no one could put up with his own weird eccentricities as a person but in actual fact although he says that I

believe he knows that he couldn't put up with them Paro was a lonely man but what he does with his life is solving crimes you got it wrong you bloody little frog firstly I am not a bloody little frog I am a bloody little Belgian Pirro was proud of being a Belgian citizen but what do the locals think of him who better to ask than Belgian crime writer Stan lison well so how's Brussels well Brussels is wonderful but I I think I have to congratulate you because you won an award didn't you yeah I won

the writing award well I won the heru paru award the hercu Paro award which is the award for the best Grime novel of the Year fantastic do you think Paro is typic Belgian he's typically Belgian because he's got all the mannerisms of belgians no first of all they're short yes they're short they're good-looking oh well that's very kind what makes PUO so endearing he's warmth you can't be mad at him do you get that from the page yeah yeah that's I mean that's what I found yeah you're speaking of PUO as though he was a

real person he is he is who says is is fictional because and every night at home anywhere the world there you are you made him a living person and that's your fault that's why people embrace you in the street take photographs hey here is poo look poo even without the mustache I'm always surprised to be recognized anywhere in the world well here I am in a police car with the police outriders as an escort and uh it's quite overwhelming uh apparently I'm going to meet somebody very important has to be important for this sort of

welcome beautiful isn't it beautiful building in fact I've been invited to meet the mayor of Brussels and the chief of police we're going to find out what they think of belgian's most famous detective hero mayor Tio sir I say to you are would you've liked heru Piro here now yeah we absolutely you need him yeah but where a mustache that can be arranged that can be that can be put in the post can we what do the belgians think ofu they were proud because he solved matters the English couldn't solve yes and and your reaction

was not too bad thank you I wondered I very nervous me too to say I mean you could have said it was terrible and we're on television you know what thank you very very much and you've given me such a lovely work it's a great honor to be here seriously pleasure thank you they take quo to their hearts and you know Agatha Christi is widely read here and poo is one of belgian's sons when I was studying the character of guaro I learned that there was some speculation about where he was born I think Agatha

is actually quite clear where he was born he was born in spa in Belgium however I'm on my way to a a town but has claimed him in a sense to be one of its Sons there's something distinctly odd about the small town of elisel 30 Mi west of Brussels they like to think the PUO was born here there he is local historian Pascal Hyde can even show me a birth certificate to prove their claim so look here we go here is the birth certificate exay here you have the name of your father Yes J

Lou pu and you have God van your mother this is wonderful it is absolutely extraordinary there is is my birth certificate born in elel on lail the first April Fool's Day some belgians might dispute the actual place of puu's birth but there is no question about his commitment to his faith what's uh interesting for me is that um Agatha Christi makes him being Belgian Catholic so he is a religious man there is nothing in the world so damaged that it cannot be repaired by the hand ofm Mighty God he believes that Leong the good God

has put him on this Earth to rid it of crime while he is still alive and able to do so so part of piro's character is in doing his job he's actually serving [Music] God Agatha Christie's books reveal that puu retired from the Belgian police force and that his world was thrown into turmoil at the outbreak of the first world war he couldn't have actually fought in the trenches himself because I mean he was retired from the Belgian police force and then the war started and then he became a refugee then began my second career

these were reported that I am the most famous detective in [Music] England Agatha Christi created an outsider that was true to life his faith gave him his purpose but I think his humanity and warmth is the secret of the character's success but of all the crimes he solved there was one case that would challenge him to Breaking Point [Music] in the whole of quo's career there was one story above all that seems to have captured the Public's imagination and if you would be so kind as to book for me a passage tonight on the Orient

Express I knew that even after 20 years of playing puu this would be one of the most challenging performances of my career good morning sir good morning welcome back nice to see you again thank you murder on the Orient Express was almost for me and Untouchable obviously because it was such a famous film with Albert feny and it one Oscars so I had quite a lot to live up to I began researching murder on the Orient Express by reading the book on the original restored train to Venice now I'm going back to relive puu's most

dramatic story and meet some old friends it's such a pleasure to see you again oh in 2008 I set out to make murder on the Orient Express a story about a very brutal murder and I wanted puu to be as faithful to Agatha Christie's novel as possible oh my goodness me I'm back home well welcome back [Laughter] [Music] home it was an extraordinary experience to have been on the train before I made the film because I used that in the making of the film The Murder on the Orient Express Albert fin was a wonderful film

we had a different take on it we took it much more seriously in fact that the actual tone of the book is serious I think the story has become legendary because to have 12 murderers judged during and executioners was an extraordinary invention of hers in the story The Train becomes stationary because of an avalanche to be stuck inside this narrow tube made it very claustrophobic that was the Brilliance of her story so the guilty 12 where I am now is where the big summing up took place and this is where he makes his big reveal

that not one person among them was the murderer but they were all guilty of putting in the knife no you behave like this and we become just Savages in the street where jury is and executioners that they elect themselves no it is Medieval the rule of law it must be held high and if it falls you pick it up and hold it even [Music] higher he is thrown into deep anguish and thought and prayer as to what should he do even though he may sympathize with the crime is it his right to let them go

or should he do what he knows his faith would tell him to do that's the story but where she set it is so unbelievably brilliant it was lovely to be on the train and in the carriage that Hercule Pirro slept in and to be able to eat in the restaurant he e in in the 70 films I've played poo murder on the Orient Express was the one which showed him in a turmoil of conscience we'd never seen before t and tormented over what to do about this murder bye-bye thank you so much in the end

he chooses to let them go on the human level he did the right thing but as far as his faith is concerned and what it did to him it really cost quu understands the Frailty of people their passions their hopes and their dreams it's it's a characteristic which I think is recognized and admired by viewers the world over Orient Express was one of my biggest challenges as PUO now 5 years on I'm on the set of dead man's Folly good morning how are you it's June 2013 and 9 months since I filmed Poo's death in

curtain I wanted to end 25 years on a high not his demise so we shot the final film out of sequence when I finish this film I will have shot every Pirro story that Agatha Christie ever published you come on a set like this and you think well I don't have to do anything good morning morning how are you so you've been in the fortune tell tent yes which we saw you go into last night and then there's a little scene in there a few Cuts around and then I come out to meet the Dutch

girl I'm Mark background action and action I think the the enduring power of PUO is obviously centers on David's performance but it's also careful casting very good direction brilliant art Direction excellent locations and a great deal of thought going to make it the package that becomes Agatha Christi [Music] pu that what you wear on your head it is a creation most beautiful like something from the Royal Ascot NE moving on David is meticulous he's brought with him an eye of detail we have never been allowed to let our standard slip because David would pick us

up on that br oh it's an honor to work with David again and it's it must been an extraordinary experience for him and for his family I have to say I think the big shout out goes to the family you got to say living with Mr PUO for 25 years lady stubs have you seen lady stubs have you seen my wife lady stubs has anyone seen lady stubs in some ways it's a farewell to the character we don't I don't know I think we're all kind of anticipating the last day and how emotional that might

be Agatha Christie's summer home provided the inspiration for Dead Man's Folly so is a wonderful tribute to Poo's Creator we have come to Devon where my final shot will be filmed I think it's a lovely way to end the series here now I feel pleased for David as well to have to have shot all of them and to have adapted all the novels which I know is very important to him it's a triumphant day I I won't see it in any other way as well I won't it's emotional of course it's emotional I won't pretend

it's not emotional but I feel very elated happy they're filming the very last scene of the very last story of PUO that will ever be made with David susha playing PUO if voila doesn't feel like 25 years if I look back it's really my children growing up my my my family my it's a quarter of a century of my life and suddenly it's over I think it's the fact that he has applied utter dedication to one role most actors do a role put it down walk away from it David has never put it down 515

take one he Mark David's Legacy is to have given the world a character that they could never forget to bring to life someone who's entertained people around the world for 100 years and to stamp that character into all our imaginations and that Legacy on television will never fight ladies and gentlemen that is a wrap of prro after 25 years thank you thank you I would like to say to you thank you for having me I have enjoyed all the little adventur that I have solved to you all mer I really do look back with great

thankfulness to be given that role and have allowed me the privilege of playing him over a period of 25 years what a gift and thank you okay and everyone this way one two 3 fantastic and again 1 2 three brilliant wonderful well done [Music]