The BBC's 'sexy' new murder mystery has your Sunday night TV sorted
There's a 'sexy' new Agatha Christie adaptation coming to the BBC and it's set to make ideal Sunday night viewing, particularly if you're missing Rivals as much as we are (it even features some tennis!).
Based on the author's 1944 novel Towards Zero, the three-part series follows on from the broadcaster's 2023 hit, Murder Is Easy, which was one of the UK's most watched dramas of that year.
Directed by Sam Yates, Towards Zero features a stellar cast including Anjelica Huston and Matthew Rhys. With the trailer now available (watch it above), anticipation is already building ahead of its imminent release. Here's everything you need to know about the new must-watch BBC drama...
Towards Zero: Release date
It has been confirmed that the first episode will air on BBC One at 9pm on Sunday 2 March, with all episodes also arriving on BBC iPlayer from 6am that day.
Towards Zero: Plot
Towards Zero is considered to be one of Christie's best novels and is the last to feature her character Superintendent Battle. Set in England 1936, the story follows Nevile Strange and his ex-wife Audrey who spend a summer together at Gull’s Point, their childhood home and the coastal home of Nevile's aunt, Lady Tressilian.
The BBC synopsis reads: 'With unfinished business between the former childhood sweethearts, plus the presence of Nevile’s new wife Kay, tensions are running high. Add to this a long-suffering lady’s companion, a mysterious gentleman’s valet, an exiled cousin with a grudge, a venerable family lawyer, an inquisitive orphan and a French con man, and soon there will be murder.
'A troubled detective must rediscover his purpose to untangle a toxic web of jealousy, deceit and dysfunction. Can he solve the crime before another victim meets their death? An explosive love triangle, a formidable matriarch and a house party of enemies. All compelled… Towards Zero.'
Christie devotees should be prepared for some differences between the novel and the TV adaptation. Most notably, the presence of a new character, Inspector Leach, in place of Superintendent Battle. According to screenwriter Rachel Bennette, this is because 'I really did need a policeman to crack this extremely convoluted case.'
Speaking to the Radio Times, Bennette explained: 'Battle spends a lot of the case wishing he was Poirot – and then she [Christie] splits the deducing duties between Battle and the character of Angus MacWhirter who is a guest at the hotel, and a wonderfully original Christie creation.
'This is all designed to serve the plot, but it also led me to feel that what interests her most in this book is character and theme, and so I found myself leaning into the richness of Angus’ character as the investigator figure," Bennette added. The screenwriter described Inspector Leach as 'pure Christie, and he could only have walked out of the pages of Towards Zero.'
But if its glamour, scandal and sex that you're after, you're in luck! Producer Rebecca Durbin said at the drama's launch event that the Towards Zero team 'talked a lot about sexy Christie,' according to The Telegraph. 'The situations are so modern. Lucy Worsley talks a little bit about Agatha and her modern attitudes towards sex and female desire [in her Agatha Christie biography], and that was something we took into account.'
The show's makers were also inspired by the 'excitement, celebrity and craziness' surrounding the Beckhams at the height of their tabloid days, which is only fuelling our own excitement more...
Towards Zero: Cast
Hollywood star Anjelica Huston takes on the role of Lady Tressilian alongside Matthew Rhys, best known for his roles in Brothers & Sisters and The Americans, as Inspector Leach.
In an interview with the BBC, Houston explained how Lady Tressilian is 'running the show the way a man would – or at least, she’s attempting to.' She added that 'she’s not without her vanities… she has her favourites and she’s discerning and judgemental. She loves all the "kids" but she’s not going to let anyone get away with anything.'
Other cast members include:
Clarke Peters (Mr Treves)
Oliver Jackson-Cohen (Nevile Strange)
Ella Lily Hyland (Audrey Strange)
Mimi Keene (Kay Elliot)
Jack Farthing (Thomas Royde)
Anjana Vasan (Mary Aldin)
Adam Hugill (Mac)
Khalil Gharbia (Louis Morel)
Towards Zero: Trailer
The BBC has released a trailer ahead of the March launch date, and we're already gripped. Watch it in full above.
Towards Zero will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer at 9pm on Sunday 2 March.
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