When Agatha Christie first introduced Jane Marple in the 1927 short story collection The Thirteen Problems, she probably didn’t realize she’d created a blueprint for every "cozy" detective to follow. Most people think of Marple as a fluffy, knitting grandmother. That’s a mistake. Christie wrote her as a "shrewd, cynical old pussy" who saw the worst in everyone because she’d seen it all in her tiny village of St. Mary Mead. Over the last century, a surprisingly diverse group of women have stepped into those sensible shoes. Some nailed the steel beneath the silk. Others? Well, they turned her into a caricature. If you’re wondering who has played Miss Marple and which version is actually worth your weekend binge, you have to look past the lace curtains.
The Early Days: Gracie Fields and Margaret Rutherford
You might be surprised to learn that the very first person to bring Jane Marple to the screen wasn’t even British by birth in her most famous portrayal, nor was she particularly "Christie-esque." In 1956, a television adaptation of A Murder is Announced featured Gracie Fields. It was a live broadcast. Honestly, it’s mostly a footnote now, but it proved the character had legs outside of print.
Then came the hurricane that was Margaret Rutherford.
Between 1961 and 1964, Rutherford starred in four films: Murder, She Said, Murder at the Gallop, Murder Most Foul, and Murder Afloat. Here’s the thing—Agatha Christie famously disliked these movies. Rutherford was a comedic powerhouse, wearing capes and acting with a flamboyant energy that was lightyears away from the quiet, observational Jane Marple of the books. Rutherford’s Marple was an action hero. She rode horses. She fenced. She was loud. While the movies are delightful as 1960s kitsch, they aren't really Miss Marple. They are Margaret Rutherford playing a detective named Miss Marple. Still, she’s the reason the character became a household name globally. She gave the character a physicality that stayed in the public consciousness for decades.
The Gold Standard: Joan Hickson
Ask any Christie purist who has played Miss Marple the best, and they will bark "Joan Hickson" before you can finish the sentence. There’s a legendary story that Christie herself saw Hickson on stage in the 1940s and sent her a note saying, "I hope one day you will play my dear Miss Marple."
Christie knew what she was talking about.
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From 1984 to 1992, the BBC adapted all twelve Miss Marple novels with Hickson in the lead. She was perfect. Hickson didn't play her as a "sweet old lady." She played her as a woman who was slightly detached, deeply intelligent, and occasionally quite grim. She had this way of looking at a murderer like they were a particularly nasty bit of blight on a rosebush. She wasn't there to be your grandma; she was there to see justice done. The pacing of these 1980s episodes is slow—glacially slow compared to modern TV—but that’s the point. It reflects the pace of village life where every twitch of a curtain means something. If you want the definitive experience, Hickson is the only place to start.
The ITV Era: Geraldine McEwan and Julia McKenzie
After Hickson retired the sensible hat, there was a gap. Then ITV stepped in with Agatha Christie's Marple. This series was... controversial. The producers started taking massive liberties with the plots. They changed killers. They added lesbian subplots where there were none. They even inserted Miss Marple into stories she wasn't originally in.
Geraldine McEwan took the lead first in 2004. Her Marple was different. She was "fluffier." McEwan played her with a mischievous, almost elfin twinkle. She was stylized. Some fans loved the breathy, whimsical approach, but others found it far too soft. McEwan’s Marple felt like she belonged in a storybook, whereas Hickson’s felt like she belonged in a real English village.
When McEwan retired in 2008, Julia McKenzie took over.
McKenzie brought the character back down to earth. She was more sturdy and dependable. If McEwan was the whimsical aunt, McKenzie was the schoolmistress who knew you were lying about your homework. She was excellent, though she often had to contend with increasingly bizarre scripts that strayed further and further from Christie's original vision.
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The International and Unexpected Marples
The list of who has played Miss Marple isn't just limited to the big BBC and ITV productions. There have been some fascinating, often overlooked interpretations:
- Angela Lansbury: Before she was Jessica Fletcher in Murder, She Wrote, Lansbury played Marple in the 1980 film The Mirror Crack'd. She was actually quite good—sharp and impatient—but the movie was overshadowed by its massive star cast, including Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson.
- Helen Hayes: The "First Lady of the American Theater" played Marple in two TV movies in the 1980s, A Caribbean Mystery and Murder with Mirrors. It was very "Americanized" and felt a bit like a precursor to the cozy mystery boom of the 90s.
- Inge Meysel: Germany had its own Miss Marple! Meysel played the role in the 1960s.
- June Whitfield: While we’re talking about icons, we have to mention the radio. Whitfield voiced Marple for BBC Radio 4 for years. For many listeners, her voice is the character.
Why We Keep Coming Back to the St. Mary Mead Sleuth
It's weird, right? We have dozens of gritty police procedurals and high-tech forensic shows, yet we still want to watch an eighty-year-old woman solve crimes while talking about knitting patterns.
The appeal is the "justice of the small."
Miss Marple operates on the principle that human nature is the same everywhere. A petty theft in a village pharmacy is motivated by the same greed as a multi-million dollar corporate fraud. When we look at who has played Miss Marple, we’re looking for an actress who can convey that terrifying level of insight. We want someone who looks harmless but possesses a mind like a steel trap.
Ranking the Performances: A Quick Guide
If you're looking to dive in, here is the "vibe check" for the major contenders:
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- Joan Hickson: The realist. Best for book fans.
- Margaret Rutherford: The comedian. Best for a rainy Sunday afternoon when you don't want to think too hard.
- Julia McKenzie: The "comfort" Marple. Solid, reliable, and very British.
- Geraldine McEwan: The experimental Marple. Best if you like high-production values and don't mind plot changes.
- Angela Lansbury: The "glamour" Marple. A fun Hollywood take on the character.
How to Watch the Best Marple Adaptations Today
If you want to see these performances for yourself, your best bet is specialized streaming.
BritBox is the holy grail for this. They typically carry the entire Joan Hickson BBC collection and the later Geraldine McEwan/Julia McKenzie ITV runs. For the Margaret Rutherford films, you'll often find them rotating through TCM or available for digital rental on Amazon.
Don't just watch the latest one. Go back. Watch Hickson in A Murder is Announced. Notice how she barely moves her face, yet you know exactly what she’s thinking. That’s the magic of the character. She isn't a superhero. She's just someone who has lived long enough to know that people are capable of anything.
If you’re planning a marathon, start with the Hickson era to get the baseline for the character, then jump to the Rutherford films to see how much the "brand" can be stretched. You'll quickly realize that "who has played Miss Marple" is a question with a lot of different right answers, depending on whether you want a detective who is a neighbor, a grandmother, or a genius.
Next Steps for Mystery Fans
- Audit the Source: Read A Murder is Announced first. It’s widely considered the best Marple novel and provides the best context for evaluating the actresses.
- Track the Evolution: Watch the 1985 Joan Hickson version of The Mirror Crack’d side-by-side with the 1980 Angela Lansbury version to see how the tone shifts from psychological drama to Hollywood spectacle.
- Explore the Radio Dramas: Find the June Whitfield recordings on BBC Sounds; they are often considered the most faithful to the book dialogue.
The definitive Miss Marple isn't just about the acting; it's about the atmosphere of a world where evil hides in the most mundane places. All these women brought a piece of that to the screen.