Tommy and Tuppence Beresford are the odd ones out in the Agatha Christie universe. While Hercule Poirot measures life in "little grey cells" and Miss Marple knits her way through village murders, the Beresfords are basically a bickering married couple who accidentally stumble into international espionage. They’re fun. They’re messy. And honestly, the 2015 partners in crime agatha christie tv series starring David Walliams and Jessica Raine is one of the most polarizing adaptations ever to hit the BBC.
You either love the vibrant, 1950s aesthetic or you absolutely hate how it handles the source material. There is no middle ground.
Most Christie fans grew up with the 1980s LWT version starring James Warwick and Francesca Annis. That version felt like a cozy, faithful hug. Fast forward to 2015, and the BBC decided to "reimagine" the duo for Christie’s 125th anniversary. They moved the timeline. They changed the tone. They even tweaked the core personalities of the leads. It was a massive gamble that resulted in a single season consisting of six episodes, covering two major novels: The Secret Adversary and N or M?
What the Partners in Crime Agatha Christie TV Series Got Right (and Wrong)
Let's talk about the vibe. The show looks incredible. If you’re a fan of Mid-century Modern furniture, vintage knitwear, and saturated Technicolor palettes, this show is pure eye candy. The production design team clearly had a blast recreating a post-war Britain that feels both nostalgic and slightly heightened.
But then there’s the casting. David Walliams as Tommy Beresford was a choice that raised a lot of eyebrows. Walliams is primarily known for sketch comedy like Little Britain, and he brings a certain bumbling, slapstick energy to the role. In the books, Tommy is steady. He's the "slow and steady wins the race" type who provides the grounded logic to Tuppence’s impulsive brilliance. In this partners in crime agatha christie tv series, he often feels like the comic relief in his own story.
Jessica Raine, on the other hand, is a force of nature as Tuppence. Fresh off her success in Call the Midwife, she captures that restless, "I’m bored of being a housewife" energy that Christie wrote so well. Tuppence Beresford was always Christie’s most modern woman. She wanted adventure. She wanted to be where the danger was. Raine nails that drive, even if the script occasionally makes her look a bit too reckless for her own good.
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The Timeline Shift: Why 1952?
One of the biggest departures from the books is the setting. The original stories follow Tommy and Tuppence through their entire lives. They start as "Bright Young Things" after WWI in The Secret Adversary (1922), age into middle-aged parents during WWII in N or M? (1941), and eventually become elderly detectives in Postern of Fate (1973). It’s one of the few times Christie allowed her characters to age in real-time.
The 2015 series scraps that.
Instead, it anchors both stories in 1952. The Cold War is simmering. The threat isn't just "the enemy," it's the "Red Menace." This change allowed the writers to tap into the paranoia of the 50s, but it stripped away the unique charm of seeing the Beresfords grow old together. By making them a static, middle-aged couple from the start, we lost the origin story of two broke kids looking for a job and finding a conspiracy instead.
Diving into The Secret Adversary and N or M?
The season is split into two three-episode arcs. The first half tackles The Secret Adversary. It starts on a train—classic Christie—where Tuppence notices a nervous girl who later vanishes. This spirals into a hunt for a mysterious criminal mastermind known only as "Mr. Brown."
Honestly, the pacing here is a bit frantic. The show tries to balance the "whodunnit" mystery with the "spy thriller" action, and sometimes it trips over its own feet. However, the chemistry between Raine and Walliams starts to gel by the second episode. You start to believe they actually like each other, despite the constant sniping.
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The second half, N or M?, is arguably stronger. The setting shifts to a seaside boarding house in Sans Souci. It’s the height of the Cold War. There’s a spy in the house, and Tommy and Tuppence have to go undercover to find them. This is where the partners in crime agatha christie tv series really leans into the "suburban spies" trope. It’s about the people living next door who might be traitors. It’s tense, it’s colorful, and it features a great supporting cast including Ed Speleers and Matthew Steer.
Why was it cancelled?
If you're looking for Season 2, you won't find it. The BBC opted not to renew the show after the first six episodes.
Why? Ratings were decent but not stellar. More importantly, the critical reception was mixed. Purists hated the slapstick elements and the departure from the 1920s setting. Newcomers found it a bit too light compared to the gritty crime dramas that were dominating TV at the time, like Line of Duty or Broadchurch. It occupied a strange "family-friendly spy romp" niche that didn't quite land with the prestige TV crowd.
Expert Perspective: The "Cozy Spy" Aesthetic
As someone who has analyzed Christie's adaptations for years, I think people were too hard on this one. It isn't trying to be Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. It’s a "cozy spy" show.
There’s a specific joy in seeing Tuppence use a honey-trap or a disguise while Tommy tries to keep his tie straight. The show highlights a side of Agatha Christie that many people forget: she was funny. She loved adventure. She wasn't always about the grim reality of a corpse in a library.
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Key Facts About the 2015 Production:
- Director: Edward Hall handled the first arc, while Ajay Singh took the second.
- Writer: Zinnie Harris and James Arcane were responsible for the scripts.
- Filming Locations: Much of it was shot in Norfolk and Buckinghamshire, using the North Norfolk Railway for those iconic train scenes.
- The "Third Partner": Tommy’s Uncle Chris (played by James Fleet) was added to the show to give Tommy more of a family backstory and a source of constant frustration.
How to Watch and What to Look For
If you’re diving into the partners in crime agatha christie tv series today, don't expect a 1:1 translation of the books. Look at it as a "What If?" scenario. What if Tommy and Tuppence were 1950s suburbanites who got caught up in the Red Scare?
Pay attention to:
- The Costume Design: Tuppence’s hats are practically characters themselves.
- The Background Details: The show is packed with 1950s ephemera that makes the world feel lived-in.
- The Music: The score is jaunty, playful, and very different from the somber tones of the later Poirot episodes.
Is it the best Christie adaptation? No. That title probably belongs to the David Suchet era of Poirot or the 1945 film version of And Then There Were None. But is it a fun, breezy watch for a Sunday afternoon? Absolutely.
If you’re a newcomer, start with The Secret Adversary episodes. They set the stage for the Beresfords' relationship. If you’re a fan of the books, try to put your "accuracy" hat aside and just enjoy the chemistry between Jessica Raine and David Walliams. It’s a different flavor of Christie—sweeter, louder, and a lot more colorful.
Next Steps for Fans:
- Compare the Versions: Seek out the 1983 Partners in Crime series with James Warwick and Francesca Annis. It covers many more of the short stories and keeps the original 1920s setting.
- Read the Source Material: Pick up The Secret Adversary. It’s actually in the public domain in many places, and it’s a fascinating look at Christie’s early writing style.
- Explore "The Pale Horse": If you liked the 1950s aesthetic of this series, check out the 2020 adaptation of The Pale Horse (also on Amazon/BBC). It’s much darker, but the period detail is just as lush.