Poirot Bids Au Revoir to His Fans After 13 Seasons

Not only did David Suchet, now 67, play Agatha Christie’s funny little Belgian detective in adaptations of all her stories over 13 series, over a period of 25 years; but also he embodyed Poirot in every aspect. The part has defined his career, made him a household name, and I am sure that it left a void now that it has come time to say goodbye. 

Last year, when Agatha Christie’s seemingly never-ending stories about her eccentric sleuth had run out, David filmed his final Poirot, took off  his elaborate fake mustache for the last time – and allowed himself a little cry. "It was the hardest day’s filming of my career. To say goodbye to him was very, very hard. That’s not just an actor’s sentimentality, or me being a "luvvie". It’s the way it was. When you play a character for 25 years he is part of you. I inhabited him, became him."

"Even now I can go out looking at the world through his eyes. The relationship I had with him was like no other character I’ve ever played before. I was always going to be affected by that."

So much so that when it came to the order in which the final four episodes of the last ever series were filmed, David insisted on completing the final one, Curtain, in which Poirot dies, first. "I just couldn’t bear to kill him off, then walk away that day," he admits.

"But we did the death scenes with me knowing that I still had three other episodes to film. That made it much more bearable." My question is, can we bear seeing Poirot frail and at the edge of life? Can we bear saying goodbye to David Suchet's Poirot? Will the void be filled by a new hipper version of Poirot? I will surely be at the edge of my seat, crying my eyes out, and simultaneously planning to re-watch the whole series... Do watch my ultimate favorite episodes: Death on the Nile and Murder on the Orient Express to get the essence of dear old Poirot.

Curtain: Poirot’s Last Case, Wednesday 13 November, 8pm, ITV, followed by Being Poirot at 10.35pm. Poirot: The Labours of Hercules, this Wednesday, 8pm, ITV.