EXCLUSIVE: Tommy and Tuppence, Agatha Christie‘s crime-fighting couple, are returning to the screen.
BritBox has greenlit a six-part series that will reimagine Tommy and Tuppence Beresford in the modern world, more than a century after they first appeared together in Christie’s The Secret Adversary.
The series will be made by Lookout Point, the UK producer behind Happy Valley. Phoebe Eclair-Powell (The Road Trip) has penned the drama, her first series commission for television.
Casting for Tommy & Tuppence, which is produced in association with Agatha Christie Limited, is yet to be confirmed. Filming gets underway later this year.
Tapping into the cosy crime phenomenon, the series will be set in Hampstead, a leafy and affluent corner of north London, which will become the scene of murder and mystery.
Tommy and Tuppence have appeared in numerous adaptations over the years, most recently being played by David Walliams and Jessica Raine in Partners in Crime, the 2015 BBC series.
A 1983 series, titled Agatha Christie’s Partners in Crime, aired on ITV, starring James Warwick and Francesca Annis in the title roles. The series won an Emmy for Outstanding Graphic and Title Design.
Tommy & Tuppence was greenlit by Robert Schildhouse, Jon Farrar, and Stephen Nye for BritBox. They executive produce alongside Laura Lankester, Katie Draper, and Louise Mutter for Lookout Point. James Prichard executive produces for Agatha Christie Limited. BBC Studios, which owns Lookout Point, handles global sales.
Draper said: “Phoebe’s wonderful scripts combine screwball comedy, playful romance and thrilling murder to bring an exhilarating modern-day twist to Christie’s iconic detective duo.”
Schildhouse added that the series promises to deliver a “fun blend of romance and mystery.” Eclair-Powell said writing the drama was a “dream come true” for a Christie superfan. “Christie’s detective duo are witty, sharp and raring to solve lots and lots of murders whilst asking if they should really be more than just partners in crime,” she added.
Tommy & Tuppence joins BritBox’s collection of Agatha Christie adaptations, including Towards Zero, Why Didn’t They Ask Evans?, and Poirot. BritBox has carried Partners in Crime in the past.
