A new three-part Agatha Christie adaptation is coming to the BBC – and we can’t wait for this one.
Screenwriter Sarah Phelps (The Sixth Commandment, A Very British Scandal) is returning to adapt the famous crime writer’s classic mystery novel, Endless Night, a chilling ghost story about “obsession and the darkness that lurks in us all when we want too much”.
It will be Sarah’s sixth Christie adaptation following acclaimed productions of And Then There Were None, The Witness For The Prosecution, Ordeal By Innocence, The ABC Murders and The Pale Horse.
What is Endless Night about?
Endless Night, which was one of Christie’s favourites of her own novels, is set in 1967 and finds Michael Rogers, a man of many trades, working as a chauffeur for the enigmatic designer du jour Rudolf Santonix. Through his work, he snatches a glimpse into a glamorous world of outrageous wealth that’s far from his own upbringing.
The synopsis continues: “Transfixed by Santonix’s latest project, a beautiful house in the English countryside, Mike dreams of meeting the love of his life and taking up residence.
“But unbeknownst to Mike, the house that he has set his heart on has a dark past that goes back for centuries. Local legend says that it is haunted by a curse that no one escapes.
“When Mike meets the sweet-natured Ellie and, by a curious set of circumstances, finds himself moving into the house, the young couple start to realise they should have listened to the warnings. As increasingly strange and chilling events occur, they start to wonder if the curse is real and means to destroy them. Or, that someone is intent on terrifying them to death.”
© BBC/Mammoth Screen/ACL/James FisherDescribing the series, writer Sarah said: “One of Agatha Christie’s last novels, this is a chilling story of love, sex, deceit and death, of how far we’ll go to get our hearts desire and what we’ll do when night falls and the wolves start circling.”
Meanwhile, James Prichard, who is Christie’s great-grandson and executive producer for Agatha Christie Limited, said: “We are so happy to be continuing our partnership with Mammoth, BBC and Britbox and renewing acquaintance with Sarah Phelps. Endless Night is one of my great grandmother’s best stories.
“It is also one of my father’s personal favourites. It is an extraordinary feat of writing, made even more impressive by the age at which she wrote it. I cannot wait to see what Sarah and the team produce.”
When will Endless Night air?
The three-parter, which is billed as both a “ghost story” and a “love story”, will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer, with a release date yet to be announced.
© ITV/ShutterstockFilming will take place later this year with casting details to be announced in due course.
Other Endless Night adaptations
Endless Night was previously adapted for the big screen in the 1972 film directed by Sidney Gilliat, which starred Hayley Mills, Britt Ekland, Per Oscarsson, Hywel Bennett and George Sanders.
It also formed the plot for an episode of the sixth series of Agatha Christie’s Marple, starring Julia McKenzie, which aired on ITV in 2013.
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