Les Petits Meurtres d'Agatha Christie

Les Petits Meurtres d'Agatha Christie is a French comédie policière (comedic police crime drama) television program consisting of two series based loosely on Agatha Christie's works of detective fiction, first broadcast on France 2 on 9 January 2009.[2] In English-speaking countries, Series One is titled "The Little Murders of Agatha Christie" and Series Two is titled "Agatha Christie's Criminal Games". Series One takes place in the 1930s with Commissaire (approximately DCI) Larosière (Antoine Duléry) and Inspecteur Lampion (Marius Colucci). Series Two is set in the mid-1950s through early 1960s with Commissaire Swan Laurence (Samuel Labarthe), journalist Alice Avril (Blandine Bellavoir), and Laurence's secretary, Marlène Leroy (Élodie Frenck). Series One streams with English subtitles in the United States on Acorn TV and MHz Choice, Series Two streams with English subtitles in the United States on MHz Choice and in Australia on SBS.[3][4] The thirty-eight episodes to the end of Series Two include adaptations of thirty-six of Christie's works.

Les Petits Meurtres d'Agatha Christie
Also known asThe Little Murders of Agatha Christie; Agatha Christie's Criminal Games
GenreComédie policière (comedic police crime drama)
Created byAnne Giafferi
Murielle Magellan
Based onAgatha Christie's detective fiction
StarringSeries One:
Antoine Duléry
Marius Colucci
Series Two:
Samuel Labarthe
Blandine Bellavoir
Élodie Frenck
Country of originFrance
Original languageFrench
No. of series3
No. of episodes11 | 27
Production
Production locationFrance
Running time100 minutes
Production companyEscazai Films
Original release
NetworkFrance 2
Release9 January 2009 (2009-01-09) –
present (present)[1]
Related
Petits Meurtres en Famille 2006 (4-part mini-series)

A third series, with a new cast and set in 1970s France, was announced in 2019.[1] Although the title bearing Christie's name will remain, most of the planned episodes will be original stories "in the spirit of Christie's works" because the producer felt that the remaining books would be "too difficult to adapt", or because of rights issues in some cases.[5]

Series One: 1930s France (2009–2012) edit

Overview edit

Set in northern France in the 1930s, womanising and bombastic Commissaire Jean Larosière and his hapless junior officer Inspecteur Émile Lampion unravel a series of complicated murder cases to reveal the killers.

Cast and characters edit

Main edit

Support edit

  • Serge Dubois as police officer (policier) Ménard (9 episodes)
  • Olivier Carré as medical examiner (médecin légiste) Dr Verdure (5 episodes)
Guest cast
No. in Series Actor (character)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11

Episodes edit

No.TitleChristie adaptationDirected byOriginal air date
1"Les meurtres ABC"The A.B.C. MurdersEric Woreth2009 (2009)
2"Am stram gram"Ordeal by InnocenceStéphane Kappes2009 (2009)
3"La plume empoisonnée"The Moving FingerEric Woreth2009 (2009)
4"La maison du péril"Peril at End HouseEric Woreth2009 (2009)
5"Le chat et les souris"Cat Among the PigeonsEric Woreth2010 (2010)
6"Je ne suis pas coupable"Sad CypressEric Woreth2010 (2010)
7"Cinq petits cochons"Five Little PigsEric Woreth2011 (2011)
8"Le flux et le reflux"Taken at the FloodEric Woreth2011 (2011)
(Blandine Bellavoir, who plays Albertine, appears as a main character in the second series.)
9"Un cadavre sur l'oreiller"The Body in the LibraryEric Woreth2011 (2011)
10"Un meurtre en sommeil"Sleeping MurderEric Woreth2012 (2012)
11"Le couteau sur la nuque"Lord Edgware DiesRenaud Bertrand2012 (2012)

Series Two: mid-1950s to 1960s France (2013–2020) edit

Overview edit

The action has moved to mid-1950s to 1960s Lille, France. Suave, razor-sharp, arrogant, and intolerant – Commissaire Swan Laurence investigates murders with the often unappreciated assistance of reporter Alice Avril and police secretary Marlène Leroy.

Cast and characters edit

Main edit

Support edit

  • Dominique Thomas as Commissaire Divisionnaire Ernest Tricard (27 episodes)
  • Marie Berto as secretary then police officer Arlette Carmouille (5 episodes)
  • Cyril Gueï as medical examiner (médecin légiste) Dr Timothée Glissant (13 episodes)
  • Christophe Piret / François Godart as newspaper editor (rédacteur en chef) Robert Jourdeuil (2 / 15 episodes)
  • Natacha Lindinger as medical examiner Dr Euphrasie Maillol (4 episodes)
  • Éric Beauchamp as police "cop" (flic) Martin (16 episodes)
  • Bubulle as Marlène's goldfish Bubulle (27 episodes). Bubulle is a series of fishes kept in the office by Marléne. When each fish expires, Laurence, knowing Marléne's attachment, secretly replaces it with a new fish. In episode 26, Laurence remarks "Bubulle 4".
Guest cast
No. in Series Actor (character)
1 Catherine Mouchet (Rose-Marie Bousquet), Olivier Rabourdin (Etienne Bousquet), Stéphane Caillard (Juliette), Solveig Maupu (Jaqueline Cassard), Shane Woodward (Jimmy White), Guillaume Bienvenu (Antonin Lambert), Vincent Londez (Léonard Jandel)
2 Élodie Navarre (Elvire Morenkova), Jean-Philippe Écoffey (Georges Leroy), Claude Perron (Claude Kerrigan), Antoine Oppenheim (Daniel Kerrigan), Hélène Médigue (Babette), Valentine Alaqui (Violette), Alexis Michalik (Jules Lavigne), Luis Inacio (Victor Lebrun)
3 Françoise Fabian (Alexina Laurence), Nathalie Richard (Geneviève Ranson), Jacqueline Bir (Émilie Longuet), Anne Azoulay (Charlotte Ségur), Olivier Chantreau (Louis Segur), Vincent Schmitt (Georges Siatidis), Isabelle de Hertogh (Bella Siatidis), Alexie Ribes (Daisy)
4 Alix Poisson (Suzanne Delavallée), Charlie Dupont (Roland Delavallée), Didier Vinson (André Delavallée), Arly Jover (Alma Sarrazin), Eric Caruso (Philippe Sarrazin), Luc Samaille (Alain Langevin), Laurence Flahault (Paulette Torbier)
5
6
7
8 Élodie Frenck (Solange Vanilos), Nancy Tate (Mary Patterson), Blanche Cluzet (Marguerite Richard), Edouard Giard (Jean-Baptiste Millet), Lucile Marquis (Rose), Sandrine Salyères (N'Daye Sissoko), Charles Templon (Pierre), Charlotte Talpaert (Louise)
9 Philippe Nahon (Émile Deboucke), Anne Benoît (Annick Devassène), Marcelle Fontaine (Josiane Lallin), Alexandre Steiger (Jean Castor), Emilie Wiest (Sabine Toulemonde), Pierre Kiebbe (Baptiste)
10 Arnaud Perron (Robert Vasseur), Gilian Petrovski (Michael Doutremont), Eléonore Joncquez (Régine Molon), Serge Riaboukine (Dr. Léopold Santini), Mélissandre Fortumeau (Béatrice Santini), Jeanne Bournaud (Hélène Schmit)
11 Valeria Cavalli (Leticia Salvan/Charlotte Salvan), Juliette Plumecocq-Mech (Linda Greenblat), Christine Bonnard (Henriette), Blandine Pélissier (Odette), Annabelle Hettmann (Philippine Leroy), Clovis Fouin (Marcel Combet/Eugène Perrier), Honorine Magnier (Antoinette Combet/Emma Zontag)
12
13
14
15
16 Frédéric Pellegeay (Grégoire Vidal), Pierre Khorsand (Paul Courelle), Mona Walravens (Dany Courelle), Beatrice Rosen (Lucette Vidal), Christian Joubert (Albert Major)
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24 Bérénice Baoo (Clarisse Rodier), Arnaud Binard (Dr. Rodier), Maïra Schmitt (Adèle Rodier), Kevin Garnichat (Dr Nathan Steiner), Chloé Chaudoye (Marie Steiner), Barbara Monin (Dominique Lebrun), Emmanuel Bordier (Félix Jacquel)
25
26
27 Antoine Duléry (Commissaire Larosière), Anouchka Vingtier (Isabelle Grignan), Alain Duclos (Arthur Grignan), Claudine Vigreux (Madame Léotard), Ulrich Vanacker (Simon Wurtz)

Episodes edit

No. in
series
TitleChristie adaptationDirected byOriginal air date
1"Jeux de glaces"They Do It With MirrorsEric Woreth2013 (2013)
2"Meurtre au champagne"Sparkling CyanideEric Woreth2013 (2013)
A movie star appears to commit suicide by poisoning her drink at a dinner party, but Laurence suspects that someone else put the poison there. Avril replaces her on the set while Laurence investigates.
3"Témoin Muet"Dumb WitnessMarc Angelo2013 (2013)
Laurence receives a letter dated months earlier from Émilie Longuet fearing that she will be murdered. On learning that the wealthy old woman is already dead, he orders an exhumation and autopsy which prove she had been poisoned. He and Avril both encounter ghosts who, despite his disbelief, help uncover secrets that are possible motives for all the resident family members, Mrs. Longuet's live-in personal assistant and, to Laurence's horror, his own mother whom he arrests before discovering that the weapon used in a second murder was planted in her room.
4"Pourquoi pas Martin?"Why Didn't They Ask Evans?Marc Angelo2013 (2013)
5"Meurtre à la kermesse"Hallowe'en PartyEric Woreth2014 (2014)
6"Cartes sur table"Cards on the TableEric Woreth2014 (2014)
A strange, wealthy man induces a dubious Laurence and Avril to attend a dinner party he is hosting with four other guests whom he suggests got away with murder, plus a self-proclaimed former member of France's secret service. When the host is murdered at the party, Laurence investigates. Two guests are subsequently murdered and Laurence himself becomes a suspect before determining the culprit.
7"Le crime ne paie pas"Murder on the LinksMarc Angelo2014 (2014)
8"Pension Vanilos"Hickory Dickory DockEric Woreth2015 (2015)
(Élodie Frenck appears in a dual role as Marlène's sister Solange.)
9"Un meurtre est-il facile?"Murder is EasyMarc Angelo2015 (2015)
Tired of living in poverty and being disrespected as a female journalist, Avril accepts a marriage proposal from Émile Deboucke, a much older man and very rich factory owner whom she barely knows. Avril moves into Deboucke's mansion and is given an executive position at his factory. After a series of murders at the factory and the attempted murders of herself and Marlène, Avril helps Laurence solve the crimes from within. Avril and Deboucke end their engagement amicably.
10"Madame Mac Ginty est morte"Mrs McGinty's DeadDidier Bivel, Eric Woreth2015 (2015)
(Arnaud Perron, Blandine Bellavoir's partner, plays Alice's ex-husband.[9])
11"Murder Party"A Murder is AnnouncedEric Woreth2015 (2015)
12"L'étrange enlèvement du petit Bruno"The Adventure of Johnnie WaverlyEric Woreth2016 (2016)
A famous author and her husband receive anonymous letters threatening that their son will be kidnapped for ransom from their home at a specific time. Despite deploying heavy security, Laurence fails to prevent the kidnapping and is shot in the aftermath. He feigns death to pursue the case without the culprit's knowledge and, with major assistance from Avril, Marlène, and Dr. Maillol, is able to reveal all at his own fake funeral.
13"Le cheval pâle"The Pale HorseOlivier Panchot2016 (2016)
14"L'affaire Protheroe"The Murder at the VicarageOlivier Panchot2016 (2016)
After a young secretary is found dead by hanging, Laurence quickly determines it was murder intended to look like suicide. Avril goes undercover as the secretary's replacement to help investigate.
15"La mystérieuse affaire de Styles"The Mysterious Affair at StylesEric Woreth2016 (2016)
A lady comes to see Laurence in distress because the owner of the popular beauty spa she manages is seeing a much younger man. Laurence is unwilling to get involved, but Marlène persuades Avril to visit the spa; they do so, but are mistaken for a lesbian couple. While there, Marlène finds a man's body at the bottom of the swimming pool, murdered. Laurence arrives at the spa to investigate. During the investigation, Avril discovers that the spa's owner, Emilie, is actually Avril's own mother. Shortly afterwards, Emilie also dies, which is clearly a second murder. Laurence's investigation into both murders turns up strange happenings, such as Emilie's habit of drinking the blood of children, a surrogate pregnancy of one of the spa staff who Emilie recently adopted and wrote into her will, and the alluring wife of a government minister who sedated Emilie to cover up her own affair with Emilie's husband.
16"Albert Major parlait trop"A Caribbean MysteryEric Woreth2016 (2016)
While in hospital for injuries incurred in an accident, Avril encounters famous crime author Albert Major but fails to interest Laurence in the author's claim to be writing a book exposing a "perfect murder" that he witnessed years ago. Major becomes the first of several victims murdered grotesquely in the hospital. Avril discovers a secret hospital area with strange goings-on possibly related to the murders, but when Laurence finds no evidence in the room he decides it was just her head injuries causing her imagination to run wild. Laurence eventually realises that everything is indeed connected, catches the culprit, and reaches Avril, the next intended victim, just as she is about to succumb to a poisoned intravenous drip.
17"L'Homme au complet marron"The Man in the Brown SuitRodolphe Tissot2017 (2017)
18"Le miroir se brisa"The Mirror Crack'd from Side to SideRodolphe Tissot2017 (2017)
19"Crimes haute couture"Third GirlNicolas Picard-Dreyfuss2017 (2017)
20"Crime de Noël"not adapted from a Christie storyRodolphe Tissot2017 (2017)
21"Drame en trois actes"Three Act TragedyNicolas Picard-Dreyfuss2018 (2018)
(Samuel Labarthe appears in a dual role as acting teacher Herbert Michel.)
22"Meurtres en solde"Hercule Poirot's ChristmasDidier Bivel2018 (2018)
(Alexandre Labarthe, who plays Laurence's son, is Samuel Labarthe's son.[10] This adaptation has no Christmas theme.)
23"Mélodie mortelle"The Sittaford MysteryChristophe Campos2018 (2018)
24"Ding Dingue Dong"Evil Under the SunChristophe Campos2019 (2019)
When Marlène stumbles into Laurence's office disheveled, disoriented, and deemed to be suffering from depression, he has her admitted to a private psychiatric clinic where he is investigating a murder. But Laurence is arrested as the prime suspect of a second murder at the clinic because he has been having an affair with the victim, the wife of the head of the clinic, and is believed to have been on the premises at the time. Avril goes undercover as a nurse to investigate while Laurence is in jail but he soon joins her by feigning insanity to get himself admitted to the clinic. Marlène's sharp eye for fashion provides the critical clue that puts Laurence on the right track to reveal the murderers.
25"L'Heure zéro"Towards ZeroNicolas Picard-Dreyfuss2019 (2019)
26"Rendez-vous avec la mort"Appointment with DeathNicolas Picard-Dreyfuss2019 (2019)
27"Un Cadavre au petit déjeuner"not adapted from a Christie storyNicolas Picard-Dreyfuss2020 (2020)

The Series Two Finale is a musical self-parody, with all the cast breaking out into song and dance throughout.

After a night of drunken revelry that she cannot recall, Avril awakens in bed next to the corpse of young man with a knife in his chest. Laurence has resigned as Commissaire and is about to leave for Washington to work for the FBI but, joined by Marlène, Glissant, and Tricard, he goes to extraordinary lengths, including illegalities, to figure out who is trying to frame Avril for murder and to keep her out of the clutches of her chief antagonists: Laurence's replacement, the psychotic nephew of former Commissaire Larosière, and Carmouille, although she eventually saves the day.

(Antoine Duléry appears as the nephew of Series One's Commissaire Larosière. Original musical-comedy episode;[11] first aired in Italy in 2019, Australia in 2020, and in France in October 2020.[12][13][1])

Series Three: 1970s France edit

A third series, with a new cast and set in France in the 1970s, was announced in 2019.[1][14]

The first and third episodes are adaptations of, respectively, Endless Night and The Hollow. Other episodes are original stories; according to the producer, they are in the "spirit of Agatha Christie".[15][16][17][18][5]

Overview edit

The third series is set in the 1970s, again in Lille, France. Commissaire Annie Gréco is aided by police inspector Max Beretta and psychologist Rose Bellecour.

Cast and characters edit

Main edit

Support edit

Episodes edit

No.TitleChristie adaptationDirected byOriginal air date
1"La Nuit qui ne finit pas"Endless NightNicolas Picard-Dreyfuss2021 (2021)
2"La Chambre noire"N/ANicolas Picard-Dreyfuss2021 (2021)
3"Le Vallon"The HollowAlexandre Coffre2021 (2021)
4"Mourir sur scène"N/ANicolas Picard-Dreyfuss2021 (2021)
5"Quand les souris dansent"N/AAlexandre Coffre2022 (2022)
6"Jusqu'à ce que la mort nous sépare"N/ANicolas Picard-Dreyfuss2022 (2022)
7"Meurtres du troisième type"N/ABertrand Soulier and Hélène Lombard2022 (2022)
8"En un claquement de doigt"N/AÉmilie Deleuze2022 (2022)
9"Mortel Karma"N/AChristophe Douchand2023 (2023)
10"Meurtres au Pensionnat"N/AChristophe Douchand2023 (2023)

Notes edit

  • A distinct four-part mini-series, "Petits Meurtres en Famille", adapted from Hercule Poirot's Christmas, was released in 2006. Although Larosière and Lampion are the main characters (played by the same actors), this mini-series is not a prequel or sequel to the later series.
  • Laurence drives a Facel Vega Facellia FA red Bordeaux coupe.[19][20][21]

Complete cast edit

Cast of Series One and Series Two
Actor Character Episodes Year
Antoine Duléry Jean Larosière
Larosière's nephew
11
1
2009–2012
2020
Marius Colucci Émile Lampion 11 2009–2012
Blandine Bellavoir Albertine
Alice Avril
1
27
2011
2013–2020
Samuel Labarthe Swan Laurence 27 2013–2020
Élodie Frenck Marlène Leroy 27 2013–2020
Dominique Thomas Ernest Tricard 27 2013–2020
Christophe Piret Guillaume Parisot
Robert Jourdeuil
1
2
2012
2013
François Godart Robert Jourdeuil 15 2013–2019
Éric Beauchamp Martin 16 2013–2018
Serge Dubois Ménard 9 2009–2012
Olivier Carré Verdure
Roger Bessan
5
1
2010–2012
2019
Bubulle Marlène's goldfish Bubulle 27 2013–2020
Flore Bonaventura
Alice Isaaz
Juliette Larosière 1
1
2010
2012
Anne Benoît Madame Daste
Annick Devassene
1
1
2009
2015
Hélène Vincent Kristin 1 2009
Lucie Lucas Esther 1 2009
Pascal Elso Léopold Vallabrègues 1 2009
Corinne Masiero Angélique 1 2009
Denis Lavant André Custe 1 2009
Frédéric Pierrot Jean Villiers 1 2009
Robinson Stévenin Jean 1 2009
Françoise Bertin Emilie Dubreuil 1 2009
Lannick Gautry Mathieu Vidal 1 2010
Isabelle Candelier Christine Boisseau 1 2010
Guilaine Londez Mademoiselle Thuleau 1 2010
Mata Gabin Esméralda 1 2011
Jean-Marie Winling Pierre Fougères 1 2012
Patrick Descamps Chesnais 1 2012
Françoise Fabian Alexina Laurence 1 2013
Claude Perron Claude Kerrigan 1 2013
Charlie Dupont Roland Delavallée 1 2013
Alexis Michalik Jules Lavigne 1 2013
Isabelle de Hertogh Bella Siatidis 1 2013
Dominique Pinon Hubert Petitpont 1 2014
Natacha Lindinger Euphrasie Maillol 4 2014
Nicolas Vaude Stanislas 1 2014
Alban Lenoir Paul Coupet 1 2014
Philippe Nahon Emile Deboucke 1 2015
Serge Riaboukine Léopold Santini 1 2015
Cyril Guei Dr Timothée Glissant 13 2016–2020
Sophie Cattani Eve Constantin 1 2016
Philippe Rebbot Dr Locart 1 2018
Marie Berto Arlette Carmouille 5 2016–2020
Barbara Schulz Audrey Fontaine 1 2019
Nuno Lopes Maxime Beaumont 1 2019
Mireille Herbstmeyer Clémence Berg 1 2019

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d Telestar.fr (28 October 2019). "EXCLU TELESTAR. Les Petits meurtres d'Agatha Christie ce n'est... - Télé Star". www.telestar.fr (in French). Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  2. ^ "Les Petits Meurtres d'Agatha Christie". The Home of Agatha Christie. 2020. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  3. ^ "Agatha Christie's Criminal Games". MHz Choice. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  4. ^ "Agatha Christie's Criminal Games". SBS On Demand. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  5. ^ a b "Interview Sophie Revil". lpmac. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
  6. ^ "Samuel Labarthe". The Home of Agatha Christie. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  7. ^ "Blandine Bellavoir". www.agathachristie.com. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
  8. ^ "Élodie Frenck". www.agathachristie.com. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
  9. ^ Fuzeau, Stephanie (6 February 2019). "Blandine Bellavoir (Les Petits Meurtres d'Agatha Christie) poste une photo trop mignonne de son bébé sur Instagram". www.programme-tv.net (in French). Retrieved 20 April 2020.
  10. ^ Charlet, Justine (4 October 2019). ""Petits meurtres d'Agatha Christie" : Alexandre Labarthe, fils de Samuel à l'écran comme à la vie | News TV Télé Z". TéléZ (in French). Retrieved 20 April 2020.
  11. ^ "Agatha Christie's Criminal Games: A Body with Breakfast". SBS On Demand. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  12. ^ "GUIDA TV di FoxCrime di giovedì 31 ottobre 2019". MondoFox. 31 October 2019. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  13. ^ "Les petits meurtres d'Agatha Christie" Un cadavre au petit déjeuner (TV Episode 2019) - IMDb, retrieved 14 April 2020
  14. ^ "Emotion dans Grey's Anatomy, la nouvelle saison des Petits Meurtres d'Agatha Christie et les abdos de Loup-Denis Elion… Les tournages de la semaine (PHOTOS) - series - Télé 2 semaines". www.programme.tv/news. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  15. ^ "Les petits meurtres : Découvrez la nouvelle équipe de la série". 13 March 2020.
  16. ^ "Les Petits meurtres d'Agatha Christie S03".
  17. ^ "Eliane MONTANE – Agence Lise ARIF".
  18. ^ "Hélène LOMBARD – Agence Lise ARIF".
  19. ^ "Véhicule du film "les petits meurtres d'Agatha Christie"". 8 March 2020. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  20. ^ "Facel Vega á la Télévision". 29 March 2013. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  21. ^ "RR Forums Australia". 15 November 2016. Retrieved 9 April 2020.

External links edit