Edward Bluemel is taking on one of detective fiction’s most recognisable roles, with the BBC offering its first look at the actor as Hercule Poirot ahead of a new six-part drama arriving in 2027.
Simply titled Hercule, the series is now filming in Liverpool and will take a somewhat different approach to Agatha Christie’s Belgian detective. Rather than presenting another conventional collection of standalone mysteries, the drama will explore an earlier period in Poirot’s life, drawing on three of Christie’s early stories while introducing characters who will become friends, allies and adversaries.
Bluemel, whose credits include My Lady Jane, Killing Eve and A Discovery of Witches, faces the difficult task of making a character his own after decades of screen adaptations. Poirot has previously been played by actors including Albert Finney, Peter Ustinov, David Suchet and, more recently, Kenneth Branagh. Each interpretation has leaned into different aspects of Christie’s detective, from his meticulous habits and formidable ego to the more melancholy figure beneath the famous moustache.
The BBC’s first image keeps things relatively restrained. Bluemel appears in period dress holding a bowler hat, suggesting the production is not trying to radically reinvent Poirot’s visual identity. The more significant change appears to be narrative. Hercule is being positioned as a closer examination of Poirot himself, set against Britain during the years between the First and Second World Wars.
The supporting cast is substantial. Henry Ashton, James D’Arcy, Calvin Demba, Phil Dunning, Jack Gleeson, Tamsin Greig, James Nesbitt, Guy Remmers, Rebecca Rittenhouse and Mawaan Rizwan have all joined the production. The BBC has yet to reveal full details about their characters, leaving some uncertainty over how closely the series will follow Christie’s original stories and how much connective material will be created for television.
Benji Walters is writing the six hour-long episodes. Jonny Campbell directs the opening two, followed by Chanya Button for episodes three and four and Alrick Riley for the final pair. Mammoth Screen and Agatha Christie Limited are producing the series, with Fifth Season handling international distribution.
Hercule will launch on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the UK and on BritBox in North America during 2027, although a specific premiere date has not been announced.
Poirot remains unusually durable even by the standards of classic literary characters. Christie’s stories have been repeatedly adapted across television, cinema, radio and stage, meaning a new production has to offer more than another murder, gathering of suspects and drawing-room reveal. By focusing on an earlier Poirot and building a larger story around three of Christie’s works, Hercule appears to be searching for that distinction.
Whether Bluemel can establish his own version of a detective so closely associated with previous performers will be the more interesting mystery when the series arrives next year.
