Georgia Tennant as Frankie Derwent (TV Movie 1980) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. Prime Cart. First published in 1934, Why Didn’t They Ask Evans was one of Agatha Christie’s popular detective fictions. in September 1934. Seeking the golf ball he hit over the cliff edge, he sees a man lying below. Artwork: John Tribe, Principal Cast: The parlourmaid is Gladys Evans, hence the reason for Carstairs' question, "Why didn't they ask Evans?". Doctors Jo Wilson, April Kepner, and Andrew DeLuca share the episodes they think are essential to understanding their characters. Skip to main content.ca Hello, Sign in. [2][3][4], The UK edition retailed at seven shillings and sixpence (7/6)[1] and the US edition at $2.00. Executive Producer: Tony Wharmby "[8], Robert Barnard wrote of the book in 1980 that it was "Lively, with occasional glimpses of a Vile Bodies world, though one short on Waugh's anarchic humour and long on snobbery ('Nobody looks at a chauffeur the way they look at a person')." According to Deadline, the star of The Night Manager and Roadkill has been enamored with Why Didn’t They Ask Evans? Bobby and his friend Lady Frances Derwent soon conclude that illicit drugs are at the core of the mystery and suspicion falls on a certain Dr. Nicholson who runs a country clinic for drug addicts. Eric Porter as Dr Nicholson They manage to turn the tables on him with the timely arrival of Badger Beadon and find a drugged Moira in the house. ", The novel was praised at first publication as "a story that tickles and tantalises",[5] and that the reader is sure to like the amateur detectives and forgive the absence of Poirot. She manages to enlist her boy friend in the case and has his pose as her chauffeur, and both of them begin prying.Much of the conversation takes place at the dinner table. ", This novel has been translated to various languages other than its original English. Almost a year after The Boomerang Clue appeared in the American magazine Redbook, Collins Crime Club published the complete and unabridged novel as Why didn't they ask Evans? Frankie produces a newspaper cutting about the mysterious dead man; Sylvia remarks that he looks like Alan Carstairs, a traveller and big-game hunter who was a friend of John Savage, a millionaire who had killed himself after learning he had terminal cancer. in memory of Hinds". While out playing golf with his friend Dr. Thomas, Bobby Jones finds a man who has apparently fallen over the side of a cliff onto the seaside rocks below. Frankie is not deceived and spoils Moira's attempt to poison their coffee. The tinkling paused only for about two seconds before resuming its silvery fairy-tale melody.This is rather a typical Agatha Christie tale in that the plot -- extending as it does over three longish installments -- is labyrinthine. Soon afterwards Bobby nearly dies after drinking from a poisoned bottle of beer. She finds out the man's identity and his local hosts, a patron, a young blond lady, and a young man. CHAPTER 1 The Accident Bobby Jones teed up his ball, gave a short preliminary waggle, took the club back slowly, then brought it down and through with the rapidity of lightning. The mystery revolves around a will and numerous false or stolen identities. When Miss Marple is invited to the manor house of an old friend, it is not long before a puzzling murder puts her mind to work. Need some help finding the best things to watch on Netflix? Roger admits that he took the photo, recognising Moira and wanting to avoid scandal for her. is an enjoyable Agatha Christie novel. Returning to Wales, they find Moira, who claims she is being followed by Roger and has come to them for help. In the adaptation, Frankie witnesses one of Nicholson's patients attacking him in the sanatorium when his face is badly scratched. Amateur detective Miss Jane Marple investigates the murder of a young woman whose body is found in the library at Gossington Hall, home of Colonel and Mrs. Arthur Bantry. The Times Literary Supplement (27 September 1934) concluded favourably, "Mrs Christie describes the risks (Bobby Jones and Frankie Derwent) ran in her lightest and most sympathetic manner, playing with her characters as a kitten will play with a ball of wool, and imposing no greater strain on her readers than the pleasure of reading at a sitting a story that tickles and tantalises but never exhausts their patience or ingenuity". The original intention was that the 180-minute teleplay would be transmitted as a three-part "mini-serial", but ITV then decided to show it as a three-hour special with maximum publicity, especially for Francesca Annis in the role of Frankie (Annis was a major name in UK television at the time, having played the title role in Lillie, the story of Lillie Langtry, two years before). UK transmission will be announced soon. They were lucky, again, in having always at hand just the properties required to make an extempore murder seem something else; and as for the Bright Young Couple – but these are defects which are little noticeable in the gay stream of Mrs Christie's narrative. "To Christopher Mallock The 3-part mini-series, an adaptation of the compelling Agatha Christie mystery which Laurie will also direct and executive produce, will make its global debut on BritBox in the U.S. and … The Mallock family were friends of Christie's from the years before her first marriage. Skip to main content.ca Hello, Sign in. Thomas Bassington-ffrench is a small boy in the novel, but in the film he is a cold and introverted teenager. Two notable changes were made. [10]:347, After Christie's death in 1976, her estate, principally managed by her daughter Rosalind Hicks, relaxed this ruling and Why Didn't They Ask Evans was the first major production that resulted. James Warwick as Bobby Jones While golfing on the Welsh coast, Bobby Jones apparently hits a stranger who falls off the the sea cliff. Nifty production of Agatha Christie story. The normally friendly village of Lymston is plagued by vile anonymous letters. Frankie meets two neighbours of the Bassington-ffrenches – Dr Nicholson and his younger wife, Moira. Bobby and Frankie search for Bassington-ffrench. Bobby finds a photograph of a beautiful woman in the man's coat pocket, but no identification. Moira was Mrs Templeton and is Roger's co-conspirator. The local police do not pursue this. Frankie gets Bobby to investigate the establishment. View production, box office, & company info. is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie, first published in the United Kingdom by the Collins Crime Club in September 1934[1][2] and in the United States by Dodd, Mead and Company in 1935 under the title of The Boomerang Clue. And Bobby, in spite of his name, was not much of a golfer. Leigh Lawson as Roger Bassington-ffrench It's the young, good-looking, energetic women in their white frocks and 1930s hair styles that ferret out the truth. Account & Lists Sign in Account & Lists Returns & Orders. And though she's not one of those stunning English blonds one often finds in these tales, she's a splendid actress, a delight to watch. Let our editors help you find what's trending and what's worth your time. [10]:272 By the 1960s she emphatically refused to grant television rights to her works. Bobby says that he did not. Try. Madoes, 55 High Street, Long Crendon, Buckinghamshire, England, UK. Happy Reading Click on the buttons below to download Why Didn’t They Ask Evans by Agatha Christie . aka: Robert Jones, Edward Hawkins. Freddie Fox as Tom Savage When he died by suicide, his will left seven hundred thousand pounds to the Templetons, who have apparently since left England. [15], Much of the film was taped on location in Cuddington and Long Crendon in Buckinghamshire. John Gielgud as Reverend Jones Jack and Sylvia began an affair while the brothers were living in China shortly before the beginning of World War II, and Jack had his brother, a vocal opponent of the Japanese, murdered. His dying words are "Why didn't they ask Evans?". Bobby and Frankie trace the witnesses to the signing of John Savage's will. Why Didn't They Ask Evans? [14]:77, 81, Given a generous budget of one million pounds, a large sum for the time, it had an all-star cast and a three-month shooting and videotaping schedule. [4], Bobby Jones finds a man dying at his local golf course. He was badly bunkered. Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? When police cannot find a body and doubt the story, Miss Marple enlists professional housekeeper, Lucy Eyelesbarrow, to go undercover. I lost track of who was suspected of what, and why, from time to time, despite the recurring themes of greed and narcotics. They are the former cook and gardener of Mr and Mrs Templeton. Moira then attempts to shoot Frankie and Bobby in the café when she is exposed, but is overpowered and arrested. The Boomerang Clue aka Why Didn't They Ask Evans ? An unusual announcement in the newspaper leads the curious villagers to Miss Blacklock's home, where they become witnesses to a murder. Roy Boyd as Alan Carstairs "Why Didn't They Ask Evans?" Joan Hickson as Mrs Rivington Why Didn’t They Ask Evans? But just who is Evans and what should he/she have been asked? Miss Marple is portrayed as a friend of Bobby's mother (Bobby's father does not appear), and joins the investigation while masquerading as Frankie's governess. His critique was that the novel was "Weakened by lack of proper detective: the investigating pair are bumbling amateurs, with more than a touch of Tommy and Tuppence"[9]. In this story McKenzie is joined by two young companions, in fact one of them is young Sean Biggerstaff who finds a dying man on a cliff near his home. She is said to be the woman in the photograph; Bobby wonders how such a beautiful girl could become such a coarse older woman. Sylvia Bassington-ffrench and Alan Carstairs undergo name changes to become Sylvia Savage and John Carstairs, respectively. "Agatha Christie's Marple" Why Didn't They Ask Evans? Marple - Why Didn't They Ask Evans?SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE EPISODES! James Cossins as Henry Bassington-ffrench The 3-part mini-series, an adaptation of the Agatha Christie mystery which Laurie will also direct and executive produce, will make its global debut on BritBox in the U.S. and Canada in 2022. Read more. Seeking the golf … Frankie realises that the cook and gardener did not see Mr Savage before the signing, while the parlourmaid did and would have realised that it was Roger in the "deathbed" who wrote the will and not Mr Savage. His enigmatic last words are "Why didn't they ask Evans?". As the war intensified, Jack returned to England with Sylvia but forced her to leave her children behind, where Roger was placed in an orphanage and Moira, it is implied, was used as a ", This page was last edited on 30 April 2021, at 19:31. Several days later, Moira Nicholson turns up at the local inn where Bobby stays in his disguise as Frankie's chauffeur. Frankie leaves after Henry is found dead in his home, an apparent suicide. Hannah Murray as Dorothy Savage His ball is lost, but on the rocks below he finds the crumpled body of a dying man. Mark Williams as Claud Evans. Bobby receives and rejects an unexpected job offer from a firm in Buenos Aires. This is an English pattern. Robert Longden as Badger Beadon. Tracing the parlourmaid, they discover she is now the married housekeeper at Bobby's home. WHY DIDN'T THEY ASK EVANS Characters By Chapter: EDITOR: Kristian Fabricante CH: FIRST NAME: LAST NAME: DESCRIPTION: 1: Bobby: Jones: Protagonist. Her friend, the faux chauffeur, is something of a dull bulb compared to her sharp wit.In fact, if there's anything resembling a message in this story, it's that men are either a little slow witted or are particeps criminis. Everyone dabs decorously at his plate and seems disinterested except that they are listening with keen ears. When a handful of grain is found in the pocket of a murdered businessman, Miss Marple seeks a murderer with a penchant for nursery rhymes. Bobby agrees when he sees the issue of the local paper with the photograph used to find Pritchard's sister. Bobby's companion goes for help while Bobby stays with the badly injured man. Later, when talking with his friend Frankie (Lady Frances Derwent), Bobby remembers that Pritchard did have last words and writes to the Caymans to tell them. adapted by Hugh Laurie. As my wife and I were preparing to leave, I said audibly, "I never believed one bullet could make such a mess. He chips the ball over a cliff edge and when he goes to look for the ball he sees a man lying unconscious below. ‘Why Didn’t They Ask Evans?’ Limited Series Will Be Written, Directed, and Executive Produced by Hugh Laurie, Hugh Laurie To Adapt Agatha Christie’s ‘Why Didn’t They Ask Evans?’ Into BritBox’s Biggest Original To Date, Agatha Christie Adaptations to Be Restored for Comprehensive Streaming Collection on BritBox, Agatha Christie's Miss Marple: 4:50 from Paddington. He bent over him. He lives long enough to give the words of the title as his last words. He and Frankie realise that Bassington-ffrench swapped the photographs and that Mrs Cayman is not related to the dead man at all. Roger's role in the household is changed: Instead of being Sylvia's brother-in-law, he is the piano player at Castle Savage, and since the Caymans are deleted and there is no photograph for him to take from Carstairs' body, he is not present when the body is discovered. : Amazon.ca: Christie, Agatha: Books. A friend of Miss Marple's sees a woman being strangled in a passing train. The dead man is identified as Alex Pritchard by his sister, Amelia Cayman, at the inquest. While out playing golf with his friend Dr. Thomas, Bobby Jones finds a man who has apparently fallen over the side of a cliff onto the seaside rocks below. The dedication of the book reads: ", and then dies. Download Why Didn’t They Ask Evans by Agatha Christie free and read on your PC, Mobile, Tablets, or Amazon Kindle from Readers Section. He utters only a few last words -- "Why didn't they ask Evans?" Directors: John Davies and Tony Wharmby Title: Twenty-six are listed here, some published as recently as 2014. Patrick Barlow loosely reworked Christie's novel as a two-hour television film starring Julia McKenzie as Miss Marple, who does not appear in the original novel. Bonus points for exquisite photography and location shooting. Endeavor Content will distribute the series outside of the UK, Ireland, and the Americas. The man was not yet dead. The fault which I find is the overimportance of luck. David Buchanan as John Carstairs "[7], Milward Kennedy in his review in The Guardian of 21 September 1934 said after summarising the set-up of the plot that, "Poirot has no part in this book; instead, a young man and a young woman who blend charm and irresponsibility with shrewdness and good luck contrive amusingly and successfully to usurp the functions of the police. is in the same spirit as THE MAN IN THE BROWN SUIT, THE SEVEN DIALS MYSTERY, THE SECRET OF CHIMNEYS and the Tommy and Tuppence series. The last concert is a year and a half ago. The Boomerang Clue aka Why Didn't They Ask Evans ? [16], Cuddington church where Bobby's father is vicar, Arley Station was used as a railway station. is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie, first published in September 1934. The blurb on the inside flap of the dustjacket of the first UK edition (which is also repeated opposite the title page) reads: "Believe it or not, Bobby Jones had topped his drive! Bobby is kidnapped and Frankie is lured to the same isolated cottage by Roger. Roger Bassington-ffrench, a stranger wearing plus fours, offers to stay with the body so Bobby can play the organ at his father's church. The production was faithful to the plot and dialogue of the book. While out playing golf with his friend Dr. Thomas, Bobby Jones finds a man who has apparently fallen over the side of a cliff onto the seaside rocks below. "[6], The Observer (16 September 1934) started off by saying that, "there is an engaging zest about Agatha Christie's latest novel" and concluded that, "the narrative is lively" and "the story is full of action. Connie Booth as Sylvia Bassington-ffrench He may pop up on the screen as well, but that's yet to be determined. WHY DIDN'T THEY ASK EVANS? The production was first screened on US television as part of Mobil Showcase on 21 May 1981, introduced by Peter Ustinov. Find the body of a beautiful woman in the newspaper leads the villagers. 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