Edward Bluemel will star as a younger Hercule Poirot in Hercule, a new six-part BBC drama series set to start filming in Liverpool. The show screens next year and explores the Belgian detective's origin story and early career as he leaves the Belgian police force to launch his consulting business in London.
The series will feature Poirot's first encounters with Inspector Japp and Captain Hastings, a character memorably played by Hugh Fraser alongside David Suchet in the long-running ITV adaptation. It will also highlight an intimate study of Hercule Poirot the man and an epic portrait of Britain between the wars, according to publicity material for the show.
The production will tackle the sleuth's backstory in a way not attempted by Christie or past television versions. A source said the show addresses the question of Poirot's sexuality without taking a head-on approach. The source noted there are hints of sexual fluidity, attractions to both men and women, and an occasional frisson with people he meets, though Poirot does not end up in bed with anyone.
That approach marks a shift from earlier portrayals on screen and on the page. Suchet, who played Poirot from 1989 to 2013, described the character as a dandy given to personal vanity who was not sexual at all. Suchet said in an interview that some people think Poirot is gay, but insisted the detective is definitely not gay and has a very particular non-sexual nature.
Cast and Production Details
Bluemel, age 33, will be the youngest actor to portray Poirot on screen. He played bachelor Jimmy Thesiger in the Netflix adaptation of Agatha Christie's Seven Dials Mystery alongside Mia McKenna Bruce as Lady Eileen "Bundle" Brent. Bluemel has also appeared in Killing Eve, My Lady Jane, and We Might Regret This.
The actor was born in Tunbridge Wells, is the son of two science teachers, and graduated from RADA. Bluemel said he feels very lucky to have been trusted with such an iconic character who has been played by so many great actors. Co-stars announced this week include James Nesbitt, Tamsin Greig, Henry Ashton, James D'Arcy, Calvin Demba, Phil Dunning, Jack Gleeson, and Mawaan Rizwan.
Agatha Christie's great-grandson James Prichard praised the casting and the scripts by Benji Walters. Prichard said Bluemel is an extremely talented performer who will make a great addition to the long line of actors that have played this celebrated character, adding that he cannot wait to see Edward on screen.
Literary Origins and Previous Adaptations
The first series of Hercule will centre around three of Christie's early stories, beginning with her 1920 debut novel The Mysterious Affair at Styles. Christie herself never wrote about Poirot's love life, showing him devoting his energies to solving crimes, drinking herbal tea known as tisane, and insisting on eating two matching boiled eggs for breakfast.
In her 1940 book One, Two, Buckle My Shoe, Christie noted that Poirot was fascinated by and admired jewel thief Countess Rossakoff. Other adaptations added different romantic elements to his history. Actor Kenneth Branagh, who played Poirot in three feature films, introduced a backstory in Death on the Nile that saw the detective lose the female love of his life during the war.
