Twists! Wealthy dowagers! Murder most foul! The BBC are diving headfirst back into the criminal world of Agatha Christie adaptations with aplomb. Last year saw the acclaimed And Then There Were None, and this Christmas the Beeb is putting together a big-budget adaptation of The Witness For The Prosecution. One witness for this production was Empire, and our latest issue – on sale now – has some behind-the-scenes goodness on what is likely to be another post-turkey-sandwiches hit.
Our exclusive image depicts Billy Howle in the dock as Leonard Vole, arrested for the murder of Emily French, a wealthy woman played by Kim Cattrall.
“It’s a 1930s English noir,” is how Sarah Phelps, the screenwriter tasked with adapting the most successful novelist in history, describes her adaptation. Though ostensibly a courtroom drama, the “real drama” happens away from the witness stand.
Phelps is also deliberately ignoring the 1950s stage adaption, and subsequent Billy Wilder film – so don’t go in expecting you know the final outcome. “You’ve got all the same story cards,” she says. “But you have to shuffle them...”
Also boasting the star power of Toby Jones, Andrea Riseborough, and Monica Dolan, The Witness For The Prosecution arrives on BBC One in December. Pick up the new issue of Empire for more details – or subscribe to Empire{