Agatha Christie’s Sleuths Are Back: Tommy & Tuppence 6-Part Thriller Sets Premiere Date

If you feel like television and cinema have had a proper obsession with whodunits lately, you’re not wrong. A few years back, Rian Johnson came along and dragged the murder-mystery genre into the 21st century with his Knives Out films—full of big names and even bigger jumpers. Then you’ve got Only Murders in the Building, which manages to send up true-crime obsession while also being a genuinely clever puzzle box, and frankly I think we’re all better off for it.

But let’s not forget who’s lurking behind the bulk of these tales. Agatha Christie basically wrote the rulebook for this kind of thing. (And if you want to argue she didn’t, you may as well take it up with Poirot’s moustache.) Now, instead of another trip round the usual suspects, we’re getting a fresh take: a contemporary TV spin on one of Christie’s lesser-adapted detective teams, Tommy and Tuppence.

Old-School Detectives, New Tricks

Tommy & Tuppence isn’t just another period drama dusted off for Sunday teatime. BritBox is going all in on a full present-day reboot, which is a first for any Christie detective duo in English-language TV. Basically, they’re sticking the pair straight into modern London—think more espresso than afternoon tea, and a bit of actual city grit rather than endless manor houses.

This time round, Josh Dylan and Antonia Thomas are stepping into the sensible shoes of Tommy and the ever-impulsive Tuppence. Here’s how BritBox have plugged it: 'In the first contemporary English-language Agatha Christie series adaptation, the detective duo of the impulsive Tuppence Cowley and loveable try-hard Tommy Beresford rise again. Mixing what made the screwball comedy and playful romance that made this crime-solving couple beloved, with a cast representative of the energy of modern London, this series will please old fans - and new - alike.'

If you’ve followed their book appearances, you’ll know Tommy and Tuppence have been sniffing around crime scenes since The Secret Adversary, and popped up in four other Christie novels: Partners in Crime, N or M?, By the Pricking of My Thumbs, and Postern of Fate. None of these ever reached quite the same big-screen heights as Poirot, but this is their proper shot at stealing the limelight from the little Belgian.

What’s New with the Series?

• Premiere Date: The show will land on BritBox on 15 September.
• Debut Event: It’s getting a highlight slot at this weekend’s ATX TV Festival, which is usually a good sign they’re confident about it.
• Main Cast: Josh Dylan (Tommy), Antonia Thomas (Tuppence).
• Supporting Cast: Saffron Burrows, Sebastian De Souza, Sean Pertwee, Alice Krige, Denise Black, Alex Jennings.
• Show Writer: Phoebe Eclair-Powell. She describes Tommy and Tuppence as 'witty, sharp, and raring to solve lots and lots of murders whilst asking if they should really be more than just partners in crime… To bring Tommy & Tuppence into the 21st century is truly an honor.'

Now, this isn’t the first time someone’s tried to bring these two to life (there’s been old adaptations, nothing that stuck in the memory), but it is the first go at dragging them up to date. We’re promised all the awkward romance and quick-fire comedy from the books but filtered through proper modern London energy. Could be a nice antidote to endlessly rehashed Poirot and Marple retreads if they actually pull it off.

The Christie Cinematic Connection

And while we’re on Christie: It’s not like adaptations have been thin on the ground lately. In fact, her stuff keeps getting the full blockbuster treatment. Kenneth Branagh, in his best facial hair to date, directed and starred as Hercule Poirot for a trilogy: Murder on the Orient Express (2017), Death on the Nile (2022), and A Haunting in Venice (2023). The first one did respectable numbers—over $350 million worldwide. The next two, though, ran headfirst into the pandemic and were limping along in mostly empty cinemas. Not a critic’s darling run, to put it politely.

If you’re holding out for more big-screen Christie, studio brass keep teasing it. In 2024, Steve Asbell at 20th Century Studios said more films are in development, but so far that’s as concrete as a wet paper hat. No new projects have been confirmed beyond the speculative stage.