# List of Agatha Christie's Poirot episodes
**Agatha Christie's Poirot** is a British television crime drama that dramatized the cases of [Agatha Christie](https://www.edgepedia.org/agatha-christie)'s detective [Hercule Poirot](https://www.edgepedia.org/hercule-poirot), played by [David Suchet](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-suchet). It debuted on ITV in the United Kingdom in 1989 and ran for almost 25 years, reaching audiences in 200 countries.[1](https://www.agathachristie.com/film-and-tv/agatha-christies-poirot) Across 13 series and 70 episodes the show adapted every Poirot story that Christie had written, ending in 2013 with *Curtain: Poirot's Last Case*.[1](https://www.agathachristie.com/film-and-tv/agatha-christies-poirot)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Broadcast | ITV (UK), first aired 8 January 1989; 13 series, 70 episodes, 1989–2013[1](https://www.agathachristie.com/film-and-tv/agatha-christies-poirot) • [2](https://www.agatha.cz/30-let-od-zacatku-serialu-hercule-poirot) • [3](https://seasontracker.tv/show/agatha-christie-s-poirot-790) |
| Lead actor | David Suchet as Hercule Poirot, the longest-standing screen Poirot[4](https://www.agathachristie.com/en/characters/hercule-poirot/timeline-of-poirot-portrayals) |
| Regular cast | Hugh Fraser (Captain Hastings), Philip Jackson (Inspector Japp), Pauline Moran (Miss Lemon), Zoe Wanamaker (Ariadne Oliver), David Yelland (George)[1](https://www.agathachristie.com/film-and-tv/agatha-christies-poirot) |
| Coverage | Adapted every Poirot story Christie wrote, set predominantly in the 1930s[1](https://www.agathachristie.com/film-and-tv/agatha-christies-poirot) |
| Early ratings | Series ratings ranged from 9.65 to 12.88 million viewers; BAFTA nomination for the leading man in 1991[5](https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/43900/1/D%20Gardner%20MRes%20Film%20and%20Television%20June%202017.pdf) |
| Finale | Four feature-length episodes in 2013, beginning with *The Big Four* and closing with *Curtain: Poirot's Last Case*[6](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/tv-review-itv-says-farewell-to-agatha-christie-s-poirot-with-the-first-of-four-featurelength-episodes-8899900.html) |
| Availability | ITVX (UK), BritBox and PBS Masterpiece (US); series also purchasable via Amazon Video[1](https://www.agathachristie.com/film-and-tv/agatha-christies-poirot) |
## Series 1 (1989)
The first episode, "The Adventure of the Clapham Cook", was broadcast on 8 January 1989.[2](https://www.agatha.cz/30-let-od-zacatku-serialu-hercule-poirot) Series 1 ran to ten episodes, all adapted from [Christie's](https://www.edgepedia.org/christies) short stories:[7](https://www.itv.com/watch/agatha-christies-poirot/L0830)
1. "The Adventure of the Clapham Cook"; Poirot becomes intrigued by the seemingly trivial case of a missing Clapham cook.
2. "Murder in the Mews"; on [Bonfire Night](https://www.edgepedia.org/bonfire-night), a murder enquiry grows more complex than the [Gunpowder Plot](https://www.edgepedia.org/gunpowder-plot).
3. "The Adventure of Johnnie Waverly"; Inspector Japp does not consider a ransom note a threat to public order, and Poirot disagrees.
4. "Four and Twenty Blackbirds"; Poirot is intrigued by a reclusive artist's unusual behavior in a restaurant.
5. "The Third Floor Flat"; Poirot discovers a murder in his own block of flats.
6. "Triangle at Rhodes"; on holiday, Poirot uncovers the complicated relationships between his fellow hotel guests.
7. "Problem at Sea"; an obnoxious passenger threatens Poirot's hopes of resting on a Mediterranean cruise.
8. "The Incredible Theft"; Poirot suspects more than espionage when the plans for a new fighter plane are stolen.
9. "The King of Clubs"; Poirot uncovers a case of deception at a film studio.
10. "The Dream"; an industrialist's dreams supply Poirot's latest puzzle, with [Joely Richardson](https://www.edgepedia.org/joely-richardson) starring.
## Production history
**Origins.** Producer Brian Eastman had worked with David Suchet on the BBC's 1985 drama *Blott on the Landscape*, and when the idea of a Poirot series arose he insisted on casting Suchet; [London Weekend Television](https://www.edgepedia.org/london-weekend-television) had other casting ideas, but Eastman held out for him.[8](https://www.agathachristie.com/en/film-and-tv/agatha-christies-poirot/meet-the-cast/david-suchet) • [9](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2013/nov/10/brian-eastman-producer-poirot-tv) Carnival Films produced the series between 1988 and 2000, with Clive Exton among the writers and Renny Rye, Edward Bennett, and Andrew Grieve among the directors.[10](https://www.carnivalfilms.co.uk/agatha-christies-poirot/) The early episodes owed a debt to Granada's Sherlock Holmes productions, adopting one-hour short-story adaptations, a strong core ensemble cast, and guest stars for one-off appearances, with a large budget evident on screen in the period recreation.[5](https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/43900/1/D%20Gardner%20MRes%20Film%20and%20Television%20June%202017.pdf)
**Reception.** The early series outperformed the Holmes comparison commercially, with ratings ranging from 9.65 to 12.88 million viewers and a BAFTA nomination for Suchet in 1991.[5](https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/43900/1/D%20Gardner%20MRes%20Film%20and%20Television%20June%202017.pdf) Suchet's guardianship of the character was a running theme of the production; when comparing a script to Christie's novel, he noticed an omitted early scene in which Poirot has a frustrating moment with a zucchini in his garden and asked for it to be restored.[11](https://investigatingpoirot.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-complete-poirot-david-suchets.html)
## Structure across the run
The series changed shape over its quarter-century. The early episodes are roughly 51-minute adaptations of short stories, while the later adaptations of the novels run about 100 minutes.[12](https://www.criticsatlarge.ca/2013/08/old-fashioned-pleasures-tvs-poirot.html) Some adaptations took liberties: the Suchet version of "The Labours of Hercules" has little to do with the story collection, though elements of the original short story were worked into series 13, episode 4.[13](https://www.thepopverse.com/literary-hercule-poirot-watch-order-movies-tv-agatha-christie-british-week)
## The final series
ITV screened four final feature-length episodes in 2013, beginning with *The Big Four*, an adaptation of Christie's 1927 novel, which opened with the news that Poirot was dead and a memorial service for the detective.[6](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/tv-review-itv-says-farewell-to-agatha-christie-s-poirot-with-the-first-of-four-featurelength-episodes-8899900.html) The run closed in November 2013 with *Curtain: Poirot's Last Case*, in which Suchet's Poirot dies around the one-hour mark, leaving a 20-minute posthumous explanation in the form of a letter to Hastings.[14](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/last-night-david-suchet-bows-out-of-poirot-by-playing-the-killer-for-a-change-8937878.html) The series had run out of Christie stories to adapt, having covered all of the substantial fictions about the character.[15](https://time.com/3026159/agatha-christie-poirot-final-season/)
## References
1. [Agatha Christie's Poirot, Agatha Christie Ltd](https://www.agathachristie.com/film-and-tv/agatha-christies-poirot)
2. [30 let od začátku seriálu Hercule Poirot, Agatha.cz](https://www.agatha.cz/30-let-od-zacatku-serialu-hercule-poirot)
3. [Agatha Christie's Poirot, Season Tracker](https://seasontracker.tv/show/agatha-christie-s-poirot-790)
4. [Timeline of Poirot Portrayals, Agatha Christie Ltd](https://www.agathachristie.com/en/characters/hercule-poirot/timeline-of-poirot-portrayals)
5. [D. Gardner, MRes Film and Television thesis, University of Nottingham (2017)](https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/43900/1/D%20Gardner%20MRes%20Film%20and%20Television%20June%202017.pdf)
6. [TV review: ITV says farewell to Agatha Christie's Poirot, The Independent (2013)](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/tv-review-itv-says-farewell-to-agatha-christie-s-poirot-with-the-first-of-four-featurelength-episodes-8899900.html)
7. [Agatha Christie's Poirot, Series 1, ITVX](https://www.itv.com/watch/agatha-christies-poirot/L0830)
8. [David Suchet cast page, Agatha Christie Ltd](https://www.agathachristie.com/en/film-and-tv/agatha-christies-poirot/meet-the-cast/david-suchet)
9. [Poirot and me: Brian Eastman, The Guardian (2013)](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2013/nov/10/brian-eastman-producer-poirot-tv)
10. [Agatha Christie's Poirot, Carnival Films](https://www.carnivalfilms.co.uk/agatha-christies-poirot/)
11. [Investigating Agatha Christie's Poirot: The Complete Poirot](https://investigatingpoirot.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-complete-poirot-david-suchets.html)
12. [The Virtues of Old Fashioned Pleasures: TV's Poirot, Critics At Large (2013)](https://www.criticsatlarge.ca/2013/08/old-fashioned-pleasures-tvs-poirot.html)
13. [How to watch every adaptation of Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot, Popverse](https://www.thepopverse.com/literary-hercule-poirot-watch-order-movies-tv-agatha-christie-british-week)
14. [Poirot: David Suchet bows out, The Independent (2013)](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/last-night-david-suchet-bows-out-of-poirot-by-playing-the-killer-for-a-change-8937878.html)
15. [The Same Man Has Played Detective Poirot for 25 Years, Time (2014)](https://time.com/3026159/agatha-christie-poirot-final-season/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Seasons, episodes, and installments › Installment collections and reference › Scripted live-action episode lists › Live-action episode lists*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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