Julia accepted the role of Miss Marple after retiring from a theatre career which saw her win two Olivier Awards. People can relate to that.'įans of Miss Marple will be pleased to hear she is back in another new episode, Greenshaw's Folly, next week, where Julia will appear alongside Julia Sawalha, Robert Glenister, Judy Parft, Kimberley Nixon and Jim Moir (aka Vic Reeves). She has no police back-up, no forensics team - she's going by what she has learned in life. 'Unlike Christie's other famous character, Hercule Poirot, who is a professional detective, Miss Marple is an amateur, and people like that about her. 'I think for Agatha Christie to do what she did, and for her stories to still be enjoyed today, is a remarkable achievement,' Julia says. It's fantastic fun to play,' says Hermione.Īgatha Christie's elderly crime-solving creation is as popular as ever, attracting millions of viewers with each new episode. 'Evelyn turns a blind eye to a lot of Edward's shenanigans but it's obvious that she's quite resentful. Viewers will soon realise the relationship between Evelyn and her husband, Edward (Alastair Mackenzie), is fraught, especially as his interests lie with another hotel guest, Lucky Dyson (MyAnna Buring). The weather may not have been that great but it was still ridiculously beautiful, filming in South Africa.' 'The setting was spectacular for this episode.

'Agatha Christie was able to write quite larger-than-life characters and that's always interesting for actors and actresses, which is why so many want to do Marple or Poirot. The writing was great and my fellow actors were fantastic,' says Hermione, 46. 'I read the script and just fell in love with Evelyn. 'The actress, who has appeared in Cold Feet and Spooks, says the opportunity to appear in a Miss Marple show was too good to pass up. Hermione Norris co-stars in A Caribbean Mystery as socialite Evelyn Hillingdon.

I like the Marple films that are slightly more fun, like this one,' Julia says. It's really enjoyable to make, too.'Ī Caribbean Mystery is scripted by The Fast Show's Charlie Higson, who makes a cameo appearance as the American ornithologist James Bond. Luckily, people want to do Marple because it's a high-profile and well-regarded programme. 'It's always a delight to have such wonderful guest stars. Set on the fictitious island of Saint Honore, Julia is joined by an impressive cast including Hermione Norris, Robert Webb, Antony Sher, MyAnna Buring, Daniel Rigby, Montserrat Lombard, Charity Wakefield and Warren Brown. 'They've done a great job of making it look hot and sunny, but believe me, it wasn't.' All the women in those fabulous 50s summer dresses were freezing.

So we had to shoot most of the outside scenes in those three days.

'In five-and-a-half weeks we had three days of sunshine. 'A Caribbean Mystery was actually filmed in South Africa, but it could have been Blackfriars - the weather was atrocious,' Julia, 72, says. We meet Julia to discuss Marple's latest adventure, A Caribbean Mystery, which sees our heroine swap her quintessentially-English home town of St Mary Mead for exotic climes. 'I mean, if she was my friend, I wouldn't invite her to stay - somebody always dies! ' 'She finds herself in these situations so often, it's a wonder people don't think she's the murderer,' laughs Julia McKenzie, who has played Miss Marple since 2009. While on a vacation to alleviate her arthritis, Miss Marple becomes suspicious when a fellow guest at the Golden Palms resort is found dead. It seems the super-sleuth spinster can't even enjoy a holiday without embroiling herself in a murder investigation.

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