As the title of this Cozy Mystery site entry says: Miss Marple Series V is back – with a NEW 90 minute episode: The Secret of Chimneys. And, if you are ANYTHING like me, you are probably ready for your “dose” of Agatha Christie via the good folks of British television and PBS. (Thank goodness PBS still airs our favorite British mysteries… now that other channels like A & E no longer do so!)
Anyway… tomorrow, Sunday, June 20, PBS will be airing the NEW Miss Marple Masterpiece Mystery! : The Secret of Chimneys.
Now for the bad news >>> The Secret of Chimneys is one of Agatha Christie‘s earliest mystery books. That, in itself, is not the bad news. But, the fact that it was written in 1925, five years before the first Miss Marple mystery book (Murder at the Vicarage) is.
The Secret of Chimneys is the first mystery in Agatha Christie’s lesser-known Superintendent Battles Mystery Series, which is made up of five mysteries. Superintendent Battles is a Scotland Yard man, definitely not an older, knitting-needles-wielding spinster! Because of this, I cannot be sure what part Miss Marple (played by the talented actress Julia McKenzie) will actually play in the episode. It’s anyone’s guess as to how much actual screen time Miss Marple will have, and also, how much of the screen time will be taken by Superintendent Battles.
Hmmm… It does seem a shame that with so many Agatha Christie Miss Marple mysteries available, recently several NON Miss Marple books have been made into Miss Marple movies. Oh well… I am just going to look at this from the glass-half-full perspective and simply ENJOY this show, regardless of what liberties the producers have made!
Jim Lacey says
When Christie adapted her novels for the stage, she sensibly eliminated characters, including Poirot, I believe, in one instance. BBC tends to add characters, which combined with short takes, enigmatic images, and muffled speech, tends to make the mystery a question not of who-done-it but of what is going on!
Tori Lennox says
I’m just about on the verge of signing up for Netflix just so I can see all the Brit mysteries, like Midsomer Murders, A&E and Biography refuse to air anymore. And I’m looking forward to tonight’s Miss Marple.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Tori, I forgot that Biography used to air some of the British mysteries!
What’s with the honchos in charge of A & E and their sister channel Biography?!?
Duane says
Where is the mansion used in “Chimneys?”
Anne says
Danna, do you think we are in the wrong demographic or are they just idiots running those stations? I did the same thing, Tori, and am enjoying the choices I have on Netflix. BBCAmerica has even changed their lineup to some shows that are not enjoyable. They must please someone but WHO?
Alfred says
Tori, I have been watching a lot of the Miss Marple Mysteries on youtube.com It is neat watching them there – only thing – each segment is 10 minutes long but no commercials and you can pause them if you need to get up. You might try it out .
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Duane,
I just posted a new entry with the answer to your question about the mansion used in The Secret of Chimneys…
(After I posted it as an answer, I saw that it was absolutely way too long.)
Clarissa at MMT says
I was a bit disappointed at how much the plot was altered in the Marple Chimneys. I was prepared for some alteration, with the addition of Miss Marple. But, no Superintendent Battle? Really? And look WHO did it (I won’t say)? But, please!
If they want to invent more Marple’s, why not just do it and say so. You know, “based on characters created by Agatha Christie.”
All that aside, the story taken by itself was good, and I did enjoy it for what it was. It just wasn’t “The Secret of Chimneys.”
Warren says
This was another bastardization of Agatha Christie. First, the original work did not feature Miss Marple. Second, the original plot was almost totally changed. Did someone just make it up or did the script borrow the plot from some other Christie work? The plot thickens!
Jane says
I heartily concur with Warren and Clarissa. This is one of my favorite Christie books, and they trashed it. Inserting Miss Marple was one thing but changing the identity of the murderer? And omitting some major plot points? The book is a classic golden age spy mystery, complete with Balkan princes. Do yourselves a favor like I did the next day: go back and read (or reread) the original!
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Jim, Clarissa, Warren, & Jane…
I am simply going to insist that my husband find a two-hour block so that we can watch this Miss Marple episode.
You all have my curiosity piqued!
Warren says
Danna, it clocked in at just under 90 minutes, so you won’t need to set aside two hours. And if you’re a fan of “Eastenders,” see if you can spot the actress who played femme fatale “Cindy Beale. ” Hint: she’s no longer a blonde.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Warren,
My husband and I watched the show last night… more on that later…
I have never seen an EastEnders show, but I did recognize the actress from Ballykissangel – the very talented Dervla Kirwan, who played Assumpta Fitzgerald. I did, however, look up the Cindy Beale character… and was surprised that Michelle Collins was so convincing as Treadwell (the housekeeper) in this episode, after you mentioned that she played the femme fatale in EastEnders…
Bill says
I have to agree that I enjoy the Joan Hickson Miss Marple shows the most. However, I have to say that this episode of Mystery was still good in my opinion.
If you can get over the fact that the story is not a Miss Marple Agatha Christie story, I think it is still a fine example of the cozy mystery genre. Miss Marple in the show is pretty consistent with the Miss Marple in the true Christie stories. And many elements of the story as presented are similar to and true to the spirit of real Agatha Christie stories.
In my opinion, the show was somewhat better than other contemporary cozy mystery type shows such as the latest Midsomer Murder episodes or even the latest Foyle’s War episodes (ok – I know that Foyle’s War is probably a “Police Procedural” and not a cozy under the more restricted definition of “cozy”) – but you know what I mean, I hope.
Teresa says
While I agree that the tv version is not true to Ms. Christie’s story, I enjoyed it. It certainly takes a different twist than the book. I would love to see a tv version more true to Ms. Christie’s with the Balkan prince and all the spy intrigue but I do have to say that I think the Masterpiece Mystery version is more plausible. When reading Chimneys, I felt it contained an awful lot of coincidences. But then one must suspend one’s skepticism with most cozies.