Titled 'Hercule', the new six-part series will follow the famous Belgian detective as he solves his first-ever cases before becoming the world’s most iconic sleuth. Now, we know who David Suchet’s successor will be...
Wax that moustache, make sure the three-piece suit looks crisp, and get those "little grey cells" working... We have a new Hercule Poirot.
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As we reported last month, the BBC has committed to reimagining Hercule Poirot for the small screen once more, following ITV’s acclaimed series (1989 – 2013) starring David Suchet as Agatha Christie’s famous Belgian sleuth.
The British broadcaster secured the adaptation rights in “a highly competitive situation, with other networks and streamers bidding”, and announced that the new six-part season of the Poirot reboot will premiere in the second half of 2027.
Now, we know the identity of the actor with the daunting task of filling Suchet’s shoes.
British actor Edward Bluemel, best known for starring in TV shows Killing Eve, Sex Education and My Lady Jane, has been announced as the star of the new series, making him the youngest actor to play Poirot.
The 33-year-old will star in 'Hercule', billed as “an intimate study of Hercule the man and an epic portrait of Britain between the wars”.
For comparison’s sake, Suchet was 42 when he landed the part.
'Hercule' will follow Poirot’s early years, charting cases that took place before the much-loved character became a well-known detective.
Bleumel said: “I feel very lucky to have been trusted with such an iconic character who has been played by so many great actors. I can’t wait to continue Hercule’s legacy.”
James Prichard, executive producer for Agatha Christie Limited said: “My father had the privilege of working with David Suchet for nearly 25 years, and I now have the good fortune of being able to share my great grandmother’s brilliant stories with a new generation of viewers. Edward Bluemel is an extremely talented performer and will make a great addition to the long line of actors that have played this celebrated character, aided and abetted by Benji Walters’ thoughtful scripts. I cannot wait to see Edward on screen as Hercule Poirot.”
Lindsay Salt, the director of BBC Drama, added: “Hercule Poirot is one of the greatest and most loved characters of all time, and bringing him back to the BBC is a real privilege. From the first moments of Edward’s audition we knew we’d found the perfect actor for Hercule, with a performance that feels both fresh and exciting, yet quintessentially Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot. We can’t wait for viewers to meet him.”
Funnily enough, Bluemel is no stranger to the works of Agatha Christie, as he was recently seen in the British miniseries 'Agatha Christie’s Seven Dials', which premiered on Netflix in January.
Whether or not that gives him an advantage when it comes to walking in Suchet’s formidable footsteps remains to be seen... Surely it can’t be worse than the Kenneth Branagh Poirot trilogy - Murder on the Orient Express (2017), Death on the Nile (2022) and A Haunting in Venice (2023).
Filming on Hercule is set to begin this summer in Liverpool, England.
Agatha Christie (1890 – 1976) wrote 66 detective novels and remains the best-selling fiction writer of all time, her novels having sold between two and four billion copies worldwide. Only William Shakespeare tops her, and Christie features in the Top 5 list of best-selling individual books, with “And Then There Were None” (1939) selling approximately 100 million copies.
Poirot is Christie’s most famous and longest-running character, appearing in 33 of her novels and 51 short stories.
'Hercule' will premiere on BBC iPlayer and BBC One in the UK next year.
