Two words suffice to sum up the enduring and endearing qualities of Agatha Christie's Poirot: David Suchet. Despite all the careful Art Deco trappings, the light, spacious sets and luxurious country locations, despite the excellent supporting cast and atmospheric music score, despite all its admirable qualities this series would be for nothing without Suchet's magnificent grasp on the fussy little Belgian detective. Poirot's obsessive mannerisms, his mania for sartorial detail, his maniacal devotion to personal hygiene (especially when it comes to looking after the moustache) are all rendered exactly by Suchet, clearly as much a perfectionist in this respect as his alter ego in every other.

Buoyed by their success with Jeremy Brett's Sherlock Holmes, Granada TV brought a lighter touch to Poirot, which first aired in 1989, and this series is often breezily humorous in contrast to the gloomy Victorian Gothic of its predecessor. The producers took similar care in maintaining the spirit of Christie's original books even when--as with the Holmes adventures--the screenwriters occasionally took pardonable liberties with story and characters. Suchet is ably supported by Hugh Fraser as the Bertie Woosterish Captain Hastings, Philip Jackson as the tenaciously bulldog-like Inspector Japp, and Pauline Moran as Poirot's often exasperated PA, Miss Lemon. --Mark Walker

David Suchet and Hugh Fraser team up again as the great detective Hercule Poirot and trusty Captain Hastings for more engaging adventures in Double Sin / The Adventure of the Cheap Flat. The Adventure of the Cheap Flat blends international intrigue with the gentle comic relief of a foolish American FBI agent. Double Sin contains a novel twist: Poirot announces his retirement and Hastings is left to solve the case by himself. The cast has the easy rapport of old friends and as always Philip Jackson as Chief Inspector Japp and Pauline Moran as the remarkable Miss Lemon are welcome companions. Brew some tea, check it for arsenic and get ready for a thoroughly entertaining evening. --Ali Davis