05/08/2026 - The six-part drama will shoot mainly in Liverpool, with Edward Bluemel leading an ensemble cast as a young Hercule Poirot

Filming is due to commence shortly, primarily in Liverpool, on Hercule, a new six-part drama exploring the formative years of Agatha Christie’s celebrated Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. The series is being produced by Mammoth Screen, part of ITV Studios, and Agatha Christie Limited for the BBC and BritBox North America.

Previously announced lead Edward Bluemel (My Lady Jane, Killing Eve) will portray Hercule Poirot in the series, which has been conceived as both an intimate character study and a broader portrait of Britain during the interwar period. The drama will chronicle how Poirot became one of the world’s most renowned fictional detectives, drawing on three of Christie’s early stories.

The adaptation will also introduce the protagonist to several figures who will become his future friends and allies, as well as to a particular nemesis. Further details regarding the three stories being adapted and the characters played by the newly announced cast members have yet to be disclosed.

Joining Bluemel are Henry Ashton (A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder), James D’Arcy (Oppenheimer, Constellation), Calvin Demba (Supacell, Life), Phil Dunning (Smoggie Queens, Am I Being Unreasonable?) and Jack Gleeson (House of Guinness, In the Land of Saints and Sinners).

The ensemble also includes Tamsin Greig (Riot Women, Friday Night Dinner), James Nesbitt (Cold Feet, Run Away), Guy Remmers (The Buccaneers, Lessons), Rebecca Rittenhouse (His & Hers, Maggie) and Mawaan Rizwan (Juice, The Split Up).

The 6x60-minute series has been adapted by Benji Walters, whose recent credits include Code of Silence, The Leopard and Obsession. Jonny Campbell, known for Am I Being Unreasonable? and In the Flesh, will helm the first two episodes. Chanya Button, whose credits include Code of Silence and Doctor Who, will helm the second production block, while Bridgerton and How to Get Away with Murder director Alrick Riley will oversee the third. Charlie Palmer (A Woman of Substance, Extraordinary) serves as series producer.

Walters and Campbell are also executive-producing the drama. The remaining executive producers are James Prichard for Agatha Christie Limited; Rebecca Durbin and Damien Timmer for Mammoth Screen; Robert Schildhouse, Jon Farrar and Stephen Nye for BritBox; and Nick Lambon for the BBC.

Hercule will premiere on BritBox in North America, and on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the UK. Fifth Season is handling its global distribution.

Created by Christie and first introduced in the 1920 novel The Mysterious Affair at Styles, Poirot has become one of the most recognisable detectives in literary and screen history. According to the producers, Christie’s Poirot novels have sold more than 750 million copies worldwide.

BritBox, which launched in 2017 and is now owned by BBC Studios, is currently available in the USA, Canada, Australia and the Nordic countries. Previous television adaptations of Christie’s work are also available through the streaming service.