The stateside Summer of Poirot kicked off last Sunday with “The Big Four,” and how merveilleux was it to see David Suchet return to the screen as our favorite Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot. But there is more of Suchet in store beyond the four remaining episodes of Agatha Christie’s Poirot. He also takes us on a behind-the-scenes journey when the special, Being Poirot, comes to local public TV stations starting today.
Oui, mes amis, there is more David Suchet and Poirot on the way.
In addition to starring in the last four feature-length Poirot episodes — “Dead Man’s Folly” (August 3 on PBS) and “Elephants Can Remember,” “The Labours of Hercules” and “Curtain” (August 11, 18 and 25, respectively, exclusively on Acorn TV) — Suchet takes us where viewers have never been before in Being Poirot.
Hosted by Academy Awards nominee and Golden Globes winner Stanley Tucci, Being Poirot is a tribute to Hercule Poirot by David Suchet, the actor who, over the course of 25 years, portrayed the iconic character in 70 films that comprise every Poirot story written by Agatha Christie.
More than 700 million viewers in more than 100 countries have watched the Agatha Christie’s Poirot series, and Englishman Suchet has become synonymous with the Belgian sleuth. For most, if not all, of us, Suchet is Poirot.
For Suchet himself, Poirot is “much more than the character on the written page. Hercule Poirot, for me, almost is a real person.”
Suchet’s relationship with Poirot, both in inhabiting the character and having the character inhabit him, is an experience to behold in Being Poirot — from Suchet becoming Poirot as soon as the mustache goes on in the makeup chair, to his referring to props used in the series, now on exhibit in the Agatha Christie Gallery of the Torquay Museum, as “my desk” and “my radio.”
Suchet takes us through how he used his own little grey cells to know and understand Poirot and to get into the character, which raises the questions of “Who is Poirot?” and “Why is Poirot so popular with so many people around the world?” To answer them, Suchet takes us with him on several trips — on a journey of discovery — to the birthplaces (yes, plural) of Poirot and on the Orient Express, amongst others.
Along the way we meet individuals who have worked with Suchet on Poirot, such as “Dead Man’s Folly” costar Sean Pertwee, as well as those who have been central to the TV series, including Agatha Christie’s grandson Mathew Prichard, and Christopher Gunning, the composer of the now instantly-recognized Poirot theme. Others who shed light on Christie’s relationship with Poirot, the appeal of Poirot (such as among Belgians), and the character of the character include Suchet’s friend and Poirot biographer Geoffrey Wensell, archivist John Curran, and Belgian crime writer Stan Lauryssens.
There is much more to the story of Poirot in Being Poirot, and no one tells it better than Suchet, who says of his alter ego:
“[Poirot] is the person who was responsible for my life for 25 years… I got to know him, I’ve lived him… He’s my invisible, closest, and best friend.”
The following public TV stations are confirmed for airing the Being Poirot special starting today. Local premiere dates and times are provided for those stations whose information was available prior to publishing this post. For all others, check your local listings or contact the station serving your area via the logo links below.
Note that these stations will also broadcast the final three Poirot episodes beginning November 1, 2104 (check your local listings), and that the DVD for Agatha Christie’s Poirot: Series 13
| STATE | CITY | STATION | PREMIERE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Birmingham, Decatur, Demopolis, Dozier, Florence, Huntsville, Louisville, Mobile, Montgomery, Mount Cheaha, Selma |  |
8/17/2014 7:00PM |
| Arizona | Phoenix |  |
8/10/2014 8:00PM |
| Arkansas | Arkadelphia, El Dorado, Fayetteville, Ft. Smith, Jonesboro, Little Rock, Mountain View |  |
8/10/2014 9:00PM |
| California | Fresno |  |
TBA |
| California | Huntington Beach, Los Angeles |  |
TBA |
| California | Sacramento |  |
9/6/2014 10:00AM |
| California | San Diego |  |
8/17/2014 9:00PM |
| California | Monterey, Salinas, San Francisco, San Jose, Watsonville |  |
8/17/2014 7:30PM |
| Colorado | Colorado Springs, Denver, Durango, Grand Junction, Pueblo, Steamboat Springs |  |
TBA |
| Connecticut | Fairfield, Hartford, New Haven, Norwich |  |
TBA |
| District of Columbia | Washington, DC |  |
8/7/2014 8:00PM |
| Florida | Ft. Myers, Naples |  |
8/17/2014 8:00PM |
| Florida | Gainesville |  |
8/17/2014 9:00PM |
| Florida | Jacksonville |  |
8/17/2014 8:00PM |
| Florida | Miami-Ft. Lauderdale-West Palm Beach |  |
8/17/2014 9:00PM |
| Florida | Orlando |  |
TBA |
| Florida | Panama City, Tallahassee |  |
8/9/2014 9:00PM |
| Florida | Pensacola |  |
8/17/2014 7:00PM |
| Florida | Tampa-St. Petersburg |  |
8/17/2014 9:00PM |
| Georgia | Albany, Athens, Chatsworth, Cochran, Columbus, Dawson, Pelham, Savannah, Waycross, Wrens |  |
TBA |
| Georgia | Atlanta |  |
8/10/2014 8:00PM |
| Hawaii | Honolulu, Wailuku |  |
8/10/2014 7:00PM |
| Idaho | Boise, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho Falls, Moscow, Pocatello, Twin Falls |  |
TBA |
| Illinois | Champaign, Urbana |  |
8/17/14 8:30PM |
| Illinois | Chicago |  |
TBA |
| Illinois | Jacksonville, Macomb, Quincy, Springfield |  |
TBA |
| Illinois | Peoria-Bloomington |  |
8/14/2014 9:00PM |
| Indiana | Indianapolis |  |
TBA |
| Indiana | South Bend-Elkhart |  |
8/17/2014 8:00PM |
| Iowa | Cedar Rapids, Council Bluffs, Davenport, Des Moines, Fort Dodge, Iowa City, Mason City, Red Oak, Sioux City, Waterloo |  |
TBA |
| Iowa | Rapid City | Via KRNE/Nebraska Education Television | TBA |
| Kansas | Topeka |  |
8/17/2014 8:00PM |
| Louisiana | Alexandria, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Monroe, Shreveport |  |
8/10/2014 8:00PM |
| Maine | Auburn, Augusta, Bangor, Biddeford, Calais, Orono, Portland, Presque Isle |  |
TBA |
| Maryland | Annapolis, Baltimore, Frederick, Hagerstown, Oakland, Salisbury |  |
8/8/2014 9:00PM |
| Massachusetts | Boston |  |
TBA |
| Massachusetts | Springfield-Holyoke |  |
8/10/2014 9:00PM |
| Michigan | Detroit |  |
8/10/2014 9:30PM |
| Minnesota | Minneapolis, St. Paul |  |
TBA |
| Minnesota | Rochester | Via KYIN/Iowa Public Television | TBA |
| Missouri | Columbia, Sedalia |  |
TBA |
| Missouri | Kansas City |  |
8/10/2014 2:00PM |
| Missouri | St. Louis |  |
8/10/2014 8:00PM |
| Nebraska | Alliance, Bassett, Hastings, Lexington, Lincoln, Norfolk, North Platte, Omaha |  |
8/14/2014 8:00PM |
| Nevada | Las Vegas |  |
8/10/2014 9:30PM |
| Nevada | Reno |  |
8/17/2014 8:00PM |
| New Hampshire | Durham, Hanover, Keene, Littleton |  |
8/10/2014 9:00PM |
| New York | Albany, Schenectady, Troy |  |
8/17/2014 9:00PM |
| New York | Binghamton |  |
TBA |
| New York | Buffalo |  |
TBA |
| New York | New York | Via WEDW/Connecticut Public Television | TBA |
| New York | Norwood, Watertown |  |
8/17/2014 7:00PM |
| New York | Plattsburg |  |
8/10/2014 7:00PM |
| New York | Rochester |  |
TBA |
| North Carolina | Asheville, Chapel Hill, Charlotte, Concord, Edenton, Greensboro, Greenville, Jacksonville, Linville, Lumberton, Raleigh-Durham, Roanoke Rapids, Wilmington, Winston-Salem |  |
TBA |
| North Dakota | Bismarck, Devil’s Lake, Dickinson, Ellendale, Fargo, Minot, Valley City, Williston; Crookston MN |  |
TBA |
| Ohio | Akron, Alliance, Youngstown |  |
TBA |
| Ohio | Cleveland |  |
TBA |
| Oregon | Corvalis, Eugene, La Grande, Portland |  |
TBA |
| Oregon | Bend, Klamath Falls, Medford |  |
TBA |
| Pennsylvania | Allentown, Philadelphia |  |
8/13/2014 10:00PM |
| Pennsylvania | Altoona, Clearfield, Johnstown |  |
TBA |
| Pennsylvania | Erie |  |
TBA |
| Pennsylvania | Pittsburgh |  |
TBA |
| Rhode Island | Providence | Via WEDN/Connecticut Public Television | TBA |
| South Carolina | Allendale, Augusta, Beaufort, Charleston, Columbia, Conway, Florence, Greenville, Greenwood, Myrtle Beach, Rock Hill, Spartanburg, Sumter |  |
8/10/2014 9:00PM |
| Tennessee | Chattanooga | Via WNGH/Georgia Public Broadcasting | TBA |
| Tennessee | Memphis |  |
TBA |
| Tennessee | Nashville |  |
8/22/2014 7:00PM |
| Texas | Austin |  |
8/17/2014 8:00PM |
| Texas | Dallas |  |
TBA |
| Texas | Houston |  |
TBA |
| Texas | Lubbock |  |
TBA |
| Texas | San Antonio |  |
8/10/2014 7:00PM |
| Utah | Richland, Salt Lake City, St. George |  |
8/10/2014 8:00PM |
| Vermont | Burlington, Rutland, St. Johnsbury, Windsor |  |
TBA |
| Virginia | Charlottesville, Richmond |  |
TBA |
| Washington | Centralia, Tacoma |  |
8/3/2014 8:00PM |
| Washington | Kennewick, Pasco, Richland |  |
8/10/2014 9:00PM |
| Washington | Seattle, Yakima |  |
8/14/2014 9:30PM |
| Washington | Spokane |  |
TBA |
| West Virginia | Bluefield-Beckley, Charleston, Clarksburg-Weston, Grandview, Huntington, Morgantown |  |
TBA |
| Wisconsin | Green Bay-Appleton, La Crosse-Eau Claire, Madison, Menomonie, Park Falls, Wausau-Rhinelander |  |
8/10/2014 8:00PM |
| Wisconsin | Milwaukee |  |
TBA |
| Wyoming | Casper-Riverton, Lander |  |
TBA |
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