Episode time
150 minutes
Language
English
Famous detective Hercule Poirot is invited to join his friend, M. Bouc, fellow Belgian, who is director of the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits railway that operates the Orient Express. During the travel Poirot is approached by a passenger, American businessman Samuel Ratchett, who after realizing that Poirot is a detective, wants to hire him to provide a protection against someone, who tries to kill Ratchett. While Poirot tries to establish why would anyone want to kill the American Ratchett offers a large sum of money, but avoids answering any questions. Poirot declines his offer, but following night the detective is woken up by noises from the next compartment, occupied by Ratchett. It seems that American has called the conductor, but then explained through the door that it was just a bad dream. In the morning the train is forced to stop due to snowdrift that blocked the tracks. Ratchett’s valet finds the businessman murdered in his compartment that was closed from the inside. Bouc asks Poirot to investigate the case while the train is stuck in the middle of nowhere, hoping to solve the case before the train will reach the next station. Poirot begins to check the clues, but from the beginning things do not look easy to understand.
Radio adaptation of classic Agatha Christie novel, split into 5 episodes during which Hercule Poirot tries to figure out who killed Ratchett and why. His skills are put into test since some of the clues he found might have been placed as red herrings.
screenplay
as Hercule Poirot
as Bouc
as Samuel Ratchett
as Mrs. Hubbard
as Princess Dragomiroff
as Mary Debenham
as Dr. Constantine