Episode 8: Why are the French so French? Bill and Teresa watch Les Petites' Mysterious Affair at Styles

“Hercule Poirot” was a pilot for a TV series for American television. Shown as an episode of “General Electric Theater,” it starred Martin Gabel as Poirot, who is chauffeured around the United States in a limousine tricked out with a bar, a TV set, and a phone! The pilot wasn’t sold, and the episode vanished until the archives until it recently resurfaced on YouTube!Teresa Peschel, author of "Agatha Christie, She Watched" and the "International Agatha Christie, She Watched," discuss “Hercule Poirot,” based on the 1923 short story “The Disappearance of Mr. Davenheim,” and speculates on What Might Have Been if it had sold.Joining Teresa is her husband, technical adviser, and straight man, Bill Peschel. Together, they are Peschel Press, publisher of intriguing, intelligent, and idiosyncratic books (www.peschelpress.com).Watch "Hercule Poirot" on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ByZv3B7nCWM

Teresa Peschel, author of "Agatha Christie, She Watched" and the "International Agatha Christie, She Watched," discuss the Hungarian "The Mysterious Affair at Styles," an hour-long "collage movie" from 2022 that combines silent movie clips, video game footage, geometric shapes, and even DOS file lists to create a surreal hour-long retelling of the novel that's faithful to the book!Joining Teresa is her husband, technical adviser, and straight man, Bill Peschel. Together, they are Peschel Press, publisher of intriguing, intelligent, and idiosyncratic books.We have an annotated version of "The Mysterious Affair at Styles" for sale in trade, hardcover and ebook formats. Visit our website at PeschelPress.com to learn more.See this movie on YouTube: "A titokzatos stylesi eset" https://youtu.be/4yBpN-BcpkE

Teresa Peschel, author of "Agatha Christie, She Watched" and the "International Agatha Christie, She Watched," discuss "The Mysterious Affair at Styles," the 2016 TV episode from "Les Petites Muertes d'Agatha Christie."Joining Teresa is her husband, technical adviser, and straight man, Bill Peschel. Together, they are Peschel Press, publisher of intriguing, intelligent, and idiosyncratic books.

For the first episode of the third series of “Agatha Christie’s Poirot,” we jump back to the middle of World War I and the village of Styles St. Mary. There, Captain Hastings, recovered from his wounding in the trenches, relaxes with his friends at Styles. Days of tea on the lawn, tennis, horseback riding, maybe the possibility of a romance. Then, a tragic death in the middle of the night lead to him calling on his friend Hercule Poirot for help.Teresa Peschel, author of "Agatha Christie, She Watched" and the "International Agatha Christie, She Watched," discusses the TV episode with her husband, technical adviser, and straight man, Bill Peschel. Together, they are Peschel Press, publisher of intriguing, intelligent, and idiosyncratic books, including "The Complete, Annotated Man in the Brown Suit."Mentioned in the episode:Unique Devon Tours: https://www.uniquedevontours.com/ Future episodes:Oct. 30 at 11:30 a.m. Eastern, we'll discuss the "Agatha Christie's Criminal Games" episode "The Mysterious Affair at Styles." Available on Amazon Prime (MHz Choice subscriptionrequired although there is a free 7-day trial): https://www.amazon.com/Agatha-Christies-Criminal-Games/dp/B07KM54442 Nov. 6 at 11:30 a.m. Eastern, we'll discuss the avant-garde Hungarian version of "The Mysterious Affair at Styles" which can be seen on YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yBpN-BcpkE

Teresa Peschel, author of "Agatha Christie, She Watched" and the "International Agatha Christie, She Watched," discuss "The Secret of Chimneys," the 2010 episode of "Agatha Christie's Marple" starring Julia McKenzie.Joining Teresa is her husband, technical adviser, and straight man, Bill Peschel. Together, they are Peschel Press, publisher of intriguing, intelligent, and idiosyncratic books.

"Les Petits Meurtres d'Agatha Christie," also known as "The Little Murders of Agatha Christie" or "Agatha Christie's Criminal Games" (it's complicated) ran from 2009 to 2023. It is set in three eras (it's complicated) featuring three separate casts (more complicated) and the episodes range from faithful adaptations to the merest smidgen of relationship to AC. There's even a musical episode! This time, we're looking at season two's adaptation of "The Man in the Brown Suit." Sir Eustace has dropped the title and is the gay assistant to the director of the Lille Opera. Travel and adventure has been dropped in favor of toe shoes and Russian spies. But the hunt for the mysterious Mr. Brown is still there, renamed the Colonel, so that's something.Teresa Peschel, author of "Agatha Christie, She Watched" and the "International Agatha Christie, She Watched," discusses the TV episode with her husband, technical adviser, and straight man, Bill Peschel. Together, they are Peschel Press, publisher of intriguing, intelligent, and idiosyncratic books, including "The Complete, Annotated Man in the Brown Suit."

Today we're discussing "The Man in the Brown Suit" the 1989 TV movie starring Stephanie Zimbalist, Tony Randall, and Edward Woodward. For those of us who remember the '80s, this is a time capsule. Will it work for you?Joining Teresa is her husband, technical adviser, and straight man, Bill Peschel. Together, they are Peschel Press, publisher of intriguing, intelligent, and idiosyncratic books.

Teresa Peschel, author of "Agatha Christie, She Watched" and the "International Agatha Christie, She Watched," discuss "The Secret Adversary," the 2015 version starring David Walliams and Jessica Raine.  This time, Tommy's a failed beekeeper and his 10-year marriage to Tuppence leads us to wonder how much they despise each other. Can they keep it together AND battle a Soviet assassin?Joining Teresa is her husband, technical adviser, and straight man, BillPeschel. Together, they are Peschel Press, publisher of intriguing,intelligent, and idiosyncratic books.

Teresa Peschel, author of "Agatha Christie, She Watched" and the "International Agatha Christie, She Watched," discuss "The Secret Adversary," the 1983 TV movie starring Francesca Annis and James Warwick. This is the second TV adaptation the estate permitted, and the future of Christie on the screen hung in the balance. Did they succeed?Joining Teresa is her husband, technical adviser, and straight man, Bill Peschel. Together, they are Peschel Press, publisher of intriguing, intelligent, and idiosyncratic books.

Teresa Peschel, author of "Agatha Christie, SheWatched" and the "International Agatha Christie, She Watched," discuss "The Secret Adversary," the 1929 German silent movie. This movie set the pattern for future Christie adaptations, for good and otherwise.Joining Teresa is her husband, technical adviser, and straight man, Bill Peschel. Together, they are Peschel Press, publisher of intriguing, intelligent, and idiosyncratic books.