1936 - A Spot of Bother

1936 is the year in which most of the Poirot episodes have been set by the script writers and producers. Consequently, it’s the year that has given me the most trouble. It’s definitely the busiest year in TV-Poirot’s life. How can I possibly make it fit, with cases/episodes following each other almost nonstop – some even overlapping or taking place at the same time! My solution has been to follow the references of the producers as far as possible, and make some drastic changes to the chronology when needed. I hope you agree with my decisions – I have at least tried to make choices that correspond in the best possible way with both Christie’s stories and the television series.

The main “clashes”

The Mystery of the Blue Train:

Mirelle Milesi’s ticket for The Blue Train is dated “17 MAY 1936”. The story also has to take place before Murder on the Orient Express (see 1938 post).

Murder on the Links: 

There are specific references to the 1936 Deauville cycling contest, and a calendar in Giraud’s office is dated “Mercredi 18 Mai” (Wednesday 18^th May). May 18^th, however, was not a Wednesday in 1936. The closest fit is 1932. Also, it clashes with The Mystery of the Blue Train, set at EXACTLY the same time.

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd:  

Lord Edgware Dies (placed in late June/early July 1936 by the script writers, see below) seems to follow this one in the series. But Poirot has been in King’s Abbot “nearly a year now”, according to Mr. Ackroyd. How could he possibly have been retired in the busiest year of his life?

The Million Dollar Bond Robbery:

Poirot and Hastings travel with the Queen Mary on its maiden voyage, which according to Wikipedia was May 27^th 1936. This is really close to Mystery of the Blue Train (May 18^th) and Murder on the Links (May 17^th). In addition, Hastings fancies one of the culprits, so he can’t have met Bella Duveen yet. 

Lord Edgware Dies: 
Carlotta’s letter is dated June 29^th 1936, and Poirot is moving in again, having been retired in The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (probably set more or less directly before this episode). In addition, Hastings returns from the Argentine, having lost the farm in financial difficulties. How could he have had time to move to the Argentine in the first place, having met Bella Duveen only a month earlier, in Murder on the Links? And how could he have been with Poirot in The Case of the Missing Will (June 15^th) and The Underdog (June 23^rd) if he's been living in the Argentine?

Death in the Clouds/The Adventure of the Clapham Cook: 

Again, there's a time and date difficulty. A newspaper in Death in the Clouds reads "5 Juillett 1935" (5 July 1935) and a cheque in The Adventure of the Clapham Cook is dated July 11^th 1935. But I guess this is just about plausible, so I won't make any changes here.

The ABC Murders/Evil under the Sun:

The letters Poirot receives (The ABC Murders) are dated between August 13^th and September 9^th 1936. Hastings returns from a journey to the Amazon on August 22^nd, the same day as the second letter. The difficulty here is Evil under the Sun. An invitation to Hastings's Argentinean restaurant is dated August 3^rd 1936. Poirot ends up in hospital, and he soon travels with Hastings to the health resort - Miss Lemon has booked him "a room for two weeks". How could Hastings have had time to open a restaurant while at the same time exploring the Amazon? Also, Hastings asks Poirot in The ABC Murders "how have you been this last six months?", a frankly impossible question since he has been with Poirot throughout spring 1936!

Yellow Iris:
Hastings is supposed to have had a ranch in the Argentine two years earlier than he actually does! Or, at least, he was apparently there for some time in 1934, judging by Poirot's story. (see 1934 post).

Cards on the Table/Third Girl:
Here, the issue is simply a weather problem (looks like summer/spring). In order to make it fit, it has to be autumn ("Christmas is coming" in Cards on the Table, and Third Girl has to follow that episode, since the former includes the first appearance of Mrs. Oliver).


As you read the following posts, you will see how I've tried to solve these clashes. Interestingly, what causes the most problems are really three episodes, all produced after the five year hiatus in the late 1990s: Lord Edgware Dies (2000), Evil under the Sun (2001) and Mystery of the Blue Train (2006).  I can sort of understand why these errors have been made. The producers were probably delighted to be back after the hiatus, and they clearly attempted to make the hiatus fit in to the chronology of episodes, hence starting off with The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. I love the fact that we see Poirot visit his hold flat, and then moving in again in Lord Edgware Dies, as Hastings returns and they visit the health resort in Evil under the Sun. I only wish they had paid attention to the 1936 setting they were trying to create. Anyway. As to the date in The Mystery of the Blue Train, I would excuse that as a simple continuity errror, probably not intentional at all (it's hardly noticeable on screen), and more to be blamed on the production crew than on the script writers.

Episodes Without References - What to Do?

So far, I’ve only briefly mentioned that there are quite a few episodes with references – both possible and impossible ones. But there are also a certain number of episodes – 17 to be exact – that do not have references to specific dates, years or historical events (that I have been able to find!). Then the question becomes: What to do?

I’ve decided that in my chronology, these episodes are ‘free’, in the sense that I can place them where it best suits the chronology. I’ve tried to take things like weather, introduction of characters and the use of specific buildings (like BBC’s broadcasting house, famous Art Deco buildings etc.) into account, but mostly I just place them where they fit with the rest of the episodes. Of course, placing episodes where they fit is also something I do with the ones that only have a reference to a year, not a month or a day. And I’ve even had to ignore some specific references in some very special cases (see this post and this post). But my random placing of episodes is especially frequent when it comes to these “no reference”-episodes. I hope you’ll agree that that’s the best solution.

Now, whether my placement is random or not is arguable. I have, in fact, tried to make these episodes fit with my over-all chronology of Poirot’s life (see 'Poirot Timeline'), in the sense that I’ve placed most of them between 1928 and 1933. In my opinion, it is possible to imagine that Poirot moves into Whitehaven Mansions as early as 1928 (yes, I know the actual building used as the location, Florin Court, wasn't built until the mid-1930s!), and acquires Miss Lemon as his secretary. As mentioned in my suggested timeline, Poirot has had several cases that have not been recorded by Hastings/Christie. These cases have provided him with enough money to buy/rent this undoubtedly expensive flat. Whether you agree with this explanation or not is your choice. But I find that it makes better sense than forcing these episodes into the already crowded late 1930s setting (although I’m certain that’s what the producers / script writers would want me to do).

Arguably, the opening scene of Lord Edgware Dies supports my idea. Here, we see Miss Lemon supervising the moving-back-in of the boxes from her filing system of Poirot’s cases. One box in particular is shown on screen (and discussed). The label clearly shows that Poirot  has had cases from at least 1928 and onwards:

The ‘no reference’-episodes include:

The Adventure of Johnnie Waverly

The Mystery of the Spanish Chest

The Cornish Mystery

The Mystery of Hunter’s Lodge

The Plymouth Express

The King of Clubs

The Third-Floor Flat

The Disappearance of Mr. Davenheim

Problem at Sea

The Adventure of the Western Star

The Double Clue

The Jewel Robbery at the Grand Metropolitan

Peril at End House

Taken at the Flood

Cards on the Table

Three Act Tragedy

Hallow’een Party

A Starting Point - Poirot's Timeline

© ITV

Before I start posting, I should perhaps warn you that in order to follow this blog, you need to be quite familiar with the episodes of this excellent television series (and be prepared for possible spoilers). If you haven’t seen it – do it! NOW! (I would be surprised if you've found your way to this blog without having seen the series, though!). But even for an experienced fan, some of my musings might be slightly difficult to follow without a good overview of the different episodes.  I suggest having the IMdB-site easily available in another tab: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094525/. And ideally, of course, you should watch the episodes while reading the blog posts!

Finally, I’d like to give you an impression of what I’ve actually been able to work out – my timeline/overview of Poirot’s life, based on the references by the script writers and my own guesswork. The complete and accurate chronology of episodes (with references) will be given later:

1870s:

Hercule Poirot born (could be earlier or later, it depends on how old you want him to be!).

 “In context, Poirot seems to be a man in his late fifties or early sixties when he arrives in England and somewhere in his mid-eighties in Curtain, his last case.”

(Anne Hart’s excellent biography, published in 1997 – The Life and Times of Hercule Poirot, p.4).

But remember: this is based on the actual novels and short stories – NOT the TV series.

Personally, I think it's quite evident that the producers of the TV series have tried to correct the mistake Christie admitted to several times; that of having made Poirot too old in his first novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles. In fact, I believe the producers have envisioned him as probably around his mid-40s when he arrives in England and around his early 30s or late 20s in his case as a 'young' policeman (see later in the timeline), The Chocolate Box. In other words, Poirot would be in his late 50s or early 60s in his TV series heyday, 1936.

Of course, this is all wild speculation. But I have, nevertheless, not been able to locate a single piece of evidence to suggest that the TV series follows the same aging of the character as Christie does. Personally, I think this is a wise move.

Early 1900s:

Poirot is a ‘young’ police officer in the Belgian police force. He investigates The Chocolate Box.

ca. 1910-14:

Poirot becomes head of the police force in Belgium. He has to leave during ‘the Great War’.

“I also know what it’s like to come to a new country and to know no one (…). I was head of the police in Belgium. But then came the Great War. I was forced to leave. I came to England, to the village of Styles St. Mary. But it was a sad and painful time for me so far from my family and my home (…). I’ve had a good fortune, my talent it has been recognized. It is reported that I am the most famous detective in England”

Poirot to Countess Vera Rossakoff in The Double Clue.

Interestingly, Poirot does not mention having retired from the Belgian police force, only that he was 'head of the police'. This, I would argue, supports my theory that TV-Poirot is younger than Book-Poirot.

1917:

Poirot lives in Styles St. Mary as a Belgian refugee. He solves The Mysterious Affair at Styles.

ca. 1920-1932:

Poirot works as a private detective in London. It is necessary to imagine that he has had more cases than Christie actually wrote, since the episodes of the ITV series only (or mostly, in my opinion) take place in the 1930s.

 “Since I have a first-hand knowledge of most of his cases, it has been suggested to me that I select some of the most interesting and place them on record” (Hart 1997:159)

Hastings's introduction to the first collection of short stories, from Anne Hart's The Life and Times of Hercule Poirot.

Notice the word 'some' - Hastings has chosen specific cases out of a larger range of cases, enabling the possibility that TV-Poirot has had several cases in the early 1920s not recorded in the TV series chronology.

During this time period, I imagine Poirot sharing rooms with Hastings in the early years (as in the books), possibly in 14 Farraway Street. Then, in the late 20s (around 1928?), he and Hastings move into Whitehaven Mansions and he acquires his secretary, Miss Lemon.

1932-1933:

Poirot’s absurd retirement to King’s Abbot and the vegetable marrows, possibly from June 1932 to May 1933. He solves The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (May 1933).

1933-1936:

Poirot resumes his work as a private detective, with Hastings and Miss Lemon by his side.
Mid-1936: Hastings meets Bella Duveen while he and Poirot solve Murder on the Links. I imagine it to take some time (about six months?) until the couple move to their newly acquired ranch in the Argentine (see 'The Hastings Storyline').

1937-1938:

Hastings has left for Argentina with Bella Duveen. Following Hercule Poirot's Christmas, Poirot decides to go travelling for about six months, visiting for instance Lord Boynton's archeological dig in Syria (Appointment with Death) and Nice (Mystery of the Blue Train). He has entered one of his temporary states of semi-retirement (see Anne Hart's biography) and consequently rents out his flat for these months and grants Miss Lemon paid leave. When in London, he stays at The Savoy or The Park Lane Hotel (see Five Little Pigs and Mystery of the Blue Train and Anne Hart's biography). In June, having accepted the irresistable Crale case, Poirot re-establishes himself in Whitehaven Mansions. The final boxes of Miss Lemon's filing system are returned by the beginning of Lord Edgware Dies. 

Poirot is now no longer a private detective, but a consulting detective, accepting cases only from friends and associates, and cases he finds particularly interesting, is charmed into or stumbles over. 

Around August 1937, Poirot moves out of his old flat and into a new one in the same building (ref. Cards on the Table). The building has been redecorated and restructured following significant structural alterations to the flats (ref. book version of (The Clocks). Miss Lemon, so distressed by the disarranged filing system (Lord Edgware Dies) puts together a mini-version of her system for Poirot's new office as a leaving present. She retires or quits. Consequently, Poirot acquires his manservant George (ref. Taken at the Flood). 1939 is as far as we can be certain the TV series has come in terms of chronology. (The rest of the timeline is based on my guesses as to where the series might go in its final adaptations.)

1946:

Poirot solves The Labours of Hercules. He retires for good. At some point he moves into Styles, which has now become a guest house.

Late 1940s or early 1950s:

Poirot solves Curtain at Styles Court. He dies.

Creating the Chronology

Welcome! My primary goal with this blog is to help fellow fans of the ITV Agatha Christie’s Poirot series create a reasonable and believable chronology of all the 65 episodes (so far). The posts on this blog will tell the story of my ‘journey’, re-watching episodes and double-checking details. I have tried to make a complete chronology, while at the same time providing you as readers with all the details I've been able to find, so that you can make up your own minds as to what is correct and not in chronology terms (or, what works and what doesn't).

This project began over a year ago, when I first read a post in the ‘Have Your Say’ forum at the Agatha Christie web site (www.agathachristie.com) titled ‘Poirot TV Chronology’. The title caught my attention immediately. Did the television series really have a chronology at all? I had seen the ITV documentary called Super Sleuths: Agatha Christie’s Poirot (2006), in which the presenter claims that the producers of the series decided to set all Agatha Christie’s Poirot novels and short stories in 1936. But with the number of short stories and novels in mind – 54 and 33 respectively – I was struggling to see how this could be possible. Or rather, I knew it wasn’t possible and wanted to know if the producers really could have been that thoughtless! So I read the forum posts, and I soon realized that a few of the forum members were actually trying to make sense of it all, carefully reporting back on findings in the different episodes.

As far as I know, the discussion on the forum was  never completed, and I more or less forgot the whole thing. But then, last spring, I decided I wanted to examine to what extent the Poirot producers actually had been able to stick to some sort of a chronology. So I took my time, re-watching ALL the episodes, looking specifically for any signs of dates, years, historical and social references. My plan was to put all the references in order and create a chronology of my own.

Is this an impossible task? Yes, to a very large extent. And I might as well say it: I haven’t completely succeeded. As you will see, I have taken some enormous liberties with some episodes – especially the ones with any reference to Captain Hastings’s marriage and the Argentine (I’ll explain this in a later post). I suspect most of the series' writers haven’t given chronology a thought at all (and I guess most viewers haven’t either). And that’s – of course – completely OK. The trouble is that some writers definitely have – without  double-checking the references they give. And that’s not OK. At least not for anyone trying to make sense of what they have written (like me!). Anyway, the bottom line is that I have run into some difficulties. Yet difficulties are there to be solved, aren’t they? So, I’ve managed to make a reasonable chronology (at least to me). More about my specific difficulties in later posts (here and here).

Finally: Isn’t this just a complete waste of time? Of course it is! I don’t deny doing this is completely insane. In fact, I would go as far as to say that anyone attempting to do this is on the border line of having far too much leisure time. Still, I defend the fact that I’ve done it. I think it was caused by a combination of curiosity and – yes – a slight obsession with the series itself. I love Christie’s books, the television series and the 1930s. So, all in all, it was an easy decision to make. I had the motive and I had the opportunity.



NB! I would like to make it perfectly clear that no copyright infringement is intended. This is a blog made by a fan for other fans, with no other purpose than to make sense of the chronology of the TV series we all love so much. The chronology has been made with care and affection for Agatha Christie, the TV series, the cast and crew. All pictures on the blog are screencaps taken by me from the different episodes (© ITV), unless other sources are stated.