James R | On 02, Feb 2020

The Pale Horse, BBC One’s latest Agatha Christie adaptation, finally arrives on our screens this February, and a new trailer gives us a first look at the atmospheric drama.

A mysterious list of names is found in the shoe of a dead woman. Antiques dealer Mark Easterbrook (Rufus Sewell) is determined to find out why his name is on the list, and his investigations lead him to the home of three spinsters, The Pale Horse in the village of Much Deeping.

As more deaths occur, Mark finds himself thinking the unthinkable. Could this all be the work of witchcraft, and is he himself cursed? Paranoia eats at Mark. Who wants him dead, and how can he save himself from the curse?

The two-parter premieres at 9pm on Sunday 9th February, with the second part airing a week later. Here’s the video:

 

First look: Rufus Sewell in BBC One’s The Pale Horse

12th December 2019

BBC One and Mammoth Screen have released a picture from the latest Agatha Christie adaptation The Pale Horse.

Produced by Mammoth Screen and Agatha Christie Limited for BBC One, and adapted by Sarah Phelps, the two-part drama is coming to BBC One in 2020.

The image shows Emmy and Bafta-nominated Rufus Sewell (The Man In The High Castle, The Marvellous Mrs. Maisel, The Father) in the lead role of Mark Easterbrook. When a murder investigation is launched into the death of a young woman, a mysterious list of names is discovered in her shoe – prompting an inquiry not only to find the killer, but also to understand the list of names. Who wrote the list, and who do these names refer to?

One of those named is widowed antique dealer Mark Easterbrook, who, despite having found love again with new wife Hermia, is still haunted by the tragic death of his first wife Delphine. The Pale Horse tells the story of Mark’s investigation into how and why his name came to appear on the list, an investigation that leads him to the peculiar home of a trio of rumoured witches, The Pale Horse, in the beautiful village of Much Deeping. Word has it that the witches can do away with a rich relative, by supernatural means alone…

Despite Mark’s scepticism towards the paranormal, he cannot help but be consumed by the increasingly strange and extraordinary things that begin to happen around him. Is this too the work of the witches of The Pale Horse, and does this mean he is next on their list? Or can he find a rational explanation and identify the killer before they catch up with him?

Sewell says: “I’ve always loved watching Agatha Christies. What appealed to me about this script and this character was that the veneer of sophistication, of class and luxury is only possible if it’s supported by a vicious, brutal underbelly. That’s what keeps it all nice.”

The Pale Horse was filmed over the summer at The Bottle Yard Studios and in and around the Bristol area.

 

Rufus Sewell, Kaya Scodelario and Bertie Carvel to star in BBC One’s The Pale Horse

31st July 2019

Casting for the latest Agatha Christie drama The Pale Horse has been announced by BBC One, with Rufus Sewell, Kaya Scodelario and Bertie Carvel leading the ensemble.

The Pale Horse follows Mark Easterbrook as he tries to uncover the mystery of a list of names found in the shoe of a dead woman. His investigation leads him to the peculiar village of Much Deeping, and The Pale Horse, the home of a trio of rumoured witches. Word has it that the witches can do away with wealthy relatives by means of the dark arts, but as the bodies mount up, Mark is certain there has to be a rational explanation.

Sewell (The Man In The High Castle, The Marvellous Mrs. Maisel, The Father) plays Mark Easterbrook and is joined by Scodelario (Crawl, Extremely Wicked and Shockingly Evil And Vile) playing Hermia, Carvel (Doctor Foster, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell) as Zachariah Osborne, plus Sean Pertwee (Gotham, Elementary) as Detective Inspector Lejeune. The cast also includes Henry Lloyd-Hughes (Killing Eve, Indian Summers) as David Ardingly, and Poppy Gilbert (Call The Midwife) as Thomasina Tuckerton, Madeleine Bowyer (Black Mirror, Britannia) as Jessie Davis and Ellen Robertson (Snowflake, Britney Soho) as Poppy.

Sarah Woodward (Queens Of Mystery, Loving Miss Hatto), Georgina Campbell (His Dark Materials, Black Mirror) and Claire Skinner (Outnumbered, Vanity Fair) will also star. Completing the cast are Rita Tushingham (Vera, A Taste Of Honey) as Bella, Sheila Atim (Girl From The North Country, Bloodmoon) as Thryza Grey and Kathy Kiera Clarke (Derry Girls, Tartuffe) as Sybil Stamford, the trio of witches.

Filming has begun on the two-part drama in and around the Bristol area. It is being directed by Leonora Lonsdale (Beast) and produced by Ado Yoshizaki Cassuto (City Of Tiny Lights).

Tommy Bulfin, BBC Drama Commissioning Editor, says: “We are thrilled that filming is now underway on The Pale Horse for BBC One. Sarah’s brilliant scripts and her unique take on the famous Agatha Christie stories have once again attracted an array of top and exciting talent.”

James Prichard, Executive Producer and CEO of Agatha Christie Limited, adds: “This adaptation feels like nothing we have done before. This is a very different story from most that my great grandmother wrote, and Sarah has taken it to new heights. The cast, with the likes of Rufus Sewell and Bertie Carvel, is superlative, and it should be a highly entertaining drama.”

The Pale Horse is a Mammoth Screen and Agatha Christie Limited drama for BBC One. The executive producers are Sarah Phelps, Damien Timmer and Helen Ziegler for Mammoth Screen, James Prichard and Basi Akpabio for Agatha Christie Limited and Tommy Bulfin for BBC.

 

BBC One announces The Pale Horse as next Agatha Christie adaptation

12th June 2019

The Pale Horse will be the next Agatha Christie story to get the Sarah Phelps and BBC One treatment.

James Prichard, Executive Producer and CEO of Agatha Christie Limited, says: “The Pale Horse was one of the later novels penned by my great grandmother, written as it was in the 1960s. This new drama allows writer Sarah Phelps to continue her exploration of the 20th century through Christie’s stories, with the book’s fantastic, foreboding atmosphere completely suited to Sarah’s unique style of adaptation.”

When a mysterious list of names is found in the shoe of a dead woman, one of those named, Mark Easterbrook, begins an investigation into how and why his name came to be there. He is drawn to The Pale Horse, the home of a trio of rumoured witches in the tiny village of Much Deeping. Word has it that the witches can do away with wealthy relatives using the dark arts alone, but as the bodies mount up Mark is certain there has to be a rational explanation. And who could possibly want him dead?
Sarah Phelps, Writer and Executive Producer, says: “Written in 1961, against the backdrop of the Eichmann Trial, the escalation of the Cold War and Vietnam, The Pale Horse is a shivery, paranoid story about superstition, love gone wrong, guilt and grief. It’s about what we’re capable of when we’re desperate and what we believe when all the lights go out and we’re alone in the dark.”

Piers Wenger, Controller of BBC Drama, says: “Sarah Phelps’ adaptations of Agatha Christie’s most iconic novels have introduced the author’s work to a new generation of fans. The Pale Horse is one of her most unusual and atmospheric works and lends itself perfectly to another stunning screen adaptation from Sarah.”

Helen Ziegler, Executive Producer for Mammoth Screen, adds: “Sarah Phelps has crafted an extraordinary adaptation of Agatha Christie’s celebrated 1960s novel The Pale Horse, where the rational world and dark supernatural forces seem to collide. Asking the question, how far would you go to protect your own happiness? it’s a tale of guilt, terror and witchcraft with we hope will delight and terrify viewers in equal measure!”

The two-part drama adapted from the book of the same name will be directed by Leonora Lonsdale (Beast) and produced by Ado Yoshizaki Cassuto (City Of Tiny Lights).

Casting will be announced at a later date.

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