Walliams plays cautious husband in new BBC1 drama

BBC One has announced David Walliams and Jessica Raine will star in the six-part adaptation of Agatha Christie’s Partners In Crime.

Walliams (Big School) and Raine (Call The Midwife) play married couple Tommy and Tuppence in two new adventures: The Secret Adversary and N or M?, told over six episodes.

Agatha Christie’s Partners In Crime is an adventure series with espionage and humour at its heart. Set in a 1950s Britain, rising from the ashes of the Blitz into the grip of a new Cold War, our beekeeping duo stumble into a world of murder, undercover agents and Cold War conspiracy.

Tuppence is a woman who sees adventure round every corner, throwing herself head first into every mystery with passion and fervour, determined to get to the truth no matter what it takes, much to the dismay of her more cautious husband Tommy.

Agatha Christie’s Partners In Crime is produced by Endor Productions and Agatha Christie Productions Ltd. Edward Hall (Restless) is the director. The Secret Adversary is adapted by award-winning author, playwright and director Zinnie Harris, (Spooks). N or M? is adapted by Claire Wilson.

David Walliams says: “In bringing these thrilling stories to the screen, it is our ambition for Tommy and Tuppence to finally take their rightful place alongside Poirot and Marple as iconic Agatha Christie characters. I was first drawn to the delicious notion of a married couple solving crimes together, and the more I read of the Tommy and Tuppence novels and short stories, the more I realised they are among Christie’s very best work.”

Hilary Strong, Chief Executive Officer of the Agatha Christie Group, says: “Agatha Christie’s Partners In Crime is the first of two major new dramas for 2015, the second of which is a new production of And Then There Were None, one of Christie’s most popular novels of all time. I am delighted that our partnership with the BBC will play a central part in our 125th anniversary celebrations this year.”

Mathew Prichard, Agatha Christie’s grandson and Chairman of Agatha Christie Ltd, says: “The first Tommy and Tuppence novel was published in 1922 and my grandmother would be thrilled to see her crime-fighting team reinvigorated for the BBC over 90 years on from when she first brought them to life.”