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Hercule Poirot


Agatha Christie was born in Torquay, and you can still visit her house at Greenway when you come and stay with us at The 25 Boutique B&B, which is now run by the National Trust.

Thanks to https://www.agathachristie.com/ for these interesting facts about one of Christie's most famous fictional creations, Hercule Poirot.

1. Hercule Poirot first appeared in chapter two of Agatha Christie’s first published novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, which was completed in 1916 but not published until 1920.

2. The first description of Poirot was by Hastings in The Mysterious Affair at Styles who said, ‘He was hardly more than five feet four inches but carried himself with great dignity. His head was exactly the shape of an egg, and he always perched it a little on one side…The neatness of his attire was almost incredible; I believe a speck of dust would have caused him more pain than a bullet wound.”


3. He is a retired Belgian police officer turned world famous private detective.


4. He insists on precision and neatness and even his books are arranged in height order.


5. Christie dropped the Belgian detective from four of her Poirot novels when she adapted them for the stage. These were Murder on the Nile (Death on the Nile), Appointment with Death, The Hollow and Go Back for Murder (Five Little Pigs).

6. Christie had originally planned to have Miss Marple as the detective in Death on the Nile instead of Poirot.

7. Poirot stars in 33 novels and 59 short stories and 1 original play by Agatha Christie, and 3 continuation novels by Sophie Hannah. He will return in August 2020 in Hannah's fourth novel, The Killings at Kingfisher Hill.

8. Charles Laughton was the first actor to play Hercule Poirot on the stage in 1928’s production of Alibi (based on The Murder of Roger Ackroyd), and he has since been played by Albert Finney, Peter Ustinov and David Suchet to name a few.

9. Poirot doesn't just investigate murders in England. He has investigated crimes in France, Belgium, Iraq, Egypt, Jordan, Switzerland, and the Balkans.


10. Poirot is very particular about the beverages he drinks. His preferred hot beverage is cocoa, though he often takes herbal tisanes for health reasons. He does not care for many forms of alcohol, like beer and most hard liquors, but he does like good wines. His preferred aperitifs are non-alcoholic syrups, in flavours like blackcurrant and other fruits.


We have more links and information on Agatha Christie and her time in Torquay on our own website at https://www.the25.uk/agatha-christie-in-torquay


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