The Brilliant Series Based On A Book By Agatha Christie

A generation after generation. Jane Austen, Virginia Woolf, Emily Brontë, Mary Shelley, and Agatha Christie are authors who remain very much present today thanks to their novels and the numerous film and television adaptations. Following the arrival on streaming platforms of ‘Wuthering Heights,’ starring Jacob Elordi and Margot Robbie, we await Netflix’s announcement of a release date for one of its major projects: the ‘Pride and Prejudice’ series. In the meantime, I’ve become engrossed in a three-episode period drama based on Agatha Christie’s lesser-known novel and filmed in Spain.

The story begins in Ronda in 1920. The town in Málaga becomes one of the key settings of this fictional tale, with shots of its streets, the new bridge, and the bullring. However, we soon witness a shift in location that takes us to the United Kingdom, specifically to the country house known as ‘Chimneys,’ which is actually Hatfield House, another of the story’s main locations and the mansion where its protagonist lives—a young and daring version of Miss Marple or Jessica Fletcher.

She is Lady Eileen ‘Bundle’ Brent (Mia McKenna-Bruce), a young aristocrat devastated by the death of a close friend the day after a party hosted by her mother, played by Helena Bonham Carter, and attended by high society. Stunned by the loss, the young woman uses her intelligence to uncover the culprit, and as the plot unfolds, other events lead her to suspect something far darker than she initially thought.

‘Agatha Christie: The Seven Dials’ is the title of this Netflix series based on the book ‘The Mystery of the Seven Dials,’ published in 1929. “Bundle is driven by her heart, so the reason she cares so much about this investigation she’s undertaking is because she cares deeply about it, and that’s something I loved about her—her connection with people. I also think another special thing about this adaptation is that we stuck to the essence of the story,” Mia McKenna-Bruce said in an interview with TV Insider.

The series follows in the footsteps of other similar productions that have adapted novels by the author, such as ‘Agatha Christie: Murder Is Easy’ and 
‘Agatha Christie: Towards Zero’, both highly recommended. The mystery remains constant throughout the three episodes, introducing a different element: the secret society around which the events revolve. Its meticulous staging and peculiar characters do the rest, with this investigator shining particularly brightly. We could continue to enjoy her adventures in the future, as the series leaves the door open for a second season that could take Bundle around the world in search of justice.

About The Author

Sophie Rosemont

Independent journalist, writes culture section for Vogue since 2015. She studied at the Sorbonne where teaches literature, the history of music and cinema. Based in Paris, France.

See author's posts