By the Pricking of My Thumbs
- Episode aired Feb 19, 2006
- TV-PG
- 1h 42m
Miss Marple joins forces with Tommy and Tuppence Beresford to find the murderer of Tommy's Aunt Ada.Miss Marple joins forces with Tommy and Tuppence Beresford to find the murderer of Tommy's Aunt Ada.Miss Marple joins forces with Tommy and Tuppence Beresford to find the murderer of Tommy's Aunt Ada.
Photos
- Aunt Ada
- (as Clare Bloom)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaMiss Marple does not appear in Agatha Christie's original novel, which was an adventure featuring her other sleuths, Tommy and Tuppence Beresford. In order to make the story part of the Marple series, the time period was moved from post-war to sometime near the end of the war. This conveniently places Tommy still in the military intelligence service abroad, and his part of the story was re-written for Miss Marple.
- GoofsTowards the end, Septimus Bligh is pulling the ropes of two of the church bells. While it is possible for a single person to chime two bells. Each bell in a church tower is a different pitch. The two bells Septimus Bligh had the same pitch and is therefore not possible.
- Quotes
Tommy Beresford: [Tuppence asks Tommy to drive so she can continue reading her copy of Macbeth. Tommy chuckles in response] I was in Macbeth at my prep school. "Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow creeps in this petty pace from day to day."
Tuppence Beresford: [gets in car on passenger side] I heard you were marvelous.
Tommy Beresford: Who from?
Tuppence Beresford: You.
Tommy Beresford: Hmm.
[gets in car and starts engine]
Tommy Beresford: "By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes."
- Crazy creditsIn the closing credits Claire Bloom is misspelled "Clare Bloom". In the opening credits the spelling is correct.
- ConnectionsVersion of By the Pricking of My Thumbs (2005)
The plot of this whodunit was found good enough to be included in Granada's "Agatha Christie's Marple" TV-series, but since the clever old spinster from St Mary Mead is the one and only heroine here, Miss Marple reprises the role of Tommy Beresford and simultaneously acts as guardian of Tuppence. Seriously, neither Tommy nor Tuppence is portrayed as a good detective, let alone a good person. Tommy is an arrogant and self-centered brute, whilst Tuppence is an insecure alcoholic. Miss Marple has more work babysitting her than solving the crime.
In spite of the intriguing opening sequences, set in a retirement home, and a truly absorbing third act with brilliant and unforeseeable plot twists, this episode is one of the weaker in the series. The middle section, with Miss Marple and Tuppence snooping around in the little town without really making any progress, is quite dull and the red herrings are too transparent. As said, the denouement is great, though.
- Coventry
- Jan 2, 2021
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Panna Marple: Dom niespokojnej starosci
- Filming locations
- Loseley Park, Guildford, Surrey, England, UK(Sir Philip Starke's manor house)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro