The actor David Suchet has a close connection to the British crime writer. For nearly 25 years, from 1989 to 2013, he played the private detective Hercule Poirot in nearly 70 TV films.
But the journey in Christie's footsteps gave him new insights.
What I discovered, among other things, was that she was a cheerful and very positive person, not at all the bitter and withdrawn person she was portrayed as, says David Suchet to TT from his home in London.
In 1922, Christie and her first husband Archie set out on a ten-month-long journey to the British colonies as part of the preparations for The British Empire Exhibition, which was to be held in 1924-1925. Agatha Christie had then only published one book and was not yet the world-renowned author she would become.
Surfing in Hawaii
The couple traveled to South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada, and also made a stop in Hawaii, to take a break. It was there that she learned to surf.
David Suchet has made the same journey as Christie's, but for him, thanks to modern transportation, it only took eight weeks. He emphasizes that nothing the viewers see is written down in the script. Often, he only found out what they would do the next day the evening before a recording.
So my reactions are often completely genuine, they are not rehearsed. When I get tearful over being at Victoria Falls, it's a very authentic reaction.
During the journey, Suchet looks up hotels and other places that Agatha Christie visited and seeks out influences on her writing. But he also meets representatives of the indigenous peoples of the countries who talk about the colonial racism that existed then and still exists.
It was important to include that, while not letting it take over.
"Consciously avoided it"
He has, of course, read all of Christie, returns to her from time to time, but otherwise only reads non-fiction books and biographies, no crime literature. And he has not seen Kenneth Branagh's films where he plays Hercule Poirot with a mustache much larger than the one Suchet had in his films.
I have consciously avoided it.
The day they recorded the last episode of the Poirot series - the one where the detective dies - was tough, he states.
It felt terrible to say goodbye to this character that I had lived with for a quarter of a century.
Age: 78 years.
Family: Wife Sheila, two children.
Lives: In London.
Occupation: Actor.
Films and TV series in selection: "Missionären", "Master of the game", "The little drummer girl", "Falken och Snömannen", "To kill a priest", "Decisions without return", "A perfect murder", "The in-laws", "Bright prospects", "Poirot", "Effie Gray", "American assassin".
Currently with: "Travels with Agatha" which is shown on Britbox from 26/3.
