Latest news with #TowardsZero
Daily Mirror
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
'I'm a chemist - Agatha Christie wrote one murder plot better than any other'
A new book, V for Venom, by a chemist-turned-author Kathryn Harkup reveals why Agatha Christie 's poison plots were so accurate – and why we still can't get enough of a good cosy murder mystery story There's nothing the British public enjoys more than a good murder – on TV, of course! Whether it's re-runs of Hercule Poirot, brilliantly played by David Suchet, Miss Marple, or Angelica Houston in the new BBC Agatha Christie adaptation Towards Zero, everyone loves a good murder mystery. Queen of Murder Dame Agatha Christie is probably the best-selling author of all time. Churning out 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, she also wrote the world's longest-running play, The Mousetrap. And her stories have been made into at least 23 films, including Death On the Nile and Murder On The Orient Express, as well being adapted into numerous TV series. According to a new book, among her many, imaginative ways of 'doing in' her victims, poisoning was a favourite choice, Kathryn Harkup, author of V is Venom: Agatha Christie's Chemicals of Death, says it was her use of poisons - both to add intrigue to plots and to murder victims with - that put Christie head and shoulders above other writers during the Golden Age of detective fiction. 'Christie did use an awful lot of guns, stabbing, blunt objects, strangulation to kill her characters – she went through the entire range,' says Kathryn, 47, of Guildford, Surrey. 'But I think she is exceptional in her use of poisons, because she was a chemist and also such a prolific writer that she used so many different examples in her books.' Born in Torquay, Devon, in 1890, Agatha Christie volunteered during the First World War as a nurse and later trained as a dispenser. Drugs didn't come ready packaged in those days, says Kathryn, they had to be measured, mixed together and processed, according to doctors' prescriptions. And her dispensing experience was clear in Christie's writing, as she always quoted quantities of poisons in grains throughout her stories, as she was not a fan of the modern measuring system. 'The great danger of the metric system', she said, 'is that if you go wrong, you go 10 times wrong.' It's more than a century since Christie wrote her first novel, The Mysterious Affair At Styles, which she penned in 1916 but was published in 1920. Many of her novels were written in the 1930s – a decade that, in our collective imagination, is synonymous with the author. Kathryn writes: 'The world Christie created is perhaps a little more detached from horrible reality than others. But, again, many other writers have done the same, blotting their charming chocolate-box sceneries.' She quotes US writer Raymond Chandler, who said: 'All crime fiction has to have an element of detachment from the real world, otherwise, it would only be written and read by psychopaths.' Kathryn feels Christie expertly wove the glamour of decades like the 1930s into her gripping murder plots, to draw readers in. And her attention to detail when setting the scene is what has made her appeal so enduring. She adds: 'I think there is this huge nostalgia for that era (the 1930s) with all these beautiful clothes and cars and gorgeous art deco buildings – even though Christie was writing books right into the 1970s. When you read her stories she is much more contemporary when writing. 'However it's the backdrop of glamour that increases our detachment from the horror of what is a murder. So you can just sit there and enjoy it as a puzzle and have a nice afternoon on the sofa with a cup of tea and read about a gory murder.' A trained chemist, Kathryn is endlessly impressed by the accuracy of Christie's use of poisons in her plots - although, readers can breathe easy, as many of the toxic tinctures she uses are no longer available. She says: 'What has changed since the 1970s is accessibility – you just can't get hold of the stuff that Christie's writing about very easily. 'Also, methods of detection are far, far superior these days, as well as medical treatment. People who are poisoned are much more likely to survive. And so you have attempted murder rather than actual murder.' Historically, poisons were a very popular way to kill people off, as these kind of homicides were so difficult to prove. Many killers got away with murder for years. Kathryn explains: 'It was in the Victorian era that people decided to do something about this and establish some protocols and some tests that can find these poisons and show evidence to a jury.' She also cites infamous trials in the past where murderers were clearly inspired by Christie – and tried to get away with their crimes. READ MORE: 'I found priceless treasure rummaging on UK riverbank - and there's more out there' 'In 1977 there was a case of atropine poisoning in France,' says Kathryn. 'As soon as they raided Roland Roussel's flat they found a copy of Christie's book, The Tuesday Murder Club, with heavy underlinings and the spine broken on the appropriate page.' The case of the Hay Poisoner in 1921 also had all the ingredients of a Christie murder mystery story, when a respectable Hay-On-Wye solicitor Major Herbert Rowse Armstrong was found guilty of murdering his wife Kitty with arsenic. Nine months after his wife's death from supposed gastritis, heart disease and inflammation of the kidneys, her body was exhumed after her husband was accused of poisoning a rival solicitor. Police found her corpse with arsenic, and when police arrested the Major they discovered a twist of the same poison in his pocket, which he claimed he used to control dandelions in the garden. Major Armstrong was sent to the gallows on May 31, 1922.'But the most recent is probably serial killer Graham Young, also known as the Teacup Poisoner, who was convicted several times for poisoning people, but in 1972, was locked up for murdering his victims with thallium. 'It was a very prominent case and Christie got mentioned in the actual trial because they thought she might have inspired him. Although, to be fair, Young didn't need inspiration, he was well and truly down that path already.' While incarcerated in Broadmoor, the tale took another murderous twist, because one of Young's fellow inmates died of cyanide poisoning. Young had been heard many times saying how cyanide could be extracted from laurel leaves, and as it was noted, the grounds around the psychiatric institution were covered with laurel bushes. In fact, you'd be surprised how many plant species in the UK are absolutely toxic, such as yew tree, foxglove and the cuckoo pint, along with those which have have suitably evil sounding names such as poison hemlock and deadly nightshade. Which must make a walk in the countryside very worrying for a chemist. 'I do walk past things like cow parsley and wonder, 'Oh is that cow parsley or is it hemlock, because they look very similar.' And she tells the story of how she went into a cafe – and went pale when she saw the flowers they had used to decorate the counter. 'The cafe had fresh flowers on top of their little cake display counter and one day I went in and they had monkshood in the vase. I asked the person behind the counter if they were real, and she rubbed her fingers on the leaves and said, 'Yeah they're real.' 'You can absorb that stuff through your fingers, but you've actually got to eat it to be dangerous. However monkshood shouldn't be put that close to food.' And there are many everyday foods we eat which could kill us if we ate them in large enough quantities. 'Sweet almonds are fine, but bitter almonds contain cyanide,' says Kathryn. 'I was once doing a panel once and a man got concerned because he loved marzipan and liked to eat chunks of it. 'I could see him just getting paler and paler as I described the use of almonds. So, to reassure him, I worked out the lethal dose of marzipan, which was about the size of a Labrador – plus you'd have to eat it all in one sitting. 'Apple pips and cherry pips too – they contain cyanide,' she adds. 'I also worked out the lethal dose of apple pips, it's about 200 grams. And you'd really have to crunch it up, because the cyanide compound is inside the pip and it's protected by a tough coating.' Christie also had ingenious ways in her books of making sure the right person was poisoned. 'She would pick a particular food item that only one person at the table likes, or is likely to eat. For example, in her book, A Pocketful of Rye, the person that they want dead is the only person who's going to eat the poisoned marmalade. 'And, of course, there were also antidotes, so the murderer could save themselves later.' But Christie herself was also inspired by one of our earliest and most famous true crime murder cases. Dr Crippen poisoned his wife Cora in 1910 with hyoscine then dismembered her body, and Christie based her book The Moving Finger on his crimes. As someone who is herself an expert on poisons, Kathryn revealed how she would use one. 'I would go into a very detailed history of their medical conditions, their dietary habits and I would tailor it to them, because the thing you've got to avoid is an autopsy,' the author muses. 'Forensic toxicologists are phenomenally good at their job. You've gotta mimic natural causes, because if it goes to the autopsy stage, it's game over.' Lucky, while the science may be accurate, her poison plot is purely fictional! • Kathryn Harkup's book V is for Venom: Agatha Christie's Chemicals of Death is published by Bloomsbury on June 19 Agatha Christie's library of poisons Anthrax - infection caused by Bacillus anthracis bacteria which is found naturally in soil Arsenic - naturally occurring metal element known for its toxicity Cyanide - extremely poisonous toxic liquid Curare - plant-derived poison known for causing muscle paralysis Gelsemine - highly toxic plant derivative that can cause death Nitroglycerin – a type of nitrate that relaxes blood vessels but too much causes death Ricin - chemical poison which can be made from waste material left over from Strychnine - white, odourless, bitter crystalline powder and strong poison
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Outlander's Final Season: Everything We Know So Far
Warm up those bagpipes, because Outlander is about to start playing its swan song. Starz's time-travel drama will come to a conclusion with its upcoming eighth and final season, a 10-episode run that will bring the ballad of Jamie and Claire to its resting place. Which storylines from Diana Gabaldon's books will make the cut? Which characters (aside from Himself and Herself) will be back? And when the heck will we be able to watch it?! More from TVLine Power Book III: Raising Kanan to End With Season 5 - But Is This the Final Chapter for the Starz Franchise? Towards Zero Is Glamorous, Gorgeous and Sneakily Sexy - Here Are 5 Reasons to Check Out BritBox's New Agatha Christie Series Blood of My Blood: Summer Premiere Date Set for Outlander Prequel Series Outlander Cast Photos: Behind the Scenes View List Dinna fash, Sassenachs: We've filled the list below with all the available intel about Outlander Season 8. We'll update it the moment there's any news, so make sure to check back often. And once you've scrolled through, hit the comments with your thoughts/feelings/opinions/hopes for the show's last season! Outlander's final season does not yet have a premiere date, but we'll be sure to update this post as soon as Starz announces one. Some context: The bulk of Season 8 filming wrapped in September 2024, though several cast members filmed reshoots shortly after. And in March 2025, series star Sam Heughan announced via Instagram that he'd just finished 'the last ADR' (aka re-recording dialogue that wasn't captured clearly during filming) on the series finale. Yes, Season 8 will be the time-travel drama's final run of episodes. Starz announced the series' ending in January 2023. 'It's been an incredible journey,' Heughan said in a video released at the time of the announcement. 'Thank you so much for being with us since Day 1,' series star Caitríona Balfe added. Since its start, Outlander has covered roughly one book in Diana Gabaldon's novel series per season. So it reasons that Season 8 would follow the events of Book 8, Written in My Own Heart's Blood. However, given that Gabladon has published Book 9 (Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone) and is working on Book 10, there's a good chance Season 8 will include storylines from all of the above. Co-showrunner Matthew B. Roberts says the guidelines for Season 8 were 'Nothing that doesn't affect Jamie and Claire gets in. It's gotta affect Jamie and Claire. All the main characters do — they're a part of it — but that's the drive. There's so many aspects. I mean, they're all big books. There's things where you kind of go over here, and you go over here — that's what makes the books so readable and fun. But when you have 10 episodes, you have to stay literally on track.' One plot that is not in the novels but will be addressed at the top of the final season: The Season 7 finale cliffhanger of whether Claire and Jamie's daughter, Faith, somehow survived what we thought was her stillbirth in Season 2. Roberts promises that fans will have that point cleared up 'visually' in the upcoming season. On the MacKenzie side of things, might Brianna and Roger have another baby in Season 8, like they do in Go Tell the Bees? 'As you know, we sometimes stick to the books, and we sometimes don't,' Skelton told TVLine coyly in February. 'But I think it would be great if they had another child. And wearing the fake pregnancy bumps is super fun, so sign me up.' Though Starz has not yet released an official cast list, we have it on good authority that Heughan, Balfe, Sophie Skelton, Richard Rankin, John Bell, Charles Vandervaart and David Berry will be back for the final season. Someone who won't return for the series' swan song is Kristen Atherton, who played Jamie's sister, Jenny, in Season 7. Though Jenny eventually joins her brother and his family in America in the novels, Roberts said time constraints meant making some tough cuts for Season 8. 'With 10 episodes,' he explained, 'there's a lot less you can do.' Along those lines, Tobias Menzies — who played Claire's husband, Frank, and his villainous forebear Jonathan 'Black Jack' Randall — also will not return, TVLine reported exclusively in March 2024. 'They're going to bring it home magnificently, I'm sure,' Menzies added. You'll be able to watch Outlander Season 8 on Starz and the Starz app. Starz has not yet released a trailer for Season 8. The moment that footage is available, we'll make sure to post it here. While you're waiting, entertain yourself with this behind-the-scenes video from our Season 7 TVLine x SheKnows cover shoot with Balfe, Heughan, Bell, Rankin and Skelton. You can find past seasons of Outlander on the Starz app and on-demand. Yes! The prequel Outlander: Blood of My Blood will premiere on Starz later this summer. For all the details on that series, which follows Jamie's and Claire's parents, make sure to check out our up-to-the-minute Everything We Know post. Outlander Season 8 will consist of 10 episodes. Best of TVLine Young Sheldon Easter Eggs: Every Nod to The Big Bang Theory (and Every Future Reveal) Across 7 Seasons Weirdest TV Crossovers: Always Sunny Meets Abbott, Family Guy vs. Simpsons, Nine-Nine Recruits New Girl and More ER Turns 30: See the Original County General Crew, Then and Now
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
BBC & BritBox Unveil Latest Agatha Christie Adaptation
The BBC and BritBox International have landed on Endless Night as their latest Agatha Christie adaptation from Sarah Phelps. Set in 1967, the book is neither a Poirot or a Marple but follows man-of-many-trades Michael Rogers, who finds himself working as chauffeur for the enigmatic designer du jour Rudolf Santonix. Transfixed by Santonix's latest project, a beautiful house in the English countryside, Mike dreams of meeting the love of his life and taking up residence. But unbeknownst to Mike, the house that he has set his heart on has a dark past that goes back for centuries. More from Deadline 'Virdee' Creator A A Dhand Reveals The Unlikely Hero That Inspired Him To "Fail Forwards" During A Decade Of Rejection Legacy Media? UK Pubcasters Balk At Outdated Term & Say "We've Got To Be Phoenixes Rising From The Ashes" No Pope Yet: Vatican Conclave Blows Black Smoke On 1st Day Of Vote For New Pontiff The show is the latest in a long succession of Christie adaptations on the BBC and BritBox from Phelps and ITV Studios-owned Mammoth Screen, with the latest being Towards Zero starring Anjelica Huston. Fifth Season is selling worldwide. Phelps said: 'One of Agatha Christie's last novels, this is a chilling story of love, sex, deceit and death, of how far we'll go to get our hearts desire and what we'll do when night falls and the wolves start circling.' The news comes in the week the BBC unveiled an AI Agatha Christie, forged to teach a paid writing course on its BBC Maestro platform. The AI Christie was created with the blessing of the author's great grandson James Prichard, who runs Agatha Christie Limited. Endless Night (3×60') is produced by Mammoth Screen (part of ITV Studios) and Agatha Christie Limited, and is a co-commission between the BBC and BritBox International. Executive producers are Prichard for Agatha Christie Limited, Rebecca Durbin and Damien Timmer for Mammoth Screen, Phelps, Danielle Scott-Haughton for the BBC, and Robert Schildhouse, Jon Farrar and Stephen Nye for BritBox. Filming on Endless Night will take place later this year and casting will be announced in due course. The series will air on BBC iPlayer and BBC One, and on BritBox in the U.S. and Canada. Best of Deadline Book-To-Movie Adaptations Coming Out In 2025 TV Show Book Adaptations Arriving In 2025 So Far Everything We Know About 'Emily In Paris' Season 5 So Far
Daily Mail
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Lorraine Kelly, 65, reveals secret health battle as she shares update from hospital bed ahead of keyhole surgery
Lorraine Kelly has revealed that she is in hospital ahead of undergoing keyhole surgery. The presenter, 65, shared a video to Instagram from her hospital bed and was dressed in a hospital gown as she gave fans an update. She told the camera: 'Just wanted to let you know I'm having a wee procedure today. I've not been feeling all that well for a little while, so I had some scans and tests, and I have to have my ovaries and my tubes taken out.' Reassuring fans that she is being well looked after, Lorraine added: 'It's purely preventative. It's going to be with keyhole surgery, which is incredible, I'm being very well looked after, and I'll obviously see you really soon, and I'm gonna be totally fine.' Lorraine added in the caption: 'Getting keyhole surgery - all preventative - feel very lucky to be treated so well - thank you Dr Raafat and all the staff!' It comes after Lorraine left viewers of the ITV morning shows a little concerned after appearing on various programmes with a 'puffy'. Lorraine added in the caption: 'Getting keyhole surgery - all preventative - feel very lucky to be treated so well - thank you Dr Raafat and all the staff!' During Lorraine's appearance on Good Morning Britain many fans shared their worry on social media. She later appeared on Loose Women and revealed exactly what had happened to her - that she had fallen over a rhino ornament while putting the washing out at home and given herself a black eye. On Good Morning Britain on Monday, Susanna Reid asked: 'How's your eye by the way?' Lorraine said: 'You can see Helen has covered it up. Our fantastic make-up artist. Helen Hand the magician. 'It's still quite bad but the swelling as gone down.' Susanna replied: 'Last week when we saw you, you looked very weepy.' Lorraine agreed: 'Yes, swollen.' Just moments before Ed was left lost for words when Lorraine said a bit of a crude word. Reassuring fans that she is being well looked after, Lorraine added: 'It's purely preventative. It's going to be with keyhole surgery, which is incredible, I'm being very well looked after, and I'll obviously see you really soon, and I'm gonna be totally fine.' The host was talking about the new drama Towards Zero when she said: 'It's called sh*gatha Christie apparently.' A shocked Susanna replied: 'I beg your pardon?!' And Lorraine asked: 'Am I allowed to say that? I've said it...' Ed sternly shot back: 'No.' A sheepish Lorraine said: ''Anyway... I apologise for apologising. I'll apologise again to myself.' Lorraine later spoke about her black eye on Monday's episode of Lorraine. 'I had lots of things in my hands, lots of washing in my hand and then wham ! Fell!' Dr Hilary Jones replied: 'Well you can't see it now?' 'That's because Helen has covered it up!,' Lorraine told him. It comes after Lorraine updated fans on swollen face and is forced to apologise live on Good Morning Britain after VERY rude comment leaves Ed Balls stunned They then shared a video of where the accident happened in her home on the show. Dr Hilary then gave viewers tips on what to do if they find themselves in the same situation and how to improve bruises. Lorraine later revealed the truth behind her swollen face live on Loose Women on Thursday after being asked 'if she'd had fillers. 'So I had a massive bag of washing, like a washing basket, I couldn't see, and I was going from the kitchen to the living room, and there was a wee step. 'My slippers are too big and I fell over and fell onto a rhino!' She continued: 'I thought "Oh it will be fine!" but I woke up this morning with the biggest shiner, this big black eye!' Lorraine explained that lots of 'lovely' viewers asked if she had allergies, but confirmed that this was not the case. She also addressed speculation around her having facial injectables, adding: 'Have I had fillers? No!' But before they got into the chat, Lorraine also wanted to address the speculation about her face, after many of those watching at home had got in touch with her to share their worry. Lorraine explained: 'Yesterday, you know as woman, when we try to do too many things at one time, and we try to do it really fast... 'So I had a massive bag of washing, like a washing basket, I couldn't see, and I was going from the kitchen to the living room, and there was a wee step.'
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Agatha Christie's novel Towards Zero revived as racy miniseries
Agatha Christie is one of those writers whose books have launched a thousand adaptations. OK, if not a thousand, then at least enough to sustain decades of interest — in some cases, about a clear century. The latest spin on Christie's work comes from overseas. British public broadcaster BBC has updated her 1944 novel Towards Zero for modern audiences, and the three-part series started streaming internationally April 16 on BritBox. Set in 1936 England, it digs in as tennis star Nevile Strange (Oliver Jackson-Cohen), and his ex-wife Audrey (Ella Lily Hyland), decide to spend a summer together at Gull's Point, the seaside estate of Nevile's widowed aunt, Lady Tressilian (Anjelica Huston), who is bedridden and revising her will. An innocent respite it is not. The trip is actually Nevile's honeymoon with his new wife, Kay (Mimi Keene), making for an uneasy — and scandalous — love triangle. One sequence on a staircase was enough to prompt the Daily Mail headline 'BBC viewers left stunned by 'filthy' X-rated scene.' Elsewhere there are rich house guests behaving badly, in the vein of HBO's The White Lotus. F-bombs are detonated in a very un-Christie-like manner. Huston delivers withering, precisely pitched dialogue. And yes, to channel another famous English writer, there is murder most foul. That murder happens much later than you'd expect, as it does in the novel. In fact, narrator Mr. Treves (Clarke Peters), says at the start, 'The murder is the end. The story begins long before, years before, when the murder is seeded — the point zero, if you will.' Naturally, the events bring Inspector Leach (Matthew Rhys), into the mix. The detective is a fusion of two characters from the novel — Leach and his uncle, Superintendent Battle — who is traumatized from his time as a soldier in the First World War. The miniseries, directed by Sam Yates, is visually sumptuous. The polish of period costumes and upper-class rituals contrast with the backdrop of the Devonshire coast. The performances are top tier. But the true allure of Towards Zero lies in its source material: Christie's 81-year-old novel. Why does the author's work continue to draw audiences today? Christie's great-grandson, James Pritchard, offered his take in a BBC interview to promote the miniseries. 'Because the stories are genius, and genius plots and stories stand the test of time,' he said. 'The premise of them all is very modern — she basically writes about people, and people haven't changed in any serious way. So the preoccupations of people in the 1930s are not dissimilar to the preoccupations or motivations of people now.'
