AN ADAPTED CONVERGENCE: Towards Zero on the BBC

/ Brad

AN ADAPTED CONVERGENCE: The BBC’s Towards Zero

(NOTE: This is a SPOILER-FREE review of the recent BBC adaptation. I have also refrained from any major spoilers of the book, so make yourselves at home!)

Okay, let’s all find a comfortable chair, sit ourselves down, and breathe!!! Discussing Christie adaptations is always a dangerous proposition. Agatha herself was very much against them, and the truth of the matter was that during her lifetime, she considered most of the attempts to bring her stories to the big or small screen nowhere near up to her standards. 

Some of them were enjoyable, however, like the Margaret Rutherford Miss Marple films, which helped transform my position toward “faithfulness” to the original text. A story told in a different medium has every right to be different from the tale as originally told. Writers rewrite, rather than copy and paste. Actors and directors change the meaning with their interpretations of characters and dialogue. Art directors and other technicians reinterpret with their own tastes. It has the potential of turning a beloved story into something thrilling and new. At the same time, those who adapt run the risk of disappointing those who revere the original. It’s a crap shoot, honestly – but I’m willing to give each new film a roll of the dice before passing judgment.

That goes for the latest example: the BBC’s three-part limited series based on Christie’s 1944 mystery, Towards Zero. This debuted on British TV on March 2 and concludes next weekend. It’s not due to reach America’s shores until April when it will premiere on Britbox. I have a buddy overseas, however, who sent me the files, (thanks, TH), and so I have the privilege of sharing my thoughts on the show with you here and now. 

Some folks on social media have already offered their opinions, and they were decidedly mixed. As I said, I wanted to go in with an open mind. I get a little impatient with those who believe they’re doing Agatha Christie a favor by refusing to watch modern adaptations. They’ve heard there are plot changes. They’ve heard there’s a sex scene. This is outrageous, they say! It isn’t Christie, is it?? Sure, characters were having sex but not out in the open like that, right??

Frankly, I’m grateful that modern TV producers are still adapting Christie! From the 1970’s through the early 2000’s, most of the attempts were period pieces, and it’s only natural that a return to the same material might – nay, should – be done differently. Still, there hasn’t been a really good adaptation of Towards Zero yet (although I hear the 2007 French film does the book justice). We have seen the novel turned into an incest-laden psychological thriller, a Gallic comedy, and, perhaps most disturbingly, a Miss Marple story. So I have to admit I had my fingers crossed that finally someone might get this novel right. 

Let me say this: you should watch Towards Zero if you get the chance. There are some good things about it. First of all, it looks fantastic. Maybe some if it is a little dark, but the depiction of the south Devon coast and Gull’s Point is really well done. Secondly, Matthew Rhys is excellent as Inspector Leach, the detective on the case. I should break it to you here that Superintendent Battle is nowhere in sight; neither is failed suicide turned amateur sleuth, Andrew MacWhirter. Instead, elements of both these men are woven into Leach’s character. 

As is popular with these modern adaptations, this version of Leach is given a tragic backstory. Here, it turns out that he was a commander during the war and managed to survive while watching all his beloved soldiers fall. This has turned him into a drunk and leads him to attempt suicide (just like MacWhirter). Our Leach also develops a relationship with the teenager Sylvia, who in the novel is Battle’s daughter but here is the ward of Mr. Treves, the solicitor. If you are familiar with the book, you know that Sylvia got expelled from her school for stealing; she even confessed to it. But Battle realizes this confession was forced out of her, and this uinderstanding helps him solve the murder of Lady Tressilian. 

It all plays out differently in the adaptation – not better, just differently. I prefer the book, but Sylvia becomes a major character and, as played by young Grace Doherty, develops a nice onscreen relationship with Rhys. In fact, perhaps the best aspect of this mini-series is that, like the novel, it presents an intriguing set of characters who are explored in-depth by some very good actors, including the great Anjelica Huston as Camilla, Lady Tressilian. 

Ah, but are they the book’s characters? Well, there’s the rub: characters like Camilla are written differently to conform to changes made in the plot. This Camilla has secrets you won’t find in the book. (No spoilers, I promised!) So do other characters. At the same time, some of the mysteries that are in the novel are exposed early on in this film, like those revolving around the key childhood incident involving a bow-and-arrow. And there are a couple of characters who have been either changed or created out of nothing. I mentioned how Sylvia is now present throughout. There is also a valet for Neville Strange named MacDonald. He is young and handsome and – of course – has secrets of his own. And Ted Latimer becomes a Frenchman named Louis Morel. He operates much like Ted does in the novel except . . . yep, secrets!!

The biggest change is in the central triangle of Neville, Kay and Audrey. Again, I don’t want to describe how this is changed, and all three actors comport themselves well. I’ll even go so far as to say that Audrey can come off as a nitwit in the book, and her fate is one of those cringeworthy “happy” endings that one has to endure in old-time fiction. Here, she is every bit as strong as Kay, and watching the two of them circle each other makes for some interesting drama. 

The basic concept of Towards Zero, a story purporting to look at murder as the endgame rather than the beginning of a detective story and focusing on the myriad events, some of them recent and others in the distant past, whose effects ripple and converge until a group of people come together and murder is done – all of that is left intact. In fact, Mr. Treves (who relates this theory in the book) relates it here – over and over again! And that convergence includes enough details from the book to make the whole thing recognizable. The problem for me is in what it’s missing: while we reach the same basic conclusion as in the book, we get there in spite of dropping most of the delicious stuff that I like most about the text. The murderer’s attempt at a frame-up is a total mess here. The wonderful clues woven into dialogue that expose the killer in the end are gone. The second murder is done at a different time in a different way for a different reason; all that’s missing is everything that was clever about this murder from the book (especially the method.) 

Here’s what I’ll give them: I believe that Rachel Bennette, who wrote and produced this, and Sam Yates who directed (known mostly for his theatrical work, Yates has the dubious honor of having also directed 2020’s Agatha and the Curse of Ishtar, so . . . Christie experience galore!) had love for the novel in their hearts when they put this together. I think it makes for good drama – a little slow going sometimes, a little too dark visually, but very stylishly put together. 

However . . .  it becomes a shadow of a really fine Christie book because it undercuts a beautifully crafted puzzle plot that works seamlessly on the page and much less so here. So, yes, I suffered a bit from a case of the “leave-well-enough-alones.” 

But I’m not telling you to skip this. I’m just urging anyone who has not made the acquaintance of Towards Zero to read the book before you consider watching this. It’s a terrific book!!!! (Those self-proclaimed Christie “fans” who know her solely from watching David Suchet don’t have a clue as to what they’re missing!) After you have read the book, I would say that, based on Rhys and Huston and a few other things, go ahead and give this one the onceover. And if after you’ve watched it, you want to come back here and complain – well, I won’t stop you. I’d be interested in hearing your opinion. 

36 thoughts on “AN ADAPTED CONVERGENCE: Towards Zero on the BBC”

  2. I’ll feedback just as soon as I watch this (probably next week). At least it sounds much better than the recent crop of small screen Christies (the one exception being the really entertaining Hugh Laurie version of Why Didn’t They Ask Evan’s?)

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  3. What I find time and time again with Christie adaptations is that if I love a particular Christie novel, then I have little patience for adaptations that deviate greatly from the original text.

    For example, the BBC’s The Pale Horse, Ordeal by Innocence, Malkovich version of The ABC Murders as well as both the BBC and Marple versions of Murder as Easy were unwatchable. I turned off all five of those when only part way into the film. Where the book is not a favorite (e.g., A Haunting in Venice versus the original text of Hallowe’en Party, Suchet version of Elephants Can Remember), I am far more tolerant of and even enjoy a very different adaptation.

    Towards Zero is a wonderful book that you seem to enjoy as well. Given you did not turn off the adaptation part way in despite the changes … I may give this a look. Thanks for the review and the heads up.

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    • One of the Chapter headings in the book is “Open the door and see all the people.” What this gets right is that focus, and even if they weren’t totally true to the novel, I enjoyed most of them. But once again, a comparison shows what a queen of plotting Christie was. Those who decide to change her plots run a risk that is usually a losing battle. But I’m with you: those books I find weak sometimes yield fascinating adaptations BECAUSE of the changes.

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  4. We are SO looking forward to this! Good or bad. What purists forget is that every single time an Agatha adaptation is filmed, it — no matter what its qualities or lack thereof — introduces her to an entirely new audience. I met someone via Instagram who told me he discovered Agatha when he saw the 2001 Alfred Molina Murder on the Orient Express. He thinks of that film fondly (it had its moments!) because it introduced him to Agatha Christie.

    This film will do the same. Remember James M. Cain:

    “People tell me, don’t you care what they’ve done to your book? I tell them, they haven’t done anything to my book. It’s right there on the shelf.”

    I can’t repeat this enough. Authors get forgotten in the tsunamis of new books and new authors that come after them. Remember James Hadley Chase, biggest thriller author in the world in the 40s, 50s, and 60s? King of the thrillers? Gone.

    Here’s the 6 adaptations of Towards Zero:

    Towards Zero (Verso l’ora zero) (Italy, 1980)

    Innocent Lies (France, 1995) So horribly rewritten (added incest!) that the estate forced the producers to remove attribution to the novel.

    Towards Zero (UK, 2007) series 3, episode 3 (#11 of 23) of Agatha Christie’s Marple. Geraldine McEwan as Miss Marple

    Zero Hour (L’Heure Zéro) (France, 2007)

    Zero Hour (L’Heure Zéro) (France, 2019) series 2, episode 25 of 27 (#36 of 48) of Les Petits Meurtres d’Agatha Christie

    Towards Zero (UK, 2025)

    We haven’t seen the 1980 Italian one (we’d like to, hint, hint, hint!) and of course haven’t seen the 2025 version. Yet.

    Innocent Lies will make you want to take a shower afterwards. Truly dreadful. A mass of idiocy and loose ends and actresses who are black holes on the screen.

    ITV’s Marple Towards Zero is surprisingly decent. Essentially, Miss Marple becomes Inspector Battle in drag.

    Zero Hour (2007) the closest to the novel and the best of the bunch by far. It’s got Inspector Battle! And his nephew! It follows the text surprisingly closely and succeeds on its own terms as a French movie.

    Les Petits Meurtres Zero Hour (2019) dreadful. Everything you don’t like about the show crammed into one episode. Not as dreadful as Innocent Lies but still bad. Loose ends, missed opportunities, and plot holes galore.

    We’ll see what happens with the 2025 version. Believe me, it can’t be as awful as Innocent Lies or Les Petits Zero Hour.

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  5. All three parts are uploaded on a very famous internetsite starting with y.

    I watched it and I liked it, and while I was worried that they changed a central character to much (not the murderer) the way they resolved it still made sense and is faithful to the novel.

    My main gripe is, that the murderer is terribly obvious at the beginning of episode two at the latest. But maybe it is, because I knew, who did it. But one scene in particular really pointed towards the culprit in a not very subtle way.

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    • No, I absolutely agree with you! Perhaps the writer felt that Christie’s methods of obfuscation were unrealistic!?! At any rate, they are abandoned and, coupled with the performance of the actor playing the killer, I, too, thought it was all too obvious. Ditto my feelings on the massive changes wrought on that other central character! They don’t really make much sense to the plot.

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  6. Pingback: MY AGATHA CHRISTIE INDEX (The Blog-iography!) | Ah Sweet Mystery!

  7. Sorry to say I loathed this. Well, I loathed 1 and 3/4 episodes of it and won’t be watching the rest.

    Episode 1 was not too bad; it seemed like they might be doing interesting things with some of the characters, and I was interested to see how that was going to play out, though not quite interested in it for its own sake.

    Episode 2 proceeded to develop those in the most cliched and frustrating ways imaginable. And no, “will Neville and Audrey have it off in front of Kay” is not a compelling enough question to keep me watching. Not a fan of the changes to Audrey. I don’t need the interesting character from the book to be turned into an identical “fiesty female” to Kay, especially when all she does is fight over a man. I agree that her ending in the book could do with a fix, but not like this… not like this…

    It played to me less like an adaptation and more like someone read a synopsis of the plot, guessed what happened in the book, and adapted that. And it was so slow.

    I’m sorry, Brad – when you gave your not-exactly-invitation to complain, you probably weren’t looking to clean up after someone frothing at the mouth…

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    • Not at all – I have lovely tissues here for just that purpose.

      I think a less lazy adapter would have found some intriguing way to modernize Audrey without changing her and the plot so drastically. I did find the development of the Mary Thomas relationship, more interesting, but I think there was a huge missed opportunity there with the casting of an Indian-Singaporean actress to play a character meeting up with a white planter from Malaya (whom she is seriously crushing on) to maybe delve a little bit into the whole colonial thing! And I know it’s the opposite in the book, and with different characters! But I liked how tortured inspector Leach was saved by the Sylvia Battle character (and vice versa). But her contribution to solving the mystery was clumsily handled!

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      • OK, so I’ve actually re-read the book now and I think I was being a little unfair. Many of the scenes have identical lines, compared to the book. In some ways it’s faithful. It’s just the change to Audrey that casts them all in a completely different light. I think I can even see some of their dilemmas in adapting. So, not quite the “based on a synopsis” I was ranting about yesterday. But (in addition to how slow it all is) I can’t really get over the Audrey thing. It seems to me that having all the eligible women (including Mary) be jealous and man-mad all the time is a regression, not an advancement… Mary’s character in the first episode was interesting and seemed to have depth but in the second all she does is get in a strop over Royde.

        I also went and listened to the BBC Radio adaptation (found it on Youtube) and I thought it was excellent. I really recommend it.

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  10. To be clear, it’s a larger type SD card. This reader will definitely work if you don’t have one
    https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Portable-Reader-RS-MMC-Micro/dp/B006T9B6R2/ref=sr_1_4?crid=Q6X9TTOG0FF4&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.pqCdHt9VHFcfaSBIEFIi0RYw1Tsf5oRop44O7OfHppJ4Lo51FK3LTz_6vJkvBxOrhJ943YbCEtwlSIrFZHOEQJnp3NhrdXbB-qtojUCv_opc2m3m88eS3mpcZ9dk2JaqCQzWNBrLrm7s46agmKp3mJaLffZwwij_Pm_IqcNR8SYAqbg20q8CqA0BYdKwhz9UiP1WR2K_nkmgtc6fGRRCTiOnXTfsAP5_ofrUPOVvZb8.Y4r7GFpFZ8rb71UnOPJWomW6jimC2qR4vO3LNlhgy2U&dib_tag=se&keywords=anker+sd+reader&qid=1743715483&sprefix=ankrt+sd+reader%2Caps%2C145&sr=8-4

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    • You’re very kind – but all this talk of technology is making my head explode. It might be easier for me to travel to France and find someone with the DVD!!! Thank you all the same!

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      • It’s a little data card without a body, just like a flash drive. If you haven’t a reader, I will try to dig up a thumb drive. It’s not really as big a deal as you pretend.

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  15. We finally saw the 2025 Towards Zero.

    It is not the book. It’s not the worst adaptation either, in the middle of the pack.

    I hated how the script set up Audrey’s character. I can’t accept that any woman wronged like she was would still pant after her ex. She’d avoid him. If she couldn’t, she’d remain coolly distant and civil until she could escape.

    So many plot holes and loose ends!

    But it’s done, here, a lot of people got paid, and it’s introducing an entirely new audience to Agatha.

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      • L’Heure Zero is MUCH closer to the novel.

        Don’t miss the musical merry-go-round with a lady bassoonist! We couldn’t find anything out about it or I’d have mentioned them by name in my review.

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  16. I watched the adaptation last night, and it’s been a while since I read the book, but for me, the real problem with adaptation Audrey vs. book Audrey is that adaptation Audrey isn’t afraid of Neville.

    I never read Audrey as a nitwit. I read her as a woman who lives in absolute terror of her husband 100% of the time. She knows that Neville is, in his soul, a monstrous murderer. She has been afraid of him for years. The reason that she is basically a colorless character in the book is that she has been trying to fade into the background so that Neville doesn’t even see her. If he doesn’t see her, he can’t target her.

    Book Audrey knows pretty immediately what is happening in that house once Lady Tressilian is murdered. She is a small animal, and she sees the trap closing. She is ready to chew off her own leg to get away.

    All of this nuance is stripped away in favor of a sexy schemer in beautiful clothes. It’s much less compelling than the original.

    Also, Mary Alden is much more interesting in the book than in the adaptation.

    It is gorgeously and stylishly filmed and, at least, they maintained fidelity to the basic mechanics and motive of the original (unlike say, Ordeal by Innocence). But the changes made it a weaker story and not a better one.

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