David Suchet: I can't watch anyone else play Poirot

Telegraph

04-03-2025

Sir David Suchet has said that he cannot watch anyone else play the part of the Belgian detective.
The actor, 78, played Agatha Christie's most famous character – Hercule Poirot – for a quarter of a century on ITV.
Speaking to Radio Times, he admitted that he has never watched other portrayals, but for a good reason.
Sir David, who was nominated for a Bafta for the part of Poirot in 1991, explained that by not watching anyone else play the finicky detective, he is 'able to say I have no opinion'.
He added: 'I get asked the same question in every interview, and most people are looking for me to say I don't like them.
'I sincerely wish everybody who plays that wonderful character the best.'
Sir David's Poirot is the longest-standing, beginning in 1989 and eventually spanning 70 episodes across 13 series.
The character of Poirot has been depicted widely since the late 1920s, with the fictional detective reimagined on screen, stage, radio and games by more than 40 actors.
Poirot made his debut in Christie's 1920 novel The Mysterious Affair at Styles, and his last in Curtain, published in 1975.
The author described the distinctive character's famous 'upward-curled mustache' and 'pink-tipped nose', adding that he is 'hardly more than 5ft 4in' tall.
Sir David has previously credited the popularity of his portrayal of Poirot, which ended in 2013, to the attention to detail he paid to Christie's work and description of the detective.
For example, the British actor previously admitted he had 'searched and searched' through Christie's books to find her description of Poirot's distinctive walk before finally adopting it by borrowing Laurence Olivier's trick of clenching a penny between his buttocks.
After filming his final episode as Poirot, he described the shooting of the last scene as 'the hardest day's filming of my career' and said he would miss the character 'as my dear, dear friend'.
The Telegraph said Sir David's 'swansong 'proved that the show has been one of TV's greatest achievements'.
Elsewhere in the interview, the actor gave his thoughts on getting older and reflected on his childhood.
Sir David, who will star in upcoming Channel 5 series The Au Pair, explained: 'I'm coming up to 79, I'm attending more funerals, and I'm aware of a certain ageism in our society, but I think that's in all societies.
'People are living longer, but the NHS suffers. What do we do with our increasingly aged population? Generally speaking, I think we're very well looked after.'
Speaking about why he chose to return to his first series role in six years in The Au Pair, Sir David said that it was 'a real page-turner'.
'Other roles I was offered were nice, but repetitious and not quite challenging enough,' he added.
The veteran screen and stage actor also said that he wouldn't wish boarding school on anybody when discussing his childhood.
'It was very tough and you grow up very quickly,' he explained, adding: 'It just didn't suit me because I was a homeboy.'