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First look: Agatha Christie’s Towards Zero, filmed in Bristol

First look: Agatha Christie’s Towards Zero, filmed in Bristol

The BBC has released first-look pictures of Towards Zero, based on the classic mystery by Agatha Christie and filmed this Summer in and around Bristol (supported by Bristol Film Office) and on the Devon coast.

Oliver Jackson-Cohen and Ella Lily Hyland as Nevile Strange and Audrey Strange (Image: BBC/Mammoth Screen/James Pardon). LOCATION: Steps from Park Street leading to City Hall, Bristol

Adapted for screen by BAFTA-nominated Rachel Bennette (NW) and directed by the Olivier Award-winning Sam Yates (Magpie), Towards Zero is made by Mammoth Screen and Agatha Christie Limited for BBC iPlayer and BBC One, in a co-commission with BritBox International. FIFTH SEASON handle global distribution.

Featuring coastal views, heated summer soirees, and a trip to Wimbledon Centre Court, the new pictures give a first glimpse at Lady Tressilian (Anjelica Huston), Inspector Leach (Matthew Rhys) and British tennis star Nevile Strange (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) – seen here with the two ladies in his life: ex-wife Audrey (Ella Lily Hyland) and new wife Kay (Mimi Keene). Clarke Peters, Anjana Vasan, and Jack Farthing are also seen in the new pictures from the series, which co-stars Jackie Clune (Motherland), Grace Doherty (Call the Midwife), Khalil Gharbia (Mary & George), and Adam Hugill (Sherwood).

Anjelica Huston as Lady Tressilian (Image: BBC/Mammoth Screen/James Pardon)
Matthew Rhys as Inspector Leach (Image: BBC/Mammoth Screen/James Pardon)
Oliver Jackson-Cohen and Mimi Keene as Nevile Strange and Kay Elliott (Image: BBC/Mammoth Screen/Nick Wall)

England, 1936. After a scandalous celebrity divorce, Nevile Strange and his ex-wife Audrey make the unthinkable decision to spend a summer together at Gull’s Point, their childhood home and the coastal estate of Nevile’s aunt, Lady Tressilian.

With unfinished business between the former childhood sweethearts, plus the presence of Nevile’s new wife Kay, tensions are running high. Add to this a long-suffering lady’s companion, a mysterious gentleman’s valet, an exiled cousin with a grudge, a venerable family lawyer, an inquisitive orphan and a French con man, and soon there will be murder. A troubled detective must rediscover his purpose to untangle a toxic web of jealousy, deceit and dysfunction. Can he solve the crime before another victim meets their death?

Clarke Peters as Mr Treves (Image: BBC/Mammoth Screen/Nick Wall)
Jack Farthing as Thomas Royde (Image: BBC/Mammoth Screen/James Pardon)
Anjana Vasan as Mary Aldin (Image: BBC/Mammoth Screen/Nick Wall)
Ella Lily Hyland as Audrey Strange (Image: BBC/Mammoth Screen/James Pardon)
Mimi Keene as Kay Elliott (Image: BBC/Mammoth Screen/James Pardon)
Oliver Jackson-Cohen as Nevile Strange (Image: BBC/Mammoth Screen/James Pardon)

An explosive love triangle, a formidable matriarch and a house party of enemies. All compelled… Towards Zero.

Writer, Rachel Bennette, says: “These are among the richest and most complex of Christie’s characters, and I was captivated from the first by the charisma, in particular, of her female characters. It has been thrilling to bring them all to life in this disturbing tale of truth and lies, love and hate, a story which unfolds amidst the dark, cinematic glamour of the 1930s, yet feels startlingly of our time.”

Director, Sam Yates, says: “It has been an honour to bring this most psychological and sensual of Agatha Christie’s stories to vibrant life with a peerless cast of actors and an extraordinary team. Audiences are in for a propulsive, intoxicating ride into the dark hearts of some of Christie’s most irresistible characters.”

Towards Zero follows 2023’s hit Christie adaptation Murder is Easy, which was one of the UK’s most watched dramas of last year across all channels and streamers, averaging 7 million viewers across both parts.

Agatha Christie’s Towards Zero (3×60’) is produced by Agatha Christie Limited and Mammoth Screen (part of ITV Studios), and is a co-commission between the BBC and BritBox International. It is adapted by Rachel Bennette, directed by Sam Yates and produced by Rebecca Durbin. Executive producers are James Prichard for Agatha Christie Limited, Sheena Bucktowonsing and Damien Timmer for Mammoth Screen, Danielle Scott-Haughton for the BBC and Jon Farrar, Stephen Nye and Robert Schildhouse for BritBox International.

Towards Zero will air next year on BBC iPlayer and BBC One, and outside of the UK on BritBox International’s streaming service in the US and Canada.