Ah, Agatha Christie. The very name conjures up images of wise old Belgian detectives, nosey English spinsters, crime-ridden picturesque villages, glorious art-deco hotels, luxurious steam-trains and opulent cruise-ships. Or in this case, none of the above.
If you want to avoid spoilers, stop reading this article now.
What we have here is a very contemporary take on the traditional Christie story, And ‘Then There Were None’ – her most popular book, apparently. It’s like the producers have taken the book’s template, but completely re-imagined everything else – location, characters, methods of murder. And also added some very 21st century sensibility and topics (sexual assault and the migration crisis, to name but two).
Set on a remote Caribbean island (the series was shot in Guadeloupe), over the course of the series we get to know the motley crew of ten individuals – each of them with a secret they dare not share. They’ve been lured to this inaccessible place by a mysterious stranger, with promises of riches, fame, sex, romance – whatever it takes. But gradually, one by one, they succumb to a grizzly end at the hands of their mysterious host.
‘Ils étaient dix’, as it’s known in France, is great fun. It’s not fine art, it’s not Shakespeare – it’s silly, a bit scary and it certainly doesn’t take itself too seriously. It’s pure escapism – which is ironic, as escape is exactly what the characters want to do once they realise the gravity of the situation.
The characters are all unpleasant, and no-one is likely to shed a tear when they’re time is up. They’re cartoon-like – there’s not enough time here for expansive characterisations of all ten, as their life expectancy is limited anyway. But that’s not the point of a whodunnit. The characters are a sidebar; it’s all about the mystery, the plot, the puzzle. And it does that very well.
If you’re after a cosy evening in front of the box watching David Suchet or Joan Hickson, you are going to be sorely disappointed. But if you enjoy slasher movies – ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’, springs to mind – then you will be in your element.
Sophie Révil and Denis Carot, who produced the series, have history with Agatha Christie Limited having done nearly 50 episodes of ‘Les Petits Meurtres D’Agatha Christie’ for TF1 in France; so there’s trust and respect between both parties. The Christie camp would never allow anything to sully the reputation of the Queen of Mystery, so the fact that they’re happy to endorse this radically different adaptation speaks volumes.
Go in with an open mind. I suggest you don’t think of it as an Agatha Christie story at all, but rather a six-episode slasher series set on a remote island populated by some nasty pieces of work who get their comeuppance. It certainly shouldn’t trouble your little grey cells.
Walter Presents: ‘They Were Ten’ airs its first episode on Channel 4 on Monday 7th November at 11pm. The full series is now available on Walter Presents via All 4.
