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New Hercule Poirot actor has been cast

Edward Bluemel is the new Hercule. The 33 year-old actor stars as Agatha Christie's iconic Belgian detective in a new drama titled Hercule, following Hercule Poirot's first cases in London before he becomes the world's most famous sleuth.

The series, coming to iPlayer and BBC One in the UK and BritBox in North America, is an intimate study of Hercule the man and an epic portrait of Britain between the wars. The series takes a magnifying glass to three of Christie's most celebrated stories, while also charting Hercule's burgeoning friendship with Captain Arthur Hastings, his early encounters with Scotland Yard's James Japp, and introducing him to one particular nemesis...

The six-part series is written by Benji Walters (Code of Silence, The Leopard, Obsession). Jonny Campbell (Am I Being Unreasonable?, Dracula, BAFTA winner for In The Flesh), will direct the first two episodes. Charlie Palmer (A Woman Of Substance, Extraordinary) is series producer.

James Prichard, executive producer for Agatha Christie Limited says: "My father had the privilege of working with David Suchet for nearly 25 years, and I now have the good fortune of being able to share my great grandmother's brilliant stories with a new generation of viewers. Edward Bluemel is an extremely talented performer and will make a great addition to the long line of actors that have played this celebrated character, aided and abetted by Benji Walters' thoughtful scripts. I cannot wait to see Edward on screen as Hercule Poirot."

Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama says: "Hercule Poirot is one of the greatest and most loved characters of all time, and bringing him back to the BBC is a real privilege. From the first moments of Edward's audition we knew we'd found the perfect actor for Hercule, with a performance that feels both fresh and exciting, yet quintessentially Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot. We can't wait for viewers to meet him."

Filming will begin this summer, primarily in Liverpool.

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