David Suchet’s appearance at the Royal Hall celebrated his iconic portrayal of Poirot.
Having played Hercule Poirot for 25 years, David has now completed 70 television adaptations.
The actor has appeared in every Christie story ever written for Poirot.
Sharon Canavar, CEO of Harrogate International Festivals, said:
It’s considered one of the most remarkable achievements in recent British television history. No one could have guessed he would complete the entire oeuvre of whodunits featuring the Belgian detective. It’s a defining role for Suchet’s career and the actor has helped make Poirot an international icon, so it’s a huge honour for Harrogate to host this event.
Agatha Christie famously disappeared in 1926 sparking a national manhunt for fears over her safety, only to be found at Harrogate’s Old Swan Hotel, now home to the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, the biggest event of its kind in Europe.
David Suchet’s exclusive Harrogate appearance is sponsored by Theakstons.
Executive Director of T&R Theakston, Simon Theakston, said:
We were delighted to support Harrogate International Festivals with this exciting evening celebrating the great Agatha Christie, and the remarkable David Suchet. We strongly believe business should support the Arts to ensure Yorkshire is a vibrant home to unique events across the year, enhancing the local offering for the local community and beyond.
Christie’s popularity is such that that sales of her books have not only surpassed that of any other mystery writer, but of all other writers of any genre. According to the Guinness Book of World Records over 2 billion copies of her books have sold and her works have been translated into more than 100 languages. Only the Christian Bible has outstripped her in readership.[sam id=”4″ codes=”true”]
David Suchet said:
Agatha Christie’s fastidious little Belgian detective had been part of my life for almost a quarter of a century. I’ve played him in more than a hundred hours of television over twenty-five years. He was as real to me as he had been to her: a great detective, a remarkable man. He had inhabited my life every bit as much as he must have done hers as she wrote thirty-three novels, more than fifty short stories and a play about him, making Poirot one of the most famous fictional detectives in the world, alongside Sherlock Holmes.
Simon Theakston added:
Harrogate has a unique link to the world’s most famous crime author, and Theakstons are very proud to work with Harrogate International Festivals to put Harrogate on the map, building on this remarkable literary legacy.
