Review: Agatha Christie: THE LOST PLAYS - Audio book

• source: Audible
• Narrated by: full cast, Ivan Brandt, Richard Williams
• Length: 2 hrs and 30 mins 
• Radio/TV Program

Synopsis (Audible) 

A triple bill of archive BBC radio dramas, believed lost for over half a century and only recently rediscovered. "Butter in a Lordly Dish", written specially for radio in 1948, features Richard Williams as Sir Luke Enderby KC, whose infidelities lead him into trouble when he goes to meet his latest flame.

Williams also stars as Hercule Poirot in "Murder in the Mews", a 1955 adaptation of a short story. A young woman is found dead in her flat the day after Guy Fawkes night. Did she die by her own hand or someone else's?

In "Personal Call", also written specially for radio by Agatha Christie, a disturbing telephone call from a woman named Fay has consequences for both Richard Brent and his wife, Pam. This 1960 production stars Ivan Brandt and Barbara Lott.

My Take

I had already read Murder in the Mews as a short story, but had never heard of the other two plays. In both cases the plot was a predictable, although Personal Call has elements of the paranormal about it. These BBC radio dramas were aimed at 30 minute time slots.

This audio book also contains an interview with Agatha Christie about her writing strategies, and then another with one of the cast of The Mouse Trap.

I think what was unusual about this particular production is that two of the plays were actually written by Christie as plays, not short stories. Other BBC radio plays were actually dramatisations, not by Christie herself, of short stories. In the interview she says that she enjoyed writing plays, and disliked trying to dramatise her short stories.

My rating: 4.0

I listened to these in conjunction with the Agatha Christie Reading Challenge.