Agatha Christie's Miss Marple is making a return – great-grandson confirms new drama

That last iteration concluded in 2013, with Pritchard revealing in an interview with Radio Times that he had spent part of the last decade attempting to get another take on the character off the ground.

Questioned on the recent competition from 'cosy crime' stories, ranging from The Thursday Murder Club to The Madame Blanc Mysteries and The Marlow Murder Club, Pritchard rejected the term – but conceded there is room for lightness in a detective story.

"I hate the phrase 'cosy crime' and I don't think it's what my great-grandmother wrote," he began, "but her books had humour and I don't think everything needs to be as dark as Sarah [Phelps, screenwriter] made it.

"[Towards Zero] is a little lighter and I can certainly see us doing more [in that style]."

Pritchard went on to tease that Miss Marple could be next on the agenda, ready to once again challenge Hercule Poirot for the title of Christie's greatest sleuth, but didn't offer details on who is developing the project.

"I couldn't be more excited," he said. "I've been trying to get something for Miss Marple off the ground for a very long time. For good reasons, Poirot has stolen her limelight since time began.

"I re-read all the Marple stories five years ago and I'd forgotten how good they were. Poirot has perhaps three or four of the all-time great Agatha Christies, but if you did a top 10, you'd get at least two or three Marples in there. She's underestimated."

Pritchard concluded by musing on his great-grandmother, who he credits for writing "a lot of strong women" – with Miss Marple being arguably the most famous of them all.

He added: "She was an extremely interesting woman, because part of her was very shy and retiring, but I think she was also a forceful person.

"She would claim not to have been a feminist, but she absolutely thought she was as powerful as any man who she came across. And that’s the kind of woman she wrote about."

Agatha Christie's Towards Zero premieres on Sunday 2nd March 2025 on BBC One and iPlayer.

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