Murder Is Easy screenwriter explains show's cinematic Easter eggs

She said: "Bridget’s car is a red version of Grace Kelly’s car in To Catch A Thief, which is one of the many cinematic Easter eggs through it.

"In the first episode, the hawk attack is a North By Northwest reference, obviously we have To Catch A Thief, Strangers on a Train.

"There’s more in the second half and then there’s other little jokes, like a lean joke about codeine because another one of the themes, keeping it current, is opiate addiction: 'Tommy Pearce is leaning like the tower of Pisa.'"

This adaptation of the classic Christie novel features a stacked ensemble cast, including David Jonsson, Morfydd Clark, Penelope Wilton, Sinead Matthews and Mathew Baynton, amongst others.

The two-part thriller was directed by Meenu Gaur (Zinda Bhaag, World on Fire), and was first announced in February of this year.

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This is the latest in a string of Christie adaptations to have debuted over the festive period, with years past seeing the arrivals of And Then There Were None, The Witness For The Prosecution and The ABC Murders.

It has formed a key part of this year's Christmas schedule on BBC One, which has also included specials for shows such as Doctor Who and Call the Midwife, with new series and films including Men Up and The Tourist season 2 still to come.

Murder Is Easy is coming to BBC iPlayer from 6am on 27 December, with episode one airing on BBC One later that evening and episode two the following night. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.

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