New Agatha Christie adaptation Towards Zero is now available to stream in full on BBC iPlayer, and it follows a love triangle between three characters - Nevile (Oliver Jackson-Cohen), Audrey (Ella Lily Hyland) and Kay (Mimi Keene).
Ad
The series takes place after Nevile and his ex-wife Audrey have gotten divorced, and Nevile has married new wife Kay.
However, the trio all end up spending a summer together at Gull’s Point, which is the home were Nevile and Audrey were raised together.
Hyland has spoken about the relationship between Nevile and Audrey in the show, explaining: "Audrey moved to Gull’s Point when she was a kid because she was an orphan. Her and Nevile were together from a really early age – a sibling relationship that turned into something romantic.
"We meet Audrey as she’s filed for divorce from her marriage with Nevile. She’s very much a woman wronged. I think she’s in pursuit of her freedom because they have a very toxic, twisted, exhausting relationship dynamic."
Oliver Jackson-Cohen as Nevile Strange and Ella Lily Hyland as Audrey Strange. Mammoth Screen/James Pardon
"They grew up together and are very dependent on each other," Hyland continued. "It’s quite childlike. I think something was stunted when they were growing up – they were probably running amuck playing lady and lord of the manor.
"There’s a veneer of sophistication, but underneath there’s a very childish need.
"They know each other so deeply, so they almost try to predict the move the other person makes. That’s a part of their intimacy. They don’t have boundaries, they never learnt boundaries as kids, so it gets quite dangerous as adults because they don’t know when to stop.
"It’s an insatiable need to win and beat each other. Or win each other! That’s what drives them apart, that’s the push and pull."
Alongside Jackson-Cohen, Hyland and Keene, the series also stars Anjelica Huston, Anjana Vasan, Clarke Peters, Jack Farthing and Matthew Rhys.
Speaking about the series, screenwriter Rachel Bennette said she had to "reconceive a couple of the characters", and in particular to change the characters of Nevile and Audrey "and the nature of their relationship".
"Audrey especially is a very hidden character in the book, which was impossible to sustain over the three episodes," Bennette said. "But she remains as powerfully charismatic as she is in the book, albeit of a very different stripe."
Agatha Christie's Towards Zero is available to stream in full on BBC iPlayer now.
James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
