September 13, 2016
On this day in 1890, record-breaking novelist Agatha Christie was born. And, of course, the writer was the focus of the fantastic 2008 episode, The Unicorn and the Wasp.
Written by Gareth Roberts (who also penned the wonderful The Shakespeare Code, Planet of the Dead, The Lodger, Closing Time and The Caretaker), the story starred actress Fenella Woolgar as Agatha Christie alongside The Tenth Doctor (David Tennant) and Donna Noble (Catherine Tate) as they investigated strange goings-on in the English countryside.
David Tennant and Catherine Tate return for audio adventures.
The Unicorn and the Wasp includes a number of references and mentions to her short stories and novels. See if you spotted all the nods below (quote from the episode followed by Christie title):
Donna Noble: “Hold on, the body in the library?”
The Body in the Library
Donna Noble: “Next thing you know, you'll be telling me it's like Murder On The Orient Express, and they all did it.”
Murder on the Orient Express
Agatha Christie: “No alibis for any of them. The secret adversary remains hidden.”
The Secret Adversary
The Doctor: “What's that first letter? N or M?”
N or M?
Agatha Christie: “We're still no further forward. Our nemesis remains at large.”
Nemesis (This was also the title of the accompanying Doctor Who Confidential episode.)
Mrs Hart: “A murder? That's put the cat among the pigeons and no mistake.”
Cat Among the Pigeons
Miss Chandrakala: “A dead man's folly, nothing more.”
Dead Man's Folly
Agatha Christie: “It's a trick. They do it with mirrors.”
They Do It with Mirrors
Lady Eddison: “She never found me. She had an appointment with death instead.”
Appointment with Death
Colonel Hugh Curbishley: “Heavens’ sake, cards on the table, woman.”
Cards on the Table
Agatha Christie: “It's cyanide, sparkling cyanide.”
Sparkling Cyanide
The Doctor: “I’ve called you here on this endless night, because we have a murderer in our midst.”
Endless Night
Agatha Christie: “This is a crooked house. A house of secrets.”
Crooked House
Lady Eddison: “The river Jumna rose up and broke its banks. He was taken at the flood.”
Taken at the Flood
The Doctor: “The moving finger points at you, Lady Eddison.”
The Moving Finger
Agatha Christie: “Death comes as the end, and justice is served.”
Death Comes as the End
Professor Peach: “It's unbelievable. But why didn't they ask? Heavens!”
Why Didn't They Ask Evans?
The Doctor: “Murder at the vicar's rage. Needs a bit of work.”
The Murder at the Vicarage
And for the eagle-eyed, there’s: a vase of the flowers are seen on a table (Yellow Iris); editions of the books, Death in the Clouds and The Murder of Roger Ackroyd are seen; and, finally, there’s The Man in the Brown Suit, as worn by Tennant himself!
