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THE
HOLLOW* NEW
Monday 30 August
9:00PM to 11:00PM
David
Suchet returns as Hercule Poirot, Agatha Christie’s famous
Belgian detective, in The Hollow – a stunning new two-hour
film for ITV1.
Poirot
arrives at his country cottage to discover a dinner invitation
from his neighbour Lady Lucy Angkatell (Sarah Miles): Saturday
night at The Hollow. This is part of the weekend’s entertainment
for Lucy’s house guests, all of whom loathe each other.
John
Christow (Jonathan Cake), a handsome and charismatic doctor,
is there with his plain and docile wife, Gerda (Claire Price).
John has a mistress - Henrietta (Megan Dodds), a beautiful
vibrant young artist and member of the Angkatell clan.
The
charming but slightly batty Lady Angkatell is doing her best
to set up Henrietta with Edward Angkatell (Jamie De Courcey),
to ensure an heir for the Angkatell family estate. But in
comparison to John Christow, Edward appears pale and inadequate
and Henrietta, although fond of Edward since childhood, can
only repeatedly turn down his marriage proposals. Midge (Caroline
Martin) watches on sadly. She has been in love with Edward
for as long as he has been in love with Henrietta.
Dramatically,
that evening, the garden doors open and the famous Hollywood
actress Veronica Cray (Lysette Anthony) descends on the party
with the pretence of needing matches. She spots John with
surprise and greets him. At one time, they were engaged, and
now she demands John escort her home so they can catch up
on old times. He bashfully obliges and it does not take long
before they are making love in the swimming pool pavilion.
In the early hours he returns and unknown to him is watched
by Henrietta.
The
following morning a note summons John to Veronica’s cottage.
She imagines they will now be together for always. John disappoints
and rejects her, and as he leaves she hurls an ornament at
him, screaming her hatred.
Poirot
arrives for lunch-time drinks and, having noticed the family’s
love of games, is annoyed to find a murder tableau arranged
around the swimming pool. Gerda stands over John’s bleeding
body holding a gun while the rest of the family appears from
different paths leading to the pool. Blood seeps into the
pool and Poirot suddenly realises that it is actually real.
John moans Henrietta’s name and dies. Poirot takes control
but not before Henrietta removes the gun from Gerda, accidentally
dropping it into the pool.
The
police begin their enquiries. It seems obvious that Gerda
did it, but she claims her innocence. Could it all be a set
up? Sir Henry asks Poirot to do his own investigating. Everyone
has his or her own motives for killing John.
But
nothing seems to add up. Henrietta admits to having an affair
with John and Poirot has evidence that she was in the pavilion
on the fateful morning. Lady Angkatell had been wandering
around with a loaded gun in her basket of eggs. Then the gun
which Gerda was holding turns out not to be the gun from which
the fatal shot was fired. So where is the actual gun? Poirot
begins to feel that someone is playing games with him and
draws on all his expertise to expose the truth.
The
Hollow is written by Nick Dear and produced by Margaret Mitchell.
It is directed by Simon Langton. Michele Buck, Damien Timmer,
Phil Clymer and Delia Fine are executive producers, and David
Suchet is associate producer.
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