We love a good Agatha Christie adaptation and at last, the BBC is bringing us a new one to brighten up our evenings! Towards Zero is the latest novel to get the TV treatment and the sun-soaked drama is officially our new Sunday escape.
Set in 1936, the three-part drama follows Nevile Strange (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) and his ex-wife Audrey (Ella Lily Hyland) who, following a scandalous celebrity divorce, decide to spend a summer together at the coastal estate of Nevile's aunt, Lady Tressilian (played by Anjelica Huston). And let's just say, it's a rather eventful trip!
Here's everything you need to know ahead of the show's arrival this weekend...
What is Towards Zero about?
The adaptation of Agatha Christie's crime thriller takes place in England, 1936. As we mentioned, after a scandalous celebrity divorce, Nevile Strange and his ex-wife Audrey make the decision to spend a summer together at Gull’s Point, their childhood home and the coastal estate of Nevile's aunt, Lady Tressilian.
"With unfinished business between the former childhood sweethearts, plus the presence of Nevile’s new wife Kay, tensions are running high," reads the official synopsis.
"Add to this a long-suffering lady’s companion, a mysterious gentleman’s valet, an exiled cousin with a grudge, a venerable family lawyer, an inquisitive orphan and a French con man, and soon there will be murder."
Billed as "an explosive love triangle, a formidable matriarch and a house party of enemies. All compelled… Towards Zero" with sex, glamour and gore involved, we're expecting quite the scandalous series. And the good news is we don't have to wait long to watch it.
Who's starring in Towards Zero?
The trailer (see above) takes us to Saltcreek where we’re introduced to Lady Tressilian (Anjelica Huston), Inspector Leach (Matthew Rhys), family lawyer Mr Treves (Clarke Peters), British tennis star Nevile Strange (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) and the two ladies in his life: ex-wife Audrey (Ella Lily Hyland) and new wife Kay (Mimi Keene), lady’s companion Mary Aldin (Anjana Vasan), the estranged Thomas Royde (Jack Farthing), Nevile’s mysterious valet Mac (Adam Hugill), and Mr Treves’ ward Sylvia (Grace Doherty) .
Anjelica, who plays Lady Tressilian has shared her excitement about the project. "I've long been a fan of Agatha Christie and the murder-mystery genre and always love the opportunity to film in England," she says. "I am thrilled to be working with director Sam Yates and this wonderful cast, and excited to play the clever and dignified Camilla, Lady Tressilian."
Lindsay Salt, director of BBC Drama, says: "For a writer whose work remains globally famous yet quintessentially British, it feels incredibly fitting that Towards Zero has attracted such a dazzling array of UK talent on both sides of the camera, alongside some exciting international names and Hollywood royalty. It’s an honour to partner with Agatha Christie Limited and Mammoth Screen to bring this tense, surprising and magnetic new adaptation to BBC iPlayer and BBC One."
How can I watch Towards Zero?
The new series will be available in full on BBC iPlayer from 6am on Sunday 2nd March, with episodes airing weekly on BBC One from 9pm that night. In the meantime, you can catch up on Murder is Easy, which was one of the UK’s most watched dramas of 2023 across all channels and streamers, on BBC iPlayer.
