She is the icon, the demandingly gorgeous superstar who can command a room just by walking through it. The movie star, Arlena Stuart now Marshall after her recent marriage, is perfectly played by Diana Rigg. It’s Hercule Poirot at his finest too, in full holiday mode and sipping cocktails whilst analysing his fellow guests’ every move.

This is Agatha Christie at her best, an island populated by the good, the bad and the suspicious, there’s a death and everyone has a motive. The 1982 version of Evil Under the Sun is one of the best adaptations of her novels. I find it almost impossible to talk about adaptations without giving something away so please don’t continue if you haven’t read the book or seen the films. Poster for 1982 Guy Hamilton Evil Under the SunĪs usual I will begin with a ***SPOILER*** alert. She embodies the character Agatha Christie wrote. How very fortunate we are to have her as Arlena Stuart forever. I had considered not putting this out but I thought it might serve as my small tribute to her in one of her most iconic roles and one loved so very much by Agatha Christie fans. This column is all about Agatha Christie adaptations and I had begun work on writing about Evil under the Sun when the sad news broke that Dame Diana Rigg had sadly passed away. She was both Emma Peel and James Bond’s on screen wife. She had an inherently intelligent, astute nature that meant she could play in Shakespeare, The Worst Witch and Game of Thrones with equal grace, intellect and a truly beguiling screen presence. Not just beautiful but immensely talented, with an effortless glamour that was magnetic. It was a huge sadness to hear of the death of Dame Diana Rigg – a glorious actress in so many ways. Dame Diana Rigg as Arlena Stuart in Evil Under the Sun

Evil under the sun david suchet