Poirot Star Set for ITV Doc

LONDON: British actor David Suchet, best known for his portrayal of Hercule Poirot, will take a trip on the Orient Express for a new ITV1 documentary that will be represented worldwide by ITV Global Entertainment.

Produced by ITV Studios, the one-hour special, tentatively titled David Suchet On the Orient Express, will see the actor boarding at London Victoria and journeying across the continent, meeting the train’s staff and mingling with his fellow passengers to experience the ups and downs of 1920s style luxury as 21st century travellers sacrifice speed and space for charm and elegance.  Archive material will be used to illustrate the history surrounding the Orient Express, from its inaugural ‘Express d’Orient’ journey across Europe on October 4th 1883. The film will also touch on the incident in 1929 that inspired Agatha Christie to write her classic Murder On the Orient Express, when the train was stuck in a snow drift for 10 days.

Alison Sharman, ITV’s director of factual and daytime, stated: "The program will transport the viewer through landscapes, timescapes and probe this ultimate escape from modern living. Who better to unravel the mystique and reveal the realities of the Orient Express than David Suchet."
 
Tobi de Graff, the director of global distribution at ITV Global Entertainment, added: “As the star of Poirot, David Suchet is celebrated and loved by fans in over 340 territories worldwide, so we’re thrilled to be announcing that this major new ITV Studios documentary commission will soon be available to the global audience.”