Sarah Phelps

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Sarah Phelps is a British television screenwriter, radio writer, playwright and television producer. She is best known for her work on EastEnders , a number of BBC serial adaptations including Agatha Christie's The Witness For the Prosecution , And Then There Were None , Ordeal by Innocence , The ABC Murders and The Pale Horse; Charles Dickens's Great Expectations and Oliver Twist ; and J. K. Rowling's The Casual Vacancy , [1] as well as work with the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Contents

Career

Phelps has written over 90 episodes of EastEnders, including the return of Den Watts and his final demise, less than two years later. She wrote the screenplay for the BBC's 2011 Christmas costume drama adaptation Great Expectations [2] and the World War One drama series The Crimson Field . The show was cancelled after one series due to middling ratings. [3]

In 2015, she wrote a television adaptation of J. K. Rowling's The Casual Vacancy . [4] In 2020, BBC One commissioned Phelps to write and produce The Sixth Commandment, a four part factual drama about the deaths of Peter Farquhar and Ann Moore-Martin, which began to air on BBC One on 17 July 2023. [5] In March 2024, the series was nominated in the Best Limited Drama category at the 2024 British Academy Television Awards, and won. [6]

Christie adaptations

In 2015, Phelps's adaptation of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None was broadcast. [7] Reviewing it for The Daily Telegraph , Tim Martin found that, "The final episode of this bloody adaptation by Sarah Phelps did splendid justice to Christie's lightless universe, presenting an isolated mansion full of leaking corpses, in which the characters – quite understandably – freaked out in ways that no previous adaptation has countenanced." [8]

In 2016 The Witness For the Prosecution went to air, with a script based on the original short story rather than the later play on which other screen adaptations have been based.

In April 2018, another of Agatha Christie's novels adapted by Phelps was broadcast on BBC One. Ordeal by Innocence had been pulled from the Christmas scheduling on BBC One after one of the leading actors in the drama miniseries was accused of sexual assault. The programme was re-shot with a new actor, Christian Cooke, replacing Ed Westwick. [9]

In June 2018 it was announced that the BBC were filming a Phelps adaptation of Agatha Christie's ABC Murders starring John Malkovich as Hercule Poirot. [10]

In June 2019 it was announced that Phelps would write an adaptation of The Pale Horse . [11]

Filmography

YearTitleEpisode(s)Broadcaster
2002–2016 EastEnders 94 episodes BBC One
2003 Spine Chillers 1 episode BBC Three
2003 2006No Angels3 episodes Channel 4
2006 Goldplated 1 episodeChannel 4
2007 Oliver Twist Miniseries, 5 episodesBBC One
2007–2008 HolbyBlue 3 episodesBBC One
2011 Being Human 1 episodeBBC Three
2011 Camelot 1 episode Starz
2011 Great Expectations Miniseries, 3 episodesBBC One
2012 Falcón 2 episodes Sky Atlantic
2014 The Crimson Field Creator, 6 episodesBBC One
2015 The Casual Vacancy Miniseries, 3 episodesBBC One
2015 And Then There Were None Miniseries, 3 episodesBBC One
2015–2016 Dickensian 5 episodesBBC One
2016–2017 Hooten & the Lady Co-creator 8 episodes, wrote 1 episode Sky 1
2016 The Witness for the Prosecution Miniseries, 2 episodesBBC One
2017 The White Princess 1 episodeStarz
2018 Ordeal by Innocence Miniseries, 3 episodesBBC One
2018 The ABC Murders Miniseries, 3 episodesBBC One
2019 Dublin Murders Miniseries, 8 episodesBBC One/Starz
2020 The Pale Horse Miniseries, 2 episodesBBC One
2021 A Very British Scandal Miniseries, 3 episodesBBC One
2023 The Sixth Commandment Miniseries, 4 episodesBBC One
TBADaughter [12] ITV

Other work

Phelps's radio work includes Vital Signs II, Cardamom, The Collected Works of Billy the Kid and The Compass Rose: A Tattoo Lexicon. Phelps also wrote for the World Service Soap opera Westway before joining the BBC in 2002. Her theatre projects include Tube, Angela Carter, The Subtle Art of Boiling Lobsters, Amaretti Angels and Modern Dance for Beginners . [13]

Related Research Articles

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Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, was a British author known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictional detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. She also wrote the world's longest-running play, the murder mystery The Mousetrap, which has been performed in the West End of London since 1952. A writer during the "Golden Age of Detective Fiction", Christie has been called the "Queen of Crime"—a moniker which is now trademarked by her estate—or the "Queen of Mystery". She also wrote six novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott. In 1971, she was made a Dame (DBE) by Queen Elizabeth II for her contributions to literature. Guinness World Records lists Christie as the best-selling fiction writer of all time, her novels having sold more than two billion copies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hercule Poirot</span> Fictional detective character created by Agatha Christie

Hercule Poirot is a fictional Belgian detective created by British writer Agatha Christie. Poirot is one of Christie's most famous and long-running characters, appearing in 33 novels, two plays, and 51 short stories published between 1920 and 1975.

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<i>Agatha Christies Poirot</i> British television detective series (1989–2013)

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<i>The A.B.C. Murders</i> 1936 Poirot novel by Agatha Christie

The A.B.C. Murders is a work of detective fiction by British writer Agatha Christie, featuring her characters Hercule Poirot, Arthur Hastings and Chief Inspector Japp, as they contend with a series of killings by a mysterious murderer known only as "A.B.C.". The book was first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club on 6 January 1936, sold for seven shillings and sixpence (7/6) while a US edition, published by Dodd, Mead and Company on 14 February of the same year, was priced $2.00.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arthur Hastings</span> Only close friend of Hercule Poirot, the fictional detective of Agatha Christie

Captain Arthur J. M. Hastings, OBE, is a fictional character created by Agatha Christie as the companion-chronicler and best friend of the Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. He is first introduced in Christie's 1920 novel The Mysterious Affair at Styles and appears as a character in seven other Poirot novels, including the final one Curtain: Poirot's Last Case (1975), along with a play and many short stories. He is also the narrator of several of them.

Ariadne Oliver is a fictional character in the novels of Agatha Christie. She is a crime fiction novelist, the creator of the fictional Finnish detective Sven Hjerson, and a friend of Hercule Poirot.

<i>Evil Under the Sun</i> 1941 Poirot novel by Agatha Christie

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<i>Appointment with Death</i> 1938 Poirot novel by Agatha Christie

Appointment with Death is a work of detective fiction by British writer Agatha Christie, first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club on 2 May 1938 and in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company later in the same year. The UK edition retailed at seven shillings and sixpence (7/6) and the US edition at $2.00.

<i>Hercule Poirots Christmas</i> 1938 Poirot novel by Agatha Christie

Hercule Poirot's Christmas is a work of detective fiction by British writer Agatha Christie, first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club on 19 December 1938. It retailed at seven shillings and sixpence (7/6).

<i>Ordeal by Innocence</i> 1958 novel by Agatha Christie

Ordeal by Innocence is a work of detective fiction by British writer Agatha Christie, first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club on 3 November 1958 and in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company the following year. The UK edition retailed at twelve shillings and sixpence (12/6) and the US edition at $2.95.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agatha Christie bibliography</span>

Agatha Christie (1890–1976) was an English crime novelist, short-story writer and playwright. Her reputation rests on 66 detective novels and 15 short-story collections that have sold over two billion copies, an amount surpassed only by the Bible and the works of William Shakespeare. She is also the most translated individual author in the world with her books having been translated into more than 100 languages. Her works contain several regular characters with whom the public became familiar, including Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple, Tommy and Tuppence Beresford, Parker Pyne and Harley Quin. Christie wrote more Poirot stories than any of the others, even though she thought the character to be "rather insufferable". Following the publication of the 1975 novel Curtain, Poirot's obituary appeared on the front page of The New York Times.

<i>And Then There Were None</i> (TV series) 2015 British television series

And Then There Were None is a 2015 mystery thriller television series that was first broadcast on BBC One from 26 to 28 December 2015. The three-part programme was adapted by Sarah Phelps and directed by Craig Viveiros and is based on Agatha Christie's 1939 novel of the same name. The series features an ensemble cast, including Douglas Booth, Charles Dance, Maeve Dermody, Burn Gorman, Anna Maxwell Martin, Sam Neill, Miranda Richardson, Toby Stephens, Noah Taylor, and Aidan Turner. The programme follows a group of strangers who are invited to an isolated island where they are murdered one by one for their past crimes.

<i>The Casual Vacancy</i> (miniseries) TV miniseries

The Casual Vacancy is a 2015 British miniseries based on the 2012 novel of the same title by J. K. Rowling. Directed by Jonny Campbell and written by Sarah Phelps, the series premiered on 15 February 2015 on BBC One in the United Kingdom and on 29 April 2015 on HBO in the United States.

Lists of adaptations of the works of Agatha Christie:

<i>Ordeal by Innocence</i> (TV series) TV series

Ordeal by Innocence is a three-part television drama series that was first broadcast in April 2018 on BBC One. It is based on the Agatha Christie novel of the same name and is the third English-language filmed version to be broadcast. The drama stars Morven Christie, Bill Nighy, Anna Chancellor, Alice Eve and Eleanor Tomlinson amongst others.

<i>The ABC Murders</i> (TV series) Television series

The ABC Murders is a 2018 mystery thriller television serial loosely based on Agatha Christie's 1936 novel of the same name. It was broadcast over three consecutive nights beginning on 26 December 2018 on BBC One. It was adapted by Sarah Phelps and directed by Alex Gabassi. It stars John Malkovich as Hercule Poirot, with Rupert Grint, Andrew Buchan, Tara Fitzgerald and Shirley Henderson.

<i>The Pale Horse</i> (TV series) 2020 UK television series

The Pale Horse is a British mystery television miniseries broadcast as two episodes in 2020. Written by Sarah Phelps, the serial is loosely based on Agatha Christie's novel of the same name. It is Phelps' fifth adaptation of a Christie work for the BBC. Directed by Leonora Lonsdale, it stars Rufus Sewell and Kaya Scodelario.

Hercule Poirot is a series of full cast BBC Radio drama adaptations of Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot novels and short stories adapted by Michael Bakewell, broadcast on BBC Radio 4 between 1985 and 2007. With the exception of the first two adaptations, the series stars John Moffatt as Poirot.

References

  1. ↑ "10 Questions for Screenwriter Sarah Phelps". theartsdesk.com. 4 April 2014. Retrieved 23 March 2017.
  2. ↑ "Great Expectations meets BBC's high hopes thanks to young actor Douglas Booth". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 23 March 2017.
  3. ↑ "The Crimson Field axed by BBC, 'gutted' writer Sarah Phelps confirms". The Independent. 11 June 2014. Retrieved 23 March 2017.
  4. ↑ "Sarah Phelps, interview for the Casual Vacancy: 'JK Rowling and I saw eye to eye'". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 23 March 2017.
  5. ↑ "BBC One commissions factual drama the Sixth Commandment (W/T), from writer Sarah Phelps".
  6. ↑ "Sixth Commandment, Top Boy bag two Baftas". 12 May 2024.
  7. ↑ "And Then There Were None - BBC One". BBC. Retrieved 23 March 2017.
  8. ↑ "And Then There Were None, episode three, review: 'a class act'". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 23 March 2017.
  9. ↑ Billen, Andrew (31 March 2018). "Ordeal by Innocence: the Christie Mystery that almost got away". The Times. No. 72497. Saturday Review. pp. 4–5. ISSN   0140-0460.
  10. ↑ "BBC - First-look image of John Malkovich as Hercule Poirot in BBC One's The ABC Murders - Media Centre". www.bbc.co.uk.
  11. ↑ "BBC One announces new Agatha Christie thriller the Pale Horse". 24 June 2019.
  12. ↑ "Sixth Commandment writer announces intriguing new ITV thriller Daughter".
  13. ↑ "Sarah Phelps profile". unitedagents.co.uk. Retrieved 23 March 2017.
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