‘Very disappointed’ Agatha Christie Society slams ‘offensive’ F-words littering BBC adaptation of The Pale Horse
- Agatha Christie fans say the new BBC dramatisation is littered with expletives
- In the opening episode on Sunday, Mark Easterbrook tells a stranger to ‘f***k off’
- Members of the Agatha Christie Society have branded the language ‘offensive’
Agatha Christie fans have blasted the BBC’s new adaption of murder mystery novel The Pale Horse over the use of ‘offensive’ expletives in the script.
They say the new two-part dramatisation about a trio of witches suspected of murder, which aired on Sunday night, strays from the original story as it is littered with swear words.
In the opening episode of the two-part series, viewers were shocked when Mark Easterbrook, played by Rufus Sewell, tells a stranger to ‘f***k off’.
And in the latest episode, which concludes this week, further obscenities are dropped, including phrases such as ‘use a f***king ashtray you b**ch’, ‘I will pop your eyes out your f***king head’ and ‘f***king donkey’.
Agatha Christie fans have blasted the BBC’s new adaption of murder mystery novel The Pale Horse over the use of ‘offensive’ expletives in the script
Members of the Official Agatha Christie Appreciation Society branded the language ‘offensive’, claiming they are ‘very disappointed’ over the use of F-words.
Carol Daru, from the society, told the Daily Star: ‘It’s offensive and there is no need for it. I’m very disappointed whit the BBC.’
Christie did not use swear words in her 1961 novel, which is the author’s least known work set in 1961, the year it was written.
The TV drama has been penned by Sarah Phelps, who has faced criticism for her work adapting four of Christie’s works for previous BBC productions.
Viewers took to social media to share their shock over the use of obscenities after the series aired on Sunday.
One wrote: ‘No way did Agatha Christie have one her characters tell another one to F*** Off.’
In the opening episode of the two-part series, viewers were shocked when Mark Easterbrook, played by Rufus Sewell, tells a stranger to ‘f***k off’
Agatha Christie (pictured) did not use swear words in her 1961 novel, which is the author’s least known work set in 1961, the year it was written
Another asked: ‘Was ‘f*** off ‘ ever used by Agatha Christie?’
Elsewhere one viewer wrote: ‘I’m pretty sure Mark Easterbrook never told anybody to ‘f*** off!’ in the book!!!’
While one simply said: ‘You can’t say fuck in an Agatha Christie!’
The BBC has been in the dock over its latest adaptation, with purists blasting the BBC for ‘butchering’ another murder mystery.
They claim the dramatisation has changed the plot and sexed up the story, describing the dramatist as a ‘f***ing butcher’.
The Pale Horse, published in 1961 – a murder mystery that embraces black magic and is set in the sleepy village of Much Deeping – is regarded as Dame Agatha’s ‘scariest’ novel
The Pale Horse, published in 1961 – a murder mystery that embraces black magic and is set in the sleepy village of Much Deeping – is regarded as Dame Agatha’s ‘scariest’ novel.
The book begins with the murder of a priest called Father Gorman, who never appears in the TV version, while a central character played by Rufus Sewell is a twice-married womaniser with a dark secret on screen but is a bachelor in the novel.
In the TV drama Sewell’s character is involved in a sexual relationship with one of the killer’s victims. In the novel he and the woman never meet.
Phelps has also written out of the story Ariadne Oliver, one of Christie’s most popular recurring characters.
Viewers took to social media to share their shock over the use of obscenities after the series aired on Sunday