Death on the Nile

By: Agatha Christie

Narrated by: John Moffatt

John Moffatt stars as the famous Belgian detective in this BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation of one of Christie's most popular novels.

Linnet Ridgeway has led a charmed life. Blessed with beauty, enormous wealth, and a devoted husband, she has everything anyone could wish for. But as the happy couple set out on an idyllic honeymoon cruise on the Nile, storm clouds are gathering....

Linnet's former friend, Jacqueline de Bellefort, follows her and Simon wherever they go, and Linnet senses she is in danger. At first, her fears seem groundless. But an attempt is made first on her life and then on her husband's. Eventually, the killer is successful, and Linnet is found horribly murdered. With an obvious suspect who cannot possibly have committed the crime, it is up to Hercule Poirot to probe the depths of a remarkable criminal mind and discover the dark secret behind what is only the first in a series of inexplicable deaths.

©1937 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)1937 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Fun musical play

This is like listening to old time radio story. Great artists and sounds to set the play. It is quite the enjoyable short listen. 🙂

my favorite story for years.

audible is such great addition to our days here in the desert.just listen.and relax .peaceful .

fun abridged production of a classic

This is an excellent radio play adaptation of a Christie classic. I found it fun and absorbing, as did my teenager. The cast was wonderful and the humor was evident. My only concern is in the shortened adaptation it was bit harder to follow, and it helped that I had read the original.

Good, could have been better

Good story, but a little longer than actually needed. The actual story has lot of build up, but the overall feel once you discover the truth is great. The final ending could have been better though.

Decent, but inferior to the book

The performance of the radio play was better than I thought it might be, but it was definitely less enjoyable than listening to the unabridged novel.

Due to the time constraints of being a radio program, it sometimes jumps into a scene for just a line or two and then switches away from it. At times, it feels like the story had constantly been cut and cut until it fit into the allotted time. Then someone figures out that some bits needed to be added for it all to make sense, so some more gets cut and truncated bits of what had been previously cut are added back in.

The plot was essentially the same as the novel and held true to the essence of the story. Maybe sticking too close to the novel was the problem? Parts could have been condensed and alternate ways of presenting things would have made it flow better with fewer short scenes, but then the purists probably would have been unhappy with the result. That's always the balancing act when adapting a story from one medium into another.

Overall, the result is pleasant enough, but I know I won't be getting any more of the BBC adaptations of Christie's novels since I prefer the longer, more nuanced listen. However, if you're looking for a shorter listen than the novels and enjoy radio plays then this and the other BBC adaptations might be for you.