The Murder of Roger Ackroyd

by Michael Bakewell (Adapter), Agatha Christie, John Moffatt (Narrator)

A BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatization starring John Moffatt as Hercule Poirot

Mrs. Farrars is found dead of an apparent overdose one year after the death of her husband. The villagers of King s Abbot are suspicious. The rumor is that she poisoned her husband and was in love with Roger Ackroyd. When he is found murdered the following day, there is little to go on. Luckily one of the newest residents who has retired to this normally quiet village is none other than Monsieur Hercule Poirot."

Genres: Mystery, Audiobook, Crime, Fiction, Agatha Christie, Classics, Plays

2 pages, Audible Audio

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

Michael Bakewell (7 June 1931 – 11 July 2023) was a British radio and television producer and radio playwright.

His work included adapting The Lord of the Rings (with Brian Sibley) into a 1981 radio series for the BBC and a series of 27 adaptations of Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot stories broadcast between 1985 and 2007 by BBC Radio 4.

He was born in Birmingham, England. After graduating from Cambridge in 1954, he was recruited by the BBC's Third Programme. He became the first Head of Plays at the BBC in the 1960s.

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is one of Christie's more well-known books, and I think if you're already a fan of the book, you'll enjoy this.



I've already reviewed the book itself, so this is just for the BBC full-cast production.
The voice actors bring this story to life in a well-done radio play that includes sound effects and music. Everything remains faithful to the original, but it's all condensed, so you don't really get the buildup to the big reveal that you normally would. In other words, this isn't a substitute for the book, but more like a companion piece for those who have already read it.

Recommended.

[Tuesdayschild · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m not a huge fan of the narrator being the one hoodwinking everyone: well dramatised so that helps this edition earn itself stars.

[sabisteb aka callisto · Rating 3 out of 5]

Poirot hat sich (mal wieder) zur Ruhe gesetzt und versucht es mit ruhigem Landleben. Dazu hat er sich ein Höuschen in einem Kaff namens King’s Abbott gekauft. Aber selbst da wird er von seiner Profession eingeholt. Die reiche Witwe Mrs. Ferrars, stirbt. Zunächst hält man es für Selbstmord, bis der Witwer Roger Ackroyd, der Mrs. Ferrars heiraten, ermordet wird. Die Liste der Verdächtigen ist sehr lang:
Roger Ackroyds hochverschuldete Schägerin und ihre Tochter Flora.
Der Großwildjäger Major Blunt
Ackroyds Sekretär Geoffrey Raymond
Ackroyds verschuldeter Stiefsohn Ralph
Der Butler
Das Hausmädchen Ursula Bourne
Poirot wird von Flora, Ralphs Verlobten, darum gebeten den Fall zu untersuchen.

Dieser Kriminalroman ist angeblich Agatha Christies bekanntester Kriminalroman und gilt aus vielen Gründen als Agatha Christies Meisterwerk. Zum einen wohl, wegen seines wirklich überraschenden Schlusses und der Erfindung der Stilistischen Form des “unreliable narrator” auch wenn dieser Begriff erst 1961 tatsächlich geprägt wird, während dieser Krimi bereits 1926 erschienen ist.
Es mag sein, dass dieser Krimi ein Meisterwerk ist, mich hingegen stört, dass der Hauptbeweis bis nach dem Showdown zurückgehalten ist und wie ein Deus Ex Machina von Poirot aus dem Ärmle gezaubert wird. Mich stört, dass hier alles Mögliche ermittelt wird, diverse Vorkommnisse geklärt werden, aber es in den Ermittlungen letztendlich nicht um den eigentlichen Fall, den Mord geht. Mir sind da zu viele zufällige Ereignisse, zu konfus aufgebaut und daher ist das für mich der bisher schlechteste Miss Marple Fall. Vielleicht liegt das gar nicht an der Geschichte selber, vielleicht ist die Umsetzung des Hörspiels der verzwickten Geschichte einfach nicht gewachsen, ich weiß es nicht. Ich konnte vielen der Dinge nicht wirklich 100% folgen und sie komplett nachvollziehen, möglicherweise wurden dafür Dinge, die wichtig für das Verständnis sind, für das Hörspiel gekürzt, das wäre nicht das erste Mal.

Das Hörspiel stammt aus dem November 1987 und erneut spricht John Moffat Hercule Poirot, der für mich einzig wahre Sprecher dieser Rolle, nur leider ist er mittlerweile verstorben. Maurice Denham kann ihm einfach nicht das Wasser reichen, irgendetwas fehlt. Wie immer sind die Sprecher durchweg sehr gut, keiner fällt unangenehm auf, auch wenn diesmal durchaus einige Stimmen so ähnlich sind, dass man sie nur schwer unterscheiden kann.

Fazit: Auch wenn der Roman ein Meilenstein der (Kriminal-)Literatur sein mag, die Umsetzung als Hörspiel ist (möglicherweise aufgrund ungeschickter Kürzungen) nicht wirklich gelungen.

[Amanda Trumpower · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful radio play experience with sound effects and an excellent cast. Part of me is always sad to lose content in a condensed version, but the 1.5 hour run time makes this a good pick for a day trip in the car.

[Tuti · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have not read the original book as frequently as some other Hercule Poirot's books, so it was a bit difficult to follow in such a short format. I couldn't really tell which character was which. I did remember who did commit the murder and it was explained fairly well, so the ending did not feel too confusing.

[Isabella ⸙ · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.5 stars)

As someone who's read (and enjoyed) the novel, I must say that this doesn't quite capture what makes the original so good. Judging the radio play on its own merit, however, it's not bad; I enjoyed it but not as much as the others.

[JCS · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always entertaining, this Agatha Christie Murder mystery kept me guessing. A great cast too.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice version with a full cast of actors.

[Gregory Schiller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Listened to this on audio book and enjoyed it almost as much as the first time I read the book. Still (tied with "And Then There Were None" as) my favourite Agatha Christie!

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well done radio play.

[Monique Lebrocq · Rating 3 out of 5]

A radio stage
adaption of a classic book.
Agatha’s the bomb!

[Adhit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Baru pertama ini denger drama radio, dan hasilnya menyenangkan, ceritanya sendiri belum pernah saya baca. Namun setelah mendengar, suatu saat saya akan coba baca bukunya.

[Sadie Clark · Rating 2 out of 5]

I knew it was the narrator from the beginning

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

52 Book Club 2024 Summer Reading Challenge- Prompt: A Strong Opening Hook (BRONZE)

[Ariel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I always love a good mystery, especially from the perspective of Hercule Poirot.

[Richard Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Regularly voted as the greatest whodunit of all time, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is Dame Christie at her cleverest. The cast, especially Moffat as Poirot is impeccable.

[A.M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mrs Ferrars is found dead one year after the death of her husband. The local doctor’s sister suggests it was suicide from guilt after she poisoned her husband. Dr Sheppard scoffs, but later his friend Roger Ackroyd confirms it. He wanted to marry her and she had asked for a year of mourning. He also says she was being blackmailed and it finally got too much for her.
Later that night, Roger is found stabbed when the doctor gets a call ostensibly from his house. But Parker the butler made no such call.
Poirot has retired and lives next door to the doctor who is the narrator for this story. He is asked to investigate by the dead man’s niece, Flora.
***
Flawless. I mean… how does she do it?
Often voted the best crime novel ever. Understandably so. It flipped a whole lot of genre tropes.
5 stars

[starduest · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to the BBC full cast version and I wonder if my enjoyment of it was watered down precisely because it's an abridged version of the original. You know with any mystery novels that there're twists and turns, and even more so with a Christie novel. The few of her mysteries I've read have all followed a similar template, which is not a criticism, but it does mean that you anticipate that there're several suspects, the most guilty-looking person is usually innocent and the most seemingly innocent one is probably the murderer - and this one is no different.

[Tricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This may be a case where the BBC production detracted from my opinion of the story. The production values seemed lower than some of the others (definitely compared to the Mesopotamia I just finished!) and some of the actors sounded wooden. Summaries of the actual novel imply it was ground-breaking -- or at least in establishing Christie's reputation. I didn't get that feeling from the adaptation.

[Bayneeta · Rating 4 out of 5]

I used this title for a Mystery Book Discussion group that Addison just started this summer. This was the fourth Hecule Poirot mystery. I prefer Miss Marple, but this was very good. It will keep you guessing.

[Debra · Rating 5 out of 5]

that one totally blew me away, the BBC drama's are a bit hard to get used to they seem to go into sound affects a tad more then our radio stories used to but at least its really easy to understand them

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poirot's hopes of a quaint little village retirement are thwarted by, of course, murder in this classic Christie puzzle. John Woodvine's dulcet tones as our steadfast second fiddle contribute a special glow - and a twist - to this tale of murder, suicide and secrets.

[Stephanie Ricker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Candy. These are like candy, and I love them.

[Leeann · Rating 4 out of 5]

The ending comes out of nowhere, but not in an unbelievable sense. This is a story about trust and motives, and how they can often go deeper than expected.

[Patrick Trent · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a Hercule Poirot mystery with a full dramatization. It was quite good.

[naju · Rating 4 out of 5]

really quick read/listen but still very enjoyable as i'm finding every poirot ! as a protagonist he is just so charming, you can't help it

[T.J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun old-school mystery with one of the best twists. Now I want/need to read the full novel.

[Nina · Rating 2 out of 5]

This never grabbed my attention properly, everything is a bit too sedate and calm.