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Agatha Christie: The Lost Plays: Three BBC radio full-cast dramas: Butter in a Lordly Dish, Murder in the Mews & Personal Call
A triple bill of archive BBC radio dramas, believed lost for over half a century and only recently rediscovered. "Butter in a Lordly Dish", written specially for radio in 1948, features Richard Williams as Sir Luke Enderby KC, whose infidelities lead him into trouble when he goes to meet his latest flame.
Williams also stars as Hercule Poirot in "Murder in the Mews", a 1955 adaptation of a short story. A young woman is found dead in her flat the day after Guy Fawkes night. Did she die by her own hand or someone else's?
In "Personal Call", also written specially for radio by Agatha Christie, a disturbing telephone call from a woman named Fay has consequences for both Richard Brent and his wife, Pam. This 1960 production stars Ivan Brandt and Barbara Lott.
Williams also stars as Hercule Poirot in "Murder in the Mews", a 1955 adaptation of a short story. A young woman is found dead in her flat the day after Guy Fawkes night. Did she die by her own hand or someone else's?
In "Personal Call", also written specially for radio by Agatha Christie, a disturbing telephone call from a woman named Fay has consequences for both Richard Brent and his wife, Pam. This 1960 production stars Ivan Brandt and Barbara Lott.
Audible Audio
First published September 3, 2015
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About the author
Agatha Christie
6,068 books77.3k followersAgatha Christie also wrote romance novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott, and was occasionally published under the name Agatha Christie Mallowan.
Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, DBE (née Miller) was an English writer 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". 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.
This best-selling author of all time wrote 66 crime novels and story collections, fourteen plays, and six novels under a pseudonym in romance. Her books sold more than a billion copies in the English language and a billion in translation. According to Index Translationum, people translated her works into 103 languages at least, the most for an individual author. Of the most enduring figures in crime literature, she created Hercule Poirot and Miss Jane Marple. She atuhored The Mousetrap, the longest-running play in the history of modern theater.
Associated Names:
Agata Christie
Agata Kristi
Агата Кристи (Russian)
Агата Крісті (Ukrainian)
Αγκάθα Κρίστι (Greek)
アガサ クリスティ (Japanese)
阿嘉莎·克莉絲蒂 (Chinese)
Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, DBE (née Miller) was an English writer 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". 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.
This best-selling author of all time wrote 66 crime novels and story collections, fourteen plays, and six novels under a pseudonym in romance. Her books sold more than a billion copies in the English language and a billion in translation. According to Index Translationum, people translated her works into 103 languages at least, the most for an individual author. Of the most enduring figures in crime literature, she created Hercule Poirot and Miss Jane Marple. She atuhored The Mousetrap, the longest-running play in the history of modern theater.
Associated Names:
Agata Christie
Agata Kristi
Агата Кристи (Russian)
Агата Крісті (Ukrainian)
Αγκάθα Κρίστι (Greek)
アガサ クリスティ (Japanese)
阿嘉莎·克莉絲蒂 (Chinese)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
April 23, 2026
Lost Plays Redux
A review of the BBC audiobook (September 3, 2015) collecting three radio plays first broadcast on BBC Radio (1948, 1955, 1960).
This is a review to record my reading/listening to the radio play adaptation of the Hercule Poirot novella Murder in the Mews. I had already read and listened to Butter in a Lordly Dish (1948) and Personal Call (1954) which I reviewed here and here.
The radio play adaptation stayed very close to the original which I read last year as part of the anthology Murder in the Mews (Hercule Poirot #16 - 1937). My review at the time summarized it as:
The BBC audiobook is enhanced with an archival interview with Agatha Christie herself and then with actor Ian Whittaker (1928-2022) who played a young boy in the original radio production and was then (at the time of the audiobook's release in 2015) the only surviving cast member. Whittaker aged out of playing young boy roles and became a film set decorator for the rest of his career. He worked on films such as Alien and The Remains of the Day.
This is my third review of one of Agatha Christie's shorter (usually 25-40 minute) plays written as originals or adapted from short stories for BBC Radio back in the day. These are probably the most obscure works of Christie. The usually thorough Wikipedia bibliography of Christie only lists 5 of them. Even the Agatha Christie official website only lists 6 of them. I can find at least 9 (see under Trivia and Links below), although one of those is not publicly available.
This short radio play of Murder in the Mews counts against my Complete Agatha Christie binge read goal, so I have 17 novels (including 4 remaining Westmacotts), 3 short story collections, 10.5 full-length theatrical plays, 5 shorter radio plays) and 1 autobiography left to go.
Trivia and Links
As best as I can currently find there are at least 8 of the shorter radio plays which are available to read or to listen to as of April 2026. A 9th radio play, the original Three Blind Mice (1947), does not have a surviving radio recording or a publicly available script. The dates and timings are from various sources (Official Agatha Christie website, Wikipedia, publishers Concord Theatricals/Samuel French, Audible Audio) with some still to be confirmed. Not all of these plays or anthologies have a separate listing on Goodreads.
I have stroked through those that I have now read or listened to or which are not available. The stroke-throughs are not visible on all platforms, so I have also marked them with an X.
1. The Wasp's Nest (1937) adapted from the same-titled Hercule Poirot short story (1928), also available as part of A Poirot Double Bill- 25 minutes
2. The Yellow Iris (1937) adapted from the same-titled Hercule Poirot short story (1937), also available as part of Murder in the Studio and/or A Poirot Double Bill - ? minutes
3. Three Blind Mice (May 1947), the original radio play version of what later became a short story, and then a full length stage play The Mousetrap, A Play In Two Acts (1952). No recording or publicly available script exists. X
4. Butter in a Lordly Dish (1948), the original BBC audio recording is also available as part of the audiobook Agatha Christie: The Lost Plays (2015) - 30 minutes X
5. Personal Call (1954), the original BBC audio recording is also available as part of the audiobook Agatha Christie: The Lost Plays (2015) - 30 minutes X
6. Murder in the Mews (1955) an adaptation of the same-titled Hercule Poirot short story / novella (1936), there does not appear to be a printed version of this, but the original BBC audio recording is available as part of the audiobook Agatha Christie: The Lost Plays (2015) - 60 minutes [this adaptation is not by Christie herself and therefore may not be considered part of the canon, but it was made in her lifetime so presumably she had some right of approval.] X
7. Afternoon At The Seaside (1962) also available as part of Rule of Three - 55 minutes
8. The Patient (year is presently unknown) also available as part of Rule of Three - 40 minutes
9. The Rats (year is presently unknown) also available as part of Rule of Three - 35 minutes
A review of the BBC audiobook (September 3, 2015) collecting three radio plays first broadcast on BBC Radio (1948, 1955, 1960).
This is a review to record my reading/listening to the radio play adaptation of the Hercule Poirot novella Murder in the Mews. I had already read and listened to Butter in a Lordly Dish (1948) and Personal Call (1954) which I reviewed here and here.
The radio play adaptation stayed very close to the original which I read last year as part of the anthology Murder in the Mews (Hercule Poirot #16 - 1937). My review at the time summarized it as:
Murder in the Mews **** (Originally published in Woman’s Journal December 1936). Japp and Poirot pass through a mews on Guy Fawkes Night. The next day they are called out to an apparent suicide in the same vicinity, but the suicide appears to have been staged, was it perhaps murder? Meanwhile the roommate is acting very suspiciously. Filmed as Agatha Christie’s Poirot Season 1 Episode 2 (1989).The only oddity about the radio adaptation was hearing the voice of actor Richard Williams as Hercule Poirot when I am so used to hearing David Suchet in the role.
The BBC audiobook is enhanced with an archival interview with Agatha Christie herself and then with actor Ian Whittaker (1928-2022) who played a young boy in the original radio production and was then (at the time of the audiobook's release in 2015) the only surviving cast member. Whittaker aged out of playing young boy roles and became a film set decorator for the rest of his career. He worked on films such as Alien and The Remains of the Day.
This is my third review of one of Agatha Christie's shorter (usually 25-40 minute) plays written as originals or adapted from short stories for BBC Radio back in the day. These are probably the most obscure works of Christie. The usually thorough Wikipedia bibliography of Christie only lists 5 of them. Even the Agatha Christie official website only lists 6 of them. I can find at least 9 (see under Trivia and Links below), although one of those is not publicly available.
This short radio play of Murder in the Mews counts against my Complete Agatha Christie binge read goal, so I have 17 novels (including 4 remaining Westmacotts), 3 short story collections, 10.5 full-length theatrical plays, 5 shorter radio plays) and 1 autobiography left to go.
Trivia and Links
As best as I can currently find there are at least 8 of the shorter radio plays which are available to read or to listen to as of April 2026. A 9th radio play, the original Three Blind Mice (1947), does not have a surviving radio recording or a publicly available script. The dates and timings are from various sources (Official Agatha Christie website, Wikipedia, publishers Concord Theatricals/Samuel French, Audible Audio) with some still to be confirmed. Not all of these plays or anthologies have a separate listing on Goodreads.
I have stroked through those that I have now read or listened to or which are not available. The stroke-throughs are not visible on all platforms, so I have also marked them with an X.
1. The Wasp's Nest (1937) adapted from the same-titled Hercule Poirot short story (1928), also available as part of A Poirot Double Bill- 25 minutes
2. The Yellow Iris (1937) adapted from the same-titled Hercule Poirot short story (1937), also available as part of Murder in the Studio and/or A Poirot Double Bill - ? minutes
7. Afternoon At The Seaside (1962) also available as part of Rule of Three - 55 minutes
8. The Patient (year is presently unknown) also available as part of Rule of Three - 40 minutes
9. The Rats (year is presently unknown) also available as part of Rule of Three - 35 minutes
August 11, 2019
These three very good old radio plays had been thought to be lost but were then rediscovered. The first two are one-off dramas by Christie which are really very creepy and atmospheric, Butter in a Lordly Dish and Personal Call. The third is an adaptation of one of her Poirot short stories, Murder in the Mews.
The audiobook also includes recordings of Christie speaking in interviews and talks, and a long interview with Ian Whittaker, who played a small part in Murder in the Mews and went on to be an Oscar-winning set decorator after making the switch from acting. A lot of his interview isn't all that relevant to Christie, but fascinating in its own right, as he looks back over his amazing career. I borrowed the audiobook from Suffolk Libraries via Overdrive.
The audiobook also includes recordings of Christie speaking in interviews and talks, and a long interview with Ian Whittaker, who played a small part in Murder in the Mews and went on to be an Oscar-winning set decorator after making the switch from acting. A lot of his interview isn't all that relevant to Christie, but fascinating in its own right, as he looks back over his amazing career. I borrowed the audiobook from Suffolk Libraries via Overdrive.
August 12, 2020
The plays were very melodramatic, but it was fun to hear the old-time productions & imagine how they must have affected radio listeners. I grew up listening to CBS Radio Mystery Theater late into the night, which I rediscovered online (https://www.cbsrmt.com) after listening to these plays. ;-)
Included in this collection is an interesting interview with Ian Whittaker, who started playing youthful voices for radio and ended doing notable set design for movies like Alien and Howard’s End. Truthfully, the interview was my favorite part of the collection, but overall I enjoyed the experience.
Included in this collection is an interesting interview with Ian Whittaker, who started playing youthful voices for radio and ended doing notable set design for movies like Alien and Howard’s End. Truthfully, the interview was my favorite part of the collection, but overall I enjoyed the experience.
December 21, 2019
The Personal Call!! Wow!! Such a thrilling and interesting play!! I enjoyed them all. I’ve read Murder in the Mews so it’s as neat to hear it being acted out. I also enjoyed listening to Agatha’s speech and the interview with an actor at the end. Great audio!
April 21, 2026
This was a fun little listen, including audio from Agatha and actors talking about their time writing and delivering plays.
The plays themselves were good stories, and there is a production of murder on the mews as well.
The plays themselves were good stories, and there is a production of murder on the mews as well.
December 20, 2024
Three BBC broadcasts of Agatha Christie's plays. Two are short half-hour ones, Butter in a Lordly Dish and Personal Call, both a bit on the melodramatic side but entertaining suspense.
Then there's an interlude of a few quite interesting clips from the archives - one is an introduction by Agatha Christie to a series of radio plays, so her actual voice, another was a speech she gave at a dinner in her honour - and we know from her alter ego Ariadne Oliver how much she hates speeches! (She did sound a bit nervous.)
Then there's a third radio play, a longer one featuring Poirot called Murder in the Mews - not bad in terms of sleuthing etc, but I actually liked the first two better.
Finally, there's an interview with the last living actor from the third play - who played a young boy at the age of 27 or so! He went on to become a quite distinguished set designer, and a lot of the interview is about that instead. Can be a take-it-or-leave-it clip.
I would actually recommend this overall, and not just to completionists like myself either. I enjoyed it.
Then there's an interlude of a few quite interesting clips from the archives - one is an introduction by Agatha Christie to a series of radio plays, so her actual voice, another was a speech she gave at a dinner in her honour - and we know from her alter ego Ariadne Oliver how much she hates speeches! (She did sound a bit nervous.)
Then there's a third radio play, a longer one featuring Poirot called Murder in the Mews - not bad in terms of sleuthing etc, but I actually liked the first two better.
Finally, there's an interview with the last living actor from the third play - who played a young boy at the age of 27 or so! He went on to become a quite distinguished set designer, and a lot of the interview is about that instead. Can be a take-it-or-leave-it clip.
I would actually recommend this overall, and not just to completionists like myself either. I enjoyed it.
September 4, 2019
I read these for a bingo reading challenge to cross out my "classics" square.
In 2015, the BBC rereleased these three plays of Christie’s that were thought to be lost. The audio also includes an interview with the author, the cast of the Mouse Trap, and with the lone radio actor who was still alive when the collection was published. The plays in the collection are:
-Butter in a Lordly Dish, written for the radio in 1948, concerning the recent hanging of a young man convicted of killing several women, and the philandering prosector on his case
-Personal Call, also written for the radio in 1960, about a man who begins receiving calls from his dead first wife
-and Murder at the Mews, adapted from her own short story and the only one to feature her famous detective Poirot, about the apparent suicide of a young woman on Guy Fawkes Day.
The mysteries were all very pleasant to listen to with very good performances by the cast. The mysteries themselves were a bit predictable, but still fun to take the journey. All casts featured a lot of female characters which was nice (though certainly fell to some of the gender stereotyping of the era), and the sound effects enhanced the mood. I didn’t find the interviews particularly interesting but I think fans of Christie’s would like them very much. I don’t anticipate I’ll be barreling through her body of work anytime soon, but I appreciated enjoying a small taste of the works that have inspired so many modern mysteries.
In 2015, the BBC rereleased these three plays of Christie’s that were thought to be lost. The audio also includes an interview with the author, the cast of the Mouse Trap, and with the lone radio actor who was still alive when the collection was published. The plays in the collection are:
-Butter in a Lordly Dish, written for the radio in 1948, concerning the recent hanging of a young man convicted of killing several women, and the philandering prosector on his case
-Personal Call, also written for the radio in 1960, about a man who begins receiving calls from his dead first wife
-and Murder at the Mews, adapted from her own short story and the only one to feature her famous detective Poirot, about the apparent suicide of a young woman on Guy Fawkes Day.
The mysteries were all very pleasant to listen to with very good performances by the cast. The mysteries themselves were a bit predictable, but still fun to take the journey. All casts featured a lot of female characters which was nice (though certainly fell to some of the gender stereotyping of the era), and the sound effects enhanced the mood. I didn’t find the interviews particularly interesting but I think fans of Christie’s would like them very much. I don’t anticipate I’ll be barreling through her body of work anytime soon, but I appreciated enjoying a small taste of the works that have inspired so many modern mysteries.
July 4, 2020
It was interesting listening to the short radio plays (two were written by Agatha Christie as plays, not short stories). These were rediscovered and put together as part of an anniversary release celebrating 125 years since Christie's birth.
This audio book also contains a rediscovered interview with Agatha Christie about her writing strategies (she talks about writing plays and disliking trying to dramatize her short stories), another interview was with some actors from the casts of The Mouse Trap and finally there was a longer interview with Ian Whittaker, who played a small (child’s) part in Murder in the Mews. He spoke about making the switch from acting roles, where he played juvenile parts, to becoming an Oscar-winning set decorator working with some iconic directors.
Well worth listening to on a wet weekend afternoon.
This audio book also contains a rediscovered interview with Agatha Christie about her writing strategies (she talks about writing plays and disliking trying to dramatize her short stories), another interview was with some actors from the casts of The Mouse Trap and finally there was a longer interview with Ian Whittaker, who played a small (child’s) part in Murder in the Mews. He spoke about making the switch from acting roles, where he played juvenile parts, to becoming an Oscar-winning set decorator working with some iconic directors.
Well worth listening to on a wet weekend afternoon.
May 10, 2025
I liked the mixture of BBC radio interviews with the cast of the audio productions and with Agatha Christie herself - I’ve never heard her voice before and it was quite a treat to hear her speech celebrating ten years of the Mousetrap being continuously on stage. I have acted in it with my little theater troupe but never been to see it in person; must put that to rights someday.
The spookiest story is definitely Personal Call with a ghostly shivery flavour of haunting to it. I liked the other mysteries as well but they were less memorable. My favourite part of these stories is not so much striving to solve whodunnit but the sense of the era being so clear. What a card party used to sound like, the clinking of glasses, making dates to spend time with friends, spouses talking together. The cadence and pacing of voices, all so different to today’s conversational pitch and pace.
The spookiest story is definitely Personal Call with a ghostly shivery flavour of haunting to it. I liked the other mysteries as well but they were less memorable. My favourite part of these stories is not so much striving to solve whodunnit but the sense of the era being so clear. What a card party used to sound like, the clinking of glasses, making dates to spend time with friends, spouses talking together. The cadence and pacing of voices, all so different to today’s conversational pitch and pace.
January 4, 2026
Butter in a Lordly Dish was ok.
Murder in the Mews was great. Although I had seen this Poirot episode on PBS before. This version was slightly different, and still a unique and clever take on a suicide disguised as a murder.
A Personal Call was super freaky, which I did not expect from Agatha Christie. Quite scary and well done.
The interviews with Agatha Christie and others were mildly interesting, although sometimes irrelevant to the content in these stories. After the long interview about Mouse Trap, it was expecting an adaptation of that play, and was disappointed. And the long interview with the set designer of Alien was mildly interesting but had only the slightest relevance to Agatha Christie.
Murder in the Mews was great. Although I had seen this Poirot episode on PBS before. This version was slightly different, and still a unique and clever take on a suicide disguised as a murder.
A Personal Call was super freaky, which I did not expect from Agatha Christie. Quite scary and well done.
The interviews with Agatha Christie and others were mildly interesting, although sometimes irrelevant to the content in these stories. After the long interview about Mouse Trap, it was expecting an adaptation of that play, and was disappointed. And the long interview with the set designer of Alien was mildly interesting but had only the slightest relevance to Agatha Christie.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 25, 2019
I really like Agatha Christie’s audiobooks because of the full cast and sound effects in the background. It makes it sound like you have the tv on in the background.
I found the first and third play for be kind of boring, I did like the plot twist at the end of the first play. The second play was my favourite and I really enjoyed the plot twist and storyline. I also like the little bit about Agatha Christie that was mentioned in between the second and third play.
I found the first and third play for be kind of boring, I did like the plot twist at the end of the first play. The second play was my favourite and I really enjoyed the plot twist and storyline. I also like the little bit about Agatha Christie that was mentioned in between the second and third play.
April 20, 2021
Four stars to this because of the rare interviews and voice recordings of Christie. The best of the three vintage BBC dramatisations for me was the 1960 Personal Call. It is interesting to contrast the early adaptation of Murder on the Mews with subsequent interpretations of both the specific material and the character of Poirot. A valuable artefact.
June 20, 2025
The Lost Plays is a delightful find for Christie devotees and fans of classic radio storytelling. Its historical significance and BBC production values make it worthwhile—especially for those drawn to vintage audio drama. But for newcomers or casual listeners seeking powerhouse mysteries, it may feel more like a curious archival sample than a gripping standalone.
November 5, 2025
The now period nature of these is emphasised by the radio voices, but there are also lots of details I suddenly realised might be impenetrable to the young. All were satisfying although Personal Call slightly less so as I am uninterested in that sort of supernatural.
The various additions were surprisingly engaging - Christie interviews, Christie giving a speech and a long and fascinating interview with a surviving cast member.
The various additions were surprisingly engaging - Christie interviews, Christie giving a speech and a long and fascinating interview with a surviving cast member.
November 24, 2019
Die Poirot-Story kannte ich schon. Die anderen beiden Plays waren ein bisschen mehr in die supernatural Richtung als ich von ihr kenne, aber ich mochte es trotzdem.
Am besten fand ich die Aufnahmen von Agatha selber, da sie dabei bestätigt, dass sie ebenso socially awkward war wie ich es bin. 😍
Am besten fand ich die Aufnahmen von Agatha selber, da sie dabei bestätigt, dass sie ebenso socially awkward war wie ich es bin. 😍
October 12, 2025
A rather good collection of radio plays, with "Personal Call" being my favourite amongst these. Interestingly, "Murder in the Mews" was dramatised on the ITV Poirot, and Suchet's version is much more preferable than the radio adaptation.
My Rating - 4/5
My Rating - 4/5
November 11, 2025
Of course I've already read Murder in the Mews, but shockingly I remembered the solution. The other two were all new to me. Normally I don't care for a full cast performance because I think a lot of the details get left out, but in this case that's the way they were originally written. As a bonus, there were some old recordings of Agatha Christie herself included between the stories.
April 6, 2026
These plays were believed lost for over half a century and only recently rediscovered. Butter in a Lordly Dish was written by Agatha Christie specially for radio broadcast in 1948. I listened to the version available on Spotify by the Kansas City Actors Radio Theatre.
November 16, 2016
A little thin on plays, but it did have some interesting interviews with Christie and the casts of some of the plays.
February 23, 2018
A nice selection of Agatha Christie stories/plays presented as an audiobook, which is how they should be experienced, since they were radio plays.
August 27, 2019
3.5 stars
October 12, 2019
3.5
very old recordings? the interesting bits are the interviews with the actors of the radioplay.
very old recordings? the interesting bits are the interviews with the actors of the radioplay.
January 21, 2020
It's cute; quick classic mysteries... Almost "cozies" style mysteries by modern standards.
January 28, 2020
Love these little short stories and it’s lovely to have an interview with Agatha too.
February 3, 2021
These were surprisingly entertaining. I particularly enjoyed "The Personal Call," with its dash of the paranormal.
January 6, 2022
The plays itself are very fun and agatha-esque. However I did not enjoy the interview bits as much.
March 19, 2022
I really enjoyed this, the audiobook has interviews and recordings of Agatha Christie herself. I highly recommend.
November 26, 2022
I just don't like reading plays. Watching them is lovely! Reading them is annoying.
July 23, 2023
I listened to this edition when we were preparing to discuss Murder in the Mews in chronological Christie order. I had not heard of the other two plays but this is an excellent read/listen.
February 14, 2024
Very entertaining.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews