Miss Marple: A Murder Is Announced

An advertisement announcing the time and place of a forthcoming murder appears among the ads of the paper in the small village of Chipping Cleghorn.

Miss Marple: A Murder Is Announced (1985) is a British television miniseries adapted from the novel by Agatha Christie and broadcast on BBC One. Joan Hickson plays Miss Jane Marple, the observant elderly amateur sleuth who becomes the center of a three-episode mystery. An advertisement in the local paper announces the time and place of a forthcoming murder, and the quiet village of Chipping Cleghorn soon finds its residents under suspicion. Ursula Howells plays Miss Blacklock and Simon Shepherd plays Patrick Simmons, two of the principal figures whose secrets and alibis Marple must weigh. Each episode unspools through conversation, household routines, and small inconsistencies that a patient mind can pick apart. The tone is genteel and unhurried, with a steady undercurrent of unease as the village's respectable surface cracks. Fans of Poirot, Midsomer Murders and Murder, She Wrote will find the same pleasures of a clever whodunit, a tidy puzzle and an amateur sleuth in an English setting. The series suits viewers who enjoy a cozy mystery with a sharp, classic structure.

• Midsomer Murderscozy village mystery, amateur sleuth solving murders through observation of local characters
• Murder, She Wrotegenteel british whodunit with an elderly amateur detective and classic puzzle structure
• Poirotperiod british crime adaptation of agatha christie with a clever detective and drawing room suspicion

Release Date

1985-02-28

Episode runtime

51 min

Rating

8.0 / 10 (38)

What is Miss Marple: A Murder Is Announced about?

An elderly amateur sleuth, Miss Marple, untangles a murder foretold in a newspaper advertisement in a quiet English village.

What is Miss Marple: A Murder Is Announced like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Miss Marple: A Murder Is Announced as measured, its intensity as mild and its storytelling as easy to follow.

Is Miss Marple: A Murder Is Announced violent?

Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Miss Marple: A Murder Is Announced as mild.

Which shows are like Miss Marple: A Murder Is Announced?

Shows with a similar feel include Midsomer Murders, Murder, She Wrote, and Poirot.

How long is Miss Marple: A Murder Is Announced?

Miss Marple: A Murder Is Announced: 1 season, 3 episodes.

Is Miss Marple: A Murder Is Announced still running?

No, Miss Marple: A Murder Is Announced has ended.