‘TOWARDS ZERO’: BRITBOX ADAPTS AN AGATHA CHRISTIE STORY IN THIS EXCITING NEW VERSION!
Though not the first time in as many years as the Agatha Christie novel Towards Zero has been adapted, this time BritBox (which has the U.S. streaming debut) premieres its version of the story with a stacked cast that is pretty dang good plus an extra hour of time.
Towards Zero (2025) BritBox TV Review
In ailing health, the home of Lady Tressilian (Anjelica Huston) becomes a hub of activity. Her tennis star nephew Nevile Strange (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) arrives bringing more than one scandalous headline with him along with his mistress turned second wife, Kay (Mimi Keene). Also part of the party is Audrey Strange (Ella Lily Hyland), the woman helping Nevile make those headlines as she petitioned for divorce. Though Nevile is most reluctant to allow Audrey, a woman he claims to have loved since they were sixteen, to leave him, she is given the divorce.
Making up the rest of the arrivals, both suspects and guests is devoted companion of Lady Tressilian, Mary Aldin (Anjana Vasan); Thomas Royde (Jack Farthing), a childhood friend of Audrey’s and cousin of Nevile; keeper of family secrets is lawyer Fredrick Treves (Clarke Peters); and then there is the Inspector Leach (Matthew Rhys), a man haunted by more than the cases he solves.
‘TOWARDS ZERO’: BRITBOX ADAPTS AN AGATHA CHRISTIE STORY IN THIS EXCITING NEW VERSION! BritBox adapts #AgathaChristie adaptation with great cast. #British #Mystery #TowardsZero Share on XThe latest of the Agatha Christie novels to get adaptation treatment Towards Zero is a story that I did always really like. It’s intriguing and interesting and surprisingly compelling. It’s also dark (tonally and emotionally) and unlike the other version, there is very little joy here. I have never read the novel, but did see the ITV adaptation from the early 2000s. However, in that adaptation, the writers did pen Miss Marple into the plot despite this not being a Marple novel.
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I haven’t seen every more recent adaptation of Christie novels, but I have seen a lot through the years. This one, like some of the others (including Ordeal by Innocence), takes on a more contemporary approach to its storytelling. Still, based solely off prior British adaptations, this three-part miniseries is still decidedly a Christie adaptation that fits nicely in line with what we’ve come to expect form these productions. It is also, unlike its earlier ITV peers, much darker and dreary by comparison.
The cast is brilliant and is a group of veterans and new talent who co-mingle for this story. I enjoyed the actors I haven’t seen (at least not in anything significant) and love to see Jackson-Cohen again after rewatching Lark Rise to Candleford. There are stunning aerial scenery shots (Devon England is a filming location). There are also some pretty costumes, too, of course, and this is all brought together by an intriguing story. I wasn’t sure if this would be the same as the ITV version, but it is, in a way. However, the “getting there” part is still fun and takes a different approach (one character is no shrinking violet in this version). Everything does move at a snail’s pace, but mostly I think we can overcome this.
If you like British drama or BritBox dramas, Towards Zero is a good one!
Stream, at publication (stateside), episode one on BritBox (watch for episodes two and three Friday and Saturday)
Content: this one (episode two) has a very sensual sequence on a staircase / against the wall (the characters are clothed but it’s clear there is “pleasuring” a lover going on while a bare thigh rests on the shoulder of the lover). There is some violence and we see a body with blood lying in bed. A man tries to commit suicide. There is some profanity including the F-word (3-6) and other minor profanity
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