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Arts feature

The 'detestable, bombastic, egocentric' detective — Hercule Poirot lives on

Was Agatha Christie just a formulaic writer? Black Coffee, her first play with the Belgian sleuth, shows we mustn't underestimate her

1 February 2014

9:00 AM

1 February 2014

9:00 AM

With all the enormous fuss over Sherlock on the telly, David Suchet’s recent retirement from Poirot should not be forgotten. What an incredible innings! The actor finally hung up his patent-leather shoes after a quarter-century of playing the sleuth in 70 stories. The case is not closed for fans, however.

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