''Wasp's Nest'' was a

television play A television play is a television programming genre which is a drama performance broadcast from a multi-camera television studio, usually live in the early days of television but later recorded to tape. This is in contrast to a television mov ...

broadcast on the BBC Television Service on 18 June 1937. It was adapted from the short story of the same name by crime writer Agatha Christie which had first appeared in the '' Daily Mail'' on 20 November 1928 and first appeared in book form in the US collection '' Double Sin and Other Stories'' in 1961. It first appeared in a UK collection in ''

Poirot's Early Cases ''Poirot's Early Cases'' is a short story collection written by Agatha Christie and first published in the UK by Collins Crime Club in September 1974.''Collins Crime Club – A checklist of First Editions'' Chris Peers, Ralph Spurrier and Jamie ...

'' in 1974. The play is unique in that it is the only instance of Christie adapting one of her works for television, a medium she later came to dislike. It was broadcast live from Alexandra Palace as part of the programme '' Theatre Parade''. The broadcast took place at 3.35 pm and lasted for twenty-five minutes. It was then repeated the same evening at 9.40 pm and lasted for twenty minutes. ''Theatre Parade'' usually showcased successful stage shows of the time but in this instance presented an original work. The play was only broadcast in the London area as this was the only part of the UK that could receive television transmissions at this time. Neither transmissions were recorded for future viewing as television recording equipment had not been invented at this point in time. The play is notable for starring Francis L. Sullivan in the part of

Hercule Poirot Hercule Poirot (, ) is a fictional Belgian detective created by British writer Agatha Christie. Poirot is one of Christie's most famous and long-running characters, appearing in 33 novels, two plays ('' Black Coffee'' and ''Alibi''), and more ...

, reprising his portrayal of the character following his success in the stage play '' Black Coffee'' in 1930. The script of the play is published by Samuel French, separately, and in the collection ''Poirot Double Bill'' with another short play "Yellow Iris".

Critical response

A three-line review in ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the ...

'' of 20 June 1937 by "E.H.R" stated that the first performance was "excellently done".Observer. 20 June 1937. Page 14.

Personnel

Director/Producer:

George More O'Ferrall Edward George More O'Ferrall (4 July 1907 – 18 March 1982) was a pioneering British film and television producer and director, as well as an actor. Biography More O'Ferrall was born in Bristol, England, to an aristocratic Anglo-Irish family. ...

Cast: * Francis L. Sullivan *

Wallace Douglas Wallace Stuart Finlayson (15 August 1911 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada – 8 August 1990 Coldwaltham, West Sussex, England), known as Wallace Douglas, was a Canadian producer, director and actor. The son of Robert Barnett Finlayson and Emiline ...

* D.A. Clarke-Smith * Antoinette Cellier

References

External links

British Film Institute entry for play
{{Hercule Poirot 1937 in British television 1937 British television series debuts 1930s British television series Plays by Agatha Christie Lost BBC episodes 1937 British television series endings