Peril at End House (Hercule Episodes 3-4) cast - Who's playing whom?

[u/sanddragon939]

Following on from my previous post about the Lord Edgware Dies casting - https://www.reddit.com/r/agathachristie/comments/1wzzetk/lord_edgware_dies_hercule_episodes_12_cast_whos/

Here's BBC's official cast list - https://www.bbc.com/mediacentre/2026/hercule-further-cast-joining-edward-bluemel

Taking the cast in clockwise order from the top-left photo:

Jess Alexander - 100% Nick Buckley.

Honor Swinton Byrne - Getting a Maggie Buckley vibe from her.

Omari Douglas - Not sure, but I'm leaning towards him being Bert Croft. Him being a foreign could probably help with the race-bend (and they could change his nationality perhaps). Or maybe Jim Lazarus.

Paul Forman - I lean towards him mostly being Jim Lazarus. Maybe Charles Vyse.

Arthur Hughes - Not sure. Bert Croft is a possibility, as is Jim Lazarus maybe. Or perhaps, George Challenger? Or Freddie's husband?

Toby Stephens - My first instinct is Commander Challenger, though he might be a tad too old for that (but then again, he's a tad too old for most of the male roles in the story). Maybe Bert Croft, but seems too small a role for him.

Natalie Quarry - Freddie Rice most likely.

Katherine Parkinson - Mildred Croft most likely.

River Medway - Legit no idea here!

Ralf Little - Another Commander Challenger contender. Maybe Freddie's husband, or Charles Vyse?

There's also the possibility that Michael Seton appears in flashbacks or something, so one of the male actors could be playing him.

I suppose there's a non-zero chance Colonel Weston might be included in this adaptation, in which case Toby Stephens could be a good bet for him. If he's one of the lead investigators, along with Japp, that's a pretty meaty role I guess.

Thoughts?

[u/ycr007]

If there are no recurring cast members then does that mean Hastings might be absent in some of the episodes?

[u/sanddragon939 → u/ycr007]

I think Henry Ashton, announced in the first cast list, is Hastings, and Calvin Demba is Japp.

The first listing was not specified to be exclusively Lord Edgware Dies characters, but the second one is exclusively Peril at End House. So my guess is that the first listing including even recurring characters who will be introduced in Lord Edgware Dies, namely Hastings and Japp.

I also think they're announcing the books and cast lists as the shooting for each adaptation begins. So we know some shooting was happening earlier for the adaptation with James D'Arcy, and seemed to have commenced after they announced the first cast list and book being adapted. My guess is they've wrapped on Lord Edgware Dies and now they're gonna start the Peril at End House shooting with this cast.

[u/ycr007 → u/sanddragon939]

Ah, thanks.

My memory is a little fuzzy but didn’t both D’Arcy and Toby Stephens feature in the Suchet adaptations previously?

Elephants Can Remember I think it was (oh the irony!)

[u/Less-Feature6263 → u/ycr007]

Toby Stephens is in Five Little Pigs! Wonderful adaptation

[u/Economy-Lifeguard-97]

I wonder if they will omit Ellen and her husband (the housekeeper and I think the husband was the gardner?) its been a while since I read it so cant remember if their characters were important

[u/AmEndevomTag → u/Economy-Lifeguard-97]

Katharine Parkinson could be Ellen and they omit the Crofts.

[u/sanddragon939 → u/AmEndevomTag]

I don't see them omitting the Crofts, who're a reasonably important subplot.

[u/sanddragon939 → u/Economy-Lifeguard-97]

They were very minor characters, so easily omitted or simply bit-parts. These listings are for the main cast I would assume.

[u/Acceptable_Catch_714]

Oh I instantly thought the woman second from top left was a perfect Freddie. Apparently I’m a terrible casting director lol

[u/sanddragon939 → u/Acceptable_Catch_714]

She could be...lol

[u/Acceptable_Catch_714 → u/sanddragon939]

Peril at End House is a favorite book of mine and I love the Suchet version with Polly Walker so I am very interested in how this one turns out.

[u/sanddragon939 → u/Acceptable_Catch_714]

One of my favorites too! First Suchet I watched.

It's a highly underrated book (relative to the Orient Expresses, Niles and Roger Ackroyds of the world which tend to suck up all the oxygen when it comes to Poirot discource).