Writer:	Agatha Christie, Anthony Horowitz
Director:	Brian Farnham
Star:	Hugh Fraser (Captain Arthur Hastings),  Philip Jackson (Chief Inspector James Japp),  Pauline Moran (Miss Felicity Lemon),  David Suchet (Hercule Poirot)
Guest Star:	Michael Higgs (Patrick Redfern),  Roger Alborough (Chief Constable Weston),  Kevin Moore (Coroner),  Louise Delamere (Arlena Stuart),  David Mallinson (Kenneth Marshall),  Jason Davies (Dominic Hobson),  Lawrence McGrandles Jr (Simon Kelso),  Grant Gillespie (Jack Lovett),  Paul Ready (William),  Rebecca Johnson (Gladys Narracott),  Rosalind March (Mrs Castle),  Marsha Fitzalan (Rosamund Darnley),  Guy Vincent (Barman),  Tamzin Malleson (Christine Redfern),  Tim Meats (Stephen Lane),  Russell Tovey (Lionel Marshall),  Carolyn Pickles (Emily Brewster),  Steve Bennett (Policeman),  David Timson (Horace Blatt),  Harriet Eastcott (Librarian),  Ian Thompson (Major Barry),  Kenneth Gilbert (Applegood)

This episode is based on Agatha Christie's book Evil Under the Sun (1941). (edit) By the time of this episode, Poirot was a joint UK-US production, and Evil Under the Sun was first broadcast in the US on Friday April 20, 2001. It was first shown on UK television on December 15, 2002. (edit) The location: Evil Under the Sun was filmed on Burgh Island, off the coast of Devon, England, where Agatha Christie wrote the original story. In case you think you have seen the island before, Somewhere Over the Rainbow, an episode of another English show, Lovejoy, was also filmed there. (edit)

Poirot: The face of evil, it remains always the same. (edit) Poirot: Yes, you are right, Madame. The sky is blue, the sun is shining, and yet you forget that everywhere there is evil under the sun.
(edit) Daphne Castle: Your friend Sir Horace Blatt just called. He's having trouble with his piffle valve.
Poirot: Madame, such a device has yet to be invented.
Daphne Castle: I daresay you're right, I wasn't listening very closely, but the result is that he will be twenty-four hours late.
(edit)

qstevie writes -

SPOILERS FOLLOW

Though it's certainly entertaining, this is one of Christie's weakest plots. It relies on far too many coincidences. We are supposed to believe that the killers have come to the island to murder Arlena. Yet their brilliant plot revolves around one character's ability to persuade Lionel to accompany her to Gull Cove and the other's ability to find someone to go rowing with him - all within a very short time. Even more incredible is the playing with time, very likely to be noticed, and the throwing of the bottle out of the window, only a piece of which Poirot finds, although the whole bottle would surely be in the vicinity. Miss Brewster decides not to stay with the body. She's a strong woman, and it would have made more sense for her to have sent Patrick for help. Given all the goings on, which Arlena could easily have heard, why would she stay in the cave? How did Patrick know what costume she would have been wearing, so it could be copied? And since the cave was also a drop off point for drug smugglers, no one could be certain the beach would be empty.

Christie has often been accused of cheating in her narratives, and this is not cheating, but it is just very hard to swallow. (edit)

This episode does not have any allusions. Add some now!