Like the new Marple - they have dropped the brilliant old art deco titles (mistake).

And the catchy theme tune (mistake).

And Hastings (mistake).

And Japp (mistake).

And any humour in the script (mistake).

And replaced them with big names (mistake).

So... it really hasn't worked.

I think I'm right that the later books also did not include Japp or Hastings. Time moved on, and while Japp retired Hastings got married and they each went seperate ways. Poirot officially retired and so there was no more Miss Lemon. It reflects the way things happen in real life.

I did miss the old titling, and some of the camera work was odd, but I did enjoy last night's Poirot and thought it far better than the Mystery of the Blue Train which was stuffed with big names and thoroughly boring.

So far they seem to keeping fairly true to Christie's novels.